Commissioners Information Bulletin 356
Issued: 16 May 2008

Health Services - Amended Vocational Training Order for the recognised traineeship vocation of Health Services - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

At the request of the NSW Community Services and Health Industry Training Advisory Body (ITAB), the Commissioner for Vocational Training under section 6 of the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Act, 2001, has varied the existing Vocational Training Order (VTO) for the recognised traineeship vocation of Health Services by amending the name of the vocation to Health Services – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and by replacing a qualification and introducing three new qualifications.

HLT07 HEALTH TRAINING PACKAGE

The new traineeship qualifications fall within the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care pathway of the HLT07 Heath Training Package. There are eight qualifications in this pathway, ranging from Certificate II to Advanced Diploma.

These traineeship pathways cover workers who undertake a range of tasks under direct supervision to support the provision of health care services to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients. They may be trainee health workers, working as assistants in a rural or urban environment, or they may deliver limited health care services to clients living in communities that are isolated from mainstream health services.

The VTO in each instance specifies:

A copy of the VTO supporting the recognised traineeship vocation of Health Services – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health is at Attachment A.

Qualifications framework

For the purpose of the VTO, Health Services – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health trainees in New South Wales will now be able to gain the following qualifications:

• HLT21307 Certificate II in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care
• HLT33207 Certificate III in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care
• HLT43907 Certificate IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care (Practice)
• HLT44007 Certificate IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health (Community Care).

Units of competency

The packaging and structure requirements for each qualification to which this VTO applies are outlined at Attachment B.

Both Certificate IV qualifications have pre-requisite requirements from the Certificate III qualification. Trainees must be able to demonstrate competence in the pre-requisites prior to commencing a Certificate IV qualification.

Industrial arrangements

The following industrial arrangements apply to these traineeships.

Private Hospitals, Aged Care and Disability Services Industry (Training) (State) Award
Public Hospital (Training Wage) (State) Award

And

State - public sector
Health Employees Conditions of Employment (State) Award
Health Employees Administrative Staff (State) Award
Health Employees (State) Award
Health Technical (State) Award
Royal Rehabilitation Services Weemala Unit
Public Hospital Professional and Associated Staff Conditions of Employment (State) Award
Health Professional and Medical Salaries (State) Award.

State - private sector
Charitable Institutions (Professional Paramedical Staff) (State) Award
Private Hospital Employees (State) Award - 2006
Private Hospital (Named Respondents) (State) Award

Federal
National Training Wage Award 2000 Award.

And

Other present and future collective agreements established under the Workplace Relations Act 1996 and the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005 that relate to the Health Industry.

Note - Applications under the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Act 2001 to establish any traineeship or apprenticeship will not be approved unless the Commissioner is satisfied that appropriate industrial arrangements are in place.

The ITAB has advised that at present, no qualification can be recommended as a suitable school based pathway.

Learning resources and assessment materials

Endorsed HLT07 Training Package material is available from the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council. The non-endorsed materials are being developed by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to meet the needs of specific client groups. These RTOs include TAFENSW, Aboriginal Health College, and the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW.

Licensing

There are currently no licensing requirements within the community services and health industry in New South Wales. However, the following are requirements for training and working in the public health industry sector. Many private employers also implement these policy directives.

Immunisation: Health workers and learners undertaking work placement in NSW Health facilities must comply with the assessment, screening and vaccination requirements of Policy Directive PD 2007_006.

Criminal Record Check and Vulnerable Person: Health workers and learners undertaking work placement in NSW Health facilities must comply with Employment Screening Using Criminal Record Checks Policy Directive PD2005_552.

Availability of Registered Training Organisations

The National Training Information Service (NTIS) website http://www.ntis.gov.au identifies RTOs in NSW registered to deliver qualifications from the HLT07 Health Industry Training Package.

Note: This Commissioner’s Information Bulletin wholly supersedes information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health traineeships contained in Commissioner’s Information Bulletin 013 and supersedes relevant information about the traineeships contained in Commissioner’s Information Bulletins 214, 244 and 289.

For any enquiries regarding this CIB, please contact the Vocational Training Tribunal Unit on (02) 9266 8579.

PHILLIP MOORE
Commissioner for Vocational Training