18 September 2023
North Metropolitan TAFE is excited to be delivering the new Certificate IV in Housing qualification after it was officially announced by Minister for Training, Simone McGurk and Minister for Housing, John Carey today.
Delivered at a reduced fee through the State Government’s Lower fees, local skills initiative, the course and traineeship option will enable current workers to upskill, create clear training and career pathways for new workers and pave the way for the future delivery of community housing-related skill sets.
The community services sector needs skilled and knowledgeable specialist staff to support people seeking social housing and experiencing homelessness.
The training will improve outcomes for the industry and its clients by upskilling current workers and training new staff to best manage assets and tenant experiences leading to less evictions and homelessness.
Two of the first students set to commence the inaugural Certificate IV in Housing qualification next month are experienced community housing employees Kylie and Steph from Foundation Housing.
In their current role, Kylie and Steph work with vulnerable people who may be experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness, have a disability or mental health issues, or who are experiencing family and domestic violence, considerable financial stress or community disengagement to find and maintain their tenancy.
Steph said she was excited to undertake the new course as it was role specific and would provide her with further knowledge and skills to best support tenancy outcomes.
“I’m looking forward to increasing my skills around all of the units offered, in particular those relating to trauma, domestic violence and cultural safety,” she said.
“I am grateful to have this opportunity and am looking forward to participating in the pilot program.”
Kylie said she was looking forward to how the training could make the service delivered to her clients better.
“I’m excited to gain new information and work with like-minded students to hopefully make what we do easier for tenants and ensure they have all opportunities open to them,” she said.
“With regulations changing so frequently, it is paramount we are aware of these changes in housing.”
Minister McGurk said developing the housing sector’s workforce was key for providing the capability and capacity required to support the needs of people experiencing homelessness and seeking community and public housing.
“The launch of the Certificate IV in Housing and a new housing officer traineeship in WA follows grassroots advocacy from the WA Community Housing sector and strong support across several State Government Ministers and agencies,” she said
“Housing officer trainees will gain valuable skills in property and tenancy management for the sector and help deliver safe and stable homes to Western Australia’s most vulnerable people.”
The launch of the qualification and establishment of the traineeship in WA was the result of a collaboration between NMTAFE, Shelter WA, Community Skills WA, Department of Training and Workforce Development, Department of Communities and community housing organisations.
NMTAFE will start delivering the course to the first cohort of more than 40 existing workers in Term 4, 2023.
Industry can nominate existing employees to undertake the training by contacting Community Skills WA on 08 9445 1511 or communityskills@cswa.org.au. Enrolments for the general public will be available in Semester 2, 2024.
Find out more on the Certificate IV in Housing(opens in a new tab) .
Photos:
- Kylie and Steph from Foundation Housing will be two of the first students through the new Certificate IV in Housing.
- North Metropolitan TAFE Managing Director Michelle Hoad and Department of Training and Workforce Development Director General Karen Ho at the launch of the Certificate IV in Housing with Shelter WA CEO Kath Snell, NMTAFE Portfolio Director Community Services David Pelusey, NMTAFE Mental Health Lecturer Olivia Ross and NMTAFE General Manager Training Services Darren Channel.