About 77,976 aged care workers will be needed in Australia in the next 10 years in the wake of the country’s growing elderly population and the impending retirement of employees in this sector, according to International Education Specialists.
Inter-Ed founder Helen Bartholomew said the new generation of geriatric nurses, physiotherapists and aged care workers is not adequately meeting the demand for new health workers who are needed to attend to Australian seniors.
Citing figures from the ACSA (Aged and Community Services Australia) Federation’s report, Bartholomew said the over 65 years old sector constitutes 15 percent, or one in five, of the current Australian population.
But because a significant number of Aussies is now leading a healthier lifestyle, it is seen that those over 85 years old, who need greater aged care services, are growing at a faster rate compared to elderlies over 65.
For this reason, it is estimated that by 2044, 1.2 million people aged over 85 will be added to the population as the average Australian is expected to live five years longer than current life expectancies today.
To fill the deficit that is expected to occur once the current aged care workers retire, Bartholomew posits that Australia should be hiring 650 new workers monthly in order to replace 668 retiring workers every month.
Since it organized and hosted the i.Nars Summit in 2009 to address the glut of unemployed nursing graduates in the Philippines, Inter-Ed, the country’s pioneer in international education, training and internship, has been at the forefront of a campaign to help nurses go to Australia by bridging courses that will enable them to gain an Australian registration.
Registered nurses are then allowed to stay and work in hospitals and become eligible to apply for Australian permanent residency.
Considering that many graduates can’t afford the full cost of the program and most applicants do not have the work experience to qualify for it, Inter-Ed’s paid internship programs for nurses and aged care graduates open the doors for the realization of their ambitions. Inter-Ed aims to place 2,000 student interns in various Australian hospitals this year.
Inter-Ed is currently screening graduates of aged care, physiotherapy and nursing courses from 2014 onwards who wish to apply for paid internships in Australia. Interested students can set up appointments by contacting Inter-Ed’s admission office at (02) 819-1001 or 0917-5151162 or intl_edu_specialists@pldtdsl.net or by visiting www.inter-ed.com.