By Lydia Mc Williams
Do you also have a social-conscience and would you like to make a direct impact on the lives of those who need a helping hand? Would you like to step out of the office every day knowing that you have made a positive impact on society?
Aged care is a $20 billion+ industry in Australia, employing over 224,000 staff across more than 1,800 businesses who care for over 270,000 elderly and disabled Australians across the country.
The Federal Government’s 2015 Intergenerational Report predicts the number of Aussies aged 65 years and over will double from 3.6 million today to 8.9 million by 2055.
While this is news that should both concern and excite Australians, it does make the Aged Care sector an attractive prospect for job seekers looking for a stable, rewarding career. The resulting increase in demand on Aged Care and community care services will create an oversupply of roles in the Aged Care market.
Given that Aged Care job vacancies in January 2016 exceeded applicants by 400 per cent, this certainly highlights the volume of opportunities that exist within the sector. In fact, the Department of Health estimates the Aged Care sector will need to expand its workforce from 366,000 to 980,000 by 2050 to meet the needs of our ageing population, while SEEK predicts growth of 30 per cent by 2020.
To care for our aging population, and to ensure that you (yes you!) will receive the care you require when you are old and grey, we need to build a skilled and dedicated workforce. That is a workforce with the capability to drive projects that will constantly look to improve service delivery and enhance the customer experience and customer journey for end users. A workforce loaded with the appropriate toolkits, approaches and styles required to drive these changes in this niche sector.
Historically this sector has been behind technologically, however, digital technology is set to transform and modernise the provision of Aged Care services in Australia. Technology has the ability to enable administrative tasks to be completed more efficiently, freeing up quality time for support workers and care givers to tend to residents’ social and emotional needs. These advancements range from innovative comparison websites which would allow you to read reviews of individual facilities and compare fee structures, to more futuristic advancements such as smartwatch-style monitoring devices and robotic assistants who can follow nurses around facilities as they tend to residents.
Unfortunately age escapes no one. Why not work in a sector that will directly affect you and your loved ones in the future. Make your mark. Make a difference.
I manage the Aged Care, Health Care and Not-for-Profit portfolio here at Project Resources Partners. I have been partnering closely with various leading organisations across this sector to assist them to establish business transformation teams, project management offices, communications teams as well as a multitude of roles spanning across project services, business process improvement, business analytics and change management.
From my perspective the opportunity to establish and be part of these greenfield project management and change management functions in the fastest growing sector in the country is exciting and rewarding. To work with passionate, caring, values-orientated people who are all working towards the same goal and mission, which is focused around those in their care, is the reason I relish coming in to work each day. Would you also like to make your mark on this crucial sector that provides a valuable community service?
Lydia Mc Williams
Consultant
Project Resource Partners
Level 29, 360 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia
T +61 3 9949 8100 D +61 3 9949 8106
E lmcwilliams@projectresourcepartners.com.au