There is a huge variety of roles available within the aged care, disability care and allied health sectors.
A job in aged care, disability care and allied health sectors is never boring and can provide some of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of your life. Below you'll find everything you need to know about the roles available.
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Do you want to work in Australia’s largest and fastest growing sector?
Are you motivated by helping other people and making a positive difference? Would you like a job that is fulfilling and rewarding? Do you want to feel confident about the future availability of work?
Aged care, disability care or allied health could be for you!
The Amana Living Training Institute delivers specialist training and hands-on courses in aged care, disability care and allied health in Perth. Whether you’re about to leave school or thinking about changing careers, a job in aged care offers amazing opportunities and diverse experiences.
With the Amana Living Training Institute you’ll be trained by the experts; aged care professionals who will share their years of experience and knowledge with you. You’ll also have the opportunity to put your learning into practice with work placements at Amana Living and with partner organisations.
The Amana Living Training Institute is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and all eligible students will receive Government funding to complete the courses.
What our students say –
“I researched a variety of training providers and decided Amana Living was the best one as it works across pretty much every aspect of aged care – right from residential to home care.”
- Vikki
“I chose ALTI because they were Perth-based, offered the most affordable fees, and they could guarantee me a placement. The other companies were online and you had to find your own placement. The lady I spoke to at ALTI was on the ball as well, answering all my questions straight away.”
- Nick
Working in aged care
Aged Care is one of the fastest growing job sectors in Australia! Due to our ageing population, the number of jobs in the sector has more than doubled year on year. There are also four times the number of jobs than job seekers!
This won’t slow down and it is predicted that the sector will need to increase the number of direct care staff by 70% by 2050 just to maintain current staffing levels.
Many people get into aged care as they enjoy spending time with their elders. Others have had personal experience with aged care, for example looking after their grandparents, and they want to give back. Or some people value the opportunity to progress and variety of work on offer.
Whatever the reason, a job in aged care is never boring and can provide some of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of your life.
So what do you need to know about a job in aged care? Here, we’ll take you through:
how you get into the sector;
what it takes to work in aged care;
the key roles available; and
some career profiles.
We’ve also included some advice from Amana Living staff to people considering a job in aged care.
Working in disability care
Just like aged care, the disability care sector is one of Australia’s fastest growing industries. It’s also incredibly diverse, with thousands of organisations supporting Australians with disabilities to enjoy a full and meaningful life.
One of the most in demand roles is a disability support worker. A disability support worker provides personal, physical and emotional support to people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.
A disability support worker is responsible for a wide range of tasks including:
Assisting with chores such as shopping, menu planning, cooking, washing, and cleaning.
Helping with going to the toilet and showering.
Helping with outings, social activities and other daily routines.
Providing companionship and support.
Disability support workers can work in clients’ homes, residential care settings, hospitals or other care environments.
You can study Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability), as part of the 2024 "Fee Free" WA Government initiative.”
Information around resource fees and additional study considerations are available at the course page.
This course is offered by Amana Living Training Institute. Learn more about our courses here and contact ALTI today about how you can start a career in disability care.
Where do you start?
How you get into aged care really depends on your background and experience, and ultimately what you would like to do! Depending on the role, you will need to have at least a Certificate III in Individual Support which you can complete at a Registered Training Organisation like ALTI.
Or you can train on the job with a traineeship where you get paid to study and work at the same time. Traineeships are open to school-leavers, people re-entering the workforce or wanting to change careers.
ALTI offers pre-traineeships for aged care, disability care and allied health. This is a Certificate II course and it trains the care worker to provide personal care and support general activities of daily living. Learn more about pre-traineeship courses here.
What does it take to work in aged care?
Working in aged care can be physically, emotionally and mentally demanding. If you provide direct care, you will on your feet a lot and will be required to lift people which requires you to be physically fit.
You need to be service orientated, always looking for ways to enable an older person to live a good life. Excellent communication skills are essential, and empathy is crucial as you’re often supporting people in intimate and sometimes difficult circumstances.
A sense of humour doesn’t go astray either!
What are the roles?
There is a huge variety of roles available within aged care, disability care and allied health sectors. The location you work in can vary, depending on whether you’re in a residential care centre, providing support in a person’s home or helping them in the community.
If you want to provide direct care, then the roles to consider are carers, community support workers, disability support workers, nurses, and allied health professionals. Allied health includes jobs like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and even dentists.
In Australia, personal care workers (PCWs) make up the largest group of direct care workers in aged care. Nearly 350,000 people worked as a personal care worker in 2020.
Source: 2020 Aged Care Workforce Census
Alternatively, if you’re more interested in the roles that keep the cogs turning in residential care centres then you can look at hospitality services. These roles include cooking, laundry, and cleaning. Plus, a lot of residential care centres employ maintenance people and gardeners.
Lastly, there are also corporate roles available within aged care and there is high demand for people with skills and experience in marketing, IT, finance and HR and administration. Pay and conditions vary depending on the role and employer.
Learn more about the roles by taking a look at the Career Profiles below.
There is a huge variety of roles available within the aged care sector.
Browse the Career Profiles below to learn more about what these jobs involve and why aged care employees love their jobs.