COAG Reforms from July

At the July meeting in Darwin, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to a workplan for further reforms to the Vocational Education and Training system.
The workplan will address a number of major reform areas including:

• developing models for a national regulatory body for vocational education and training;
• ensuring the Australian Apprenticeship system is responsive to the needs of individuals and enterprises, especially during the downturn and into recovery;
• increasing the level of investment in nationally-accredited training;
• providing timely, relevant and easy to navigate information to individuals and enterprises; and
• ensuring the training system, and the products of the training system, are responsive to the needs of individuals, businesses and industry.

Read more

VET Products for the 21st Century Report

A Joint Steering Committee of the National Quality Council (NQC) and the Council of Australian Government’s Skills and Workforce Development Sub-Group has released the VET (vocational education and training) Products for the 21st Century (PDF 562KB) report.

The policy framework presented in the report, and its supporting recommendations, indicates broad support for the key pillars of Australia’s VET system: one single national system, with industry-determined outcomes relevant to work, reflected in nationally portable qualifications.
GSA Board members, Brian Jardine and Peter Bernich and key staff involved in the development and maintenance of Training Packages were some of 500 plus VET stakeholders that participated in the consultations and Australia-wide public workshops, which provided the Joint Steering Committee an evidence-based foundation for its work.

e-learning's seven 'deadly sins'

Twitter, Moodle and Ning get you excited about learning, and blogs, wikis and RFIDs are common terms in your vocabulary. Visiting a virtual world is the norm, and you can’t understand why your colleagues don’t jump on board the e-learning super highway immediately.

Well, according to Dr Karen Becker, a lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology with a PhD in ‘Unlearning in the Workplace’, many people need to unlearn past behaviours before they can accept that e-learning is a powerful teaching and learning tool.

Unlearning involves breaking down what you think you know, opening up your mind to new concepts and then relearning over time. And it’s something many people find difficult to do.One of the biggest issues with introducing e-learning in education and training is the manner in which it is debated, applied and evaluated within the learning environment.

Here, Dr Becker tells us how to avoid committing the ‘seven deadly sins of e-learning’:

1. Old wine, new bottles
Repackaging. It’s a no-fuss way to put your learning content online and the easiest way to alienate an e-learner. Having your learners read through their entire course content uploaded on your website does not embrace the essence of e-learning or stimulate creativity. Instead of repackaging think about using e-learning in an engaging, imaginative and flexible way where learners can benefit from interactive tools such as video, blogging and online discussion.

2. All the bells and whistles
This sin is commonly known as ‘because we can’ syndrome. Just because you have a certain technology at your disposal does not necessarily mean you should use it, no matter how much money you spent acquiring it! A firm set of learning outcomes should underpin the introduction of any e-learning, and technology should be applied to directly meet these outcomes.

3. Unhealthy (and unnecessary) competition
It’s easy to get involved in the ‘face-to-face’ versus ‘online’ debate, particularly with colleagues who identify with a traditional classroom teaching methodology. However, with the recognition that a blended approach to learning is often the most successful, this debate has become redundant and is unlikely to benefit your cause. Realise that there is a place for both traditional and technology based teaching and training and try to help your colleagues embrace e-learning by easing them into a blended approach.

4. Jack of all trades
There are many roles involved in delivering e-learning. You need researchers, facilitators, designers, technologists, assessors and advisors. As a teacher/trainer it’s common to want to be the ‘be all and end all’ for your learners. But just like the face-to-face learning environment, you need to delegate activities outside your expertise and concentrate on what you are best at – being a great e-learning teacher/trainer.

5. Misuse of expert power
It’s easy to get excited about e-learning, particularly if you’re a new convert to web 2.0 technologies. But not everyone is as comfortable with contemporary e-learning terms and online tools as you are. In fact, speaking the lingo and bombarding others with too many new tools at once can turn people off e-learning. Try using your expert power to engage people in an easy, non-confrontational manner, allowing them to embrace e-learning within their comfort zone.

6. Because I said so
Just because you know that e-learning is the answer to a teacher/trainer’s prayers, doesn’t mean your learners and colleagues do. In order to have e-learning accepted in your organisation you need to sell its benefits. You can do this by using solid research or e-learning case studies to show how e-learning could make a significant difference to your learners and organisation.

7. This won’t hurt a bit
As with any new system, there will be teething issues when your organisation experiments with e-learning. It’s important to be upfront and to discuss with staff and learners the disruptions they might experience. A good way to minimise disruption is to conduct trials of technology before a tool is rolled out on a larger scale.

Dr Becker gave a keynote presentation at the Big VET Es 08 conference, the Queensland end of year event for the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework.

Communique from UNESCO

Paris, 5 - 8 July 2009)

PREAMBLE

We, the participants of the 2009 World Conference on Higher Education, held from 5 to 8 July 2009 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, recognising the abiding relevance of the outcomes and Declaration of the 1998 World Conference on Higher Education and taking into account the outcomes and recommendations of the six regional conferences (Cartagena de Indias, Macau, Dakar, New Delhi, Bucharest and Cairo) as well as the debates and outcomes of this world conference, ‘The New Dynamics of Higher Education and Research for Societal Change and Development’, adopt the present communiqué.As a public good and a strategic imperative for all levels of education and as the basis for research, innovation and creativity, higher education must be a matter of responsibility and economic support of all governments.

As emphasised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ‘higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit’ (Article 26, paragraph 1).

The current economic downturn may widen the gap in access and quality between developed and developing countries as well as within countries, presenting additional challenges to countries where access is already restricted.

At no time in history has it been more important to invest in higher education as a major force in building an inclusive and diverse knowledge society and to advance research, innovation and creativity.The past decade provides evidence that higher education and research contribute to the eradication of poverty, to sustainable development and to progress towards reaching the internationally agreed upon development goals, which include the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education for All (EFA). The global education agenda should reflect these realities.

To see the whole document, please click here http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/ED/pdf/WCHE_2009/FINAL%20COMMUNIQUE%20WCHE%202009.pdf

National Standards for Volunteering Australia

Volunteering Australia has now completed Phase 1 of the review of the National Standards for Involving Volunteers in Not for Profit Organisations. The full report on our findings is now available for download.Read More >

Workplace Literacy Fund in NZ

· TEC has announced a new purchasing framework and allocation process for the Workplace Literacy Fund from August 2009.
http://www.tec.govt.nz/templates/standard.aspx?id=917

New projects

Seven new research projects commissioned
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The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has commissioned seven new research projects under the open category funding of the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program (NVETRE).
http://www.ncver.edu.au/newsevents/mr/2009/2009jul16.html

Paper from NCVER

New directions in European vocational education and training policy and
practice: Lessons for Australia
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_Roger Harris, Michele Simons, Katie Maher_
Do recent developments in educational policy and the positioning of vocational education and training (VET) across the European Union, have any lessons for Australian VET? A striking feature both in the European Union and Australia is the role for VET.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2141.html

NCVER Report

This annual publication provides a summary of training activity in apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia, from the period 1998 to 2008, including information on training rates, attrition rates, completion rates, training within the trades and duration of training.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2166.html

Rudd announces Green training Places

The Rudd Government today announced 50,000 new green jobs and training opportunities to build a stronger and greener Australian economy. This $94 million investment in Australia's future and major reform of Australia's training system will help support jobs and communities being hit by the local consequence of a severe global recession. Today's announcements will ensure that during these tough times up to 50,000 young or disadvantaged Australians get the skills and training they will need for the green jobs of tomorrow. Reforming Australia's training system to produce high quality green skills is essential to meet the growing demand for energy efficient homes and buildings, and to power the industries of the future.

e-Work Online Workshops

e-Work Online Workshops e-Works has a new series of e-Works online workshops aimed at building your skills in e-learning.

