Australian Diabetes Educators Association: Microcredentials Strengthening Workforce Capability
- Australian Health & Aged Care
- May 1
- 6 min read
Diabetes is a major health challenge in Australia, with a recent federal Parliamentary Inquiry finding that the condition places additional pressure on the residential aged care system¹.
As the population ages, more people in aged care are living with diabetes alongside other chronic conditions, making management more complex, requiring health professionals trained specifically in diabetes care and management. Ensuring older Australians receive high-quality, person-centred care requires a workforce that is trained in up-to-date best practices. Improving early detection, reducing risks, and using best practice management strategies is essential to preventing complications and improving outcomes for older Australians.
To meet the growing need for skilled diabetes care, the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA) has developed an education framework that aligns with national health workforce strategies. As part of this framework, ADEA will soon launch four aged care microcredentials—short, skills-based courses—each awarding a digital badge upon completion, serving as an electronic certificate.
These microcredentials equip aged care workers, personal care assistants, and healthcare professionals with the skills to manage the complexities of diabetes in older adults across residential care, home care, and community settings. The framework provides structured yet flexible learning opportunities, helping healthcare workers gain recognised expertise and build confidence in diabetes management.
Rising prevalence of diabetes highlights the need for workforce education The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reports that the prevalence of diabetes among Australians aged 65 and older has doubled, increasing from 8.5 percent in 1995 to 16.8 percent in 2017–182. For those aged 65–74, diabetes is more than three times as common as in adults aged 45–54, placing greater demand on healthcare professionals across aged care and the wider health sector.
More broadly, diabetes affects two million Australians, with more than 300 new cases
diagnosed each day³. Over the past 30 years, type 2 diabetes rates have tripled⁴, reinforcing the importance of accessible, high-quality workforce education to ensure health professionals can deliver best-practice care.
Calls for stronger diabetes education across the health workforce
There is widespread recognition of the need to upskill the workforce to meet the growing
complexity of diabetes care. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
identifies workforce education as essential to high-quality care, emphasising the need for
ongoing, accessible training tailored to current and future workforce demands⁵.
The Commission also highlights the value of targeted short courses, such as microcredentials, as an effective solution to fill skills gaps, enhance professional development, and equip staff with specialised diabetes knowledge.
Similarly, the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes report underscores the need for more robust workforce training to improve diabetes management across healthcare settings, including aged care¹. The National Diabetes Strategy 2021–2030 reinforces these workforce priorities⁶. It calls for better training and support for aged care and disability workers; expansion of the specialist diabetes workforce; and upskilling generalist health professionals in diabetes education and care. Finally, Diabetes Australia’s 2024 State of the Nation report recommends introducing a National Diabetes in Aged Care training program to ensure aged care staff can provide essential diabetes-specific care³.
This focus on strengthening the diabetes health workforce aligns with broader healthcare trends, where an ageing population and rising chronic disease rates are driving demand for skilled professionals with expertise in diabetes care and management⁷. Despite the growing need for diabetes expertise, many healthcare professionals struggle to access high-quality, flexible education that fits their busy schedules. Traditional courses often require significant time and financial commitments, making continuous learning challenging. To address this, innovative solutions must be both structured and adaptable, allowing professionals to upskill efficiently while managing their clinical responsibilities.
How ADEA bridges the diabetes workforce gap
As part of ADEA’s education and training strategy, the organisation has developed a microcredential and digital badging framework to strengthen diabetes education and enhance the capability of the generalist health workforce8. The framework provides high-quality, up-to-date microcredentials that validate specific skills and competencies, ensuring a practical and time-efficient way for health professionals to build expertise. Unlike traditional qualifications, microcredentials are short, focused certifications that can be completed in just a few hours. ADEA’s microcredentials provide a cost-effective alternative to many Australian university microcredentials while maintaining quality. Designed to align with a global shift towards small, cost-effective learning units, these stackable courses make it easier for professionals to upskill without interrupting their work. By filling knowledge gaps, complementing existing qualifications, and delivering industry relevant training, the framework ensures healthcare professionals remain equipped to meet the evolving demands of diabetes care.
When learners complete a microcredential, they earn a verifiable digital badge—a recognised marker of professional achievement. These badges act as digital certificates, embedding key details such as acquired skills, the issuing organisation, and completion criteria, ensuring authenticity and credibility. Digital badges can be shared across professional networks, resumes, and online platforms, providing clear validation of expertise.
ADEA's microcredential framework is built on the latest clinical guidelines and best practices, ensuring healthcare professionals receive evidence-based training. Developed through extensive stakeholder consultation, it addresses real-world challenges and equips learners with practical skills across diverse healthcare settings.
