Government Support

$109 MILLION IN TAILORED SUPPORT FOR VULNERABLE JOB SEEKERS AND REDUNDANT WORKERS


The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, announced continued support for vulnerable job seekers and redundant workers by awarding new contracts worth $109m to 12 organisations to deliver the Australian Apprenticeships Access Program. The program provides vulnerable job seekers facing barriers to skilled employment with individualised pre-vocational training, job search and post-placement support services to help them gain and retain an Australian Apprenticeship. The announcement provides for the delivery of over 25,000 places for vulnerable job seekers between 1 January 2010 and 30 June 2012.
The new contracts include places for redundant workers aged 25 years and over and vulnerable young job seekers aged 19-24.

New Paper

Towards a 21st century national software infrastructure for education

Geoff Hendrick, Andrew Williams

Education.au14 December, 2009

This investigation develops the case for acceleration of Australia's progress towards a 21st century education software infrastructure.

NCVER Paper

A research summary released today looks at the key findings of Mike Dockery’s report Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in education and training and shows that, in both remote and non-remote areas, those with a stronger attachment to their culture had greater educational success.

To download this overview visit http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2209.html

The full report, which is the second publication to be released under NCVER’s monograph series can be downloaded from http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2174.html

An interview with Mike Dockery about this work is available at http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2203.html

Volunteering Sector

Communiqué


Review of Volunteering Australia Services


Many of you would be aware that the Australian Government through the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) has undertaken a review of Volunteering Australia (VA) services to Government. The Minister, The Hon. Jenny Macklin, and the Parliamentary Secretary for the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens, have now advised VA of the outcome of that review.


The Government has re-affirmed its financial support through the National Secretariat Program (NSP) for VA as the national volunteering representative body. In this role VA will continue to represent and support members and maintain national networks; contribute to the development of government policies that support the volunteering sector; and inform members and constituents about Australian Government policies related to the volunteering sector.


The Australian Government through FaHCSIA will continue to provide financial support for National Volunteer Week and The National Conference on Volunteering in 2010.


In addition, the Government will continue funding for GoVolunteer as future options for national volunteer registration are considered. VA will continue to look at how GoVolunteer can meet the changing needs of stakeholders, and opportunities to further develop the system and infrastructure will continue to be explored.


The Minister has advised that VA will receive funding for the National Volunteer Skills Centre (NVSC) until March 2010 to complete key training resources currently under development. VA recognises the Federal Government's intention to encourage good volunteer management practice in the sector and will continue to develop and maintain our suite of training tools, including our key publication The National Standards for Involving Volunteers in Not for Profit Organisations. VA will look to partner with other organisations, including our Foundation Members and State and Territory Government Offices of Volunteering, to continue promoting good practice in volunteering and volunteer management.


VA believes that the review process validated the importance and relevance of a national voice for the volunteering sector. With this renewed support from Government, VA will be working closely with its members and all stakeholders to enhance its capacity to consult with, represent and support the diverse volunteering sector.


The funding announced by Minister Macklin and Senator Stephens will assist VA achieve its fundamental objective to mobilise and support volunteers to help others, particularly those most in need in our community.


Cary Pedicini Chief Executive Officer15 December 2009

ICELW 2010

The International Conference on E-learning in the Workplace


June 9th-11th, 2010Teachers College, Columbia UniversityNew York, NY
www.icelw.org


info@icelw.org

ICELW is an international conference focused specifically on e-learning in the workplace. With researchers and practitioners coming from around the globe--and from both university and business backgrounds--the ICELW community works to improve online learning so that it makes a measurable difference in workplace performance and morale.By uniting the corporate and academic worlds, ICELW is creating a new synergy--one with the unique capability to realize the vast potential of e-learning in business, industry, and government. ICELW 2010 will incorporate an increased focus on demonstrations of successful e-learning, and on the application of new research ideas and research studies to practical workplace learning problems. Call for Presentations, Papers, and Ideas Deadline: December 15, 2009. Who Should Present or Participate? ICELW welcomes anyone with a background or interest in e-learning in the workplace, including researchers, consultants, and corporate trainers, managers, and directors. Conference Topics: ICELW is seeking proposals covering a wide range of topics relating to e-learning in the workplace, including:
Online training methodologies (simulations, case-based learning, and more)
Performance support systems
Just-in-time learning
Mobile learning
Collaborative and social learning
E-learning design
E-learning usability studies
Success stories and cases studies
E-learning experiences in large and small organizations
Knowledge management
Strategies for implementing e-learning within an organization
Authoring tools and Learning Content Management Systems (LCMSs)
E-learning evaluation
Studies of e-learning in practice
E-learning project management
The use of virtual worlds in e-learning
Communities of practice
Other pertinent topics from the ICELW community
The conference plans to use a variety of engaging formats to convey knowledge and show application, such as demonstrations, mini-seminars, case studies, interviews, brainstorming sessions, presentations, panel discussions, and more. Submissions: If you're interested in presenting at ICELW, please complete and submit the ICELW proposal form, which requires a brief abstract, found at http://www.icelw.org/docs/ICELW2010_Proposal_Form.doc