Register at http://www.tafevc.com.au/tafevc3/workshops.asp .

Coming Soon!

e-Works is finalizing a professional development program that will take participants through a detailed exploration of educational and technical design principles when building e-learning courses. The professional development program will be based on action learning principles and all participants will work towards the development of an e-learning unit of study. Negotiation towards statements of competence in e-learning design can also be discussed.

More information Debbie.soccio@eworks.edu.au e-Work

ACAL Conference

Registrations now open for the ‘From Strength to Strength’ - ACAL 32nd Annual Conference

October 1 to 3, 2009 in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Register and program details at http://www.waalc.org.au/09conf/

Queensland Grant

Twenty Maryborough and Hervey Bay jobseekers have found that six weeks of focussed learning and work experience can make a big difference to their outlooks for the future, and another 30 will soon have a similar opportunity. Parliamentary Secretary for Employment and Economic Development Jan Jarratt said a $90,000 Bligh Government grant to Wide Bay Group Training Scheme was helping struggling jobseekers gain qualifications and experience to help get them into the workforce.

Quality learning design in four easy steps!

Take the hassle out of learning design and create your own e-learning materials with the newly released Learning Design Tool, from the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

The Learning Design Tool is a FREE online resource which guides you step-by-step through the four essential stages to write high quality, learner-focused course content, and to create your own learning design template.
Created specifically for instructional designers, the Learning Design Tool allows you to save, review and modify your work; and includes a mapping feature, so you can easily see your progress through each of the four stages.

The four learning design stages are:

Create an overview – Develop an initial plan of what you would like your learning object to achieve, including qualifications it may feed in to, which industry it will support, and for which job roles it will deliver training.
Describe your learners – Consider factors including age, special needs, educational background, and reasons for training.
Choose your learning design – Prioritise factors such as level of guidance, engagement and learner freedom in order to identify the most appropriate design.
Finalise learning design – Follow an 11-step process to finalise your learning design, including resources, assessment and activities.
Jo Jenson, from the Framework’s Flexible Learning Toolbox business activity, managed the development of the Learning Design Tool and describes it as easy to use and highly adaptable.

“If you’ve never developed online design before, the Learning Design Tool will help you to understand the components of good design by guiding you step-by-step though the process.

“The tool recognises that different learner groups have different needs, and is flexible enough to cater to a wide audience,” Ms Jenson said.

The Framework is currently trialling a beta version of the Learning Design Tool, which can be downloaded for FREE from the Framework’s website at: http://toolboxes.flexiblelearning.net.au/ldt/

The Framework is inviting feedback from all users who trial the tool before 25 September. If you would like to provide feedback, please send any comments or suggestions to info@eworks.edu.au

The Learning Design Tool was recently demonstrated at the Framework’s Getting Connected 09 online conference. The recording of the Elluminate!Live session, including screen shots showing how to use the tool, is now available.

CONFINTEA VI

CONFINTEA VI will be held from December 1-4, 2009, in Belém do Pará, Brazil and the International Civil Society Forum (FISC) will take place on November 28-30, 2009 in Belém do Pará.

Third Sector Magazine Online

THIRD SECTOR MAGAZINE NOW ONLINE
Third Sector Magazine has now established an on-line presence and e-news service. Check out all the news from across the sector and sign-up for the email newsletter at http://thirdsectormagazine.com.au/

'Education in the news'

27/07/2009 - Media Release - International Students Invited to Have Their Say at Round Table The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today called for expressions of interest from international students to be part of an International Student Round Table that will take place in Canberra on the 14th-15th of September this year.28/07/2009

News article - Sydney College goes bust 28/07/2009

News article – Training College turmoil looms

SA Awards Dinner

The Adult Learners’ Week Awards Dinner is on again in 2009 to celebrate and
acknowledge the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations in the area of
adult learning!

Date: Thursday 27 August
Venue: Graduates Restaurant, TAFE SA Regency Campus, Days Road, Regency Park
Time: 6:15pm for pre-dinner drinks
Cost: $50 per seat or $450 per table of ten

RSVP: to reserve your seat or seats, please complete and return a Booking Form by
Wednesday 12 August. Visit www.saworks.sa.gov.au for a Booking Form.
Award Nominations

Nominations are currently open for Adult Learners’ Week Awards in the following
categories:
 Adult Learner of the Year
 Adult Educator of the Year (Volunteer or Paid)
 Adult Learning Program of the Year
 Learning Community of the Year

Nominations close on Wednesday 5 August.

Visit www.saworks.sa.gov.au for a Nomination
Form.

For more information, an Awards Dinner Booking Form or an Awards Nomination Form,
email adultlearnersweek@saugov.sa.gov.au, phone 8463 4430 or visit the South Australia
Works website at www.saworks.sa.gov.au.

The Knowledge Tree

Putting the learner in the driver’s seat: The Knowledge Tree e-journal Edition 18 out now!

The Knowledge Tree is an e-journal of learning innovation which aims to foster and share in-depth knowledge and provoke debate on e-learning issues and innovative practices. Edition 18 looks at how web 2.0 technologies, particularly e-portfolios and point of view (POV) technologies, are allowing learners to ‘take the wheel’ in the learning process.

The following exclusive contributions are now available online:

Lead article: The world of e-portfolios
Allison Miller, E-portfolios Business Manager at the Australian Flexible Learning Framework writes the lead article, advocating that as we move further into the digital age, e-portfolios are beginning to play a key role in RPL (recognition of prior learning). In this article she provides an international perspective on the use of e-portfolios for RPL. Allison will be available for a live online conversation on Monday 10 August from 12.30 – 1.30pm AEST as part of the Framework’s e-Gems 09 series of web conferencing sessions.

Article: Dis-integrating e-portfolios
Stephen Downes is an internationally recognised author and speaker specialising in online learning, new media, pedagogy and philosophy. Stephen writes about the evolution of e-portfolios and the need to ensure they don’t become just another box for learners to tick in order to gain their qualifications.

Article: Sci-fi learning - The power of POV
POV devices, such as camera glasses and video cameras, can enhance an e-portfolio by quickly and easily capturing live evidence in the workplace.
Vicki Marchant (TAFE NSW), Leigh Blackall (Otago Polytechnic) and Simon Brown (TAFE Queensland) provide a collaborative article about POV technologies, including their underlying pedagogy, barriers and tips for use, and the likely future impact on the VET system.

