Jake Basista wins 2015 School Based Trainee of the Year

1st December 2015

Media Release

Calvary is proud to announce Jake Basista of Calvary Cessnock Retirement Community and Rutherford Technology High School has won Novaskill’s 2015 School Based Trainee of the year award at the Hunter Region Awards.

Jake Basista recently completed a Certificate III in Aged Care and is now looking to enroll in the Certificate IV.

When asked what attracted Jake to aged care he explained,

“My Great Nan was at Calvary Cessnock and I saw how she was cared for before she passed away … I feel that I am returning the favour for the care my Great Nan received when she was there.”

“I couldn’t believe that I actually won it. When they announced my name I looked over at Dad and he was up out of his seat! It took 24 hours for it to sink in that I had won,” Jake Basista.

Callan Hawes another Calvary Cessnock trainee was also recognised as a finalist for Trainee of the Year award at the Novaskill’s 2015 Hunter Region Awards.

“The training provided was very inspirational! I gained in-depth knowledge via case studies, learning from experience and the opportunity to engage in learning that was fully practice-oriented,” he explained.

Jake and Callan are part of the Calvary Cessnock ‘Locals Caring for Locals’ innovative training program. Lead by General Manager and Cessnock local Kristin Smith, Locals Caring for Locals is about being able to provide greater employment opportunities for the Cessnock region.

As one of the largest employers in the Cessnock region, Calvary Retirement Communities have designed and implemented a vocational education program, which aims to address some of the local employment challenges such as limited employment options, skills shortages in the aged care industry and employee retention rates. This tailored workplace training program aims at improving residents’ experiences, whilst developing a sustainable, positive learning culture.

This program is innovative in the way that it has empowered our leaders, educators and trainees within Calvary through the delivery of, “valuable learning pathways towards professional careers and job opportunities for locals,” Kristin explained.

Now in its fourth intake, the reputation of the program is well regarded within the community with a high demand for places due to its high completion rates. These awards are testament to the outcomes achieved through the Locals caring for Locals vocational education program.

Congratulations Jake and Callan, from the team at Calvary Cessnock Retirement Community.

(From left) Callan Hawes, Karen Fortington – Acting General Manager, Jake Basista