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Skills@Work is compiled and distributed by the Australian Government’s Department of Education and Training. All articles are submitted by the originating organisation and are published with their approval.

If you would like to provide feedback on this newsletter, please send us an email.
 

APRIL 2015 EDITION

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Launch of Training for Employment Scholarships programme

A new pilot programme is now open for applications under the Youth Stream of the Industry Skills Fund.

The Training for Employment Scholarships programme aims to help deliver skilled young employees to businesses in regions where unemployment is high.

If you are a business in one of the selected regions, have fewer than 200 staff and hire an unemployed person aged 18-24 years after 1 March 2015, then you may be eligible for funding of up to $7500 to help your young employee gain new skills or qualifications.

Businesses and community service organisations in the selected regions have until 29 February 2016 to apply through the online application form.

The Industry Skills Fund was launched on 1 January 2015 and forms a key part of the Australian Government’s ambitious VET reform program aimed at lifting the quality of training providers and courses to improve the employment prospects of students and the competitiveness of Australia’s economy.

Visit the Industry Skills - Youth Stream page today to find out whether your business is eligible or call 13 28 46.

Need help with your application? Join a free Australian Training Awards webinar!

The Australian Training Awards together with VETnetwork Australia are pleased to present a series of free webinars designed to provide Australian Training Awards applicants with information, tips and tricks on how to apply, and why to apply for five of the seven direct entry categories of the Australian Training Awards.

The Australian Training Awards are the peak, national awards for the vocational education and training (VET) sector. For over 20 years, the Awards have recognised the outstanding achievements of apprentices, trainees, vocational students, training practitioners, businesses, secondary schools and registered training organisations and their contribution to skilling Australia.

There are 18 categories presented at the Australian Training Awards. The majority of the awards receive entries via state and territory training awards programmes, however seven awards are available by direct entry. Applicants may have the opportunity to reach the national stage in November this year and gain Australia-wide recognition for the work they do.

Webinar dates and times are included for five of the seven direct entry categories below:

Individual

National Achievement Award
Lifetime Achievement Award
Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Award (Webinar - Thursday 30 April 2015 10.30am to 11.30am (AEST))

Business

Disability Training - Employer Award (Webinar - Tuesday 14 April 2015 10.30am to 11.30am (AEST))
Australian Apprenticeships – Employer Award (Webinar - Wednesday 15 April 2015 10.30am to 11.30am (AEST))

Registered Training Organisation

School Pathways to VET Award (Webinar - Wednesday 29 April 2015 3.30pm to 4.30pm (AEST))
International Training Provider of the Year Award (Webinar - Thursday 30 April 2015 2.30pm to 3.30pm (AEST)).

For more information about the webinar series, visit www.australiantrainingawards.gov.au or phone (02) 6240 8155.

Applications for the Australian Training Awards direct entry categories close on Friday 29 May 2015.

The 2015 Australian Training Awards will be held in Hobart on Thursday 19 November 2015.

For real time updates, you can find the Australian Training Awards on:

Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube.

Government targets VET FEE-HELP scammers

The Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, is taking strong action to stamp out the abuse of the VET FEE-HELP scheme.

The Minister has announced legislative and other changes to deal with rogue training providers and better protect students.

Protecting students is a key focus of these measures, which will:

  • stop providers from offering incentives to students, like cash and laptops, to get them to sign up to courses that they don’t need
  • stop marketing agents and brokers ‘freelancing’ to sign up as many students as possible, without being covered by any regulator
  • give students more information that helps them understand that VET FEE-HELP loans are real debts that impact their credit rating and have to be repaid
  • make it impossible for providers to levy all fees in a single transaction, giving students more opportunity to consider their options before VET FEE-HELP debts can be incurred
  • protect vulnerable students by requiring providers to properly assess students before enrolment.

For further information, please visit StudyAssist.gov.au.

New legislation to strengthen regulation of training providers

On 16 March 2015 legislative amendments were passed by the Australian Parliament to further target unscrupulous vocational education and training providers and improve training quality.

The amendments to the National Vocational and Education Training Regulator (NVETR) Act 2011 will:

  • enable the Australian Government to make new standards that address emerging issues which impact on the quality and integrity of training for individuals and students
  • require anyone marketing a VET course, including brokers and other third parties, to clearly identify which registered training organisation (RTO) is providing the qualification
  • extend the registration period for RTOs from five to seven years so the national training regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), can focus its attention on investigating and acting upon high risk,poor quality providers.

Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, Assistant Minister for Education and Training, said this will enable ASQA to take action against an RTO, where it, or its marketing agent or broker, fail to provide clear information to a prospective student about the qualification they are signing up for, where the training will be undertaken, how long the course will take, what support services are available and the associated costs.

These amendments to the Act build on the significant reforms being implemented across the VET sector, including a national VET complaints hotline, improved data reporting, $68 million to strengthen ASQA, new trade support loans and tougher new standards for RTOs.

The amendments will be enacted into law subject to Royal Assent.

Unique Student Identifier

The USI was launched on 1 January this year, and is now a part of meeting VET data collection and reporting requirements. Over 1.5 million USIs have already been created, and most of Australia’s training organisations are now connected to the USI registry system, making it a part of their business.


If you are a student, having a USI ready at enrolment will save delays in getting your Certificate or Statement of Attainment at the end of your training. The key is to become USI-ready as soon as possible. If you don’t already have your USI, create one today. It’s free and easy to do. You’ll also be on the way to having a lifetime record of all your training that you can access online anywhere.


If you area a training organisation, having the USI as part of your enrolment processes will generally make managing your reporting requirements easier. Remember, you will still need to verify a student’s USI even if you don’t plan on creating a USI on their behalf, so get connected with us today!


The USI team has got some handy tips and helpful video resources in its USI Help Centre that you may find useful. Stay up to date with the latest news on the USI via the website.


You can contact the USI Office for further information via the chat function. Alternatively, call 13 38 73 or send an email.

A free assessment of a learner's core skills – participate in trials of the new Foundation Skills Assessment Tool (FSAT)

Do you want to know more about your learners’ work related skills or LLN skills? The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is developing the comprehensive Foundation Skills Assessment Tool (FSAT) for the Australian Government. The FSAT is mapped against the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) for language, literacy and numeracy skills and against the Core Skills for Work Developmental Framework (CSfW) for employability skills. Trials of FSAT have now commenced and will continue until at least the end of April 2015. Whilst ACER has received many expressions of interest in participating in the FSAT trials, more participants are required to undertake the assessments.

Please consider which ACSF or CSfW skill areas are most relevant to your clients and learners and then register and request trial logins. Providers receive reports of each learner's performance against the skill in the relevant framework. Participation in the FSAT trials is suitable for your 2015 pre-training LLN assessment!

For further information about FSAT and to register to participate in the trials, please visit ACER's website.

2016 Fulbright Scholarships round opening soon!

The Fulbright Program is the largest and one of the most prestigious educational scholarship programmes in the world, offering a range of scholarships from postgraduate onwards. The Vocational Education and Training (VET) Fulbright Professional Scholarship is for employees within the vocational education and training sector or training leaders in business and industry. It is not for university academics who study VET as an academic discipline.

Examples of those who may apply include:

  • employees, including teachers, managers, and administrators of private and public registered training organisations and TAFEs
  • people who are leading vocational education and training experts
  • staff within universities that teach in the training/skills sector of a university.

The educational programme undertaken through this Scholarship should concern current vocational education and training policy or practice, and should include an educational component such as a short course and/or research. It may involve other forms of professional experience, including visits to relevant organisations. The outcomes of the scholarship must inform and benefit the wider VET sector in Australia. This Scholarship is for three to four months, and is supported by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.


The Fulbright Commission will be traveling to institutions in each state and territory to conduct information sessions on Fulbright Scholarships in April and May.


For more information on the Fulbright Commission, the scholarships or the information sessions, please visit the Fulbright website.


The 2016 Fulbright Scholarship round opens on 1 May 2015 and closes on 1 August 2015.

Construction industry employers talk about recruiting apprentices

How do employers go about recruiting apprentices? What happens in an interview? These are key questions often asked by students and jobseekers.

Some answers are provided in a new series of videos showing employers in the construction industry in the ACT talking about their approach to recruitment.

This information is valuable for anyone job hunting for an apprenticeship in any industry.

Four videos in the Australian Apprenticeships Construction Pathways – Employer Stories series have been published by the Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Information Service. More employer videos will be added over coming weeks.

These videos are a product of the 2014 ACT Better Linkages between Employment and Training Initiative, administered by the ACT Government under the National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform.

