Technicians Support Services

Overview

This page provides information and data on the Technicians Support Services workforce. Technicians Support Services is a diverse workforce and includes the following sub-sectors:

Anaesthetic technology
Audiometry
Cardiac technology
Health administration
Hospital pharmacies
Medical practice assisting
Operating theatre support
Optometry
Pathology
Sterilisation services.

The Technicians Support Services Industry Reference Committee (IRC) has responsibility for sixteen qualifications within the HLT – Health Training Package, aligned to the following occupations:

Admissions Clerk
Anaesthesia Technician
Audiometrist
Biomedical Laboratory Assistant
Cardiac Technician
Cast Technician
Clinical Coding Clerk
Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD) Supervisor
Dispensing Technician or Assistant
Executive Assistant
Health Administrative Worker or Supervisor
Hospital Pharmacy Assistant or Technician
Instrument Technician
Medical Practice Assistant or Receptionist
Medical Records Section Leader
Medical Secretary
Optical Dispenser
Pathology Collector
Pharmacy Assistant or Technician
Practice Manager
Senior Clinical Coder
Senior Pharmacy Technician
Senior Theatre Technician or Wardsperson
Screening Audiometrist
Specimen Collection Officer and Specialist Specimen Collectors (Pathology)
Sterilisation Technician or Supervisor
Ward Clerk or Wardsperson.

Workers in the roles under the remit of the Technicians Support Services IRC operate in an array of health care and social assistance sectors, and subsequently include a range of multi-levelled and multi-skilled job roles. These job roles may be involved in undertaking administrative, supportive, operational (i.e. technician) and/or supervisory activities. Businesses operating in the service areas outlined above include a range of public and private small, medium and large enterprises, spread across the country.

Overall, the health care and social assistance industry workforce is expected to grow significantly over the next five years, with forecasts indicating it will reach 1.9 million workers in 2023. This growth will undoubtedly include many job roles supported by these Training Package Products.

Information sourced from the Technicians Support Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast.

For information on other health-related training and employment, visit the Health industry page and the various sectors.

All data sources are available at the end of the page.

IRC and Skills Forecasts

Employment trends

Employment snapshot

Employment levels in some of the key occupations resulting from training in Technicians Support Services qualifications – Medical Technicians, Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers, Health and Welfare Services Managers and Practice Managers – have grown significantly since 2000 and are projected to grow further by 2024.

Training provider type
Funding source

Student location
Training delivery location

Commencements and completions
Qualification level and occupation
State and territory

Training snapshot

In 2018, there were roughly 14,370 program enrolments in Technicians Support Services-related qualifications, up from about 14,210 in 2017. There were roughly 4,540 program completions in 2018, up from about 4,330 in 2017.

Nearly two thirds of program enrolments in 2018 (63%) were at the certificate III level, with the rest at the certificate IV or above levels. The clusters of qualifications with the highest proportion of enrolments in 2018 were Pathology (38%), Health Administration (23%), Sterilisation Services (14%) and Practice Management (9%). The main intended occupation was Pathology Collector, followed by Health Practice Manager, Medical Receptionist and Sterilisation Technician.

Overall, most of the training was delivered by private training providers (48%) and TAFE institutes (46%). However, there was considerable variation depending on the different qualification clusters. For example, TAFE institutes delivered all the training for Audiometry and Hearing Device Prescription and Evaluation qualifications, and private training providers delivered 94% of Operating Theatre Technical Support qualifications.

The majority of training (70%) was government funded, with over a quarter of training (28%) funded by domestic fee for service.

In 2018, around 36% of students were located in New South Wales, followed by 27% in Victoria and 20% in Queensland. More than two fifths of training was delivered in New South Wales (43%), followed by 26% in Victoria and 21% in Queensland.

Commencements in apprenticeships and traineeships declined significantly in recent years, from 1,790 in 2010 down to roughly 120 in 2016. Commencements then rose in 2017 and again in 2018 to around 280. Completions have declined, falling to approximately 90 in 2018 (down from roughly 1,130 in 2011). The main intended occupation for apprenticeships and traineeships was Pathology Collector. Sixty one percent of the apprenticeships and traineeships were reported in New South Wales, followed by Victoria (14%).

For more data specific to your occupation, industry or training package, please visit NCVER’s VET Students by Industry. If you are prompted to log in, please select cancel and you will continue to be directed to the program.

For more data specific to your region please visit NCVER’s Atlas of Total VET.

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Industry insights

Industry insights on skills needs

The Technicians Support Services IRC's 2019 Skills Forecast identified the top priority skills for the sector as teamwork and communication, problem solving, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility, technical / job specific skills, and self-management.

