Global training organisation, Sarina Russo Group, is reshaping the way the aged care industry recruits and trains its staff.
Many aged care organisations face ongoing difficulties finding and retaining the best staff.
It’s no secret that aged care can be a difficult field of work. Those who enter the industry sometimes do so for the wrong reasons, or they don’t have the right personality or skill sets for the work and therefore don’t last long in the field.
For aged care operators, it can be difficult to identify those who are genuinely committed to aged care.
Sarina Russo Group’s new ‘Train to Employ’ employment program addresses these matters head on, and delivers aged care organisations an ongoing pipeline of new recruits who have each been carefully screened, and are ready to embark on a tried and tested employment training program.
The program consists of four vital elements for the Employer, Employee and Process of employment and training, which are Pre-Employment, Recruitment, Employment and Outcome.
Through the Pre-Employment phase, the Sarina Russo Group works with Organisations to develop the psychometric testing, assessment centre program, customer centricity analysis, interviews and selection criteria; which is suited to the Organisational culture, direction and customer outcomes they desire. Candidates are sourced from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and typically are subsidised through Government Funding.
Through the recruitment phase of the program, Sarina Russo takes candidates into the aged care facility for orientation. Candidates are forced out of their comfort zones, and the trainers, facility managers and program coordinators will be able to observe them spending time with residents and clients.
This allows a process for both candidate and employer to assess if this is a good employment fit. The recruitment process provides Organisations additional tools to allow a variety of recruitment styles in conjunction with the traditional once off face to face interview styles currently undertaken across most providers; and allows the Employer the ability to review multiple criteria over the space of a few days.
The Sarina Russo Group have the demonstrated ability to deliver volume recruitment in consistent intervals across the nation. With an industry average attrition rate of 17%, a medium size organisation will require upward of 400 staff per year and higher if growth is expected (35 persons per month).
The program therefore allows the capability of an organisation to centralise their recruitment model, receive funded employees and have a detailed assessment congruent to the strategic goals of the Organisation.
The Sarina Russo Group has industry proven capability and experienced staff that can deliver on its promise.
As explained by Jon Twomey, National Health Division Manager, “Through our experience and proven trials and delivery with Aged Care providers, we have found that the training program works best when those chosen to take part in the work and training program will work in an aged care facility for 25 hours per week, and will begin a Certificate III aged care course. This allows the successful candidate a blend of employment and training within the organisation and/or facility culture.
“Our program is designed in conjunction with your Human Resource Management philosophies and we establish performance and behavioural milestones to assess the successful candidates’ work and training progress along their journey.
“Through the utilisation of a range of available employer and government support subsidies, we are able to establish employment for a candidate from day one of the program and at the ten-week mark of the program, the candidate is able to perform the tasks of a personal carer while continuing to undertake their certification. They will also be able to take on more work shifts, and the amount of training they are doing every week will become self-paced, with an expectation to finalise their course by a specified date.
“The final phase of program is for an Organisation to have an outcome whereby they have a volume recruitment model, employees with supported subsidies to reduce upfront costs of salaries, employees that are fully trained in the manner the organisation desires, employees are in an organisation that they have worked hard to gain their outcomes and passionate about their work and more importantly, the Customers of the organisation are confident that they have a caring, hardworking and dedicated person supporting their needs through home, residential, disability or retirement living.”
Sarina Russo Group is already collaborating closely with aged care organisations to establish methodologies, processes and procedures that can remain in place, and continue to deliver an ongoing pipeline of new staff. Sarina Russo have a dedicated team of health, training and recruitment specialists who have successfully delivered this model and approach within the Aged, Disability & Community Care environment.
Volume recruitment may be a new approach for many organisations and the teams at Sarina Russo are able to support this design and implementation.
To enquire further or receive a personalised organisational consultation, please contact Jon Twomey, the National Health Division Manager at Sarina Russo Group on 0438 113 255 or j.twomey@sri.edu.au
Please don’t forget the physical screening. Some people are very unfit, or move unsafely by putting a lot of strain on their bodies. Workers compensation claims waiting to happen, which is such a cost to the employer.
As an unpaid family carer I am only allowed to work 25 hours per week including any Tavel to and from. This means I’m unable to attend courses such as this and many employers was a 25 hour at work week. I find it very frustrating as I could and want to work between 10-20 hours per week.
I feel very strongly that your premise that staff turnover in aged care can largely be ‘fixed’ with proper education of staff. My experience in Aged Care has been watching passionate and dedicated staff treated as worthless and valueless by managers who get money for poor management and no hard work on the ground. Why stay in an industry that is so difficult even if you’re educated up to your eyeballs?! I have 2 Uni degrees, passion for the elderly and commitment, but so undervalued and unappreciated, and I know I’m not alone. Most of the good staff have left and only the financially desperate are staying.