With the AOD sector experiencing a clinical workforce crisis, the AOD Provider Collaborative is taking steps to invest in careers in AOD – from tertiary education to work experience, post-qualification training and beyond.

In 2014, the Collaborative launched an internship programme to attract new graduates to the AOD sector.

THE CHALLENGE:

• A need for increased skill levels
• Increasing numbers of people leaving the AOD workforce, and an ageing workforce
• New graduates being lost to other areas
• How to attract new talent into the AOD workforce?

THE SOLUTION:

Develop an internship programme, comprising:

• a one year internship with stipend
• rotation through three AOD services (based on existing placement models)
• a mentor to build effective relationships and processes between interns, participating clinical services and the University of Auckland.

OUTCOMES:

• Committed, well-informed, registered graduates, who are work-ready
• Enhanced collaboration between services to address a critical workforce shortage
• A recognised career path for young, high-calibre graduates
• Evaluation and dissemination of programme learnings by the University of Auckland to build knowledge, share experiences and capture learnings with academic rigour.