The top five identified generic skills are:

Communication / Virtual collaboration / Social intelligence
Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) (Foundation skills)
Technology
Learning agility / Information literacy / Intellectual autonomy and self-management (adaptability)
Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) skills

According to the Medical Technicians job vacancy data, the top requested skills by employers were communication skills and detail orientated. The top employers were the New South Wales Government and the Government of Victoria.

According to the Practice Managers and Health and Welfare Service Managers job vacancy data, the top requested skills by employers were communication skills and planning. The top employers were the New South Wales Government and the Government of Queensland.

According to the Technicians Support Services IRC's 2019 Skills Forecast, over the years health care and clinical practices have evolved significantly. The sector overall has been experiencing several challenges which are impacting workforce skills requirements, including:

An ageing workforce
New and emerging technologies
Skills shortages
Low retention of staff
Government legislation changes
Lack of career progression opportunities.

The ageing workforce is a potential challenge to employers, who may need to adopt workplace arrangements that will encourage a substantial number of mature-age workers to remain in work. The Treasury expects the labour force participation rate for people aged 65 or over to increase from 12.9% to 17.3% over the period 2014–2054, while participation rate for young people, particularly those aged 19–24, is expected to keep on falling. Advantages of retaining mature-age workers include their extensive work experience, maturity levels/professionalism, strong work ethic and reliability. Strategies to retain mature-age workers, such as job redesign to accommodate constraints stemming from the ageing process, are necessary.

The Australian Digital Health Agency's National Digital Health Strategy aims to implement digital technologies by 2020 to offer 'seamless, safe, secure digital health services and technologies that provide a range of innovative, easy to use tools for both patients and providers'. The transition towards a national digital health care platform will require health care professionals to be educated about digital health and the use of the My Health Record. Digital skills and knowledge areas are becoming increasingly important for job roles within the Technicians Support Services sector.

The role of the Anaesthetic Technician is changing and has been impacted by the introduction of new techniques and new technology which is continually evolving. Where these roles were once heavily focused on the operation of equipment, there is now a much greater focus on patient-centric services. Invasive and non-invasive patient monitoring using technology, as well as equipment to conduct patient checks at the point of care and the use of physiological computers, has broadened the range of skills and knowledge required to undertake these job roles. Key challenges regarding the implementation of new technologies, technical standards and practices, as well as the need to adapt to changes in government legislation, have resulted in skills and knowledge gaps within the current Training Package Products. To address the immediate workforce skills issues, it is proposed that the Diploma of Anaesthetic Technology, and seven associated units of competency, be updated in 2019–2020 to align with contemporary industry requirements.

Skills shortages are reported predominantly within the pathology service area. Skills gaps are linked to insufficient qualification assessments and a lack of basic skills; increased technical skills requirements; and an undersupply of training and education, including workplace training. In effect, there has been a lack of pathology workers, particularly in rural regions, where the job role 'Pathology Collector' has been listed in the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa list since March 2018. As such, there is a growing need to improve the quality of education and training for prospective pathology students to fill this skills shortage.

Other fields of relevance where skill shortages have been registered include audiology, and specifically Audiologist job roles, where the Department of Jobs and Small Business has registered this role in its skills shortage list.

Retaining health support workers is widely known to be an issue strongly experienced in rural locations. Retention of staff in the sector may be challenging due to high levels of fixed term contracts and casual employment. In the beginning of 2018, health care services had the third-highest number of casual workers, behind accommodation and food services and retail trade. Workplace stress and bullying can also have a negative impact on staff retention among health administration workers.

The 457 visa governing the temporary employment of overseas workers in Australia was replaced by the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS)/482 visa in April 2017. The 457 to 482 visa change has increased the complexity and cost of the application process for overseas workers. Relative to the Technicians Support Services industry, the role of Medical Technician is included under the TSS visa list of eligible occupations. Soon after the visa change, between July and September of 2017, the number of visas granted had decreased by 35.7% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. In effect, the 457 to 482 visa change may have a negative impact on the supply of Medical Technicians to the Australian workforce.

A lack of career progression is a significant problem in the hospital and health services pharmacy support, health administration and pathology sectors. At present, most Hospital Pharmacy Technicians/Assistants work within a flat career structure. One of the barriers to expanding the structure to senior-level positions is that certain Australian states insist upon academic requisites that are not covered by the Australian Medical Technician/Assistant curriculum. For example, in New South Wales a Level 4 Technician advancing to a senior-level role requires a management qualification. As a result, gaps are filled by highly trained Technicians from the United Kingdom or overseas-trained Pharmacists. To build a career structure for local Medical Technicians and Assistants, education and training should incorporate foundations that consider senior-level job roles and other possible future career paths.