Please send all completed proposal forms to proposals@icelw.org by 6:00 PM Eastern Time on December 15, 2009. Questions or More Information?

Visit www.icelw.org for more details or send an email to info@icelw.org.

Infrastructure Grants to Boost Training Facilities

South Australian registered training organisations are being encouraged to apply for the 2009/2010 round of the National Training Infrastructure Program grants opening today. Employment, Training and Further Education Minister, Michael O'Brien said a total of $11 million in competitive grants is available across Australia for training infrastructure through the program.

Innovations 2009 Projects

See what occurred in these projects: http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/content/e-learning-innovations-0

Virtual Worlds and VET

Can virtual worlds really be used as tools for meaningful teaching and learning, or are they just a bit of fun?

Within vocational education and training (VET), a widespread acceptance of the benefits of hands-on learning is driving the growing adoption of virtual worlds as safe places for learners to experiment, solve problems and practice what they learn.

And increasingly, VET practitioners are recognising the further benefits of virtual worlds – that they:
are valuable tools for connecting with learners who can’t attend face-to-face classes
can improve learners’ computer literacy and increase their awareness of online personal security
can help to develop patience and confidence that is often carried over into real life (this has particularly been noted among at-risk and disengaged learners)
cater to a broad range of learning needs and styles
enable real-time support and feedback.

A number of innovative VET practitioners are leading the way in using virtual worlds as valuable teaching and training tools.

Starting at a grassroots level with virtual world discovery projects, these practitioners are systematically building on their knowledge and expertise and expanding the scope of their projects from year to year.

Two examples of practitioners at different stages in their journeys to embed virtual worlds are TAFE SA and Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE (GippsTAFE).

This year, TAFE SA launched a virtual world project which delivered one unit of a Women’s Studies course to nine learners dispersed across different TAFE SA campuses.

Instruction was delivered entirely in Second Life with learners creating avatars who attended virtual classes each week.

The course was well received by learners, who reported it improved their computer skills, increased their confidence and gave them access to training they would otherwise have been unable to complete. After piloting virtual classes, TAFE SA is in a strong position to implement similar initiatives for regional and remote learners, and plans to further develop the project in 2010.

GippsTAFE has considerably expanded its use of virtual worlds since conducting a Second Life discovery project in 2006.

This year, GippsTAFE used Second Life with a number of learner groups, including learners completing a Diploma of VET Practice or a Certificate II in Retail, and learners with a disability. Virtual worlds enabled these learners to put theory into practice: for example, retail learners gained purchasing, merchandising, marketing and customer service skills by creating their own shop in Second Life.

The project was a significant step forward in the process of embedding virtual worlds at GippsTAFE, as for the first time they integrated Second Life with Moodle through Sloodle to streamline the administrative and reporting processes associated with using virtual worlds.

Linking the two systems enabled text-based communication between learners and their teachers/trainers in Second Life to be automatically documented in Moodle, making it quicker and easier for learners to use their activities in Second Life as evidence of their learning and competence.

Virtual world Project Managers Helaine Costello, Cathryn Gauci and Michelle Potts from TAFE SA, and Malcolm Jolley from GippsTAFE, offer some advice for practitioners at all stages of embedding virtual worlds for teaching and training:

Private islands can be rented or purchased in virtual worlds, and are safe, secure and private sites in which to hold virtual classes.
Practitioners may encounter technical and access issues when they first try to access social networking sites – these can take time to resolve, and perseverance and patience are vital. Establishing strong IT support is important, particularly for first-time adopters.
Ensure that you provide learners with adequate support while they’re familiarising themselves with new websites and systems. TAFE SA accomplished this by keeping in touch with learners through a range of other mediums in addition to Second Life (email, Skype, Facebook, Moodle and telephone); and GippsTAFE adopted a blended learning approach (online tutorials in conjunction with face-to-face access to a teacher/trainer).
Allow for spontaneity – be flexible with processes and respond to the preferences and capabilities of your learners.

