TBS Consulting Blog

Another TBS Consulting quick update! Keep updated in the latest in Vocational Education and Training.

1. SPORT AND RECREATION TRAINING PACKAGES

About the Training Package
The Sport and Recreation Training Package Review is now in the final stages.  The SIS09 Training Package will combine the Sport (SRS03), Outdoor Recreation (SRO03) and Community Recreation (SRC04) Training Packages into one Sport and Recreation Training Package.

Fitness qualifications will be included within an anticipated time-frame of six months of endorsement of the SIS09 Sport and Recreation Training Package.

How can the review affect you?
The review has provided the opportunity for industry, training organisations, employers, employees, volunteers and anyone else with an interest in the packages to be involved and provide input into the future skill and knowledge requirements of the sport, fitness and recreation sectors.

Find out more here.

-From Service Skills Australia, 2007

2.DEVELOPING A VOCATIONAL GRADUATE CERTIFICATE AND VOCATIONAL GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN LANGUAGE, LITERACY AND NUMERACY (LL&N)

About the initiative.
Late last year, in consultation with a small group of experts in the field, including the Adult Literacy section of DEEWR, it was decided to redevelop the Advanced Diploma as a Vocational Graduate Certificate and Vocational Graduate Diploma in LL&N.

Following a short feasibility project, DEEWR has funded Innovation and Business Skills Australia (IBSA) to develop these qualifications. Lynne Fitzpatrick from Communication in Education and Training P/L has been engaged by IBSA to undertake this work. When completed the draft qualifications will be subject to consultation and, if necessary, further refinement.

How can the new initiative affect you?
The impetus for the development of nationally endorsed Vocational Graduate Certificate and Vocational Diploma in LL&N qualifications is that they will provide:

• relevant and current qualifications for professionals delivering a range of courses and programs to adults in and beyond the VET sector, WELL, AMEP, accredited courses in general education for adults
• the possibility of developing a national minimum standard on the requirements for LL&N teachers and trainers.

To find out more, click here.

- From Innovation and Business Skills Australia, 2009.

Thanks for keeping up to date with the TBS Consulting Blog, we have a great range of topics this time round. Read on to find out more about:

• The Knowledge Tree: e-Journal of Learning Innovation
• WorkSafe Victoria fact sheets for RTOs
  
• Government changes to Fair Trading

1. THE KNOWLEDGE TREE: E-JOURNAL OF LEARNING INNOVATION

What is the ‘The Knowledge Tree’?
The Knowledge Tree is an e-journal generated by members of the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system to enable the sharing of research and learning innovation in national and global e-learning practice.

The current Edition 17 explores how industry and registered training organisations (RTOs) are using e-learning to inspire young learners! A range of articles, case studies, interviews and a dynamic panel discussion give perspectives on engaging Gen Y learners, such as through the use of mobile devices for apprentices in the workplace and training within virtual worlds.

Call for Contributions for the October Edition.

The Australian Flexible Learning Framework is now calling for contributions relating to current research in learning innovation for Edition 19 of The Knowledge Tree: an E-journal of Learning Innovation. This edition is due for publication on 13 October, 2009.

From The Knowledge Tree, 2009.

2. WORKSAFE VICTORIA FACT SHEETS FOR RTO’S

WorkSafe Victoria has released advice for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and prospective RTOs seeking to register to deliver the high risk work training and assessment unit or units of competency. Find out more about the fact sheets here.

From WorkSafe Victoria, 2009.

3. FAIR TRADING NOW PART OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION

About the reform.

On March 26, 2009 DEEDI was created through the integration of nine former departments or parts of departments.

The reform of the Queensland Public Service and the development of ‘new’ departments represent a better way for the Government to work.

The amalgamations are expected to drive a number of outcomes including:

• more efficient delivery of services
• more responsiveness to Government priorities
• more durable structures
• savings through reduced duplication.

From Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009. Find out more here.

Thanks for reading. We will have more updates for you in the near future! – TBS Consut

Quick update!

The Teaching and Learning Capital Fund (TLCF) for Vocational Education and Training (VET) was announced by the Prime Minister on 12 December 2008 as part of the $4.7 billion nation-building infrastructure package to support Australia’s economy.

How can this initiative affect you?

The TLCF (VET) will provide $500 million during the 2009-10 financial year which will be distributed through initiatives focused on modernising and improving the quality of teaching and learning across the vocational education and training sector. Funding for this initiative will be provided through the following three program elements:

• Better TAFE Facilities (BTF): $200 million
• Training Infrastructure Investment for Tomorrow: $200 million for eligible applicants and consortia led by eligible applicants
• Investing in Community Education and Training: $100 million for community education and training providers to develop or enhance infrastructure which will allow them to maximise VET delivery or facilitate expansion into VET delivery.

There is a wealth of information available on this topic at the Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations Website (From Australian Government, 2009).

WHAT’S NEW IN JUNE 2009?
Continuing on from our initial blog, we have a few more topics to keep you updated in June.

1. Launch of the new BSB07 Training Package
2. RTO involvement in the Industry Currency Research Project Discussion Paper
3. ACPET response to the Review of the Certificate IV Training and Assessment (TAA40104)
   

Read on to learn more.

1. LAUNCH OF THE NEW BSB07 TRAINING PACKAGE
A Version 2 update has arrived for the BSB07 Training Package.  You can check out the new changes to the system here.

2. RTO INVOLVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY CURRENCY RESEARCH PROJECT DISCUSSION PAPER

About The Queensland Skills Plan
The Queensland Skills Plan 2008 aims to create one of the most flexible, modern and innovative education and training systems in Australia.  In order to achieve this, it is necessary for registered training organisations (RTOs) in Queensland to reflect on the skills of its own workforce.

