workforce
Young blood
Meet the new faces of aged care’s next generation.
By Dallas Bastian
T
he aged care industry needs new blood. An estimated 60
per cent of the existing workforce will reach retirement age
over the next 15 years, and recent research from HESTA has
revealed the sector is facing a potential shortfall of 80,000 workers
over the next five years.
In response to the growing need to attract young adults to the
industry, Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) has launched the
NEXT GEN initiative.
Chief executive Sean Rooney says there is a need to improve the
perception of aged care as a career option for people under 35.
The peak body hopes its new initiative will promote the changing
face of aged care and profile the industry as dynamic, innovative
and potentially life-changing.
Rooney says: “There are many excellent career opportunities
working in age services directly or in the professions and trades
that service our industry, where people can be challenged and
rewarded, all while making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
“As new models of aged care emerge, this requires a broader
range of expertise and skills – including experts in data science,
artificial intelligence, technology, architecture and design,
hospitality, engineering, property development, human resources
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management – as well as the more traditional professions of
legal, clinical and allied health, finance and accounting, board and
governance, leadership and executive management.”
The NEXT GEN program is about attracting and developing the
next generation of age services leaders, Rooney says. “This will
be achieved by engaging and showcasing young leaders in our
industry and designing and delivering programs to actively support
their professional development and career progression.”
The young professionals were put forward due to their ambition,
creativity and vision that challenges many of the mindsets and
models associated with the current approach to care.
Aged Care Insite spoke with Rooney and five of the young leaders
to hear their take on working in the aged care industry.
KELLY GRAY: AN APPETITE FOR INNOVATION
Venturing into the aged care sector has offered Kelly Gray an
opportunity she has always hoped for: to start her own business.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she says. “Working in
the aged care sector has given me the opportunity to identify a gap
in the market and develop a product to help people in their search
for care services.”
Gray says the fact her website, My Care My Choice, is being
embraced within the sector shows its appetite for innovation.
“Aged care providers have been very positive about the site as
they know it is the way people want to receive information about