TAFE NSW Moruya is hoping to improve the low rates of first aid training by offering a first aid short course this month.
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The TAFE said the "Statement of Attainment in Provide First Aid" course equipped participants with skills and knowledge to empower them to take control of an emergency situation.
They said according to the Red Cross, Australia has one of the lowest rates in the world for first aid training, with less than five per cent of people trained in how to handle a medical emergency.
This was despite about 500,000 Australians being hospitalised annually for injuries and about 12,000 of those people losing their lives.
Meanwhile, an average of 33,000 people suffered cardiac arrests in Australia each year and only five to seven per cent of victims survived.
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TAFE NSW Head Teacher of Nursing and First Aid, Cheryl Bradshaw, said first aid was something you hope you never need but you never know when you would need it.
"It's an amazing feeling to help save someone's life and having these skills stops you from feeling helpless when you're confronted by an emergency," she said.
Ms Bradshaw said a first aid certificate was highly regarded by employers and was a prerequisite for some roles in industries like childcare, education, fitness and leisure, disability care, community services and health.
The TAFE NSW short course gives students the flexibility of eight hours pre-work online, followed by a day at your local TAFE NSW campus for practice and assessment.
The interactive day equips students with skills in basic life support, casualty management, CPR and use of a defibrillator.
"Anyone can do first aid, young and old; as long as you can physically get down on the floor, you can do it," Ms Bradshaw said.
She said some past students had extraordinary stories to tell.
"A mum did the course recently and a few weeks later was at a family gathering and a small child fell into the pool," she said.
"She was able to apply what she learned and resuscitate the child and now she's made her whole family complete the course at TAFE NSW."
Safe Work Australia advises at least one in every 50 workers in an office environment and one in 25 workers in a higher risk environment, like a construction site, should have a first aid certificate.
The course will be offered at TAFE NSW Moruya on Tuesday June 4.
To find out more about studying a first aid short course at TAFE NSW, phone 13 16 01 or visit www.tafensw.edu.au.