Links and resources

Below is a list of industry-relevant organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.

Data sources and notes

Department of Employment 2018, Employment Projections, available from the Labour Market Information Portal

by ANZSCO, selected occupations, employment projections to May 2023
- 3112 Medical Technicians
- 4233 Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers
- 1342 Health and Welfare Services Managers
- 5122 Practice Managers.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2018, Employed persons by occupation unit group of main job (ANZSCO), Sex, State and Territory, August 1986 onwards 6291.0.55.003 - EQ08, viewed 1^st November 2018 http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6291.0.55.003May%202018?OpenDocument

Employed total by ANZSCO 4 digit occupations, 2000 to 2018, May quarter
- 3112 Medical Technicians
- 4233 Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers
- 1342 Health and Welfare Services Managers
- 5122 Practice Managers.

Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:

HLT – Health Training Package
Anaesthetic Technology
- HLT50612 - Diploma of Paramedical Science (Anaesthesia)
- HLT57915 - Diploma of Anaesthetic Technology
Audiometry and Hearing Device Prescription and Evaluation
- HLT41307 - Certificate IV in Audiometric Assessment
- HLT41312 - Certificate IV in Audiometric Assessment
- HLT47415 - Certificate IV in Audiometry
- HLT51307 - Diploma of Hearing Device Prescription and Evaluation
- HLT57415 - Diploma of Audiometry
Health Administration
- HLT32907 - Certificate III in Health Administration
- HLT32912 - Certificate III in Health Administration
- HLT37315 - Certificate III in Health Administration
- HLT43207 - Certificate IV in Health Administration
- HLT43212 - Certificate IV in Health Administration
- HLT47315 - Certificate IV in Health Administration
Medical Practice Assisting and Cast Technology
- HLT41412 - Certificate IV in Cast Technology
- HLT43312 - Certificate IV in Medical Practice Assisting
- HLT47715 - Certificate IV in Medical Practice Assisting
Operating Theatre Technical Support
- HLT42007 - Certificate IV in Operating Theatre Technical Support
- HLT42012 - Certificate IV in Operating Theatre Technical Support
- HLT47515 - Certificate IV in Operating Theatre Technical Support
Optical Dispensing and Technology
- HLT43507 - Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing
- HLT43512 - Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing
- HLT43707 - Certificate IV in Optical Technology
- HLT43712 - Certificate IV in Optical Technology
- HLT47815 - Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing
Pathology
- HLT32607 - Certificate III in Pathology
- HLT32612 - Certificate III in Pathology
- HLT37215 - Certificate III in Pathology Collection
- HLT37415 - Certificate III in Pathology Assistance
- HLT41807 - Certificate IV in Pathology
- HLT41812 - Certificate IV in Pathology
Pharmacy Support
- HLT31412 - Certificate III in Hospital-Health Services Pharmacy Support
- HLT37115 - Certificate III in Hospital/Health Services Pharmacy Support
- HLT40507 - Certificate IV in Hospital/Health Services Pharmacy Support
- HLT40512 - Certificate IV in Hospital-Health Services Pharmacy Support
- HLT47115 - Certificate IV in Hospital/Health Services Pharmacy Support
Practice Management
- HLT52007 - Diploma of Practice Management
- HLT52012 - Diploma of Practice Management
- HLT57715 - Diploma of Practice Management
Sterilisation Services
- HLT31107 - Certificate III in Sterilisation Services
- HLT31112 - Certificate III in Sterilisation Services
- HLT37015 - Certificate III in Sterilisation Services
- HLT43807 - Certificate IV in Sterilisation Services
- HLT43812 - Certificate IV in Sterilisation Services
- HLT47015 - Certificate IV in Sterilisation Services.

This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.

Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:

2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 program enrolments
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 program completions.

Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.

Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.

Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.

HLT – Health Training Package apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection, including:

2010 to 2018 commencements
2010 to 2018 completions

2018 apprentices and trainees in-training October to December 2018 collection, by qualification and state and territory of data submitter.

Priority skills data have been extracted from the Technicians Support Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast.

Job vacancy data have been extracted from Burning Glass Technologies 2019, Labor Insight Real-time Labor Market Information Tool, Burning Glass Technologies, Boston, viewed July 2019, https://www.burning-glass.com.

Data shown represent most requested generic skills and employers according to internet job postings in Australia between July 2016 and June 2019 filtered by ANZSIC and ANZSCO classification levels listed below.

ANZSCO occupations have been used as industry filters because they provide more relevant job vacancy data for this sector.

Generic skills / Occupations / Employers
- 3112 Medical Technicians
- 1342 Health and Welfare Services Managers
- 5122 Practice Managers.

Updated: 31 Mar 2020