The latest from NCVER

The Apprentices and trainees 2014: September quarter report, released in March 2015, notes that the number of apprentices and trainees in training as at 30 September 2014 was 341,300. This is a decrease of 18.4 per cent from September 2013.

The full report, as well as data for states and territories, is available on NCVER’s website.

The latest blogs from eWorks

Money management help for apprentices and trainees

Why do RTOs struggle with compliance?

Personalising learning with e-portfolios

Increase student motivation (and reduce cheating) using Mahara

Moodle and Mahara – Why do we need both?

Learning with eModules – is it ‘all that’?

Are your Moodle courses taking ages to load?

Changing your perspective on gamification

Compliance training: avoiding death by documentation

Deploying video in digital learning

OZeWAI Accessibility Conference highlights

TRAINING PACKAGES NEWS

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Construction & Property Services Industry Skills Council

Launch of new resource database

CPSISC has launched a redeveloped resource database which has been reformatted into a new sleek and user-friendly design.

The database provides a searchable list of resources which can help you to use the CPP07 and CPC08 Training Packages. It details a wide range of resources in different formats which can support learning, training, assessment, language, literacy and numeracy, and professional development. To visit the resource database, click on the link at the Products & Resources section of CPSISC's website. Click on the green button next to each resource for further details.

If you know of any relevant construction or property services resources that aren’t included in the database, let CPSISC know! You can email CPSISC with details of the resource, and help to keep the database current and comprehensive.

New CPP40115 Certificate IV in Building Design Drafting

CPSISC is pleased to announce that the new CPP Property Services Training Package (containing one new qualification, CPP40115 Certificate IV in Building Design Drafting, and 13 new related units of competency) has been endorsed and is now available on training.gov.au. CPP Property Services Training Package is CPSISC’s first training package endorsed under the Standards for Training Packages. The Implementation Guide for CPP can be accessed on CPSISC's website.

Newsletter now available

CPSISC’s January-March 2015 newsletter is now available to read at CPSISC’s website. It includes articles on VET reform, World Plumbing Day and the 2015 intergenerational report, as well as information on CPSISC products, resources and contacts.

Innovation and Business Skills Australia

IBSA training packages endorsed

IBSA is pleased to announce that four training packages have been endorsed and are currently moving through the publication process. more…

Workshops for trainers and assessors

To support the new national Standards for RTOs, IBSA has developed a series of workshops to promote the professional development of VET practitioners. These workshops will ensure all trainers and assessors have access to professional development in theory and practice. more…

Manufacturing Skills Australia

2015 Environmental Scan 2015 – hot off the press

MSA’s 2015 Environmental Scan has been launched, and identifies a number of key priorities for 2015. These include shifting the manufacturing dialogue to a more positive one that reflects the innovative, advanced industry that manufacturing is today, and developing management and leadership skills to effectively navigate global market conditions.

The report covers the industry’s views on innovation, productivity, VET reform and policy. It identifies where the workforce development priorities are for manufacturing sectors and what training is taking place. MSA’s 2015 Environmental Scan is now available on MSA's website.

MST Textiles, Clothing and Footwear Training Package – draft qualifications

Consultation drafts of new TCF qualifications have been released for feedback. As part of this consultation MSA will be running a series of workshops and an industry webinar in April 2015.

You can visit the TCF redevelopment project page to:

  • access further information on the redevelopment project
  • view and provide feedback on draft materials
  • register for a workshop/webinar.

MSL Laboratory Operations Training Package – compliance review

The Laboratory Operations units and qualifications are being updated to comply with the NSSC Standards for Training Packages. First drafts of the reformatted MSL units are available for review and feedback.

Process Manufacturing Training Package workshops

Training providers, assessors and other industry stakeholders attended MSA’s March workshop to gain a clear understanding of changes to the MSA, PMA, PMB and PMC Training Packages. Due to popular demand, MSA will be holding a series of workshops in April in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. These training package workshops provide an opportunity for stakeholders to get answers to their questions and gain advice about relevant resources, implications of new training package formats and implementation.

You can register online for an April workshop.

MSA sets the benchmark high at Avalon Airshow

More than 80 aerospace leaders and dignitaries attended MSA’s Future Directions Conference during the Australian International Airshow 2015, at Avalon Airport.