This research project and consultation process will focus on how Queensland VET providers are maintaining their industry currency in technical skills and knowledge of training staff.

How can the research project affect you?
The Industry Currency research project will focus on best practice contemporary approaches of VET trainers in maintaining industry currency of technical skills and knowledge in the Queensland VET sector. The need to maintain industry currency is a priority for RTOs both nationally and internationally. Developing the skills of public and private VET providers is crucial to addressing skills and knowledge gaps and future labour shortages. Queensland’s vocational education and training providers play a critical role in ensuring Queensland workers have the skills required for the current and future needs of the state’s economy.

From Industry currency research project,  2009

3. ACPET RESPONSE TO THE REVIEW OF THE CERTIFICATE IV TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT (TAA40104)

About the Review
ACPET represents more than 1,100 organisations, from schools to higher education institutes, delivering a full range of education, training and English language courses to both domestic and international students.

ACPET welcomes the opportunity to provide a response to the Review of the Certificate IV Training and Assessment (TAA40104) and the proposed revised model put forward by Innovation and Business Skills Australia (IBSA). This response is based on the need for one Australian tertiary education system with a continuum of qualifications and the removal of artificial sectoral barriers to tailoring and delivering innovative courses utilising both academic and vocational education strengths.

How can the review affect you?
As stated in its response to the Review of Training Products for the 21st Century, ACPET support the need to develop a policy framework to enable VET qualifications and products to respond to changing labour market demand for skills needed by businesses, industry and individuals including the need to:

• redefine the term competence as currently used in the National Training System (NTS) to acknowledge cognitive thinking and personal attributes in accredited courses and qualifications within the Training Packages;
• review the appropriateness of qualification levels and descriptors under the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) particularly above Certificate IV level;
• create more flexibility and portability within and across Training Packages to support the needs of industry and assist individuals move through industry and/or career pathways;
• encourage innovative learning and assessment practices to assist with the recognition of all types of learning
• develop a system of crediting all forms of learning as a means of gaining a qualification.

ACPET support broader statements of learning outcomes based on different levels and combinations of skill development and cognitive thinking underpinned by the employability (soft, core, generic, etc) skills and personal attributes.

The level of prescriptive statements, non-flexible packaging rules and anti-competitive funding regimes has acted to limit local, regional, national and international VET market contexts. The stringently enforced, legislative prohibitions on the differentiation and specialisation of VET product and service delivery, restricts the ability of providers to meet the range of needs of different clients of the system, especially individual learners.

From ACPET Response to Review of TAA40104.

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check back regularly for the latest news in Vocational Education and Training.

TBS Consulting is excited to announce our new blog service!
We aim to keep you updated with the latest news in Vocational Education and Training. We understand how important it is to keep your finger on the industry pulse, so we have established the TBS Consulting blog to keep you current with industry news. We like to keep our format simple and user-friendly, so you can easily find relevant industry information that is most important to you.

Got something to say?
We welcome you to comment, and highly encourage an open forum to discuss current VET news and issues.  We have vast knowledge, experience and passion for the industry and as such, welcome any questions or new insights into the issues we have highlighted.

What’s new in June 2009?
Our very first blog contains some great information for you, here’s a snippet of what we have included:

1. A new direction for the Australian Qualifications Framework.
2. The commencement of Safe Work Australia

Read on to find out more!

1. A NEW DIRECTION FOR THE AUSTRALIAN QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK

What is the AQF?
The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a unified system of national qualifications in schools, vocational education and training (TAFEs and private providers) and the higher education sector (mainly universities). The Framework links together all these qualifications and is a highly visible, quality-assured national system of educational recognition, which promotes lifelong learning and a seamless and diverse education and training system. Click here to find out about the AQF.

Learn more about the consultation paper: Download the PDF Strengthening the AQF: a proposal.
The project, Strengthening the AQF: A Proposal Consultation Paper was released in May 2009.  This proposal was developed in response to the need for  “improved linkages and connections between qualifications and sectors as identified by MCEETYA (Ministerial Council on Education Employment Training and Youth Affairs). It takes into account the responses of the wide range of stakeholders who have participated in earlier consultations such as the Review of Australian Higher Education, the review of the AQF Advisory Board and AQF Council’s development of common terminology for credit arrangements.”

How can the proposal affect you?
This move has the potential to impact the VET industry, addressing current issues to:

• Enhance the objectives of the framework, and
• Create a more contemporary AQF architecture including:
  - a common taxonomy of learning outcomes to describe the breadth and depth of each qualification
  - a hierarchy of qualifications based on explicit reference levels
  - a measurement of the volume of learning for each qualification type at each level

- From Australian Qualifications Framework Council , 2009

2. THE COMMENCEMENT OF SAFE WORK AUSTRALIA

What is Safe Work Australia?
Safe Work Australia will be established as an Executive Agency prescribed under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997. An Intergovernmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational reform in Occupational Health and Safety (IGA) formalises cooperation between the Commonwealth, state and territory governments on the harmonisation of occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation and establishes appropriate governance arrangements to support this cooperation.

How can the initiative affect you?
Safe Work Australia Council drives national policy development on OHS and workers’ compensation matters specifically to:

• Achieve significant and continual reductions in the incidence of death, injury and disease in the workplace
• achieve national uniformity of the OHS legislative framework complemented by a nationally consistent approach to compliance policy and enforcement policy; and
• improve national workers’ compensation arrangements.

- From Safe Work Australia, 2009

Until next time…
That concludes our first blog, we hope you have enjoyed reading it. Our mission is to help you put the pieces together, so don’t forget to check back regularly for updates and new information. Thanks for reading!