The Andrews Labor Government has launched a landmark new training and skills program which is now open to non-clinical workers in Victorian health services.

Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos today urged health service workers to apply for 100 scholarships now available through the $1.25 million Health Services Workers Training Fund.

The scholarships are open to hospital cooks, cleaners, orderlies, security guards and other administrative and support staff who are seeking to develop or learn new skills.

These non-clinical health service workers help make our hospitals tick, giving our dedicated doctors and nurses the support they need to keep saving lives.

These scholarships will open the door to new career opportunities for these critical hospital workers, making courses more affordable while also improving retention in Victoria’s health workforce.

The scholarships will apply to accredited training courses such as certificate studies in Health Services Assistance, Health Support Services, Non-Emergency Patient Transport, Health Administration, Health Care and in Hospital Security.

The Health Services Workers Training Fund includes capped funding at 25 per cent of the total scholarship to supplement employee wages while undertaking this training.

In the Victorian Budget 2019/20, the Labor Government is investing $117.8 million to recruit and train more nurses, midwives and frontline health workers, and make further improvements to Nurse and Midwife to Patient ratios that will see 1,100 extra nurses and midwives in Victorian public hospitals.

The Government is delivering on our commitment to create a Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development Fund, which is expanding the existing Registered Nurse and Midwife Graduate Program and establishing a graduate program for Enrolled Nurses for the first time.

This will employ 400 newly graduated Enrolled Nurses over the next four years, meaning Victorians will be able to study a Diploma of Nursing at TAFE – one of the Labor Government’s free priority TAFE courses – then start work as an Enrolled Nurse once they graduate.

Applications for the scholarships close Friday 20 December 2019.