A new aged care apprenticeship programme has been launched by Careerforce, with specialisations in dementia, palliative care, and complex conditions.

The NZACA has been calling for such a programme to ensure our sector has the workforce able to provide a consistently high quality of care, and the new Healthcare Assistance for Aged Care (Level 4) apprenticeship is a welcome initiative to both upskill our current workforce and attract more Kiwis into the sector.

This programme presently has free enrolment via the Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF) and employers may also qualify for the Apprenticeship Boost which provides a wage subsidy for new and existing apprentices in their first two years of training, up to the value of $16,000 per trainee. Employers have flexibility to customise parts of the apprenticeship programme to meet their own unique workplace needs.

Complex Conditions

The Apprenticeship in Healthcare Assistance for Aged Care with a context in Complex Conditions gives staff foundational and specialist skills to provide person-centred care to a person living with complex conditions such as diabetes, deaf or hearing impairment, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This level 4 programme leads to the awarding of the following qualifications:

  • New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 3) with a strand in Health Assistance and a context in Complex Conditions [Ref:2470-1].
  • New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Advanced Support) (Level 4) with a context in Complex Conditions [Ref:2779-1].

Palliative Care 

The Apprenticeship in Healthcare Assistance for Aged Care with a context in Palliative Care gives staff foundational and specialist skills to provide person-centred care to a person who has life-limiting illness.

This level 4 programme leads to the awarding of the following qualifications:

  • New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 3) with a strand in Health Assistance and a context in Palliative Care [Ref:2470-1].
  • New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Advanced Support) (Level 4) with a context in Palliative Care [Ref:2779-1].

Dementia Care

The Apprenticeship in Healthcare Assistance for Aged Care with a context in Dementia Care gives staff foundational and specialist skills to provide person-centred care to a person living with dementia.

This level 4 programme leads to the awarding of the following qualifications:

  • New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 3) with a strand in Health Assistance and a context in Dementia [Ref:2470-1].
  • New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Advanced Support) (Level 4) with a context in Dementia [Ref:2779-1].

For more information, visit the Careerforce website.