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Australia is experiencing a critical healthcare workforce shortage, particularly in the Western Parkland City (WPC) region. The demand for healthcare professionals is rising due to population growth, an aging demographic, and increasing chronic disease burdens. This shortage places pressure on existing healthcare workers, increases patient wait times, and reduces service accessibility.

Without action, workforce shortages will worsen, impacting patient care quality, increasing strain on existing healthcare professionals, and limiting service delivery in a rapidly growing region.

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We invite you to join the challenge to reimagine the future of healthcare in Western Sydney. This is your chance to make a real world impact.

Participants will develop innovative solutions to recruit, train, and retain healthcare workers in Western Parkland City. The solutions should be practical, scalable, and impactful.

👥 Form a Team (or let us help you build one!)

Whether you're a coder, designer, strategist, or student looking for a new challenge, your skills are needed. Collaborate with fellow �����Ʊ students to tackle one of the most urgent issues in our healthcare system.

We recomend teams to be between 2 - 5 people. Teams can be multidisciplinary and consist of students from Undergraduate and Postgraduate �����Ʊ degrees.

💡 The Challenge

• Develop innovative, practical, and scalable solutions to:
• Recruit new healthcare workers—especially youth, migrants, and career changers.
• Train and upskill the workforce through digital tools or micro-credentials.
• Retain staff by improving wellbeing and reducing burnout.
• Leverage technology to streamline recruitment, training, or workforce management.

🧭 What You’ll Deliver

• Your team will deliver a 2 minute video that outlines a creative solution solving one of the key issues listed below, and also referencing one of the challenge videos (to be released 30 June).
• These video links need to be submitted to BUSEDI@unsw.edu.au��by 7 July, with the top 3 finalist teams being decided and contacted by the 9 July.
• The top 3 finalist teams will then deliver a 5-10 minute in-person presentation at the �����Ʊ Parramatta Innovation Hub on the 11 July from 4:00 - 7:00pm.
• These final presentations will be judged by Western Sydney Health Alliance representatives, and each member of the winning team will receive a gift card prize.

🎁 Prizes - Sponsored by the �����Ʊ Digital Sustainability Knowledge Hub

The top three teams will be rewarded with exciting gift card prizes as��judged by Western Sydney Health Alliance representatives.��

Prize allocation will be based on the team's final��5-10 minute in-person presentation at the �����Ʊ Parramatta Innovation Hub on the 11 July from 4:00 - 7:00pm.

• The��first-place team��will receive a��$500 in gift cards
• The��second-place team��will receive $300��in gift cards
• The��third-place team��will receive $250��in gift cards

Learn more about the��Digital Sustainability Knowledge Hub

🌟 Why Join?

• Make a real-world impact
• Collaborate with like-minded peers
• Gain experience solving complex, real-world problems
• Get noticed by industry and innovation leaders

❓Key Issues We Are Looking To Solve

• Difficulty attracting new healthcare workers, particularly in regional and outer metropolitan areas.
• Barriers for migrants, youth, and career changers in entering healthcare professions.
• Limited access to fast-tracked, relevant training and upskilling opportunities.
• High burnout and turnover among healthcare workers.
• Gaps in technology and digital solutions that could support recruitment, training, or retention.

Let’s build a healthier, more resilient future—starting right here.

Desired Outcomes:

Innovative Workforce Solutions��– Develop a digital tool, training model, or strategic framework to improve workforce attraction, training, or retention.

Implementation Strategy��– Outline a roadmap for rolling out the solution, including potential partners and funding sources.

Scalability & Feasibility – Assess the sustainability of the proposed solution and how it can be expanded across different healthcare sectors.

Potential Focus Areas:

Recruitment Strategies:��Campaigns or tools to attract youth, career changers, or migrant workers into healthcare careers.

Training & Upskilling: Digital platforms, micro-credentialing, or on-the-job training models to accelerate workforce readiness.

Retention & Wellbeing:��Programs to reduce burnout and increase job satisfaction.

Technology Solutions: Digital solutions for recruitment, virtual training, or workforce management.

Out of Scope:

• Policy changes that require legislative approval.
• Large-scale infrastructure projects.

Who is Western Sydney Health Alliance?

Western Sydney Health Alliance (WSHA) is a collaborative partnership of councils, local health districts, and primary health networks working to improve healthcare outcomes across Western Parkland City. Our goal is to address systemic challenges through strategic planning, policy development, and innovative projects. This project falls under our focus on workforce development to ensure healthcare professionals can meet the growing and aging population’s need.��

To find out more,

📖 Resources and Recommended Preliminary Research

Existing Work & Available Resources:

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Recommended Preliminary Research Topics:

• Healthcare workforce supply and demand trends in Australia.
• Barriers to recruitment, training, and retention in Western Sydney.
• Technology-driven solutions for workforce management in other industries.