Supporting workforce capability in aged care through practical training

As aged care providers continue to face workforce shortages, onboarding pressures, and increasing operational demands, many organisations are rethinking how training can better support frontline teams and long-term workforce capability.

Providers are balancing the need to bring new staff into the workforce quickly while also maintaining consistency across teams, shifts, and care environments. At the same time, teams are often stretched, making it difficult to find training approaches that fit within day-to-day operations.

Foundation Education is an Australian-owned registered training organisation that has educated thousands of students across the aged care and healthcare industries for over 13 years. It delivers nationally recognised training that is aligned to workplace environments.

“Training should support operational realities, not add more pressure to already stretched teams,” according to Rebecca Feddema, Chief Commercial Officerr at Foundation Education.

For many providers, the challenge is not simply delivering training, it’s finding approaches that help staff build confidence while still working within operational requirements.

“Providers are increasingly looking for training that staff can apply straight away in the workplace, rather than learning that is disconnected from the realities of care delivery,” Feddema said.

Across the aged care sector, organisations are also navigating increasing expectations around quality care, workforce capability, and staff retention.

This is driving more conversations around workforce capability and staff development.

“Every organisation is different. Workforce pressures, staffing structures, and operational challenges can vary significantly between providers, so training needs to feel practical and achievable within those environments,” Feddema said.

Foundation Education works with employers to better understand their specific workforce challenges, staffing goals, and operational requirements before recommending training approaches.

This can include supporting organisations that are:

• onboarding new staff into care and support roles
• upskilling existing employees
• building confidence across frontline teams
• improving staff retention through greater engagement
• creating clearer workforce development pathways
• supporting consistency across teams and locations.

Qualifications delivered by Foundation Education include:

• CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing and Disability)
• HLT33021 Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance
• HLT43021 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance
• HLT43021 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Focus
• HLT43021 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Nutrition and Dietetic Support)

Training delivery is designed to work alongside operational environments, helping organisations support workforce development while minimising disruption to day-to-day operations.

“Good workforce training should support both the organisation and the employee. It needs to feel achievable, practical, and relevant to the environment people are actually working in,” Feddema said.

With more than a decade of experience delivering nationally recognised training, Foundation Education continues to work with organisations across the care sector to support workforce development approaches aligned to operational and staffing needs.

Organisations interested in discussing workforce training options can submit a request for a call with Foundation Education’s dedicated Industry Team here.