A number of other 2009 E-learning Innovations projects explored virtual worlds, such as projects from Canberra Institute of Technology and Tabor Adelaide. These projects were funded and supported by the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

Award

Yvonne Evans of Mt Beauty Neighbourhood Centre recently won the Premier’s Community Volunteering Awards for the category of "Community Volunteering Leadership Award (Regional)".

Framework Events

State and territory events wrap-up: Presentations now available

The annual e-learning end-of-year events, hosted by each state and territory through November and December, are over for another year.

The events brought together e-learning experts and novices from the vocational education and training (VET), community and business sectors to share insights and know-how on the latest e-learning resources, networks, trends and issues, including:

the low-down on social media tools, learning management systems and emerging technologies that support engaging and flexible training and assessment - this included Facebook, Flickr, Moodle, blogs, wikis, podcasts, web conferencing, Second Life, Twitter, point-of-view camera glasses, Nintendo Wii, interactive whiteboards and digital pens

using e-learning to engage specific learner groups, including remote and Indigenous learners, and learners with a disability

tools and strategies for managing issues such as copyright for the digital classroom, RPL (recognition of prior learning), auditing and e-assessment

getting started in e-learning using key Framework tools such as LORN, Flexible Learning Toolboxes, ARED, e-portfolios and the QTImPlayer

hints and tips from 2008 and 2009 E-learning Innovations projects, including the opportunity to get up close and personal with those responsible for some of Australia’s most innovative e-learning examples.

Keynote presentations featured at the events include:

Penny Neuendorf (ACT) – spoke bout the uses and benefits of virtual simulation and how e-learning could be used successfully in health education.

Annie Fergusson and Margaret Willis (NSW) – highlighted the current crisis of confidence in e-assessment in the national training system, and discussed the measures, including the Framework’s upcoming research, which need to be taken to ensure consistency and relevance of assessment processes.

Roger Bryett (NT) - kicked off the conference by highlighting the need for continued innovation and the importance of industry and training providers working together to present a united front in tackling the remote training delivery issues that are faced in the Territory.

Dominic Thurbon (QLD) – dazzled the audience with quirky stories to show how businesses can solve problems and drive better results with collaborative technology and innovation.

Professor Martin Westwell (SA) – offered the audience insight into a new generation of learners who are learning in different ways as they adopt technology rapidly and continuously.

Roger Stack (TAS) – explored the educational potential of virtual worlds such as Second Life.

Andrew Douch (VIC) – inspired the audience to take advantage of technologies such as mobile phones and podcasts to provide learners with engaging, real time learning which can be accessed anywhere and anytime.

Sue Waters (WA) – presented about how blogs can form the core of an engaging social media-based learning experience – integrating Twitter, RSS feeds, Facebook profiles and more into a core personal online identity.

Visit the Framework website to access the following e-learning resources from the events:

· resources and presentation slides from international guest speaker Cathy Moore, who showed guests how to ‘save the world’ with e-learning and smart instructional design

· twitter back channels including comments, reflections and ideas from personal laptops and Twitter booths

speaker presentations and recommended resources from each state and territory.

VALBEC

Call for Presentations


Friday June 4, 9.00am - 4.00pm • William Angliss Conference Centre

(Pre-conference workshops – Thursday June 3, 3.00 – 5.30pm)
Print version (PDF 45KB)



“real learning gets to the heart of what it means to be human. Through learning we re-create ourselves. Through learning we become able to do something we never were able to do. Through learning we re-perceive the world and our relationship to it. Through learning we extend our capacity to create, to be part of the generative process of life. There is within each of us a deep hunger for this type of learning"


Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline 1995


The conference theme in 2010 will focus on “real learning” and the ways in which we, as practitioners make learning possible in diverse and challenging contexts.


Sharing and affirming good practice and finding ways to encourage innovative and creative thinking are essential aims of the conference. The adult literacy, language and numeracy field is well placed to engage with issues of social inclusion. Innovative programs are pivotal in raising awareness and supporting action around wellbeing, social connection and networks. Programs working with accredited and non-accredited curriculum have the challenges of providing opportunities for second chance learners to develop understanding and deal with finances, health, civics and the law to fully participate in society.


