Choose your own professional development courses
Just like you’re in control as an independent support worker on Mable, the Mable Learning Hub allows you to use it however you wish. There are many short courses and learning resources designed especially for those working in the aged care and disability sector.
All courses provided are about enhancing professional development and supporting your career journey. The courses are delivered by respected organisations such as La Trobe University, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, National Disability Services (NDS) and Dementia Australia.
What courses you choose can depend on what you are interested in or could depend on your current clients and the direction you’d like your support career to take.
Janene and Danielle, two independent support workers who work via Mable, share their experience of the Mable Learning Hub and how it’s benefiting them professionally and personally.
“I would recommend choosing courses that either benefit the type of work you are doing or plan to do,” says Janene, an independent support worker on Mable, who has completed an array of courses in the hub, including, Intro to Aged Care, Hand Hygiene, Emotional Intelligence and Communication Skills, to name just a few.
“Whether you’re just starting out or have been supporting for years, there are plenty of courses to choose from that will resonate with your needs,” she adds.
Other benefits flow from you becoming more professionally equipped and expanding your support offerings.
Grow your client base in areas such as Aged Care, Dementia and Mental Health
When you continue to add to your support skill set and knowledge, chances are you will attract more clients. The more you can offer clients by saying, ‘I’ve done a course in that,’ or updating your Mable profile with the courses you have completed, the likelier the possibility of finding more clients.
Danielle, who has completed almost 50 of the courses offered through the hub, particularly around aged care, mental health, dementia and support worker practices, sees this sort of ongoing learning as essential to her business and life.
“It helps to reinforce existing knowledge and can teach you something new which may later become valuable. Ongoing learning is an important part of connecting with the client and their family or members of their treating team,” she says.
Janene agrees. “I believe that expanding my knowledge allows me to continue to grow and evolve into becoming a better support worker,” she says.
Danielle also feels this helps her better understand her clients who may come from many different cultures and health histories. “They [the client] are all unique, equally important and seek to be understood or recognised in some way. Ongoing learning and exposure is so important in this respect,” she says.
Danielle adds that ongoing learning is an ‘investment’ not just in her career, but also in herself. “It also helps shape me with respect to confidence, capacity, sense of self, interpersonal balance and sense of achievement.”
“I enjoy utilising the Learning Hub and find it easy to use. It is a fantastic resource to have,” sums up Janene.
Enhance your personal skills by learning more about conflict resolution and resilience
As a support worker, it can be easy to always put the needs of others first. While this is essential to providing quality person-centric care, it doesn’t mean you neglect yourself, especially regarding your mental health.
The Mable Learning Hub also offers resources that can support you in looking after your own mental health. “If I fall apart, then I am not helpful to anybody,” explains Danielle, who feels courses that teach support workers about resilience and conflict resolution are as important as the ones that enhance her knowledge and skills.
How to access the Learning Hub
Once you’re an active support worker on Mable, you will have free access to the Learning Hub. To create an account on the hub, simply access the Learning Hub using the link provided (via email or dashboard) and sign up using the email address linked to your Mable account. Once you’ve created an account, you’ll be able to access the Mable Learning Hub and start learning!
If you’re new to Mable, make sure you register on the platform as an independent support worker, so that you can access the Learning Hub right away.
