Home Economics Institute of Australia Inc.

Home Economics - Home Economics profession

What is a person called who works in the field of home economics?
What do they do?

People working in the field of home economics educate, take action and advocate to government, industry and the community in order to enhance the wellbeing of individuals and families, especially as it relates to food and nutrition, living environments and textiles.

At one level, the focus of the work is to enable individuals and families to make informed and ethical decisions in order to enhance their everyday living. At another level, the focus of the work is on policies and practices that support individual and family wellbeing.

Home economics professionals work in community health, in industry and as teachers in high schools. Home economics professionals may specialise in, for example, families, food management, nutrition, resource management, consumerism, child care, aged care, textiles.housing. Home economics professionals perform a variety of tasks dependent on the setting and the area of specialisation.

Home economists may have expertise in one or more of the following:
Home economists who specialise in a particular field may be called
Personal traits of home economics professionals:
Professional skills and attributes include:
Communication
Design, creation, evaluation
Management
Teachers of home economics/ design and technology/ health/ hospitality might perform the following tasks:

Provide opportunities for students to understand and shape preferred solutions to a range of challenges in their personal, family, community and work roles. For example, they may develop and implement learning experiences that enable students to learn how to:

Home economists in industry might perform the following tasks:

Develop and/or test products within the food, textiles and/or household appliance industries.

Provide information about and promote products and services such as those related to food and household appliances.

Prepare educational materials for the community – for example, DVDs, CD-ROMs, videos, pamphlets, newsletters, teaching kits and other promotional material.

Present educational materials through, for example, television and radio, media releases, campaigns and newsletters.

Research and analyse consumer needs and preferences and provide advice to industry for product/service development and/or improvement.

Home economists in community health might perform the following tasks:

Provide information services for individuals and families on matters such as financial management, family relationships, childcare, food and nutrition, household management, housing and energy.

Develop nutritionally balanced menus for a range of community settings including childcare centres, aged care centres, school canteens, retirement villages and institutional care.

Manage food service operations in the community – for example, childcare centres, aged care centres, Meals on Wheels.

Design and teach independent living skills for disabled and disadvantaged people.Develop programs and policies for the design and delivery of health and social services.Develop and implement programs to assist newly-arrived migrants perform their personal, family, community and work roles.

Related fields of work:

Home economics teaching

Teachers of home economics/ design and technology/ health/ hospitality might perform the following tasks:

Provide opportunities for students to understand and shape preferred solutions to a range of challenges in their personal, family, community and work roles. For example, they may develop and implement learning experiences that enable students to learn how to:

Provide opportunities for students to develop vocationally related knowledge and skills such as those related to food technology, hospitality, childcare and the design and textile industries.

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