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National Indigenous Workforce Development

The National Indigenous Workforce Development Program is an Aboriginal Alcohol and Other Drug Worker Training Program that focuses on the content in a Certificate III in Community Services Work course. The program is unique and distinct from other training programs, and is designed for Aboriginal Alcohol and Other Drug Workers.  The content is culturally secure and based on evidence-based practice for alcohol and other drugs, particularly as it relates to working with Aboriginal people and communities.  The learning materials and methods have been developed by Aboriginal professionals and relate to an Aboriginal worldview through introduction of Aboriginal models of practice and cultural ways of working.

Who is the training for?

The program is for people of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent who identify as such and are accepted as such by the community in which they live or have lived. Participants have to be working in an agency/workplace which is willing to support them throughout the program.

What are the benefits to the participant and what are the benefits to the agency?

Participants become versatile and multi-skilled community services workers with expertise in working with alcohol and other drugs. They have the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised qualification, which is useful for employment opportunities and career pathways and may assist in gaining entry into further studies.

The overall aims of the program are to:

• Enhance the effectiveness of service providers in providing culturally secure evidence based responses to Aboriginal people and communities affected by drug use

• A pool of workers who are developing a career and developing professionally in culturally secure, evidenced based alcohol and other drug work

What does the program involve?

The program is made up of a range of learning strategies including training blocks and on-the-job learning and tasks. There are five week-long training blocks in which participants are flown in from communities and complete assessments at CAAPS. On-the-job learning involves consolidating counselling and community development skills, regular client work support, working in an organisation and with colleagues, supported learning and set tasks.

The Program runs for a 12 month period, allowing plenty of time for consolidation of skills and assessment tasks.  Once all assessment tasks have been successfully completed, the participant is awarded the nationally recognised qualification Certificate III Community Services Work.

What support will be provided?

CAAPS and the Department of Health and Families have partnered to provide participants with a range of support services, including:

• Visits to the participants’ workplaces to conduct on-the-job assessments and discuss progress with supervisors

• Consultation on how to meet program requirements and successfully complete the program

• Individual training and assessment plans

• Recognition of prior learning and mutual recognition

• Learner resource manuals for each training block

• A range of other culturally secure resources for Aboriginal AOD workers

Want more information?

Please either download this electronic brochure/Expression of Interest Form or give Laurren Brown in our Training Department a call on (08) 8922 4813.