Delegates discussed the significant growth predicted for the aviation industry in the Asia-Pacific region, and stressed the importance of maintaining Australian workforce capacity and capability in order to capitalise on this opportunity. The improved MEA Aeroskills Training Package was officially launched by Mike Mrdak, Secretary, Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Guests heard inspiring stories of passionate careers in aircraft engineering and of new 3D printing technology that has seen the first 3D printed jet engines. It is certainly an exciting space to watch, as the aerospace industry will continue to need a fully trained, skilled and competent workforce into the future.

2015 MSA Rilda Mossop Innovation Study Award – final call

If you’ve got an innovative idea for extending the capability and performance of the Australian manufacturing workforce, here’s an award that can help you bring it into action. In honour of the ever dynamic and problem solving Rilda Mossop, MSA and International Specialised Skills Institute are offering one innovative person a chance to learn from industry and educators overseas to develop their ideas.

Valued at $12,500, the award is open to all students, teachers, trainers, assessors, enterprise owners and employees who are operating within manufacturing. Applications close 4.00pm, 20 April 2015. The application process isn’t complicated and MSA is here to help you. Don’t delay – manufacturing needs you! Apply now!

AWPN conference gives new insights on foundation skills

The Australian Workplace Practitioner’s Network (AWPN) continued to shine a light on foundation skills at its national conference held in Melbourne during March. Keynote speakers discussed implementation of a range of government initiatives, and the importance of a whole of industry approach to improve foundation skills in the workplace. Attendees also heard about the progress being made in New Zealand, one of the only countries globally to successfully lift its foundation skill levels in the past 10 years, and were introduced to tools being applied. The development of workplace foundation skills is a high priority for manufacturers and a critical element in developing the higher-level skills that manufacturing enterprises increasingly depend on.

MSA’s CEO, Bob Paton, and Deputy CEO, Cameron Baker, presented at the conference on the importance of foundation skills in the manufacturing industry and the importance of networks such as AWPN in addressing workplace foundation skills needs.

Launch of website resources for foundation skills

MSA has been strongly involved in initiatives that support VET practitioners and industry in the development of foundation skills in the manufacturing workforce. This now includes an updated web page with a new report highlighting the foundation skills needs of manufacturing, and products to help practitioners map training to the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). MSA conducted comprehensive mapping of the ACSF against 17 of its most highly used qualifications and four skill sets. This mapping information will assist trainers and assessors to clearly identify the required ACSF levels for training outcomes. You can now view MSA’s foundation skills page and free foundation skills resources.

WAVE National Conference 2015

The Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE) National Conference will focus on issues specific to women and girls entering, navigating and completing adult and vocational education. The April 2015 conference is being held in partnership with MSA. All women involved in VET, adult, community and all work-based education are invited to join MSA at this prestigious event. Registration is now open.

Further information about this conference is available in the Events section of this newsletter.

SkillsDMC

Release of 2015 Environmental Scan

The resources and infrastructure industry continues to be a key driver of the Australian economy. Despite recent commodity price fluctuations in response to slower growth in demand and stronger increases in supply, the industry still accounts for over 8.25 per cent of Australia’s Gross Domestic Product.

SkillsDMC’s 2015 Environmental Scan provides robust and reasoned insights into industry’s current and future skilling needs. It is designed to prepare industry and governments for the challenges and opportunities ahead and the likely demand for industry’s diverse skills base.

The Environmental Scan is now available on SkillsDMC’s website.

FACES OF EXCELLENCE

 

This month we are introducing three new Australian Apprenticeships Ambassadors. We hope you enjoy their stories!

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“Apprenticeship allowed me to create my own story”

Jessica Baczynski
Hairdresser
Certificate III in Hairdressing

Having dreamed of a career in creative fashion, Jessica Baczyski’s Australian Apprenticeship led to her working at fashion festivals in both Canberra and Melbourne, as well as at L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Week.

Jessica was able to tailor her training programme and work at her own pace and, now that she has completed her apprenticeship, is looking forward to entering competitions and travelling while continuing her studies. She was the ACT Apprentice of the Year in 2014 and a finalist for the Australian Apprentice of the Year Award at the Australian Training Awards in the same year.

You can read more about Jessica’s fashionable journey here.

