Vince makes the change from community care to teaching

His work experience, combined with his passion for working with people, means that Vince brings a breadth of knowledge to his individual support teaching role within TAFE Queensland’s Western Queensland team.

Vince has a heart for ensuring superior support services are available in the community. He believes that hands-on learning, as well as the fully-equipped clinical facilities on campus, help individual support students to be well-prepared and confident for future careers in the industry.

“We provide practical tips and examples throughout the course. It's not just learning the theory. We do role plays and we look at case studies,” Vince explained.

“I ask my students’ questions like: “In this situation, how do we do it safely?” I ask them to consider the right and wrong approach in each example scenario that we discuss during the course.”

“From manoeuvring hoists to operating hospital beds, a full range of equipment is available to practice on in our clinical training rooms. Our students can actually try putting the hospital beds up and down. Or we can demonstrate the safe and correct way to lift someone and then our students actually get a chance to practice as well.” 

“So when our students are interviewing for an individual support role, they’re not saying “Oh, I’ve heard about hoists and hospital beds.” They’ve actually spent time practicing with industry-standard equipment, and while they’ve certainly still got a lot to learn, they’ve already gained some practical experience as part of the course.” 

Vince teaches students across a region that spans from Roma to St George and further west to Charleville.

“We have clinical training rooms at TAFE Queensland’s Charleville and Roma campuses, so even though our students might not live in a big city, there's still the opportunity to learn on exactly the same type equipment,” Vince added.

“We are also aware and prioritise the fact that all students are learn differently. Some enjoy learning online, while some don’t. We tailor our training accordingly.” 

Australia's aged care sector is growing at an increasingly rapid rate. The country's ageing population, the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and the increased scrutiny due to the Aged Care Royal Commission is driving demand for qualified workers to fill vacancies.

According to Australian Government’s Labour Market Insight website, the demand for aged and disabled carers is set to grow very strongly — an increase of close to 30% to more than 341,800 workers between 2021 and 2026.