Interviews

Mark Hunwicks (TAFE SA), Meaghan Botteril (RMIT) and Glenn Searle (Brisbane North Institute of TAFE) are interviewed about using e-portfolios for RPL – predicting a future where e-portfolios are increasingly linked to community networking applications such as Facebook, blurring the lines between social and educational environments.

More information:
The Knowledge Tree e-journal is published by the national training system's e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

To view the current edition, visit: http://flexiblelearning.net.au/knowledgetree

SA figures from NCVER

Employment, Training and Further Education Minister Michael O'Brien says South Australia's trainees and apprentices are tracking well in training, completion and attrition rates, according to data released from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). Mr O'Brien said the Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics Apprentices and Trainees Annual 2008 investigates the selected characteristics of apprentices and trainees not usually reported in the quarterly figures.

Aged Care Funding Announced

Aged Care Association Australia (ACAA) recently welcomed the announcement by Hon Justine Elliot, Minister for Ageing, of a $43.8 million injection of funds for education and training for aged care and community care staff. ACAA CEO, Rod Young, said, ‘though this funding is indeed welcome, we still need to maintain staff through competitive wages and conditions or they will continue to move out of the aged care industry’.

Training in 2008

More apprentices and trainees started their training in 2008; however the impact of the economic downturn is beginning to show.

Released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), the Apprentices and Trainees Annual 2008 provides a wrap up of key data including the number of apprentices and trainees starting and finishing their training contracts.

To download a copy of this publication visit http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2166.html

Cert IV in Business

Our Community will be offering the popular Certificate IV in Business (Governance) 4-day course in just 2 weeks time.

The course provides practical, accredited governance training for the members and supporters of the boards, management committees and councils of Australian community groups and schools. At $1,300, this course is significantly cheaper than equivalent courses in the commercial sector.

Key Benefits:
Australia's most inexpensive accredited governance qualification
Fully recognised, accredited training linked to the Australian Quality Framework
Training developed specifically for the community sector context
Relevant to both new and experienced board members
Open-entry course - no pre-requisite requirements
Robust, practical and continuously updated learning materials written by experts in the field
Engaging, experienced, approachable presenters and highly practical, interactive training
Immediate assessment and no written exam

Venue:Hyde Park Forum 271 Elizabeth Street SYDNEY Room: Forum One

Date & Time:10 to 13 August (9:30am-4:00pm)

Cost:
$1,300

Further information:https://www.ourcommunity.com.au/certivIf you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 03 9320 6800 or service@ourcommunity.com.au.

HTA new courses

HTA launches aviation cabin crew training

Hospitality students looking to launch a career in international travel can now enrol in a new course which combines traditional hospitality industry training with aircraft cabin crew skills.

The Diploma of Hospitality Management and Certificate II in Aviation Flight Operations (Cabin Crew) is the result of a partnership between Brisbane-based Hospitality Training Association Inc. (HTA) and Aviation Australia.

Through the partnership, students will complete a Diploma in Hospitality Management at HTA and a Certificate II in Aviation Flight Operations (Cabin Crew) at Aviation Australia’s purpose-built training facility located at the Brisbane International Airport.

WORK + LIFE BALANE HOLDS A KEY TO RECESSION RECOVERY

Improving work and life balance for working women, making it easier for Australian workers to learn new skills and negotiate more flexible working arrangements will be key factors in driving a strong recovery from the recession and building a sustainable future workforce. In the latest national survey of Australian workers - the 2009 Australian Work and Life Index - researchers have found that many Australians are still finding it a struggle to balance work with the rest of their lives. One of the authors of the 2009 report and Director of UniSA's Centre for Work + Life, Professor Barbara Pocock says that when asked about how well work fits in with home and community life, a quarter of full time Australian employees surveyed said work often interfered with activities outside of work. This places Australia 9th in a group of 32 European countries, ranked from best to worst for work life balance!

- below Germany and the United Kingdom but above France and Italy.

E-learning in Community Services

New funding will help community services make a strategic shift to embed e-learning as part of an industry-wide workforce development strategy.The sector is currently struggling to recruit and retain appropriately skilled staff, with increased complexity and new policy incentives meaning that organisations need staff with increased expertise, faster.

Issues such as time, funding (particularly when travel is involved), distance and the dispersed nature of community service organisations provide significant barriers to training.

Community housing through the NSW Federation of Housing Associations; and child, youth and family services through the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare are two industry sectors looking to use the national training system's e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework’s (Framework) Industry Integration of E-learning funding to solve these problems.Partnering with registered training organisations, these peak bodies will look to develop multiple year plans to integrate e-learning into overall workforce development. A specific focus for both industry sectors is to develop the skills of middle managers, who require urgent assistance transitioning from direct service delivery roles to management roles.

The industry sectors will use activities such as:

developing capacity by training e-learning champions, preparing e-learning good practice guides and checklists, and providing ongoing e-learning support
producing and trialling e-learning resources which can be rolled out on a wide scale
trialling e-learning workforce programs with pilot organisations, with the aim of increasing participation over a three year period
disseminating the results of the trials to encourage broader uptake of e-learning.

According to Angela Pickering from the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, and Laurel Draffen from the NSW Federation of Housing Associations, this approach is aimed at generating a cultural shift which allows the community services sector to embrace new forms of training. The programs will ultimately increase the sector’s long-term capacity to deliver and support e-learning and workplace training.

The 2009 Industry e-learning forum will showcase how these and eight other industry sectors are choosing to tackle their challenges through e-learning, recognising that staff benefit from consistent, quality training which can be accessed at any time or place.Each industry sector is unique in scope and operation, and the forum will showcase how their e-learning strategies will provide a framework in which diverse companies and industry organisations can cooperate on training and workforce development.

Don’t forget to mark Tuesday 24 November in your diary for the forum which will be held in Melbourne this year.

For forum updates, email: industry@flexiblelearning.net.au For information about E-learning for Industry visit the website: http://industry.flexiblelearning.net.au. This website provides rich resources, such as the online Practical guide to e-learning for industry where employers can discover how to make e-learning work in their business.

You can also access the 2009 Guidelines for supporting learners using e-learning in workplaces report which investigates a range of e-learning strategies used by businesses that have received Framework funding over the past few years.

The VET Sector has its say on e-learning

Registered training organisations (RTOs) around the country are being invited to participate in the fifth annual E-learning Benchmarking Survey …the trusted indicator of e-learning uptake, use and impact in vocational education and training (VET).

The survey is used by training providers to inform their organisation’s strategic development and provide an understanding of the e-learning needs of their learners and teachers/trainers.
Conducted by the national training system's e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), the survey will use a set of e-learning indicators to compare results for RTOs, learners and teachers/trainers with results from previous years.

The survey findings will be broken down into both national and state and territory results, as well as by provider type and industry. This will help to identify the e-learning trends and demands being made within VET.

Throughout July and August, more than 4,000 RTOs across Australia will be contacted to participate in the five to ten minute survey. Through their RTO, learners and teachers/trainers will in turn be invited to participate.

