The Australian Government, together with state and territory governments, has established a new $80 million Infection Control Training Fund to fast-track fee free (or low cost) infection control training to support the re-opening of customer facing businesses nationwide.
To help keep Australian workers safe during COVID-19, the Australian Government has announced four national infection control skill sets endorsed by COAG Skills Council. These skill sets offer nationally recognised training to frontline workers in the retail, food handling, and transport and logistics industries and are the first national training products developed by the new Australian Industry and Skills Emergency Response Sub-Committee in response to COVID-19.
These industries will be at the frontline of the first wave of businesses reopening in Australia. It is critical that individuals and businesses in these industries are able to demonstrate that they can operate in a way that minimises the risk of community and workplace transmission.
The Australian Government is working with the states and territories to develop a new National Partnership Agreement with matched funding provisions that will see $80 million available to support this critical infection control training.
Around 80,000 workers will pay no fee or a small fee for training previously only widely available in the health sector.
Participants will learn skills, including:
- hand hygiene practices
- effective surface cleaning
- use of personal protective equipment
- disposal of contaminated waste
- hazard identification, control and reporting
- appropriate protocols and responses in the event of an incident
- knowledge regarding the basis of infection and transmission.
The training is optional, and businesses and workers can choose to participate in training depending on their circumstances.
Registered training organisations that offer the skill sets can start delivering the training as soon as they have appropriate arrangements in place.