Travelling the world through bricklaying

Troy Everett
Bricklayer
Certificate III in Bricklaying

Since completing his bricklaying qualification, Troy Everett has travelled all over the world to provide technical advice and to compete in international skills competitions. He was unanimously voted the International Chief Expert for Bricklaying for this year’s WorldSkills International Competition in São Paulo, Brazil, and recently worked with a team in Bangladesh to provide clean drinking water to a remote community.

Troy enjoys the responsibility of contributing to a building’s visual aspect, and likes working with his hands and meeting new people.

You can read more about Troy’s amazing experiences here.

Family butcher for life

Matthew Papandrea
Butcher
Certificate III in Meat Retailing

Matthew Papandrea’s enjoyment of his trade was obvious to his teachers at TAFE, who encouraged him to enter competitions. He has since won a WorldSkills Australia national competition gold medal and, through the BBM Skilled Futures Program, undertook a two week leadership course in Europe and was able to gain experience working in butcher shops in England and Denmark, including one owned by Jamie Oliver.

Now working in the family business and building his own house, Matthew believes that “putting yourself out there” is the best way to learn.

You can read more of Matthew’s tips for success here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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VET FEE-HELP approved provider training

Dates through to July 2015, Canberra and webinars

The Department of Education and Training will be conducting training for approved VET FEE-HELP providers throughout 2015. This training is suitable for recently approved or existing VET FEE-HELP providers that wish to refresh their knowledge. For more details and schedules of dates and venues please visit the Department of Education and Training's website.

Women in Adult and Vocational Education conference

8 April 2015, Melbourne

Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE) is partnering with Manufacturing Skills Australia (MSA) to hold a significant conference, highlighting issues for women educators and industry. The conference is titled Leaders, teachers, learners, leavers: Women in the Australian VET market. The WAVE conference will be held at Victoria University the day before the Australian VET Research Association (AVETRA) conference, which will also focus on the impact of the marketisation of vocational education and training.

WAVE is a non-government organisation and is the only national organisation with a focus on women and post compulsory education and training, representing the interests of educators, industry, community and students. All of these groups will be represented at the conference.

WAVE has a great line-up of speakers including Miriam Silva, a/g CEO of TAFE SA, Susan Hopgood, President of Education International, Sally Thompson from Adult Learning Australia and the Hon Fiona Richardson MP, Victorian Minister for Women. Academics including Erica Smith, Ruth Schubert and Kira Clarke, and industry representatives from Fanelle, Industry Women Central and Manufacturing Skills Australia will also be attending. The conference will give women the opportunity to hear about and engage in discussion around those issues of most consequence to them in adult and vocational education today.

Registration and further information can be found on WAVE's website.

AITD2015 – National Learning and Development Conference

13 – 14 May 2015, Sydney

Early bird registration is now open!

AITD2015 is the leading annual conference for training, learning and development and organisational development professionals.

Topics include:

  • collaborative learning
  • disruptive technologies
  • creating a dynamic learning culture
  • learning in the workplace of the future
  • digital badges
  • next generation skills for L&D professionals
  • the manager’s role in learning and much more...

For more information and to register visit AITD's conference website.

2015 National Adult LLN Assessment Conference – Australian Council for Educational Research

14 – 15 May 2015, Adelaide

ACER's 2015 National Adult Language Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Conference has the theme Equipping for the future: assess, train, learn and will have different streams focused on VET practitioners alongside streams targeted at industry, researchers and policy makers.

This two-day national conference, the fourth to be run by ACER, will provide opportunity for key industry and business personnel and VET and LLN researchers, policymakers, training managers, trainers and coordinators from around Australia to get together to share insights and address a range of crucial issues surrounding adult and youth literacy and numeracy assessment, teaching and learning.

ACER will also be running two full-day pre-conference workshops designed to complement the conference. This will give practitioners access to more intensive, hands-on workshops from key Australian educators and trainers – one on employability skills (Work ready, set, GO!) and one on the crucial and often forgotten core skill of numeracy (Engaging ALL Learners in Maths and Numeracy). Get in early as places are limited and costs are greatly reduced for conference participants.

The NALLNAC programme is now available and early bird registrations are open. Please visit the conference website for information.

Training Providers Forum 2015

25 – 26 May, Perth

Training Providers Forum is Western Australia's leading forum on training and workforce development.

This two day conference and exhibition will provide the latest updates on training and workforce development and showcase examples of innovation and good practice.

This is a great professional development and networking opportunity for all training professionals.

For more information, please visit the Forum's website.

