Introduction

The aged care and mental health sectors are at a tipping point in Australia. Factors such as an ageing population, increasing demand for services, and a fundamental lack of workers in these sectors highlight an immediate need for innovative solutions to strengthen, develop, and sustain a high-quality workforce. SkilTrak is one of the best student placement platforms on the market today that tackles this issue right down the line by fundamentally supporting the idea of creating practical training experiences to help graduates prepare for the workforce and provide immediate support to overwhelmed services.

Aged Care and Mental Health in Australia

Aged Care: A Sector Under Siege

The sector has been experiencing a workforce crisis, as documented by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) is proposing that we have a serious problem in Australia. Unless Australia immediately moves to increase the number of workers in this sector, we will be short a minimum of 110,000 direct aged-care workers in the next decade. The Aged Care Worker Survey 2024 shed more light on some of the challenges; many workers feel they are overloaded with work, consequently, turnover is high, and care is often sacrificed.

Mental Health: An Increasing Issue.

The mental health industry is no different. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) has found that more than 90% of psychiatrists believe that workforce shortages have an impact on patient care. A report that has been published by the Black Dog Institute suggests that nearly 500,000 Australians experiencing moderate to severe mental health conditions are unable to access support.

SkilTrak: A Future Solution.

What is SkilTrak?

SkilTrak is a placement platform designed for ease of use. It is structured in a way that links students with industry partners in the aged care and mental health industries. SkilTrak addresses the placement process for student placements, as well as supports the workforce issues.

How Does SkilTrak Work?

• Partnerships with Educational Institutes: SkilTrak partners with registered training organisations (RTOs) and embeds practical placements with their academic learning.

• Industry Partners: SkilTrak partners with aged care services, mental health services, and community services to facilitate real-life experiences for students.

• Tracking progress: SkilTrak provides tools and resources to track students' progress and develop their learning. Supervisors and students can monitor their development and progress as outcomes.

Influence on the Aged Care Sector

Responding to Workforce Gaps

SkilTrak placements in aged care settings provide an immediate response to the workforce challenges facing aged care services. Placing students in care supports immediate needs while also providing future employment pathways.

Increasing Quality of Care

Students assist in developing contemporary care practices and invariably provide a new lens and a full understanding of innovations. A review of student placements in allied health found that student placements in aged care led to improved health outcomes for older clients and improved client satisfaction with care.

Supporting Long-Term Careers

Providing care, education, and experience in aged care has a significant impact on the future of the workforce by providing potential workers in aged care with current practice. Students who have exposure to aged care environments throughout their learning will have more realistic expectations of these environments, providing a stronger opportunity to build a more stable workforce.

Impact on the Mental Health Sector

Addressing Critical Gaps

SkilTrak placements have never been more pertinent to addressing the shortage of qualified mental health practitioners. When clinical placements don't rely on registered mental health practitioners to supervise students, however, students can still observe practice infrastructure and mental health care delivery by qualified professionals. The placements allow more people to be able to receive the mental health care they need.

Supporting Forensic Mental Health

Due to the shortage of forensic psychiatrists in South Australia, delays in justice and mental health systems in a person's access to these services are due to systemic issues. Placements of students positively support the mental health system and potential advancement towards new solutions.

Advancing Workforce Sustainability

Students who are provided with exposure to the mental health environment early on are more likely to focus on this field, aiding with sustainability in the workforce into the future.

Gains and Implications

Despite having substantial gains, the application SkilTrak has some implications, including:

• Supervision: In placements, supervision can be a complication for students in learning and terms of client safety.

• Team Work: Organisations will have to consider how to integrate students into the existing teams to get the fullest deployment from placements.

• Sustainability: Sustainability efforts will require collaboration between education, industry and the platform.

Policy Implications and Recommendations

For platforms like SkilTrak to have an impact, there needs to be some considerations in terms of policy:

• Funding: Government funding can support the expansion of placement programs and provide additional resources for supervision and training.

• Regulation:  An appropriate regulatory framework can provide clarity of pathways to placements and standards for students by defining the criteria and levels of expectation for consistency in the sector.

• Data Collection and Monitoring: There will be a need to be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of placement programs by continuing to assess placements and the outcomes while also continuing to refine and improve the programs.

Conclusion

Australia's aged care and mental health sectors are facing many challenges, but creative initiatives like SkilTrak present a possible way forward. By providing placements for students, SkilTrak does not just address shortages in the current workforce, it builds a pipeline of future workforce. With collaborative action, investment, and planning, initiatives like SkilTrak could be critical for revitalising these important sectors.