Australia's First Allied Health Assistants Graduate from CIT

A group of 17 students has graduated from the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), the first students in Australia to be awarded a Certificate IV qualification in Allied Health Assistance.

At a dinner to celebrate their success, ACT Chief Executive Mark Cormack said the 17 students had skill sets in Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy or Speech Pathology.

"By providing clinical and non-clinical support to allied health professionals, these skilled Allied Health Assistants will enable us to ensure optimal use of both their skills and the Allied Health Professionals they work with," he said.

Ms Kaye O'Hara, Deputy Chief Executive - Academic of the Canberra Institute of Technology, also congratulated the students.

"The Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance is a nationally recognised qualification under the Australian Qualifications Framework," she said.

"The graduation of these students represents both the first time that formal training has been offered for Allied Health Assistants in the ACT, and the first time that a Certificate IV level qualification for this group has been offered anywhere in Australia."

Mr Cormack said that for ACT Health and the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services, as the main local employers of Allied Health Assistants, the availability of relevant, locally-based training was imperative for a knowledgeable, skilled and adaptable allied health workforce for the future.

He said the two departments identified the need for a local training program as part of a joint project undertaken in 2005.

"The subsequent partnership with CIT has allowed the workforce needs we identified to be translated into education outcomes, in the form of the Certificate IV qualification," he said.

Ms O’Hara said that to meet the range of needs in areas such as rehabilitation and aged care, the qualification was currently being offered with combinations of skill sets – for example, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy.

"Nutrition and Podiatry Assistant training is anticipated to start later this year, and ACT Health and CIT are collaborating on an exciting E-learning project with funding from the Australian Flexible Learning Framework," she said.

"At a time when our health services are experiencing increasing demand due to the ageing of our population and the rise in chronic and complex diseases, we need to ensure that we have the right people in our workforce with the right skills undertaking the right tasks," Mr Cormack said.

"This evening's celebration illustrates the great outcomes that can be achieved when strong partnerships are formed between government departments, CIT and the wider industry."