Ten new Caring for the Aged graduates commended by tutor
Graduates front row from left, Sany Cunniffe, Janice Win, Megan Nalder, Laschelle Walker (tutor), Jo Turnbull, Maria McCreadie. Back row from left, Josie Fagerlund, Alice Ward, Eileen Kumar, Jamie Lee Berry. Absent, Karen Petterson. Photo: Neil Wilson.
“This course has brought about change in a lot of ways. The main thing is that there will be really good caring in the Bay now that there’s a qualified workforce.”
Tutor Laschelle Walker congratulated 10 local women who received their level four certificates in Caring for the Aged at a graduation ceremony last week.
Laschelle works for a training provider called Skills Update, which is contracted to the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.
“I knew there was an unqualified workforce here, doing this really important work, and I knew the people doing the work were never going to be able to attend a 40-week course at NMIT,” said Laschelle. “I told the boss at Skills Update that the students would sign up if we offered a course over here in the Bay. I drove over every week for our two-hour classes. These women have done really, really well. They can be very proud of themselves.”
Maria McCreadie, one of the graduating students, said that the course had been challenging but very rewarding.
“The units of work we’ve done have given me a lot more confidence and changed the way I think about my work. You have to think carefully about how your clients want to be treated – put yourself in their position. The course has helped a lot with that.”
Another graduate, Sany Cunniffe, said that the course had given her increased confidence and skills in managing a caring situation.
“It’s more than just about the work we did in class,” said Sany. “The things Laschelle got us to do away from the class, while we were carrying on our caring, have changed the way we operate in our work and in our lives too.”
Laschelle explained that things like stress management, health and safety in the workplace, cultural awareness and lifting and handling patients gave the students a theoretical basis for their work, and that as a result of their study the carers should function differently from now on.
“I’ve said to them that they can’t just put that comfortable old pair of shoes back on and carry on the way they used to operate. The qualification might also be just a first step for some of these women, because the certificate is part of the pre-entry qualification for comprehensive nursing.”
Neil Wilson
