Prioritising Self Care for Vocational Education and Training (VET) Professionals

Our recent professional development session on Prioritising Self Care for Vocational Trainers and Assessors highlighted the importance of self-care for enhanced productivity and overall wellbeing.

Jasmin Quirk, a TAE training specialist, and guest speaker Stephanie Stewart, an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, shared their insights and practical strategies for integrating self-care practices into daily routines.

Watch the recording

The session began a discussion on the concept of self-care and its relevance in the demanding environment of vocational training and assessment. Together Jasmin and Stephanie explored various types of self-care – physical, emotional, mental and social, elaborating on their benefits to overall wellbeing and productivity.

A key discussion point was the recognition of burnout and stress triggers, often overlooked by professionals in the VET sector. Stephanie highlighted the signs of burnout and the negative consequences of unmanaged stress, such as decreased productivity.

Practical self-care practices were discussed in-depth, with a range of examples and personal experiences of overcoming work-related stress through simple strategies shared amongst participants. Participants were guided on assessing their self-care needs and priorities, setting realistic goals and creating sustainable self-care plans.

Resources

A variety of resources were made available, including a self-care check-up, a self-care wheel, and a template for creating individual self-care plans. These tools aimed to support participants in taking meaningful steps towards prioritising self-care in their professional lives.

• Self care plan template
• Self care check up
• Self care wheel