The survey continues to gain momentum each year, according to the Framework's Benchmarking and Research Business Manager, Annie Fergusson.

“Last year the survey showed a marked increase in the uptake of e-learning, with 91% of learners and 88% of teachers and trainers saying their VET experience included at least some form of e-learning.

“We’ve also noticed an increase in the number of RTOs conducting their own e-learning benchmarking, demonstrating growing understanding of the importance of this kind of sector-wide study.

“I encourage all RTOs to look out for their invitation and to actively participate in the survey… this will ensure a complete picture of e-learning uptake, use and impact in VET is achieved.”
RTOs who respond to the survey will go into the draw to win one of five national prizes of either a Flexible Learning Toolbox, technology or book voucher, each to the value of $400.

Hear the results first!

The results of the 2009 E-learning Benchmarking Survey will be launched in Brisbane on 15 October at the E-learning for Business event.

The results will allow practitioners and training providers to compare their organisation’s e-learning activities with the rest of the country; find out about the latest e-learning trends; and discover what VET clients and learners think about using e-learning for education and training.

2008 VET Prize Winners Announced

The Acting Minister for Education, Mark Arbib, has recognised outstanding students who have been awarded a 2008 Australian Vocational Student Prize (AVSP). The AVSP promotes Vocational Education and Training (VET) as a valuable and desirable pathway for students, equivalent to other secondary and tertiary education pathways. The AVSP is the vocational equivalent to the Australian Student Prize for academic achievement. The Prize recognises and rewards year 12 students who have demonstrated excellence and outstanding achievement while undertaking a VET in schools program or an Australian School-based Apprenticeship.

Boost to Building and Construction Training in WA

NORTHAM

A new $2.4million training facility to be built at CY O'Connor College of TAFE will provide a major boost to building and construction training in Northam. Training Minister Peter Collier, who visited the Northam campus said work was expected to start on the new building this financial year.

The workshop will provide a single new multi-purpose trade training facility, Mr Collier said.

New Technology Trials

Five new technology trials will help to establish guidelines and e-standards to support the development and use of emerging technologies in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector.

The trials will be led by registered training organisations (RTOs), each receiving approximately $20,000 in funding and support from the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

The Framework’s E-standards for Training Business Manager, Owen O’Neill, said that the goal of the trials was to explore new and emerging technologies with the potential to deliver substantial benefits to learners in the VET sector.

“Testing these technologies will highlight their benefits, risks and future development needs; and contribute to the development of standards and guidelines to help VET practitioners adopt and use the technologies effectively,” Mr O’Neill said.
Mobile learning is a key focus this year, with several of the trials investigating how mobile technologies can facilitate and enhance hands-on learning outside of the traditional classroom environment.
The trials will also facilitate collaboration and information sharing between learners, teachers and trainers.
The five 2009 emerging technology trials are:

Registered training organisation
Technology
Project details
Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory
Memestreme: Red Centre Way

GPS and geo-tagging
This trial will build on current GPS (global positioning system) technology, which is commonly used for navigation. It aims to develop a process for geo-tagging, which involves recording video footage of a location, and then encoding the video with information about the location. The video can be loaded onto mobile devices equipped with GPS systems, and triggered when the user is in a particular location.
Geo-tagging technology has the potential to benefit learners in the field by providing ‘just in time’ information about their surroundings. Learning to use this technology may also be a valuable skill for learners completing tourism, mining, health, science and education courses.
Continuing Education Bendigo, Victoria
RSSing Organisational Capacity

Cloud computing and RSS
This project will trial using a cloud computing model to facilitate information sharing. Cloud-based applications do not run on a single computer, but distribute processing power, applications and large systems among a network of computers, using storage space and computing resources as needed. (See the Horizon Report for more information on cloud computing).
The trial aims to aggregate all sources of computer-based information about a learner into a single area, which teachers and trainers will be able to feed into using RSS (real simple syndication) technology. Collating learner information and work automatically is a relatively new practice for the VET system, and may also facilitate faster and easier RPL (recognition of prior learning) and the development of e-portfolios.

Western Sydney Institute, New South Wales
Mobilae: Integrating emerging technologies to enhance mobile learning, assessment and evidence gathering
Mobile devices and wireless networks
This project aims to use mobile devices to deliver text, photographs, sound and video related to real-world objects, to enable contextualised, just-in-time learning in the classroom or workplace. The innovative aspects of the project include the use of wireless LAN to attain higher bandwidths while avoiding 3G transfer charges, and the use of 2D barcodes to trigger object-related content. The project will also investigate evidence-gathering using mobile devices.

TAFE SA Regional Institute, South Australia
Eezee Publishing
Mobile web 2.0 tools
This project aims to trial and develop guidelines for using mobile web 2.0 tools to enable learners to network and share learning resources and experiences. Various tools will be trialled to facilitate online learning networks, including Mahara (an open-source e-portfolio tool), Flickr (a photo sharing tool) and WordPress (a blogging tool).

Tasmanian Polytechnic, Tasmania
Wikis as Sustainable, Adaptable Development Platforms
Wikis
Wikis are widely used as content development tools by learners participating in group work. However, moving content between different wikis, or publishing wiki content in different ways, can be difficult and time consuming.
As issues around wiki adaptability, reusability and compliance with standards have not been fully explored, this trial seeks to inform the development of standards and guidelines for wikis as a development and delivery platform.

E -portrfolio News

E-portfolio Implementation Trial funding awardedThree registered training organisations have been awarded up to $10,000 each to develop and implement an e-portfolio system which enables learners to move quickly and efficiently between education and training, employment and industry areas. To read more click here.

New resources for embedding e-portfolios
The Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework) has developed a suite of five brochures, each designed to answer the detailed questions from specific user groups within the vocational education and training (VET) system. To read more click here.

VET E-portfolios Showcase – call for presenters close 30 JulySubmissions to present at the VET E-portfolios Showcase on Friday 16 October in Melbourne close next Thursday 30 July. More details available here.

The Knowledge Tree – e-assessment, recognition of prior learning and e-portfolios
Edition 18 of The Knowledge Tree will be published on 28 July and has a focus on e-assessment, recognition of prior learning (RPL) and e-portfolios, including the lead article – ‘Recognising existing skills using e-portfolios’, and a short article on ‘Dis-integrating e-portfolios’ by Stephen Downes! More details available here.

Recognising existing skills using e-portfolios e-Gems SessionAs we move further into the digital age, e-portfolios are beginning to play a key role in the RPL (recognition of prior learning) process. I will lead this online session on Monday 10 August at 12.30 pm (AEST). More details available here.

VET E-portfolios Community of Practice This is an open space on the Framework’s new website which allows the sharing of ideas and resources related to the use of e-portfolios in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. To join click here.