Sponsors and exhibitors

The exhibition is a major component of Training Providers Forum with 40 exhibition booths and a limited number of sponsorship packages available in 2015.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or exhibitor and would like more information, please send an email.

2015 NCVER ‘No Frills’ conference

6 – 8 July 2015, Sydney

Co-hosted with the University of Western Sydney and TAFE NSW's South Western Sydney and Western Sydney Institutes, the conference will highlight (but is not limited to) research across three themes:

  • Youth: engaging, inspiring and supporting students to realise their potential
  • Pathways: transitioning through education and training into the workforce
  • Skills: working with industry and employers to improve education and training.

For more information about the conference, please visit NCVER’s 'No Frills' website.

WorldSkills Australia - international competition

11 – 16 August 2015, São Paulo, Brazil

Please visit the WorldSkills Australia website for information.

National Skills Week

24 – 30 August 2015

Please visit the National Skills Week website for information about locations and events.

ACPET 2015 National Conference and Asia Pacific International Education Forum

26 – 28 August 2015, Melbourne

Please visit the conference website for information.

TDA 2015 National Conference

9 – 11 September 2015, Hobart

Please visit TDA's website for information.

Velg Training 2015 National VET Conference

17 – 18 September 2015, Adelaide

Please visit Velg’s website for information.

ACAL 2015 National Conference

24 – 25 September 2015, Adelaide

Please visit the conference website for information.

2015 Australian Training Awards - save the date!

19 November 2015, Hobart

The Australian Training Awards presentation dinner event will be held in Hobart, Tasmania, on Thursday 19 November 2015.

Details of the venue and ticketing will be available on the website.

Professional development for training providers – NSW

Visit the NSW State Training Services website to view upcoming Smart and Skilled approved professional development opportunities for Registered Training Organisation staff in 2015.

RESOURCES

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NEW Foundation skills resources now available from Aspire Learning Resources!

Aspire is proud to announce the release of its new range of FSK Foundation skills resources.

These resources are packed with exciting new features which benefit the learner and the trainer, such as:

  • printed in full colour
  • addressing a single unit of competency
  • learning content that is presented in a story-based structure
  • examples to demonstrate concepts
  • QR codes linking to video clips
  • checkpoints to consolidate learning (formative assessments) and solutions for each of these checkpoints
  • summaries at the end of each topic.

Included in the learner guide is a comprehensive summative assessment, which contains:

  • an ‘Are you ready for assessment?’ checklist
  • an overview of the final assessment tasks
  • an assessment plan for the learner and training to determine the required assessment
  • a learner declaration of authenticity
  • final assessment activities that cover all unit of competency requirements
  • a record of outcome to record overall competency.

All of Aspire’s new FSK units are available as Online Learning units. The print and online versions match, which allows for simpler preparation of blended delivery.

There is a matching Trainer’s and Assessor’s Guide and Assessment Resource for each learner guide – both of these products are downloadable and sent to you as soon as you purchase them!

For more information or to view sample pages, please visit Aspire’s website or call (03) 9820 1300.

Assessment model resources are now available to support your training

smallprint and Catapult eLearning’s entire training and assessment resource library is now available in print and online with a NEW assessment model.

Over 2220 units of competency to support more than 170 qualifications and over 100 skill sets across 14 training packages (AUR12, BSB07, CHC08, CPP07, FSK, HLT07, FNS10, FDF10, ICA11, SIB10, SIR07, SIT12, TAE10, TLI10) have been improved.

These resources include improved features such as:

  • new observation checklists and supplementary evidence gathering tools
  • improved supervisor/ third party observation checklists – with supervisor/ third party access to the learning management system (LMS) for online training
  • a new pre-assessment tool
  • quantified assessments
  • a new user guide, which is an essential resource to support your organisation's integration of our resources into your Training and Assessment Strategy.

The complete catalogue of resources is still available in the original assessment model format allowing you to choose between the new assessment model, the original assessment model, or a combination of both for your training.

Another major improvement is the introduction of an online editable assessment tool which allows you to edit the assessments, creating your own contextualised assessments with ease. Edited resources can currently be published in print, with the ability to publish for online training to be available for you in the coming weeks.

To make the transition to this new assessment model easier for you, webinar information sessions have been conducted and recorded. You can learn more about the improvements on the smallprint and Catapult eLearning YouTube channels.

