We recently welcomed Kevin Keen as a qualified home care employee after he completed his traineeship through Southern Cross Care’s partnership with the Australian Medical Association’s training body, Health Training Australia (HTA).
The HTA traineeship program allows students to undertake learning to receive a qualification following the completion of the program.
Kevin spent just under a year completing the traineeship and worked with Southern Cross Care (WA) to undertake the practical component of his learning. As a result, he is now a fully qualified Home Care employee with Southern Plus.
Before becoming a carer, Kevin spent much of his adult life working in WA’s mining industry. He decided it was time for a major change in his career direction from working alone with machinery to working one-on-one with people who needed his help.
“I’ve been in mining my whole life, but it was time for a change. I wanted to be in Perth and work with others. I’ve always liked to help people, so I decided to pursue home care as a career,” Kevin said.
“It was a lot of studying, paperwork and theoretical learning. This was another change for me as I hadn’t undertaken any formal study since leaving school.”
With his traineeship now completed, Kevin now cares for multiple Southern Plus clients throughout the week where no two days are the same. From shopping to cleaning to personal care, home care employees help with anything a client may need.
Although Kevin has always wanted to help people, his family were his inspiration. “My mum is always helping people. At Christmas, the table would always be full, and you often wouldn’t know who half the people were, you just knew they needed a bit of extra help that day,” he said.
Kevin said he enjoys the depth of conversation he has with clients, from history lessons about war to daily chats about the week ahead. “The most important part of the job is the laughter and pure happiness you can bring a client,” he said.
“Sometimes our clients haven’t seen anyone for a couple of days, and you can see the honest joy that you bring them as you give them a helping hand.”
Although Kevin is at the beginning of his career in caring, he has some advice for those wanting to pursue a career change or who are already on the path to completing the HTA Traineeship.
“The things you learn on the job are the most important. We still learn new things every day, Kevin said.
Executive Manager Human Resources John Hill congratulated Kevin on the completion of his traineeship and career progression to the home care team.
John wished him well for his career with SCC, as Kevin, like many other employees, had been seeking a career with real purpose. “SCC offers meaningful traineeships to prospective and established employees,” Mr Hill said.
“Our partnership with the AMA via Health Training Australia has provided genuine careers and the ability for our employees to gain relevant qualifications, while making a difference in their community.
“We currently have 13 trainees and are looking to increase this number to assist with addressing labour shortages in the aged and community care industry.
We offer traineeships that will lead to a meaningful career. Options include the Certificate III Individual Support (Ageing) as well as the Certificate III in Health Support Services for those who wish to have hospitality careers, plus conversions for cooks who have a Certificate III to upgrade to a Certificate IV and become a chef, via TAFE.”
Read similar stories like Kevin in our Southern Star Summer edition.
