Macquarie Community College has announced the launch of its SKILLS4You program, designed to train and support migrant women seeking careers in the care sector. SKILLS4You is tailored to increase opportunities for migrant women to gain skills for life and work in Australia, increasing their participation in employment pathways and connecting them with others in their local communities.
SKILLS4You aligns with the College’s ongoing commitment to creating and providing learning opportunities that create social impact. The launch comes at an extremely crucial time as the care sector continues to battle critical labour shortages across aged care, disability care, and child care. Australian adult and community education (ACE) providers are play a significant role in care sector training, both in New South Wales and nationally, said CCA CEO, Dr Don Perlgut.
“Macquarie Community College has always set the standard for quality adult community education. We are committed to ensuring that all our participants feel welcome, respected and supported along their learning pathways. As we say at the College – we welcome all who want to climb the ladder of learning – and they can start from any rung,” said Macquarie Community College CEO Theresa Collignon.
The SKILLS4You program involves increasing participants’ English language and literacy skills, including language for the world of work in caring careers, understanding their level of employment readiness for local workplaces, setting specific employment-related goals and working towards achieving them.
Olga Terfezine, a Sudan-born, Italian-Ethiopian mother of four, successfully completed her Certificate III in Individual Support at Macquarie Community College, after years of false starts and putting her dreams on the backburner thanks to an inability to find a suitable education pathway.
“For me, the course at Macquarie Community College was the absolute best available for someone with my experience and general industry understanding. I was able to complete it at a pace that suited me and I have been lucky enough to gain a job through an aged care work placement that was organised by the College,” Olga Terfezine said.
Sydwest CEO, Elfa Moraitakis said SydWest and Macquarie Community College had a long history working together to empower migrant women and meet community needs. The College has been a trusted part of this community for decades: “We are always looking for great staff to work in our services. It is great to think that our clients from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse background in our aged care and home care services will be able to be cared for by bi-cultural and bilingual staff. When both clients and staff have lived experiences as migrants and understand the cultural nuances in care, there is a unique and special bond that can result.”
Macquarie Community College is under contract with the NSW State Government as a Smart and Skilled and Adult Community Education (ACE) provider, meaning the program is fee-free for eligible students. The College was also recently recognised by the NSW Department of Education as a High Performing Provider for Smart & Skilled.