We would like presentation proposals that include or reflect:

Innovative approaches to facilitate learning
Creative learning partnerships with other providers, business or schools
'Greening learning’, - ways of implementing ‘green’ education and making our classrooms greener
Successful approaches to learning in the community
Approaches to deal with diversity in learning styles and needs
Other areas of good practice, resources and programs


The conference will again provide an opportunity for practitioners to engage in professional conversations and be inspired and energized in a collegial environment. Practitioners will be motivated to explore new ideas and effective approaches to deal with diverse learner cohorts and create sustainable learning environments. The conference program will focus on the practical and applied ways of teaching and enhancing learning through stimulating workshop activities.


Practitioners, researchers, program managers, project participants and policy analysts working in the field of adult literacy, language and numeracy or involved in ACE and TAFE are invited to submit a presentation proposal for the 'I learn ... YOU learn ... WE learn' VALBEC 2010 conference.


The proposed presentation will:


First time presenters
This year we are offering first time presenters the option of mentor support to develop a conference proposal and then guidance preparing the presentation and assistance on the day. Please contact conf@valbec.org.au and a VALBEC committee person will be allocated to you.


Be interactive and/or ‘hands on’
Demonstrate effective practice with ‘take-aways’
Exemplify adult learning principles and teaching methodologies
Display creativity, innovation and flexibility
Stimulate thought and discussion on relevant issues, theory and practice
Critique changes in state and federal government policies and priorities
Formats for the presentations will include:
Research or project papers
Interactive practical workshops
Panels of up to 4 speakers
Workshops/Presentations will be of 60 or 50 minutes duration.


Copyright of individual workshops presented at the 2010 VALBEC conference remain copyright of the respective author/s. However, VALBEC reserves the right to publish papers, record presentations and distribute information about these workshops for teaching and research purposes in Fine Print or on the website.


Download a proposal form or completed it online at www.valbec.org.au


There is no fee for presenters who only attend for their session.


Presenters who wish to attend the conference pay a reduced fee of $110 (two thirds of the normal member fee). There is a limit of two presenters per session at this reduced fee.
Proposals to be submitted by March 24, 2010


Presenters will be notified by April 1, 2010 of their inclusion in the Conference program.

For further information contact Don MacDowall, Conference Organiser

Email conf@valbec.org.au
Phone 03 9546 6892
VALBEC, Box 861, Springvale South VIC 3172

How work-life affects training

Work-life conflict hinders participation in education and training


Just over 50% of workers not currently studying say they are unlikely to participate in education or training in the next 12 months. This is despite the fact that around 60% agreed that education or training had some obvious benefits.


“While there is a real enthusiasm for additional education and training, the realities of life get in the way” says Natalie Skinner, author of the forthcoming report Work–life issues and participation in education and training.


The report uses data from the 2009 Australian Work and Life Index, an annual national survey of nearly 3000 employed people.


It is clear that low-paid workers need greater support if they are to add study to their work, family and other life commitments.


“Participation in education or training resulted in significantly higher work–life conflict for low-paid workers, not experienced by those in higher paid occupations”, says Natalie.


When compared with men, women in higher-paid occupations are more likely to find that their work–life balance suffers. Many women recognise this as a potential issue, with nearly 80% of those working full-time who are not in education or training saying they do not have sufficient time to take on studying. This was also true for part-timers.


VET is seen as a more likely option for most employees, and only a minority of employees in this study anticipate undertaking a university-level qualification in the next 12 months. The majority anticipate any future training to be for a VET or other type of qualification.


Work-life issues and participation in education and training by Natalie Skinner will be available soon. The report is part of a larger project Low paid workers and VET: Increasing participation amongst lower paid workers over the life-cycle

www.ncver.edu.au/research/projects/10404.html

CONFINTEA VI

CONFINTEA VI, BELEM, BRAZIL –

Dec 4th 2009


FINAL REACTIONS FROM THE CIVIL SOCIETY CAUCUS

In the build up to this major UN Conference on Adult Education held in Brazil from 1st-4thDecember, civil society organisations developed a strong united position reflecting the views of over 500 people from 80 countries. Together we laid out a consensus position on how the conference could move from rhetoric to coherent action. We won space and recognition for civil society within the conference. Indeed, our positions for strengthening action on the right to education for all adults and young people were fully endorsed by the heads of 22 national government delegations from all regions, won significant support from another 14 governments and were debated throughout the conference

As a result of civil society action and support from many governments there were some significant gains. There was an acknowledgement of the urgent need for action on adult literacy and there was a welcome recognition that we need to move beyond past simplistic understandings of literacy, to recognise a continuum of learning. There was a commitment to produce fully costed and well-targeted plans backed up by legislation – and with active participation from civil society, educators and learners themselves. There was strong language recognising different forms of discrimination that undermine access to education. The commitment to monitor progress on adult education was significantly reinforced with clear timelines. There was a commitment to developing educational responses to the increasing challenges of migration. Perhaps most importantly there was a commitment to ensure that the major global financing mechanism for education for all (called the Education Fast Track Initiative) should explicitly support adult literacy.