Local Jobs in Gladstone

The Bligh Government has joined forces with manufacturing and engineering companies in Gladstone to help support local jobs. Education and Training Minister Geoff Wilson today announced the $240,000 investment for a Skills Formation Strategy to attract, recruit, skill and retain workers in the area. "Regardless of the economic climate Gladstone will remain Queensland's premier heavy industry hub and a centre of excellence for light metals engineering and manufacturing," Mr Wilson said. "That's why the region needs comprehensive workforce planning to ensure an economic recovery isn't restrained by a lack of skilled employees. "Through the Bligh Government's Skills Formation Strategy initiative local enterprises will drive this critical planning process. "Investing in Queenslanders and skilling them for the future is one of the ways we meeting our commitment to creating and support!
ing jobs."

Qld Tourism Places

The Bligh Government will partner with industry to deliver more than $2.6 million in training to workers in the tourism and hospitality industry. Education and Training Minister Geoff Wilson said the Government would work with the Queensland Tourism Industry Council to deliver the Productivity Places Program. "The Bligh Government is meeting its commitment to boosting the number of training places and improving training for existing workers to make them more employable," Mr Wilson said. "The program will deliver high-level training to 600 workers during the next two years. "More industry input into training will mean better outcomes for the sector. "It will help leverage industry contributions towards upskilling the workforce and ensure the training sector is more responsive to the future needs of the industry."

Qld Rural Training Places

The Bligh Government will partner with industry to deliver more than $1.5 million worth of training to jobseekers and existing workers in the rural sector. Education and Training Minister Geoff Wilson said under the Productivity Places Program the Government would work with the Queensland Rural Industry Training Council to train some 200 workers and 100 jobseekers during the next two years. "High-level training will be delivered to existing workers in areas such as agriculture, conservation and land management, and horticulture," Mr Wilson said. The funding is also expected to help some 100 jobseekers to develop skills in areas such as conservation and land management, rural operations and shearing.

2009 Diversity@Work Awards

Nominate now for the 2009 Diversity@Work Awards

With less than three weeks until submissions close, be sure to enter your nomination for the 2009 Diversity@Work Awards.

Organisations, teams and individual who encourage diversity and inclusion in their workplace can be recognised and rewarded for their leadership and innovation across a total of eleven award categories, including:

Employment & Inclusion of People with a Disability;
Employment & Inclusion of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse;
Employment & Inclusion of Mature Age Workers;
Employment & Inclusion of Indigenous Australians;
Employment & Inclusion of Women in Leadership;
Employment & Inclusion of Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Intersex;
Today’s Youth - the Future of Tomorrow; and
Work/Life Balance; plus
Three major Diversity & Inclusion Champion Awards recognising individuals and organisations approaching diversity and inclusion as a broader concept.

Nominations close Friday 7 August 2009

Nominate now for the 2009 Diversity@Work Awards

NCVER PAPER

Competition in the training market

Tom Karmel, Francesca Beddie, Susan Dawe

National Centre for Vocational Education Research17 July, 2009

NCVER commissioned six leading thinkers to offer insights into what is meant by a training market, constraints upon that market and the areas for improvement in the system which would allow consumers greater choice.

NCVER paper

The contribution of VET to Australia's skills base

Tom Karmel

National Centre for Vocational Education Research17 July, 2009

This paper considers three aspects of vocational education and training's (VET) contribution to the labour market

Community Services embrace e-learning

New funding will help community services make a strategic shift to embed e-learning as part of an industry-wide workforce development strategy.The sector is currently struggling to recruit and retain appropriately skilled staff, with increased complexity and new policy incentives meaning that organisations need staff with increased expertise, faster.

Issues such as time, funding (particularly when travel is involved), distance and the dispersed nature of community service organisations provide significant barriers to training.Community housing through the NSW Federation of Housing Associations; and child, youth and family services through the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare are two industry sectors looking to use the national training system's e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework’s (Framework) Industry Integration of E-learning funding to solve these problems.Partnering with registered training organisations, these peak bodies will look to develop multiple year plans to integrate e-learning into overall workforce development. A specific focus for both industry sectors is to develop the skills of middle managers, who require urgent assistance transitioning from direct service delivery roles to management roles.

The industry sectors will use activities such as:
developing capacity by training e-learning champions, preparing e-learning good practice guides and checklists, and providing ongoing e-learning support
producing and trialling e-learning resources which can be rolled out on a wide scale
trialling e-learning workforce programs with pilot organisations, with the aim of increasing participation over a three year period disseminating the results of the trials to encourage broader uptake of e-learning.

According to Angela Pickering from the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, and Laurel Draffen from the NSW Federation of Housing Associations, this approach is aimed at generating a cultural shift which allows the community services sector to embrace new forms of training. The programs will ultimately increase the sector’s long-term capacity to deliver and support e-learning and workplace training.The 2009 Industry e-learning forum will showcase how these and eight other industry sectors are choosing to tackle their challenges through e-learning, recognising that staff benefit from consistent, quality training which can be accessed at any time or place.Each industry sector is unique in scope and operation, and the forum will showcase how their e-learning strategies will provide a framework in which diverse companies and industry organisations can cooperate on training and workforce development.

Don’t forget to mark Tuesday 24 November in your diary for the forum which will be held in Melbourne this year. For forum updates, email: industry@flexiblelearning.net.au

For information about E-learning for Industry visit the website: http://industry.flexiblelearning.net.au. This website provides rich resources, such as the online Practical guide to e-learning for industry where employers can discover how to make e-learning work in their business. You can also access the 2009 Guidelines for supporting learners using e-learning in workplaces report which investigates a range of e-learning strategies used by businesses that have received Framework funding over the past few years.

Qld Rural Skills Survey

Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries is conducting an online survey to hear from industry what skills are required in the agriculture and fisheries sectors. Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Queensland Tim Mulherin today urged producers to take part in the survey. Mr Mulherin said: "The State Government invests more than $34 million a year on training for the primary industries sector.

Federal Package for Aged Care Workers

Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot has announced a $43.8 million education and training package designed to up-skill more than 8,000 aged and community care staff. Minister Elliot made the announcement at the Ballina TAFE which will receive more than $191,000 under this funding round. Training organisations such as TAFE NSW in the electorates of Page and Richmond will receive more than $850,000 to train more than 150 local workers. The $43.8 million education and training package is a key part of the Rudd Government’s investment in improving quality of care through the development of a skilled aged and community care workforce to meet the challenges of an ageing population.

Training Changes in WA

Training Minister Peter Collier has appointed new members to the network of TAFEWA Governing Councils, signalling another step towards rejuvenating the State's training system. Mr Collier announced almost 50 new and reappointed members to the 10 governing councils across Western Australia. TAFE governing councils, which comprise representatives from local industry, commerce, education and the community, are responsible for the long-term focus and direction of each TAFEWA college. The Minister said each member of the TAFE governing council would help shape training to meet the future diverse needs of industry and the local community.

National Compact Workshop

SENATOR THE HON URSULA STEPHENS
PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR

SPEECH

Address to National Compact Workshop
Monday 20 July 2009



Welcome
Good morning and thank you for joining us today in Parliament House for this important next step in the development of the compact.

