A new government-funded program is providing Victoria with a much-needed boost in swim teachers, just in time for peak swimming season
The program has already seen 446 new swim teacher qualifications gained in the past year, placing 369 people in employment in swim schools and creating 14,478 new swim lessons.
A partnership program is a partnership between SWIM Coaches and Teachers Australia and Jobs Victoria.
There were 59 drowning deaths in Victoria last year, a 26 per cent increase on the year before, but with nearly 500 people gaining swim teacher qualifications over the past year, thousands more children now have places in more than 100 swim schools in Victoria.
Salt Water Swim School- Point Cook manager Kirsty Plicer said the program enabled the business to fast track finding staff and led to the rapid expansion of the swim schools.
“Thanks to the new teachers from SWIM Jobs, we’ve added about 150 new classes in the past year,” she said.
“This means around 500 more kids, especially those critical age groups from six months to five years, are now learning to swim – this is vital for preventing drownings and ensuring our kids are safe in the water.”
“The usual hiring process can be lengthy and costly but the candidates from SWIM Jobs Victoria were well-vetted, eager, and have become invaluable members of our team. The time and money we saved from this program are immeasurable.”
SWIM Coaches and Teachers Australia president Joanne Love said the initiative surpassed all expectations.
“SWIM Jobs Victoria significantly revitalised the aquatic sector after Covid-19 impacted the industry so heavily.”
