Developing workforce pathways will involve both identifying and creating pathways into the
SHS workforce and supporting retention of a capable workforce.
Goal actions
Actions relating to this goal include:
Identify and implement strategies to attract, develop and retain a competent specialist homelessness sector (SHS) workforce.
Increase the likelihood of appropriately trained students working in the SHS through extending formal relationships with educational organisations, and streamlined vocational pathways.
In alignment with the principle of self-determination, create pathways for the employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples.
Create pathways for the employment of people with lived experience of homelessness.
Identify ways to create greater workforce diversity within the SHS.
Consider strategies to retain and further build on the skills of existing SHS staff.
Goal deliverables
Deliverable relating to this goal include:
Build on relationships with key education providers to streamline vocational pathways to the SHS for students (e.g., through structured student placements and closer ties with education providers), giving focused consideration to specific groups (e.g., Aboriginal peoples, young people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with lived experience, and LGBTIQ+ people).
Build on relationships with key education providers to encourage the development of more homelessness content to be included in human services tertiary and other relevant education programs.
Goal progress
Progress related to this goal includes:
CHP convened the SHS Training Advisory Group (TAG) that brings together DHHS, Wodonga Institute of TAFE, Swinburne University and key SHS representatives to support the development of learning and workforce development strategies for the homelessness sector in Victoria. The SHS TAG supports relationships with key education providers.
CHP worked with Swinburne on a project that aimed to contextualise the Certificate IV in Social Housing for the SHS.
Homelessness-specific content has been developed for all 15 of the units of competencies in the Certificate IV in Social Housing. CHP will publish a document on its website compiling homelessness specific content for each of the 15 units of competencies.
This document will be available for any trainers delivering or students undertaking those units of competencies at any relevant education provider and/or as part of another qualification (e.g., Diploma of community services)
If the model proves effective, CHP will explore opportunities to provide a homelessness lens and develop homelessness specific content to other, relevant units of competency or university subjects.
The SHS TAG has been reshaped to form the Workforce Working Group for the Implementation of the SHS Industry Plan.
CHP has been engaged by No to Violence to apply a homelessness lens to the “Work with users of violence to effect change” unit of competency.