Pacific aged care workers arrive to relieve workforce strain
The first aged care workers to arrive from the Solomon Islands in years have touched down in Australia, where they will help fill gaps in the Australian workforce.
Brought to the Northern Territory under the Federal Government’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, the 12 graduates from the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC)’s campus in Suva, Fiji, have each completed a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community).
Australia’s High Commission in the Solomon Islands said that PALM has a dual purpose – filling rural and regional workforce gaps, and providing opportunities for employment to people from Pacific Island nations.
“These workers will not only have the opportunity to earn a secure income, they will be developing skills and gaining valuable experience working in an international setting, and will bring these skills back to the Solomon Islands.