First Nations Health Workforce Learning Resources

Why this mattered

A workforce framework alone does not build workforce capability. Organisations also need high-quality learning resources that support consistent, culturally safe training while recognising the unique strengths of each community.

Following the development of the First Nations Health Worker Traineeship Framework, NACCHO partnered with HSSO to create a comprehensive suite of nationally consistent training and assessment resources for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Registered Training Organisations (ACCHRTOs).

The objective was not to standardise training delivery. Instead, it was to provide every ACCHRTO with a common foundation that could be adapted to reflect local culture, language, community priorities and models of care, while maintaining the integrity of nationally recognised qualifications.

HSSO’s Role

Working alongside NACCHO, the ACCHRTO Community of Practice and an Expert Advisory Group, HSSO led the design and development of one of the largest coordinated collections of learning resources ever produced for the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health training sector.

The project brought together existing ACCHRTO resources, newly developed learning materials and subject matter expertise to create nationally consistent resource suites that reflected contemporary vocational education practice while supporting culturally safe delivery.

Every resource was developed through sector-led consultation and review, ensuring the final products reflected the priorities and experience of Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations.

What We Developed

The project produced a comprehensive collection of nationally consistent workforce development resources supporting Aboriginal Health Worker, Aboriginal Health Practitioner and Elder Care training.

The suite included:

• learning and assessment resources for 25 core units of competency across Aboriginal Health Worker and Aboriginal Health Practitioner qualifications
• training resources for 12 Elder Care Support units of competency
• contextualised learning resources supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care delivery
• nationally consistent Training and Assessment Strategies
• Student Guides
• Assessor Guides
• Assessment Mapping documentation
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) toolkits supporting experienced workers to have their existing knowledge and skills formally recognised.

Rather than producing isolated learning materials, the project created an integrated national resource library that supports workforce development across multiple career pathways.

National Resources. Local Ownership.

A defining feature of the project was the commitment to local contextualisation.

Every resource was intentionally designed as a national foundation—not a finished product.

Each ACCHRTO adapts the resources to reflect the cultural protocols, language, community priorities, local service models and examples relevant to the communities they serve. Case studies, scenarios and learning activities are tailored locally while maintaining nationally consistent learning outcomes and assessment requirements.

This approach balances national quality and consistency with local cultural authority and community ownership.

Strengthening Workforce Pathways

The project also expanded opportunities for workforce mobility through the development of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) resources.

Candidate-centred RPL toolkits were designed to help existing and prospective Aboriginal Health Workers have their knowledge, skills and experience formally recognised, supporting faster entry into qualifications, career progression and workforce retention.

Together, the learning resources and RPL tools provide flexible workforce pathways that recognise experience as well as formal education.

Why It Matters

This project demonstrates HSSO’s approach to workforce capability development.

Rather than creating learning resources in isolation, HSSO worked with the sector to build a nationally coordinated education system that supports consistent quality while preserving local leadership and cultural integrity.

The project strengthened the capability of Aboriginal Community Controlled Registered Training Organisations to deliver high-quality education, while reducing duplication of effort and allowing educators to focus on contextualising learning for their own communities.

Importantly, the resources were designed to remain relevant beyond the initial traineeship program, creating a shared foundation for future workforce development initiatives across Aboriginal Community Controlled Health.

Building on this work

The national resource suite became the practical foundation for HSSO’s continuing partnership with NACCHO and the ACCHRTO sector.

The principles established through this project—national consistency, local contextualisation, workforce pathways and culturally safe learning—have continued to inform subsequent initiatives, including:

• the ACCHRTO 10-Year Implementation Plan
• the National Diabetes Education Program
• nationally consistent diabetes learning resources
• Train-the-Trainer delivery
• Recognition of Prior Learning resources
• broader workforce capability initiatives across the Aboriginal Community Controlled sector.

Together, these projects demonstrate a sustained commitment to strengthening Aboriginal Community Controlled workforce capability through education, organisational development and long-term sector capacity.

Resources

The learning resources developed through this project are owned by NACCHO and are provided to participating Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Registered Training Organisations for local contextualisation and delivery.

These resources are not publicly available.