The Public Health Unit has a strong interest in building the capability of our staff and undertaking applied public health research and evaluation activities. We provide a range of training opportunities to support our staff.

Public Health Nurse Training Program

The Public Health Nurse Training Program offers a registered nurse with an interest in public health the opportunity to complete a Master of Public Health while acquiring concurrent experience working in the Public Health Unit. The traineeship runs for two years, during which time the trainee works within the Communicable Disease, Immunisation, and Epidemiology teams of the Public Health Unit. Opportunities to work with an infection control or health promotion team may also be available depending on team capacity and the specific interests of the trainee.

This innovative program was developed by the Public Health Unit with the aim of building the capacity of the public health workforce, while also establishing a career pathway for public health nursing. The Public Health Unit currently recruits one trainee each year and anticipates the next round of recruitment to begin in November 2023 for commencement in 2024. Openings for the traineeship are advertised via the iworkfornsw portal.

For further information, please contact the manager of the Communicable Diseases team at SLHD-CDTeam@health.nsw.gov.au

Environmental Health Officer Training Program

The Environmental Health Officer Training Program was developed by Sydney Local Health District in 2018 to offer individuals with an interest in science and environmental health the opportunity to complete a part-time Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health while gaining experience through on-the-job training. The trainee is employed by the District for two years and works with the Environmental Health team within the Public Health Unit and with a partnering local council. 

The Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health offered by Flinders University in South Australia is one of the few postgraduate courses that is accredited by Environmental Health Australia and is recognised as an approved degree to practice as an Environmental Health Officer in Australia. Openings for the traineeship are advertised via the iworkfornsw website and offered every two years. At present, two trainees are with the Public Health Unit, with the next opening for applications anticipated to be in 2025.

Public Health Registrar Training Program

The Public Health Registrar Training Program provides an opportunity for registrars undergoing public health medicine training through the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine to achieve competencies required by the Faculty as part of its formal training program.

Registrars are provided with experiences in key areas of health protection, such as communicable disease control, environmental health, epidemiology, and immunisation, while being supervised by an Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine Fellow. They participate in the operational activities of the Public Health Unit while also having the opportunity to undertake research projects and contribute to the development and implementation of public health initiatives.

NSW Aboriginal Population Health Training Initiative

The NSW Aboriginal Population Health Training Initiative is an ongoing program that commenced in 2011 and is delivered in partnership between the NSW Ministry of Health and NSW Population Health Services. The three-year NSW Aboriginal Population Health Training Initiative training program combines employment in population health services across the District with part-time study towards the attainment of a Master of Public Health degree at a NSW-based university. Its objective is to foster the growth of the Aboriginal population health workforce, with the aim of enhancing the health of Aboriginal individuals residing in NSW. 

The NSW Aboriginal Population Health Training Initiative program aims to pursue this objective through the following goals:

• Enhance the adaptability of the Aboriginal population's health workforce.
• Boost the count of Aboriginal individuals holding postgraduate degrees in population health.
• Increase the proportion of Aboriginal individuals who possess workplace-based competencies in public health.
• Enhance the level of exposure of Aboriginal trainees to career opportunities in population health.
• Improve the level of exposure of the health workforce to issues pertaining to Aboriginal population health, and highlight the importance of traineeships in achieving this goal.

This position builds capacity within the Aboriginal workforce to develop and implement population health strategies to protect and promote the health of the people in the local community.