What is the aged care expansion program?
Skills development is embedded into the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme to make sure it delivers a skills dividend for the Pacific and Timor-Leste.
The aged care expansion (ACE) program is a great example of this.
The ACE program embeds skills development in the scheme by providing participants the opportunity to gain their Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) and experience working in Australia’s aged care sector on their PALM scheme placement. PALM scheme workers are supported in their studies and to apply their learnings on the job. It also helps Australian aged care homes in rural and regional Australia address their workforce shortages.
The Australian Government has funded more than 690 PALM scheme workers graduate with their Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) through the ACE program, with more to complete their studies by the end of 2025.
All PALM scheme partner countries have participated in the ACE program.
The ACE program is built on aged care pilots conducted in 2021 and 2022 that trained approximately 100 Samoan and Fijian PALM scheme workers. A summary of findings from the evaluations of these pilots is available.
An evaluation of the ACE program and DFAT’s response to the recommendations is also available. This will inform future PALM scheme skills development programs.
PALM scheme workers in the ACE program
Hear from some of the PALM scheme workers about their experiences in Australian aged care homes through the ACE program:
Kynny and Ledua's story
Roshinni and Senimili's story
More information
For more information, please view the PALM scheme aged care information sheet.
For Australian employers interested in participating in any future PALM scheme aged care programs, please contact (ace@plmsp.com.au). Note the current funding round has closed.
For Australian employers interested in recruiting PALM scheme workers in aged care in rural and regional Australia, please visit the eligibility page of the PALM scheme website.
For Pacific and Timor-Leste citizens interested in working in Australia’s aged care sector, please visit the how to apply page.