I thank those of you who have travelled to be here and brave the Canberra winter. I recognise you all have very busy ‘day jobs’ and greatly appreciate your efforts to make a contribution today.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people on whose land we meet. I pay my respects to their wisdom, traditions and culture.

I am delighted to welcome such a broad cross section of organisations to today’s forum. It is very important to seek a wide range of views as I recognise the many interests and opportunities for the different parts of the third sector.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank Frances Maguire, Tom Bowden and Adam Jacobs from PricewaterhouseCoopers who are your facilitators for the day. They have been working with us over the past weeks on developing the shape of today’s workshop and the online survey to canvas your initial views on compact principles and priorities. I think you will find you are in for an interesting day!

I’d also like to acknowledge Evan Lewis, Jill Farrelly and their team from FaHCSIA who have been supporting the work of the compact in government, including working across government agencies through the consultative forum, to drive commitment to the compact across departments.

We have some very important tasks before us today, so I will keep these opening words to a minimum.

Many of you have already been engaged in the compact journey, which started for Federal Labor some time ago with our 2006 commitment to fostering strong relationships with the non-profit sector and our 2007 election commitment to explore the merits of a compact as an important part of the social inclusion platform.

This journey has been greatly enriched by the lively and considered participation of so many stakeholders, both by the sector and government, and it is essential we continue to engage, include and work together in developing the next steps. It’s important too to reflect on where we have come to in our dialogue and relationship.

You may have been involved in the consultations held all over the country in July to October last year, which ACOSS was commissioned to carry out. You may have also made a submission during this time.

We’re also joined today by many members of the Compact Expert Panel which provided me with invaluable advice last year on the consultation strategy for developing a compact. They reiterated the need to engage communities through the third sector for the compact to be a success.

Last year’s consultations demonstrated support across the sector for a compact, and interest in working to improve the way we work together.

The benefits identified included improved policy making, increasing awareness of the role of the sector in building Australian communities and providing services. Sector participants also envisaged a compact providing a framework for growth and evolution in the sector including regulatory and legislative reform and initiatives to enhance the financial security and viability of the sector.

I travelled to almost every consultation in across Australia. One of the comments we most commonly heard was that the theoretical concept of a compact was difficult to relate to. That’s why the baton of compact development was passed to the compact taskforce – for a group of sector and government representatives to focus on what practical difference the compact could make for our communities.

So, I also welcome and acknowledge the contribution of the joint sector-government compact taskforce, which has been working very consistently over the last 3 months to draft a compact framework, including principles and priority areas for broader consultation.

The taskforce comprised 18 members of non-profit organisations, government agencies, local government and the ACTU and was chaired independently by Mr John Atkin, CEO and Managing Director of Trust company, who I welcome here today.

The Taskforce was appointed for their very unique perspective and individual expertise, coming from a diversity of backgrounds from government, sector and union movement. This diversity of backgrounds and views has truly enriched the draft that has emerged, and the group has worked collaboratively together to produce some excellent and thoughtful work.

I have gained much from listening to the taskforce’s conversations and particularly hearing how the compact can make a real difference in local communities.

Today’s workshop outcomes
Today’s workshop is about building on all of the work to date, to canvas a wider range of views on some key focus areas. After this, we will launch into a wider consultation with the broader third sector. You will have already been provided with the draft compact framework which the Taskforce developed, and many of you may have participated in the pre-workshop online survey, which we will hear more about shortly.

It will be important today to prioritise and focus our attention on:
the draft compact principles – are these realistic and will they be helpful?;
priority areas for action for both government and the sector - where can we best target action through this process that will make the most difference for organisations on the ground, meet policy outcomes, what can the sector commit to in this agenda?; and
how we can most effectively engage and consult with the diverse third sector on this framework?

As Chair of the Taskforce, John Atkin recently asked the group to consider how we’ll be able to measure in 5 years time what impact the compact has had in our community. This is a helpful starting point in considering both principles and priority actions.

Many of you may have already heard me speak of my enthusiasm to see the compact come to fruition. I know my enthusiasm is shared by the PM and senior Ministers including the DPM & the Minister for Families, Communities, Housing & Indigenous Affairs who has been very engaged in the compact journey to date. But other Ministers are also keen to see the compact delivered from a diverse range of portfolios including environment, local government, international development, health, and to see a commitment to its development entrenched across government agencies.

I believe the compact holds for us the opportunity to move to a new way of working together – a way that will enable the sector and government to more effectively build stronger communities.

Because creating inclusive and resilient Australian communities really is the ultimate objective of the compact, not just about creating a strong, vibrant, independent and innovative third sector. This is, of course, an important objective but it’s not the definitive one.

Ultimately, it’s about recognising that the raison d’être of both the sector and government is ensuring the well-being of all Australians, and that when we work in partnership we are more likely to achieve this.

So from the outset, I have seen the compact as an important part of our social inclusion agenda.

Both the sector and government share the aspiration for an Australia rich in diversity and culture, and where all Australians have the capacity and opportunity to learn, work, engage and have a voice.

Compact Next Steps
This next stage will see us roll out the consultation process and incorporate the feedback that this consultation generates.

In December this year I’m due to take a report on the compact to Cabinet. So we’ll be working briskly to this tight timeline to ensure we have a more finalised draft. We’re also considering a framework for a five to ten year work plan aimed at ensuring the compact meets the needs of both government and the sector, and serves the people who turn to sector organisations for support, enrichment or to have a voice.

So there is still quite a lot of road to travel before we arrive at a final compact. And even then, in my view, we should never reach the end of the road. I envisage the compact as a living document, not one that is concrete and unyielding on completion. It will need to be applied, challenged and perhaps even changed over time in response to new circumstances and ways of working.

That’s why your role both here today and as champions in the future will be so important. A living document needs people who can give life to its principles, responsibilities and aspirations.

It is also helpful to consider the wider third sector development agenda which is underway across government and includes significant commitments including the Productivity Commission’s review of the social and economic contribution of the non-profit sector in Australia which will report in December, the Henry Review of Taxation, as well as the ongoing work to harmonise regulations and reduce red tape for the sector through the COAG Business Competition and Regulation Working Group.

There is information in your packs about the different parts of this agenda.

The role of the compact to enable effective dialogue and sector leadership are only going to become more important as the agenda continues to develop and be implemented.

So with these thoughts in mind, let’s get down to today’s program, I look forward to hearing from you today.

Media Contact: 02 6277 3333

Adult Learning Festival

THE ADULT LEARNERS’ FESTIVAL 2010 WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 22 26 FEBRUARY 2010
AONTAS
July E-bulletin
Ciara Murphycmurphy@aontas.comFollowing consultation with members, there were a number of factors which informed our decision:- Further education/ adult learning already gains significant media coverage and promotion during the month of September. By scheduling the Festival earlier in the year, we can allow for two key promotional opportunities during the year. -
After three years, the Festival is already established as a spring event, and groups already factor events in for that time period. -

A date in late February ties in with deadlines for places on Access Courses and VTOS.-

The additional lead in after Christmas gives groups and event organisers more time to plan their events. -

Next year is European Year of Combating Poverty and Social Inclusion the Festival would be one of the first events of the year to reflect this theme. We have already been in contact with the agencies responsible for a programme of activities for the year, which will include the Adult Learners’ Festival. Again, we are encouraging AONTAS members to hold events locally during the Festival.

