23 September 2024

A Tuross Head mum-of-two says she has found her “calling” after TAFE NSW helped her join the booming disability support sector.

Bronwyn Westbury was a stay-at-home mum for 16 years before deciding her kids were at an age where she was comfortable re-entering the workforce.

She turned to TAFE NSW, completing a Certificate III in Ageing and Disability this year and securing rewarding work as a disability support worker shortly after graduating.

Fuelled by the NDIS, the disability sector is awash with jobs, according to the Federal Government’s NDIS Review, which found about 128,000 additional workers would be needed in the industry by mid-2025.

And according to website Economy ID, healthcare and social assistance is the largest employer in the Eurobodalla Shire, employing almost 3000 locals – and rising.

“After being at home with the kids for so long, I wanted to find myself again and I love helping others so aged care was my first thought,” Ms Westbury said.

“I needed to retrain to give myself the skills and confidence to get back into the workforce and TAFE NSW was a natural choice.

“I did my final work placement in disability support and it blew my mind; it was so rewarding and it made my heart sing … I know I’d found my calling.”

Now employed by local charity and NDIS provider Yumaro, Ms Westbury supports clients living with a disability.

“You’re helping them become the best they can be and you feel like you’re making a real difference in a vulnerable person’s life,” she said. “Helping a client achieve something they didn’t think they could really gives you the warm fuzzies.”

Ms Westbury said studying her TAFE NSW course online, with occasional face-to-face skills workshops, was the ideal fit for her busy family life.

“The teachers have all been in industry so you’re learning from someone who’s actually experienced it before,” she said.

TAFE NSW Head Teacher of Ageing and Disability Simone Stuart urged locals to consider a career in disability, saying a growing skills gap in the industry meant jobs were plentiful.

“The majority of our students secure work before graduating,” Ms Stuart said.

“It’s very rewarding work to be able to empower clients to live as independently as possible.”

Media contact: Dan Johns, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, 0477 722 428