Is it time to upskill in your social sector role?

Thinking of reinventing your career? Before you take the leap, Be Recruitment’s Lauren Roobottom suggests you look at upskilling first.

Workers in social sector roles have been stretched beyond their limits throughout the pandemic. It’s no surprise that many staff have considered leaving their job for a change in career.

But instead of a complete career change, perhaps upskilling is the answer.

Why upskilling is important

Social care recruitment specialist Jenny Rosser from Be Recruitment says it’s important for workers in the social care space to stay up-to-date and relevant.

“Particularly those working in highly researched fields like mental health and trauma, where current best practices are constantly evolving,” she continues.

While peak bodies such as AHPRA, AASW and PACFA require member staff to maintain their skills through ongoing training and supervision, Rosser says that upskilling is just as much about keeping yourself engaged, challenged and interested in the work you do.

Key times to upskill

Workers entering management positions where they’ll be supervising others is a significant shift from engaging in frontline clinical work.

Being a competent clinical practitioner requires different skills to being able to supervise other staff in frontline work, no matter how much client-facing experience you bring.

That’s why new managers should seek supervision training, to ensure you’ve got adequate skills in teaching and mentoring others in current clinical best practices.

On the other hand, managers who’ve been in supervision roles for a while should seek regular clinical training. Even if you’re not practicing in a frontline role yourself, being aware of current best practices and research is vital to being able to effectively manage your staff who are in client-facing roles.

Other ways to upskill

If your role is starting to feel a bit ‘stale’ – when you’re really comfortable in it, and you have all the skills down pat, it could be time to start stretching yourself again. And that doesn’t mean you need a whole new career change.

Diversifying your practice to different client groups is a great way to reinvigorate your work by learning how to apply your skills in new ways.

For example, trauma and mental health workers might want to practice in the child, youth and family sector, or aged care workers might want to transfer to disability support for a change.

The social sector comprises so many diverse spaces, each with unique challenges and triumphs.

So instead of completely switching careers, first ask this question: have you thought about upskilling instead?

This article was originally published on Be Recruitment’s website.