Those doing the Certificate III in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care course at TAFE NSW Bathurst are gathering skills and knowledge that they can then take back to their families, friends and communities.

Courtney Kelly, a hairdresser by trade, is one of those students.

“Hairdressing is always a trade that you can jump back to, but if you had an opportunity to open another door, why wouldn't you?” she asked.

Another of the students, Janet Bell, a case worker with an alcohol and other drug rehabilitation centre at Cowra, said she comes into contact with “a lot of clients” with health problems and she would like to have the knowledge to help them.

She said she had already been surprised to learn through the course that it is possible to reverse a fatty liver through exercise and a change to your diet.

The Certificate III in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care course will run for just over 12 months, according to TAFE NSW nursing teacher Kathy Pearce, and will be “a really fantastic pathway to other health courses”.

“It’s a starting point to things like EN [enrolled nurse] work and Certificate IV in Aboriginal Health,” she said.

“It’s a great opportunity for TAFE to collaborate with the community as well.”

Ms Pearce said the students in the course covered a range of ages.

“Some are employed and some are not,” she said. “There is a great generational diversity.”

The students were at Bathurst Base Hospital on Monday morning to have health checks and assessments themselves and to get an idea of what it is like to work in the industry.

Student Jolene Doolan said the women doing the course had decided to name it “Marinarra”.

“Within the Wiradyuri language, it means to be well and to get well,” she said.

“That's our aim for our class and our mob.”