1 July 2024

TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga has helped a young woman living with ADHD, autism and a mild intellectual disability gain the skills – and confidence – to enter the booming aged care industry.

Caring by nature, Henty woman Maddie Wilson, 22, always dreamed of a career in childcare but after gaining a job as a care assistant at Henty Multi Purpose Service in early 2023, a new professional horizon appeared.

“It made me realise I could work in aged care and all the nurses were encouraging me,” Ms Wilson said.

“I wanted to show everyone that the conditions I’m living with wouldn’t stop me from being successful so I decided to study aged care.”

Midway through a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) at TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga, Ms Wilson has already been offered an assistant-in-nursing job at Henty upon graduation.

It comes as a recent report by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) warned that the skills shortage in aged care in Australia could reach 110,000 or more in the next decade and 400,000 by 2050.

Meanwhile, website Economy ID lists healthcare and social assistance as the largest industry by employment in the Wagga Wagga City Council area, with 6215 full-time equivalent jobs in 2022-23.

Due to her learning challenges, Ms Wilson is receiving up to two hours a week of one-on-one learner support from her TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga teachers, a service she said had been a game-changer for her.

She said helping give older residents care and dignity was a gratifying career.

“They’ve lived such long lives and it’s so interesting to hear how they grew up … it was such a different time,” Ms Wilson said.

TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga aged care teacher Debbie Healey said the industry offered the rare combination of job security and satisfaction, with graduates leaving with the practical skills and work experience to hit the ground running.

“The aged care industry is awash with jobs at the moment and if you love helping people, it can be the perfect profession,” Ms Healey said.

“You really are making a difference in a person’s life and helping older people retain dignity as they age.

“And so many of our TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga graduates walk straight into jobs, often before even graduating.”

Media contact: Dan Johns, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, Daniel.johns9@tafensw.edu.au, 0477 722 428