The framework includes accredited and nonaccredited microcredentials, CPD options, and flexible learning pathways. It is structured around ADEA’s five capability domains: clinical practice, education and counselling, research and quality improvement, management and administration, and leadership and advocacy.
Eight microcredentials are available, with 12 more—including for aged care—expected soon, tailored to certificate and diploma-level learners. The upcoming aged care microcredentials align with this framework, equipping workers with practical training to manage diabetes in residential and home care settings. The following section outlines the aged care microcredentials and their key learning outcomes.
1. Diabetes awareness and lifestyle for aged care workers. This microcredential provides foundational knowledge on diabetes prevention, management, and lifestyle modifications in aged care environments.
2. Hyperglycaemia and glucose monitoring for aged care workers. This microcredential explores glucose monitoring methods, the interpretation of high glucose levels, and the unique challenges of managing hyperglycaemia in aged care.
3. Diabetes management: Medications and hypoglycaemia for aged care workers. This microcredential focuses on the safe management of diabetes medications in aged
care, where polypharmacy, multiple health conditions, and age-related changes heighten the risk of hypoglycaemia.
4. Person-centred care and complications in aged care. This microcredential focuses
on the early detection, prevention, and management of diabetes-related complications in older adults, emphasising person-centred support in aged care.
More information about these microcredentials will be published on the ADEA education catalogue soon—keep updated here.
Award-winning innovation in diabetes workforce training
Recognising its innovative approach to diabetes workforce training, ADEA’s education
framework received international recognition in 2023. It was awarded the Platinum LearnX Award for Best Learning Model – Future Learning8. This seven-star award highlights the framework’s real-world impact in equipping healthcare professionals with the skills they need to improve diabetes care. Developed in collaboration with leading education and industry partners—including Educonomy, Deakin University, and Chisholm Institute—with support from a Victorian Government grant, the framework has demonstrated real-world impact in equipping healthcare professionals with the skills needed to improve diabetes care.
Building a stronger workforce for better diabetes care
A well-trained workforce is essential for quality diabetes care, particularly in aged care, where cases are often complex. ADEA’s aged care microcredential equips professionals with essential skills to improve care, prevent hospitalisations, and enhance health outcomes. By integrating this training into workforce strategies, aged care providers can strengthen staff confidence and capability.
02 61731000
References
1. Australian Parliament. Inquiry into diabetes: Report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport [Internet]. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2023 [cited 2025 Feb 17]. Available from: https://www.aph.gov.au/ Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Health Aged_Care_and_Sport/Inquiry_into_Diabetes/Report
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Older Australians: Health and disability status—Diabetes [Internet]. Canberra: AIHW; 2023 [cited 2025 Feb 17] Available from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/older-people/older-australians/contents/health/health-disability-status#Diabetes
3. Diabetes Australia. State of the nation 2024: A spotlight on diabetes in Australia [Internet]. Canberra: Diabetes Australia; 2024 [cited 2025 Feb 17]. Available from:
4. Deakin University. New study finds increasing health burden of type 2 diabetes in Australia [Internet]. Melbourne: Deakin University; 2023 [cited 2025 Feb 17]. Available from: https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/news-and-media-releases/articles/new-study-finds-increasing-health-burden-of-type-2-diabetes-in-australia
5. Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Final report: Volume 3A [Internet]. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2021 [cited 2025 Feb 16]. Available from: https://www.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2021-03/final-report-volume-3a.pdf
6. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Australian National Diabetes Strategy 2021–2030 [Internet]. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2021 [cited 2025 Feb 17]. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/11/australiannational-diabetes-strategy-2021-2030_0.pdf
7. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Health workforce [Internet]. Canberra: AIHW; 2023 [cited 2025 Feb 18]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/workforce/health-workforce
8. Wellins D. Enhancing diabetes education: ADEA codeveloped, award-winning microcredentials to upskill Australia’s healthcare workforce [Internet]. Australian Diabetes Educator. 2024 Sep;27(3). Available from: https://ade.adea.com.au/enhancing-diabeteseducation-adea-co-developed-award-winningmicrocredentials-to-upskill-australias-healthcareworkforce/
9. Australian Diabetes Educators Association. ADEA wins prestigious international award for leading-edge diabetes education [Internet]. Canberra: ADEA; 2023 [cited 2025 Feb 17]. Available from: https://www.adea.com.au/news/2023/11/30/adea-wins-prestigious-internationalaward- for-leading-edge-diabetes-education/
