Passionate about caring for others, a TAFE NSW Meadowbank graduate decided to switch from a corporate career to aged care, tapping into Australia’s booming aged care industry, which due to the ageing population is set to see 179,000 job openings over the next five years

After working in the corporate sector for 15 years, Karen Dyer yearned for the opportunity to relaunch her career and pursue something she loved doing.

Ms Dyer said she was at a void in her career and was unsure if looking for a job in the same field was the direction she wanted to take.

“I have a few ageing family members that I was casually caring for. My father was one of them until he passed away.

“People kept telling me that I have a lot of compassion and respect for the elderly and that I should look at something in that line of work, which is why I decided to study at TAFE NSW.” said Ms Dyer.

Ms Dyer completed the Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) at TAFE NSW Meadowbank and has now secured employment with Baptistcare Shalom.

“The structure of the TAFE NSW course was great. Being in a class environment was a wonderful advantage as well. It allowed me to interact with like-minded people doing the same course and bounce my ideas and experiences off others to gain advice.

“TAFE NSW Meadowbank also hosts an Industry Job Market Day which allowed the students to network with companies for potential employment. I was really impressed by this and found talking to these companies extremely beneficial for potential employment down the track.” said Ms Dyer.

TAFE NSW teacher, Linda Forsyth said Ms Dyer has been an incredible student who is very passionate about working in the aged care sector.

“It’s really wonderful to see students like Karen coming to TAFE NSW to follow a career path that they are truly enthusiastic about.

“Karen had some experience caring for her father and other elderly relatives, however the course at TAFE NSW equipped her with the practical skills and work experience that she needed to turn her passion into a career.” said Ms Forsyth.

To find out more about the aged care courses on offer at TAFE NSW in 2020 visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/courses/aged-care-and-nursing-courses or phone 131 601.

Media contact: Emma Cawley, TAFE NSW Media Officer, 0412 78 415, emma.cawley1@tafensw.edu.au