McKenzie and Novaskill Partner to Deliver Traineeship Program

McKenzie Aged Care and Novaskill, a leading training provider that specialises in creating and implementing training solutions for businesses and industries, partnered in 2022 to deliver the Novastar employment and traineeship program. This program, which commenced in September 2022, is being provided entirely in-house and is designed to equip our trainees with the skills and experience they need to excel in the aged care sector.

Thanks to the support of the NSW Government Smart and Skilled Program, we have developed an innovative model of in-house training and skills development in collaboration with Novaskill. The first stage of the program involved two weeks of full-time, paid preliminary training on site, followed by successful employment of seven candidates at our Northern NSW homes, Raffles and Heritage Lodge.

Our trainees continue their development with one day a fortnight of in-house training with Novaskill senior trainer, Sue Ashton. They are also working shifts as trainees across Heritage Lodge and Raffles. Upon completion of the program, the trainees will receive a Certificate III in Individual Support and will be offered a permanent position with McKenzie Aged Care.

“We are committed to turning this program into an ongoing, rolling pathway for trainees to join our McKenzie family. We are currently recruiting for new trainees to join the program and intend to deliver onsite training at both Heritage Lodge and Raffles on an ongoing basis”, comments Karla Albert, HR Business Partner for McKenzie Aged Care.

Earlier in March, Novaskill hosted their annual Excellence Awards for the region and we are proud to share that Krystal Everuss-Hayman, one of our trainees in the program, was awarded the Novaskill Rising Star Award for her outstanding dedication and hard work. Additionally, McKenzie Aged Care Group won the 2022 Large Employer of the Year Award.

Through this partnership with Novaskill, we are taking a bold step towards building a highly-skilled, dedicated workforce that will enable us to continue delivering exceptional care and support to our residents. We are excited about the future of the Novastar program and look forward to welcoming more trainees into the McKenzie family.

Picture 1: Sue Ashton and Krystal Everuss-Hayman with her Rising Star Award.

Picture 2: Amanda Seymour, Facility Manager with Sarandeep Kaur (one of the Novstar Trainees at Raffles) and Rebecca Corner, Clinical Care Manager with the Large Employer of the Year Award from Novaskill.