Visit www.adultlearnersfestival.com to keep up with the latest festival news.

Tenders called for program to boost skills productivity in Tasmania

Tenders have been called for a major skills program to boost skills productivity, Premier and Minister for Education and Skills, David Bartlett, said. Advertisements have been placed in today's newspapers inviting applications for the $2.8 million next round of the joint Commonwealth-State Productivity Places Program, he said. "That brings to more than $8.5 million the funds committed to target skill shortages in Tasmania during 2009 through the program. "The Government is aggressively driving skills improvement and this is another part of us delivering on that agenda. "We are determined to do everything possible to ensure Tasmania is not be caught out again with skill shortages. Tenders close on Wednesday 7 August 2009.

INCREASE IN WA TAFE NUMBERS

Training Minister Peter Collier said Western Australians were flocking to study at TAFE, which had recorded a 72 per cent jump in Semester 2 applications compared to last year. The State Government introduced a raft of initiatives to boost training in WA, including course fee exemptions for unemployed people wanting to train in publicly subsidised training.

$800,000 to boost skills in Tasmania

Up to $800,000 of State training funds will be invested in skills solutions to prepare Tasmania for the economic upturn. Premier and Minister for Education and Skills, David Bartlett, said the Government was determined to keep to its strategy of planning ahead. We are putting policies in place to prepare for the needs of the economy as it recovers.

NCVER Paper

Competition in the training market
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Editors, Tom Karmel, Francesca Beddie, Susan Dawe_
NCVER commissioned six leading thinkers to offer insights into what is meant by a training market, constraints upon that market and the areas for improvement in the system which would allow consumers greater choice. These papers, along with responses and an introduction by NCVER's Managing Director, Dr Tom Karmel, contribute to the public debate about the design of a market in the vocational education and training sector.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2150.html

NCVER Report

The contribution of VET to Australia's skills base
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Tom Karmel_
This paper considers three aspects of vocational education and training's (VET) contribution to the labour market: the relationship between their training and the occupations VET graduates work in; the extent to which the qualified proportion of the workforce has increased; and the link between VET and skills acquisition. Finally, some thoughts are aired on the implications of the economic slowdown for vocational education and training.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2151.html

"From the classroom to the Web"

Translating your session planning and teaching practices to the online learning environment can be daunting. This workshop introduces a way of applying online learning design principles that should help you design effective online learning sequences for your students and identify online alternatives for the teaching strategies and tactics you currently apply in the classroom. The design framework, mostly developed by Professor Ron Oliver, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at Edith Cowan University and mentor to the Framework’s Toolbox project, is exemplified by Flexible Learning Toolboxes. Come along and discuss your online design projects and plan them using this successful online design framework.

WHERE: CIT Phillip campus, B Block, Lab B107, Cnr Ainsworth Ave and Hindmarsh Drive Phillip
WHEN: Wednesday 22nd July, 8am - 9.30am,
WHAT: From the Repository to the CD - Toolbox learning object customisation workshop,

Take some time to look at the new learning design tool A guide to creating learning design for VET developed by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework. The purpose of this guide is to provide designers with a series of model learning designs that they can use to plan the learning environments. The guide cannot capture all learning and design variables but provides information that is intended to inform the learning designer on how best these can be considered and dealt with.

To register for the workshop please contact Helen Lynch - helen.lynch@cit.act.edu.au

$20 Million SA TAFE Information System

A new $20.4 million information system for TAFE SA will be introduced over the next three years. Employment, Training and Further Education Minister, Michael O'Brien announced the winner of the tender, SunGard Higher Education and said the new system improve operations across the TAFE SA structure.

NCVER Report

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has released a book of essays on competition in the vocational education and training (VET) sector to contribute to the current debate on this issue.

Competition in the training market brings together the ideas presented by leading thinkers at NCVER’s Competition in the Training Market Roundtable in February 2009.

To download a copy of this publication, visit http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2150.html

e-gems webconferencing sessions

e-Gems webconference – Build a community in the new flexiblelearning.net.au e-learning hub

The flexiblelearning.net.au e-learning hub allows practitioners and providers working in e-learning to connect with colleagues around Australia and internationally. It is interactive and user driven, featuring web 2.0 technologies which encourage the sharing of knowledge, experience and learning resources.
This session will take you on a tour of the new site and explore the exciting tools available at flexiblelearning.net.au. Come and learn how to join groups, connect with colleagues and collaborate online.

Presenter
Kim Edgar is the Manager for VET Projects at Education.au; as well as Business Manager for the LORN business activity of the Australian Flexible Learning Framework. Kim has a background in vocational education and training with more than 15 years experience in adult education, including managing a private registered training organisation.
Kim currently works across a number of projects including the Framework’s LORN and Access to E-learning Knowledge and Know-how business activities; as well as the Edna, Talk It Up and FLAG (Flexible Learning Advisory Group) website development projects.

Event details:
Date: Thursday 30 July 2009
When: 12:30pm – 1:30pm (AEST – Sydney time)
Where: http://tinyurl.com/nuhj62
Full URL for session (copy the complete link):
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=675&password=M.C95E265C26D7A34810348AEDB49841

The e-Gems series of webconferencing sessions are unique learning and networking opportunities for people working in the vocational education and training and business sectors. Provided by the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, e-Gems webconferences are free and require no registration.
To participate, you must have access to headphones and a microphone and have installed and configured the Elluminate webconferencing software beforehand. If you encounter any problems, please contact Jyothi Jayaram on (02) 6207 4832 or email: e-events@flexiblelearning.net.au (Note: session access opens one hour before the scheduled time.)
To find out when the session starts in your time zone visit: http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc
For further information and recordings of archived sessions visit: http://flexiblelearning.net.au/e-events OR contact: e-events@flexiblelearning.net.au
The e-Gems series is part of the Framework’s Access to E-learning Knowledge and Know-How business activity. Regular e-Gems webconferencing sessions and asynchronous discussions will be held throughout 2009. Anyone in the VET and/or business sectors is invited to participate in these free learning and networking opportunities.

Federal Skills Sustainability Award

Acting Minister for Education, Mark Arbib, launched the Skills for Sustainability award as part of the Skills for the Carbon Challenge. The Skills for Sustainability award recognises educational providers that deliver outstanding nationally-recognised training programs, products and work practices. The award was developed as part of the response to the 2020 Summit held in 2008. The award encourages training institutions to develop effective partnerships with industry organisations and community groups to build sustainable work skills that will support Australia's transition to a low carbon economy.

ARED

Build your own learning resources with ARED

A new version of the ARED (Application for Rapid E-learning Development) resource development tool has been released, helping practitioners, with little more than basic computer skills, to easily build their own e-learning resources.

