VERTO, Western Plains Regional Development (WPRD) and Western NSW Primary Health Network (WNSW PHN) have joined forces to deliver life-saving training to students in regional New South Wales as part of a Suicide Prevention Project.
The project offers fully-funded scholarships for participants to undertake a specialised Certificate IV in Community Services course that meets key requirements in both Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness training.
WNSW PHN CEO Andrew Harvey said: “As well as collaboratively working towards ensuring our region’s residents have access to mental health services, courses like VERTO’s specialised Certificate IV in Community Services are integral to ensuring those services have ready access to engaged and willing professionals who are also dedicated to improving the mental well-being of local people.
“WNSW PHN is proud to be assisting the partnership between WPRD and VERTO by providing scholarship funding for this course, and I encourage everybody with an interest in learning about Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness to take advantage of the opportunities being offered.”
WPRD Training Officer, Julie Hague, worked with VERTO to create the specialised course and said; “WPRD wanted to create a course that helped put people who are living in rural and remote communities in jobs which would help in lowering the high prevalence of mental health issues and suicide.
“I looked into quite a few Registered Training Organisations before VERTO’s name popped up in my searches, and I am so thankful it did, the results so far have been outstanding.”
Julie worked with VERTO Head Trainer, Matthew Woodcock, to develop the Certificate IV in Community Services course.
“Keeping the project's outcome in mind, Julie and I developed a course that was structured to provide the students with the most value possible,” Matthew said.
“Once we finalise this process and begin our training, VERTO’s trainers and assessors are there with the students the entire journey, providing tailored support whenever they need it.”
Students from some of the most regional areas in NSW, including Bourke, Brewarrina, Cobar, Condobolin, Grenfell and Walgett Shire have completed the online course offering over the past two years.
For information about VERTO’s training services, call 1300 483 786 or visit www.verto.org.au.
Partnership delivers life-saving training
