Governments invest $80m in infection control training

The fund will enable the rollout of new infection control short courses, the first national training product developed by the new Australian Industry Skills Emergency Response Sub-Committee in response to COVID-19. 

Around 80,000 workers across industries including retail, food handling, and transport and logistics will pay no fee or a small fee for training previously only widely available in the health sector. Additional training will also be available to increase infection control skill levels in sectors such as aged and disability care.

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Michaelia Cash, thanked the states and territories for their rapid collaboration and agreeing to match the $40 million in Commonwealth funding.

“With a critical need to keep Australians safe during the coronavirus pandemic we’ve taken urgent action to provide nationally-accredited training to ensure customer-facing workplaces can re-open safely and as quickly as possible,” Ms Cash said.

“This infection control training is designed to empower workers by teaching them the skills and knowledge they need to decrease risk and transmission of infection while carrying out their daily duties.

“The trained workers will help to inspire confidence in their customers while also helping to minimise the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus as Australia re-opens businesses, rebuilds the workforce and positions for strong and rapid economic recovery.” 

The training will be delivered through the state and territory governments and will be available by 1 July 2020.