With ARED version 2.1, practitioners no longer need to learn complicated multimedia skills to build learning resources. By adding their own content to one of ARED’s six e-learning templates, practitioners can develop engaging e-learning resources for delivery via CD-ROM, website or learning management system.

In addition to creating learning materials, the resource enables e-learning content to be packaged so that its structure and navigation can be interpreted and applied across a range of learning management systems.

ARED can be used to create SCORM v.1.2 compliant content packages that meet the standards required for contribution to online portal LORN, as well as meeting Flexible Learning Toolbox standards.

Through the updated ARED resource, practitioners can now:
· produce files that meet the 2009 E-standards for Training which were developed by the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework)
· create valid SCORM content packages
· access new help material and instructions for developing their learning resource
· create and modify valid metadata files using the integrated Vetadata Tool.
Practitioners currently using ARED should uninstall their old version and download the new version.
Full detail on the technical changes to ARED is available and existing ARED users may want to refer to some of the information.

NIACE Conference

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Keeping abreast of research in the Learning and Skills Sector
Learning and Skills Research Network (LSRN) annual conference
Friday 11 December 2009, London, 9:30am-4:30pm

2009 is a year of great change. This year's conference will consider how research can inform practitioners and managers in the Learning and Skills Sector who are confronted daily by the challenges that these new initiatives and changes inevitably incur.

The conference will provide extra opportunities for all those interested in research or Research and Development in this large and varied sector to engage with each other. There will be time to hear from major research centres as well as practice-based projects, and to drop in to at least one workshop on research methods.

The conference will be of interest to all those working in the Learning and Skills sector, particularly practitioners, managers, tutors, trainers, teachers and learning support staff.
At the conference, a prize will be awarded for best research paper and awards will be made to the two runners-up.

Call for submissions
The planning group invites contributions to the parallel presentations. In addition to presentations of the outcomes of research or R&D projects, we welcome presentations that address capacity building and impact, for instance:
· practitioner engagement with research or R&D
· collaborative working
· increasing the influence of research findings
· action research and its role in improving practice.

Submission
Guidelines for the content and format/template for presentations and process of submission of contributions can be downloaded from:
http://www.niace.org.uk/campaigns-events/events/changing-world-changing-research

All submissions should be sent to: gurjit.kaur@niace.org.uk by Thursday 17 September 2009.

Enquiries to Gurjt Kaur, NIACE Events Team on Tel: 0116 204 2833

What is access to VET like?

Understanding vocational education and training, productivity and workforce participation

Justine Evesson, John Buchanan, Gillian Considine

National Centre for Vocational Education Research 3 July, 2009

This report explores access to vocational education and training (and university) currently and historically over the past 20 years.

Centres of Excellence

ARC Centres of Excellence consultation paper

Australian Research Council06 July, 2009

This paper outlines the proposed operation of the planned new Centres of Excellence round.

New Paper

Web 2.0 collaboration tools for the next generation of public service

Greg Parston Accenture03 July, 2009

Web 2.0 technologies and services have spread around the world at an amazing pace and are used by millions of people every day. Many public service organizations are also adopting Web 2.0 applications as a means of improving their ability to collaborate and serve citizens more effectively.

National Statement on Social Inclusion

The Australian Social Inclusion Board has released its Compendium of Social Inclusion Indicators.

The Social Inclusion Board is an independent body established to provide advice to the Australian Government on was ways to achieve better outcomes for the most disadvantaged in our community. To be socially included, Australians must have access to work, social support through family and friends and high-quality basic services like health and education. This enables people to deal successfully with adverse life events like bereavement or loss of a job and be able to make their voice count as citizens and community members. This report sets out Australian data on a range of key indicators of disadvantage, including access to work and services, social supports, how well local neighbourhoods are faring and health.

New Website

The new flexiblelearning.net.au website is now live!

flexiblelearning.net.au is a central hub for people working in e-learning to share experiences, knowledge and resources with colleagues around Australia and internationally. The site is interactive and user driven – a place to explore, contribute, experiment with and discuss e-learning issues, technologies, resources and ideas.

Registering as a member of flexiblelearning.net.au is FREE and only takes a minute. Registered members benefit from access to all areas of flexiblelearning.net.au and are able to:
join online groups and communities, to network and share e-learning experiences, knowledge and know-how
access tools and resources to create e-learning content, including blogs, articles and wikis
contribute their own e-learning content to the site, and view content contributed by others
actively build their own site presence by bookmarking website content and commenting on and rating other users’ content.

To register, simply click on Login or join on the top right-hand side of the flexiblelearning.net.au home page, and fill out and submit the online form.

VET E-portfolio Showcase 09

The Australian Flexible Learning Framework is holding this event in Melbourne on 16 October 2009. It will be an invaluable event for anyone interested in adopting e-portfolios in their organisation.

Submissions for presentations are currently being sought. Submissions should focus on the way e-portfolios are being used in the VET sector and within organisations and agencies which support lifelong learning.

More information is available at http://flexiblelearning.net.au/flx/go/home/op/edit/pid/625

A Toolbox Seminar

The Toolbox Seminar “From the classroom to the Web”

WHERE: CIT Phillip campus, B Block, Lab B107, Cnr Ainsworth Ave and Hindmarsh Drive Phillip
WHEN: Wednesday 22nd July, 8am - 9.30am,
WHAT: From the Repository to the CD - Toolbox learning object customisation workshop,

Translating your classroom session planning and teaching practices to the online learning environment can be daunting. This workshop introduces a way of applying online learning design principles that should help you design effective online learning sequences for your students and identify online alternatives for the teaching strategies and tactics you currently apply in the classroom. The design framework, mostly developed by Professor Ron Oliver, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at Edith Cowan University and mentor to the Framework’s Toolbox project, is exemplified by Flexible Learning Toolboxes. Come along and discuss your online design projects and test them against this successful online design framework.

Tasmania leads nation in VET enrolments

Tasmania is leading the nation in the rate of increase of students enrolling in vocational education and training (VET) programs, Premier and Minister for Education and Skills David Bartlett said today.

NCVER Report

Student numbers continued to grow in Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) system during 2008, with 1.7 million enrolments, up 1.9% from 2007.

Released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Australian vocational education and training statistics, Students and courses, 2008 provides a snapshot of the training system.

To download a copy of this publication visit http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2164.html

Increase in numbers studying vocational courses in SA

The number of people participating in vocational education and training in South Australia increase by nearly 2 per cent last year according to national data released today. Employment, Training and Further education Minister, Michael O'Brien said the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) Students and Courses 2008 publication showed there were 125,300 students in vocational training in South Australia in 2008.

A Stronger ACFE

New Ministerial Statement Released

The much anticipated Ministerial Statement on ACE, A Stronger ACFE: Delivering Skills for Victoria has been released by Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation, Jacinta Allan. The statement outlines some exciting initiatives in areas including marketing and promotion and joined up approaches to delivering programs for youth. One of the most pleasing parts of the statement is that each initiative comes with significant funding attached. The statement indicates a willingness on the part of the Brumby government to work with providers to deliver on its priorities.