JULY 2020:

Fifteen new graduates are hoping to make a difference in their communities.
The graduates completed their qualifications through scholarships provided by the Western NSW Primary Health Network’s Workforce Capability Building Project.
As part of the Commonwealth Government’s National Suicide Prevention Trial, and delivered in conjunction with Western Plains Regional Development Centre (WPRD) in Condobolin VERTO, the project was initiated by WNSW PHN to address the workforce shortage of people with skills and qualifications to undertake suicide prevention roles in our region’s rural and remote communities.
The first of its type, this project has also been selected as a Best Practice Case Example to be included in an upcoming manual on suicide prevention in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities being developed by the Centre for Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention at the University of Western Australia.
In addition to this year’s 15 Certificate IV Graduates, a further seven have enrolled for the next Certificate IV course, while 13 others will move into the new Diploma of Community Services.
This means that residents from each of the program’s six suicide prevention trial sites – Cobar, Condobolin, Bourke, Brewarrina, Walgett and Lightning Ridge, and Grenfell – will be participating in the training.
WNSW PHN CEO, Andrew Harvey, says such training opportunities are vital for the continued development of a local workforce with qualifications and a passion for improving the mental health
and well-being of the communities in which they live.
“WNSW PHN is proud to be providing scholarship funding for this initiative, and I encourage everybody with an interest in learning about Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness to take advantage of the opportunities that are on offer,” he explained.
“The inclusion of this project by the Centre for Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention at the University of Western Australia for inclusion in its Best Practice
Manual is testament to its effectiveness and symbolic of WNSW PHN’s drive to deliver real improvements for our region.”
Kelsie Lovett, a Cert IV Graduate from Brewarrina, said she is looking forward to putting her training into practice. “Completing the Certificate IV in Community Services has provided me
with great skills and knowledge and opened up more employment opportunities in roles that will enable me to make a difference in my community.”
Jody McCabe, graduating from Cobar, says the support has been exceptional. “As I worked fulltime while also studying, VERTO were more than accommodating in working around my work commitments and I was lucky to receive an Award for Excellence in commitment to my studies. I have also been lucky in successfully gaining another scholarship under the WNSW PHN program
to complete my Diploma in Community Services. This will give me greater skills to apply in a case management role in my community.”
Jody added, “If you have a passion for supporting others in your community this is a great opportunity to start your journey into a successful career in Community Services.”
The Class of 2020 is the second set of graduates under the WNSW PHN’s Workforce Capacity Building Project.
Of the 13 students that graduated with Certificate IV in 2019, seven were Aboriginal, while nine of the graduates found immediate work in the community services sector. Nine of this year’s 15 Graduates identify as Aboriginal.
Led by WPRD, under contract to WNSW PHN, and delivered by VERTO, WNSW PHN is now investigating how funding can be secured to ensure that the Workforce Capacity Building Program
becomes an ongoing initiative.