If you have any questions please contact smallprint via email or phone (08) 8275 9333, or Catapult eLearning via email or phone (08) 8275 9380.

Revision/update of Making the Connections – now available

The highly successful Making the Connections professional development resource, designed to assist VET practitioners integrate foundation skills and language, literacy and numeracy into their training, has now been revised and updated by MSA. This revision takes account of significant related developments in VET and foundation skills in the last two years, including the roll-out of the FSK Foundation Skills training package, and the TAE skill set TAESS00009, ‘Address Foundation Skills in Vocational Practice.’

Free ISC foundation skills resources now in one place

On behalf of the Australian WELL Practitioners Network/Foundation Skills network, IBSA has compiled into a single repository all the free foundation skills resources developed by each of the Industry Skills Councils to support VET practitioners. IBSA hopes you find it useful, and looks forward to receiving feedback.

Please visit the website for more information and to access the resources.

Numeracy by Measure, Numeracy in Practice and Numeracy in Focus

Numeracy by Measure is a free professional development resource to build practitioner awareness of workplace measurement skills to better meet the skills needs of adults in the workplace including:

  • understanding measurement in the workplace context
  • understanding measurement skills areas
  • building workplace measurement skills
  • unpacking measurement skills using the Australian Core Skills Framework.

This resource has been developed in response to the NCVER report Seeking the N in LLN. This report found that there may be a need to increase the capacity of the VET workforce to meet the numeracy skills needs of existing workers.

Numeracy by Measure includes:

  • a Numeracy by Measure guide with professional development activities
  • ‘snapshots’ that unpack the measurement skills in authentic job tasks including bicycle fitting, cabinet fitting, health monitoring, show fitting, smallgoods packing and tyre wall markings.

Numeracy in Practice is a free professional development resource to support the development of practitioner numeracy proficiency skills and numeracy training skills including:

  • overcoming maths anxiety
  • building numeracy proficiency skills
  • building specialist adult numeracy teaching skills
  • building knowledge of numeracy in the workplace context.

This resource has been developed in response to the NCVER report Seeking the N in LLN. This report found that there may be a need to increase the capacity of the VET workforce to meet the numeracy skills needs of existing workers.

Numeracy in Practice includes:

  • a Numeracy in Practice guide with professional development activities
  • a numeracy proficiency assessment tool
  • six ‘snapshots’ exploring different workplace numeracy skills.

Numeracy in Focus is a free professional development resource to build practitioner workplace numeracy awareness including:

  • identifying maths anxiety
  • understanding the importance of numeracy
  • raising awareness of numeracy in the workplace context
  • raising awareness of workplace numeracy in the VET sector.

Numeracy is an important core skill. All practitioners must be up to date and confident in their own numeracy skills, their numeracy training skills and their understanding of typical workplace numeracy activities.

This resource is designed to be used by practitioners who:

  • have basic numeracy skills but need to update in respect to changing technology and numeracy practices
  • have basic numeracy skills but need to contextualise to the world of work
  • have numeracy skills but need to increase their numeracy confidence
  • are reluctant to assess and teach numeracy skills in the workplace
  • are not sure if their numeracy skills are sufficient to complete the Graduate Certificate in Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice.

These resources were developed by Oggi Consulting and funded by the Australian Government.

For more information on these resources, email Tina Berghella at Oggi Consulting.

VOCEDplus – latest research on VET, skills and workforce development issues

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Stay in touch with current research, policy and practice across a broad range of areas affecting the VET sector in Australia and internationally.

FREE ACCESS

Produced by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) and funded by the Australian, state and territory governments, VOCEDplus is a free online resource offering international coverage of issues as well as an Australian focus. It currently holds over 65,000 entries, many providing instant access to full text via your desktop, with around 400 new titles added each month. Where possible, NCVER will supply items as requested according to its Conditions of Use.

You can search VOCEDplus using basic or advanced search or browse options. Topics covered include:

  • teaching and learning in the tertiary sector
  • assessment
  • professional development for practitioners
  • labour market trends
  • the relationships between education and work
  • skills and workforce development needs
  • pathways between VET and higher education
  • education industry partnerships in education and training
  • social inclusion.

FIND OUT WHAT'S NEW

Subscribe to VOCEDplus News for the latest news and updates.

Subscribe to new titles or Twitter on the home page for automated notifications.

