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Two Christchurch service managers are now equipped to support their colleagues at Christchurch Residential Care (CRC), who help people with disabilities live a full and safe life in the community.

The duo will also provide inspiration and encouragement to staff as they upskill.

Atlanta Mcintyre and Nina Freeman recently completed assessor training provided by Careerforce. “Achieving this crucial piece of work means that they can now help support members rolling through the education and training they need to excel in the workplace,” says Annie McNicol, CRC General Manager.

CRC is a Canterbury-based support service that offers people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to live as independently as possible.

For over 25 years, CRC has been supporting, advocating and inspiring people, giving them the tools, support and guidance to build their confidence and make better choices.

CRC staff are encouraged to do Careerforce training

Careerforce registered assessors at CRC: Nina Freeman and Atlanta Mcintyre

As with most organisations, COVID-19 restrictions have impacted upon CRC staff and their day-to-day interactions with clients. “Despite all this uncertainty, staff have continued to operate with a high level of dignity and purpose.

“We are so proud of our staff as they have continued to maintain a quality level of care for our residents. In addition to their regular roles, many members of the team have continued to upskill themselves to be equipped with even more tools to work with our residents. At CRC, we encourage all staff to do Careerforce training, which supports workplace-based training in the health sector,” says Annie.

Office Manager at CRC, Anne Witsey adds, “We have a staff of 40 who have worked through various levels of Careerforce training programmes, right from the level 2 Health and Wellbeing qualification, through to the level 4 apprenticeship.”

“The training enables people to have a greater understanding of what their roles are, and it helps them fulfil their roles with absolute confidence.

“It’s a requirement of our health contracts that we put staff through the level 2 qualifications. There is much more training to do, of course, but Careerforce training is a very important part of the ongoing development of our staff.”

Assessors play a critical role in the workplace

Anne says that assessors play a critical role in workplace training, and are a huge support and source of inspiration to trainees that need the encouragement. “When our previous assessor left, we were in a bit of limbo. Careerforce was very good at helping us muddle through. They provided one of their assessors plus an outsourced assessor. This has helped us to keep going, until such time that Atlanta and Nina are up to speed and can fully take on that role.”

Atlanta is a service manager for the CRC supported independent living team, while Nina is a service manager on the residential side.

“Both women put their hands up for the training when invited, and are doing this assessor role alongside their other jobs in the organisation,” says Anne.

“Having assessors in-house and on the ground is so much easier. We’re a 24/7 operation and so people work shifts. The assessors know the staff personally, and so it becomes more personalised. Staff can get the assistance they need on site, when they’re working, so there is support available for them all the time. Having someone you know, to ask, when you don’t understand something really helps.

“Nobody knows our organisation quite like we do, so having an assessor in-house is very beneficial for all parties.”

Careerforce registered assessors support workplaces with staff enrolled in their health and wellbeing programmes. Assessors oversee the formal marking process and provide mentoring, either within their own workplace or independently. They are a vital part of maintaining the quality of Careerforce Health and Wellbeing programmes.

More information

To become a registered assessor, assessors must hold unit standard 30421: Carry out assessments against standards to make judgements of learner performance.

People credited with this unit standard can prepare for and conduct assessment, complete assessment administration and review the assessment practice. This unit standard must be gained through a Careerforce Initial Assessment Training Course.

For more information, see Become a Careerforce Assessor or contact assessor-admin@careerforce.org.nz