An innovative new $1.5 million training package funded by the Andrews Labor Government will give disability and aged care students real-life skills to prepare them for the workforce.

The package is part of the Developing the Growing new NDIS (psychosocial disability) Workforce Project and includes virtual reality learning tools, videos and podcasts that place users in a series of realistic scenarios.

Psychosocial disabilities sometimes arise from mental health issues and create severe social disadvantages, including restricting a person’s ability to concentrate, participate in certain environments and interact with others.

The new training package will also collect data on the students’ emotional and physical responses that will help improve their learning experience.

It was designed by the complex mental health and disability service provider ermha365 in partnership with Wodonga TAFE and Mental Health Victoria.

Ermha365 is currently undertaking an in-house pilot program before the resources are trailed at Wodonga TAFE and Monash University mid-2021. The tools will then be rolled-out to all Victorian TAFEs that offer the Certificate IV in Disability course and to providers, to be used during the recruitment process.

The Andrews Labor Government has put the mental wellbeing of Victorians first by investing $868.6 million into mental health support and programs as part of the Victorian Budget 2020/21.

Since 2015, the Victorian Government has invested to rebuild TAFE, refurbish campuses, launch Free TAFE for Priority Courses and support disadvantaged students into training and jobs.

In the Victorian Budget 2020/21, we invested a record $1 billion to make sure the state has the training and skills system it needs to emerge stronger from the coronavirus pandemic.