Trainees Stories

Family Carer Benefits from Learning Pathway

Julia Smith’s desire to be a better caregiver for her son motivated her to enrol in, and successfully complete, Careerforce’s Foundation Skills and Core Competencies Qualifications. Julia’s 21 year old son David has Muscular Dystrophy.

After having a caregiver that ‘just didn’t work out’, David asked Julia to become his caregiver. Julia agreed and with the support of Pacific Island Homecare Services Trust, commenced upon her learning pathway.

 “At 56 I didn’t really want to start studying but I wanted to be a better carer for my son so I got involved. I got stuck into it and was disappointed when the courses ended!” says Julia.

 “I’d been caring for David for nearly 21 years but wanted to do a better job.  Learning things as part of the training allowed me to get better at what I do.”

“I always thought that no one else could look after David as well as me but there were things that came up that were really interesting. Things like advocacy and his rights and a whole lot more.“

“It made me think twice about things like dignity and his privacy. It’s easy after raising him and living together for so long to forget about how important these things are. Little things like shutting the door so he can have some privacy as he’s a young man now.”

Julia would strongly recommend Foundation Skills and Core Competencies to other at home carers.”

“I’d recommend it as it makes you more confident and competent. It makes you feel better as you’re able to do a better job,” says Julia.

Health care assistant graduates with Core Competencies

Sixty-eight year old Joan Brass is the first Health Care Assistant at Capital & Coast DHB to achieve Core Competencies (Level 3) National Qualification.  This qualification will form a base for the specialist strand qualification for Health Care Assistants which is currently in development.

Joan took less than a year to complete Core Competencies and puts some of that down to the help, support and encouragement she received from senior nurses at Wellington Regional Hospital.


“I’m a naturally inquisitive person and I enjoy learning things on the job. For me the formal qualification just reinforced what we do everyday on the job,” says Joan.

Former Director of Nursing at CCDHB Cheyne Chalmers said Joan had been a “role model” for HCAs.

“Joan’s proved age is no barrier as she’s shown it’s never too late to take on something new. I’m really proud of this development. It’s really exciting to see people transforming as their confidence grows as healthcare providers,” said Cheyne.

“We view having a formal qualification for HCAs as an opportunity for people to use it as a stepping stone to further their health career and perhaps become nursing assistants or registered nurses,” says Cheyne. “It’s also an important step in working within our Model of Care system.”
As for any plans to retire Joan just laughs that off. “I have to beat my father’s record and he was still shearing at 70, so while my health is okay I can’t see myself stopping. But the real reason I do it is that I enjoy it, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”   

Marian Ellis

Marian Ellis has spent the past 15 years on the couch, but credits Careerforce with helping get her out of her comfortable seat and on her new way forward.

Marian’s been working as an attendant (personal care giver) for the Ngati Hine Health Trust for six months. She works with disabled people in their homes, providing health work services, but before this, Marian says she was a couch dweller.

“I’m 55-years-old and have spent a lot of my life at home, really lacking in motivation. This training has been the best thing to have happened in my life of late. It’s given me a kick in the pants and has been a real eye-opener. I haven’t looked back since I started training.”

Marian has a nursing background, so with some professional guidance she decided the workplace course would be good for her. She said with the assistance of a good assessor and the help of her fellow trainees, she’s coping with the course workload.

“The workbooks are easy to understand and well-presented. There are 10 of us working together on the course, so we all help each other. Having an excellent Assessor really helps too.”

Marian is surprised by how well she is coping with the work required.

“I’ve just started the level 3 qualification now. I really enjoy doing these qualifications and they’ve boosted my confidence and self-esteem. I’m amazed at how I can manage to fit it all in around work and get the workbook done.”

She used to work with the elderly, so Marian’s found working with the disabled quite challenging.

“It’s totally different working with the disabled and there is a lot to learn, but I do enjoy it and the challenges it presents. The other day I taught a 20-year-old client how to put on one sock. It may not seem like much, but it really was a huge achievement,” she says.

Marian believes the Careerforce training pathway has turned her life around and given her something to aim for.

“It really has given my life a whole new direction. I’m earning good money and it’s given me a reason to get up in the morning.”

She says that she wouldn’t hesitate in recommending the workplace training course to others.

“I would definitely recommend it. I tell my kids, ‘I don’t know why I didn’t do this years ago.”

Ruth Teller

Ruth Teller has found her calling in life, working on a daily basis with a variety of people who need her help to continue to function in their own home.

She works for Counties Manukau Homecare where she provides a range of personal care for people.

“No two clients are the same, they all have such differing needs,” she says. “I have to help some with feeding and toileting, while others need me to go and do their shopping. Some clients require health care.

“My job is vital to these people because it allows them to keep living in their own home – without someone like me coming into their home they would end up having to go into a rest home.”

Ruth works full-time and in any one week takes care of around 12 clients.

“I see some clients on a daily basis and some once a week. I have one man I see twice a day because he is a double amputee so needs help showering and getting in and out of bed.”

She has worked more than 15 years for Counties Manukau Homecare and loves what she does. Ruth has never been offered any formal training until the end of last year, when she began the Careerforce pathway.

“I jumped at the chance to take up my employer’s offer of training. I’m 48-years-old and thought ‘I can do this’. I didn’t find the thought of studying daunting at all. I knew I couldn’t continue doing this kind of work for the rest of my life, because my back wouldn’t cope with lifting people for much longer,” she says.

“I deal with people who have specialized needs so I know it is important for me to get every bit of training I can. This training will allow me to move into other more specialised areas.”

Ruth says she ‘flew through’ the first few workbooks and says they were easy to understand and clearly laid out. Now, she’s working on the level 3 qualification.

“I’m finding the Level 3 work challenging, but it’s good. I’m very self-motivated about completing the work and my employer is very helpful if I ever have any problems.”

With this type of work comes heartache, but Ruth says that’s inevitable.

“I can’t help but get close and quite attached to the people I work with. I work with the elderly and people with terminal illnesses. Losing one of these people can be quite tough, but that’s part of my job and I’ve just got to deal with it. These people need my help- if they didn’t have me, who else would do it?”

Ruth believes the workplace training she’s undertaking now will benefit her in the future. “It’s going to open up doors for me, it’s as simple as that. I want to keep working with the elderly and my qualifications will allow me to move in other directions within the industry.”

She knows she’s in the right place, doing the right job, with people who truly need her help. As Ruth puts it- “this is my calling.”