This week's featured jobs are a number of Traineeships and Cadetships, as part of the Aboriginal Jobs Together program, which are available throughout NSW.

The program provides job opportunities for Aboriginal people to work in non-government organisations in the disability sector in various types of roles; from disability support, to social work to human resource management.

The Traineeships and Cadetships are being offered in the following locations:

• Sydney Metropolitan
• North Coast
• Mid-North Coast
• New England
• North West Slopes and Plains
• Newcastle/Hunter/Central Coast
• Orange/Far West
• Riverina/Murray
• Illawarra

For more information and application details please visit the carecareers website.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) could be implemented sooner than expected, after a decision from the first meeting of the COAG* Select Council on Disability Reform, chaired by Federal Ministers Wayne Swan and Jenny Macklin.
 
This means that the 'launch sites' (which are yet to be identified) originally planned for mid-2014, are now scheduled to start in mid-2013.

Certain reforms will be needed for the NDIS to work:

• increased disability sector capacity
• a significantly enlarged workforce with appropriate skills
• national quality standards
• a suite of common assessment tools

We welcome the new timetable for the NDIS, given the urgent need for disability services. But a concerted and coordinated effort will be required on many fronts to meet the timetable.

NDS** is developing a paper on equipping disability service providers for the NDIS. It will outline the implications of the NDIS (and associated reforms) for disability service providers, identify pressure points, document current resources and projects available to assist service providers and recommend actions to bridge the gap between what is available and what is needed. We’ll keep you updated with developments, and please let us know what you think.

Discussion of the implications of the NDIS for service providers and next steps will feature at NDS’s CEO Meeting on 5-6 December in Canberra.

* COAG = Council of Australian Governments (ie State and Commonwealth)
** NDS = National Disability Services (responsible for carecareeers)

Follow the carecareers blog for more updates about the sector!

Up to 5600 jobs are anticipated to be available between now and 2015 in the disability and community care sector of northern New South Wales.

The sector is expected to boom in the next five years with employers looking to recruit 40,000 people; it is estimated that the number of people needing to access these services in New South Wales will rise to 350 000.

“There are several misconceptions about what it is like to work in this sector, yet most people simply aren’t aware of the benefits including: job security, flexible hours, varied and creative work, and on-the-job training,” says Patrick Maher, Chief Operating Officer of National Disability Services NSW.

To hear more about what working in the disability and community care sector is really like, read True Stories on carecareers.

Alstonville resident Sarah Jurd started working in the disability and community care sector 13 years ago and has held a variety of roles in that time: respite carer, teacher’s aide, support worker in vacation care, and most recently as a speech therapist with Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

“My parents were respite carers so I got involved at a young age because of them. We had a little girl with disabilities who came and lived with us for a while, and I learnt to help her and found that I enjoyed it,” says Jurd.

On the growth in the sector she says, “I have definitely seen an increase in the demand for our services in the last few years.

“There are a lot of children that need a lot of support, and it seems like there are not enough resources to meet that need, even now”.

For those who are considering a career in the sector Jurd says, ”It’s important to remember that clients are people who would like to be independent and just need some support to achieve that.”
 
“One of the benefits of working in the disability sector is that I work as part of a bigger a team no matter what area I’ve worked in; as a speech therapist I work closely with both occupational therapists and physiotherapists to find solutions to problems.

“I love working with the kids and their families; no child is ever the same and each client presents a new challenge for the team,” says Jurd.

“The work is also personally rewarding; I started out working with one family as their Respite Carer about 12 years ago, to support them and their children who have a disability. The family is as much a part of my life now as my own family is, and spending time with the children over the years has been great fun”.

More than 100 positions based in Lismore and the surrounding areas have been advertised through carecareers since its launch 12 months ago. Search for jobs now.

carecareers was developed by NDS to help meet the demand for new workers in the disability and community care sector. Head to carecareers and search for jobs now, or contact our Careers Centre online or by calling the help-line for job seekers on 1300 637 637.

Join the carecareers team and help promote careers in the disability and community care sector in NSW. We're a friendly team, based in the Sydney CBD Office of National Disability Services. Details about the Talent Officer position are below. Let us know if you have any questions. You can also read the full details and apply via carecareers.com.au.

carecareers is a dedicated jobsite for the community care and disability sector in NSW and lists in the Top 10 visited in Australia. carecareers is designed to grow the pool of labour available to not-for-profit, government and NGO providers of disability and community care services in NSW. It develops, implements and tests a number of targeted attraction strategies and uses these to help build a talent pool for service providers to tap into.

The Talent Officer will work with the Careers Centre team on the carecareers job board and recruitment services.

Key roles and responsibilities

• Ensure all client/candidate enquiries are responded to within 24 business hours in a professional and appropriate manner
• Ensure consistency in communication and a strict adherence to the style guide
• Ensure workload and productivity is not below minimum standards
• Ensure service levels are achieved and issues reported and escalated as appropriate
• Complete candidate/client care communications and reports as directed and in a timely fashion
• Provide monthly updates on stock to ensure smooth delivery of events

Key attributes

• Experience in recruitment service delivery from either a resourcing or 360 degree role
• Experience in account management
• Proven ability to advise clients on recruitment best practice advice
• Proven ability to advise clients on the best method to deliver specific recruitment needs
• HRMS (HR Management System) and intermediate MS Office experience
• Demonstrated attention to detail with excellent written English language skills
• Excellent presentation and communication skills
• Proven client building skills
• Experience in Healthcare sector/recruitment will be highly regarded
• Understanding of working within the public sector is desirable
• Technical competency - NGA
• As travel may be required, independent travel capability is essential 

Qualifications

• A tertiary qualification in a related discipline is desirable but not essential

NDS is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from people with disability.

Interested applicants should send a cover letter relating their experience to each of the Key Attributes, together with their resume, to:

Berice King
Human Resources Coordinator
Ph: 02 9256 3104
Fax: 02 9256 3123
berice.king@nds.org.au 

Closing date: 6 May 2011

Read more about administration roles or complete a Careers Quiz to see what type of job might be for you!