Subscribe to VOCEDplus Highlights.

Subscribe to specific RSS feeds wherever you see the ‘Subscribe’ symbol above.

‘Purpose build’ feeds on your own topics, e.g. a feed on practitioners in VET can be set up in your browser.

Expert reference service – for details visit the Client Service Charter or Ask a Librarian.

Citation tool – My Selection acts like a shopping cart, select records from search results or full record pages, email or save records in formats (e.g. author-date citation modelled on the Harvard style; tagged format for import into EndNote).

Value added products – these include:

To find out more, visit VOCEDplus.

What Works for LLN – free online library of language, literacy and numeracy training and professional development videos

Ideas That Work has developed 25 language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) videos for the What Works for LLN training and professional development video library. These videos contain practical LLN tips and good practice examples to help build vocational trainers’ and assessors’ capacity to support learners with LLN needs.

The What Works videos available to view or download for free from the What Works for LLN website.

The What Works videos are grouped into three series:

  1. Introduction to LLN series (nine videos)
  2. Practical LLN tips for trainers and assessors series (16 videos)
  3. Introduction to workplace LLN series (new videos coming in 2015).

These LLN videos can be used for:

  • your own professional development as a VET practitioner or workplace trainer
  • supporting the delivery of LLN specific units such as TAELLN401A / TAELLN411 ‘Address adult language, literacy and numeracy skills’
  • LLN professional development for RTOs and their non-training staff
  • learners undertaking qualifications such as TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

These videos were funded by the Australian Government.

To view or download a copy of these free What Works for LLN resources, please visit the website.

Government Skills Australia – foundation skills resources

Government Skills Australia (GSA) has completed a range of foundation skills resources to support the development of learning, reading, writing, oral communication and numeracy in work and training contexts. The resources include:

  • industry-specific foundation skills brochures outlining current policy initiatives and the key foundation skill demands within that industry at a range of employment levels e.g. low–mid–high level ‘core’ skills demands across a range of work roles
  • a suite of 11 short videos highlighting the need for specific core skills across a range of industries e.g. reading procedures and instructions in the workplace, oral communication skills for workplace meetings and numeracy skills for creating tables, graphs and charts
  • a professional development resource comprising a facilitator guide to outline a background to foundation skills initiatives, strategies to address foundation skills issues in a range of work and training contexts and industry-specific foundation skills data on the foundation skills demands of units of competency.

Please visit the website to download the resources.

USEFUL LINKS

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Australian Apprenticeships - provides quick and easy access to information regarding Australian Apprenticeships, including Australian Apprenticeships programs, employer incentives and support for apprentices during their apprenticeships.

Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Information Service and Australian Apprenticeships Pathways - provide apprenticeships and traineeships information and resources.

Australian Training Awards - the peak, national awards for the vocational education and training sector, recognising individuals, businesses and registered training organisations for their contribution to skilling Australia.

business.gov.au - offers businesses simple, practical and convenient access to all the government information, programmes and services they need to make running their business and skilling their employees easier.

Industry Skills Councils - bringing together industry, educators and governments, and uniting them on a common industry-led agenda for action on skills and workforce development.

LiteracyNet - information about Australian adult literacy activities and links to a range of additional program, professional development, resource and research sites (including training programs).

MySkills.gov.au - provides information about vocational education and training to future and current students, jobseekers and employers to help them make informed choices about training.

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) - a not for profit company responsible for collecting, managing, analysing, evaluating and communicating research statistics about vocational education and training.

National Skills Week - provides a platform to highlight the opportunities and career pathways available through vocational education and training.

StudyAssist.gov.au - one stop shop for information on government assistance while studying. Students can use the website to determine their options for financing their tertiary study. The course search function allows students to look for courses offered by approved VET FEE-HELP providers.

training.gov.au - the official national register of information on training packages, qualifications, courses, units of competency and registered training organisations, developed for experienced training sector users.

WorldSkills Australia - working to promote and build a skills culture by inspiring young people, celebrating skills excellence and providing opportunities to showcase trade and skill talent through competitions held on a regional, national and international level.

CONTRIBUTIONS, FEEDBACK AND SUBSCRIPTION REQUESTS

If you would like to provide feedback, supply an article for inclusion in the next edition or join our list of subscribers, please email skillsatwork@education.gov.au. The next edition will be published in May 2015. Submissions are due by 17 April 2015.