Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE and St Vincent's Hospital

A ground-breaking online program developed by GippsTAFE and St Vincent's Hospital will set new standards of national training in the mental health and drug and alcohol field, and may be adapted for workers in similar sectors.

The program equips participants with "dual diagnosis" capabilities in mental health and drug and alcohol, enabling them to give better, more rounded solutions to their clients.

The training is nationally accredited and has five units oriented towards the assessment and needs of drug and alcohol and mental health clients, with one dual diagnosis unit where students from both fields learn from each other.

The program, which exemplifies best practice in collaborative and interactive online delivery, has been sought by educators in and around Australia. Some 150 students are currently enrolled, with 250 on a waiting list.

"There is no doubt that our partnership with GippsTAFE has significantly enhanced the ability of the industry to more effectively implement behavioural change in the workplace", said Greg Logan, Manager State Wide Dual Diagnosis Education and Training Unit at St Vincent's. "This has lead to improved services being provided to the community. GippsTAFE has been able to assist us to develop a training program which meets our needs in terms of content and a highly flexible manner which has reduced the time demands on workers without compromising the quality of the training."

More TAFE industry partnerships.