About Elevate!
Elevate! is a project supported by the Victorian Department of Health to create a centralised workforce development program to train and upskill existing workers in the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector. It was initially created to upskill AOD workers employed under the COVID-19 Workforce Initiative.
About Elevate!
In 2020-2021 the Victorian State Government committed $25.62 million from the state budget to employ new alcohol and other drug (AOD) workers to address the impacts of COVID-19. Their purpose was to support people disengaging from AOD treatment during the pandemic and decrease waitlists for residential treatment. Elevate! was created as a centralised training calendar for AOD workers within Victorian State-funded services to access free training.
Since then, Elevate! has held over 100 training events and attracted over 1500 students who have participated in accredited and non-accredited training.
Our mission is to build a skilled, available and sustainable workforce that meets the needs of people experiencing substance-related harm in metropolitan, regional and rural Victoria.
The Elevate! program targets:
- New recruits into the AOD sector
- Existing workers in the AOD sector
- AOD workers who haven’t had the chance to access training in previous years
In other words, if you work for a state-funded AOD service AND are an AOD worker, at any level, in any program, or in any location within Victoria, this program is for you! All the training under Elevate! is free to state-funded AOD workers.
Why "Elevate!"?
The program was given its own name to inspire a sense of moving on and moving up. “Elevate”, as in raise or lift up, “Elevate” as in developing mastery and expertise in knowledge, skill and application.
Brought to you by VAADA
VAADA is the peak body representing publicly-funded AOD services in Victoria. We work to prevent and reduce AOD-related harms in the Victorian community by ensuring the people experiencing those harms, and the organisations that support them, are well-represented in policy, program development and public discussion. You can find out more about VAADA at our website here.
Travel Contributions
One of the barriers commonly experienced by organisations and workers in the sector is the cost of attending training, particularly for workers from rural and remote locations. The Department of Health has funded a contribution scheme for organisations to access when staff attend training. See our Travel Contribution page for more details.
Our Training Partners
The training providers of accredited and non-accredited training on Elevate! will no doubt be familiar. Registered Training Providers (RTOs), Odyssey House Victoria, Turning Point and Uniting deliver specific skillsets and competency-based training units. Non-accredited training is supplied by industry and subject-matter experts with years of experience delivering quality training and professional development to the AOD sector.
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VAADA acknowledges the support of the Victoria Government