However the world faces a series of major crises (food, fuel, finance, climate, conflict and war) and for adult education to empower people, especially women, to respond to these we need to go much further. For example, taking place on the eve of the UN Copenhagen Climate Conference, this UN conference (held in the Amazon region of Brazil) made it clear that human resource development is fundamental to addressing the natural resource crises that face planet earth. This reinforces the urgency of addressing the chronic under-funding of adult education.

Building on the progress made by CONFINTEA V1 there are some important issues that need to be pursued further in order to provide a strong framework for achieving real progress on adult education:
There is an urgent need for governments to commit to a 6% target as an equitable share of the domestic education budget to be earmarked for the education of adults and young people.
Northern governments need also to commit 6% of their education aid budgets for the education of adults and young people.
There needs to be a stronger recognition of the role of adult education in ensuring gender justice and a clear recognition of gender as an integral and cross-cutting issue.
Action is also needed to address the macro-economic policies which presently block countries from investing adequately in education, particularly in the context of the financial crisis, which has discredited past prescriptions from the IMF.
In the coming years there needs to be greater recognition of the enormous scale of the violation of the fundamental right to education of adults and young people. We need to move from recognising that basic adult education is a justiciable human right, to a point where governments pass legislation to make all adult education legally enforceable.

Civil society has a crucial role to play in rigorous monitoring and in being a partner of government in developing adult learning policy and practice. Whilst recognising the enormous efforts made by UNESCO in CONFINTEA V1 it is clear that future conferences must ensure that processes for handling amendments and finalising documents need to be significantly improved and made more transparent.

We commit ourselves to continuing the struggle to secure coherent action on the right to education for adults and young people. We now return to our work in each community and country with renewed passion to make this fundamental right a reality.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM RHETORIC TO COHERENT ACTION

1. There needs to be a recognition of the enormous scale of the violation of the fundamental human and social right to education of adults and young people. As such CONFINTEA V1should declare a state of crisis, requiring urgent action. Basic adult education is already ajusticiable human right and we urge all governments to pass legislation to make all adult education a legally enforceable right.

2. The education of adults and young people is key to helping people, especially women, (who are worst affected) to cope with all types of crises (food, fuel, finance, conflict or climate), enabling them to shape a sustainable future and to work towards gender equality and justice. Popular education is key to the renewal of adult learning as a means to social and political transformation.

3. A legal structure for the governance of the education of adults and young peopleshould be present in all countries, specifying the involvement in decision-making of civil society, learner representatives and educators alongside government. The education of adults and young people should be inclusive and diverse, spanning all areas of human activity and fostering well-being rather than just economic development. As such it should be based on inter-sectoral and inter-ministerial action but with strong leadership from (and ultimate responsibility lying with) Ministries of Education.

4. There should be no more collection of simplistic data or statistics based on the artificial division between illiteracy and literacy. All surveys, research and data collection or reporting should focus on a continuum of literacy levels appropriate to people’s life, work, cultural and linguistic contexts. All data should be disaggregated by gender and other bases of potential discrimination (e.g. race, ethnicity, class, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity, generation, disability, geographical location, citizenship status, imprisonment etc).

5. The education of adults and young people should be recognised as the glue behind achieving all the MDGs and should therefore be prioritised in national plans and in the review of progress towards the MDGs. All governments should develop fully-costed policies, well-targeted plans and legislation for addressing adult literacy and lifelong learning by 2012. These plans should be based on credible evidence (e.g. new national surveys) on literacy levels and present participation rates in adult learning – and they should be seen as an integral part of any education sector or poverty reduction plan. These plans should recognize the role of education in transforming values and attitudes and in challenging all kinds of discriminatory practices, for example those based on gender. The plans must also address the new challenges of digital literacy, the urgent need for improving the capacity for research and evaluation as well as the need for quality training and better remuneration of adult educators.

6. Governments should calculate the full cost of achieving quality education for adults and young people, and should agree to binding minimum targets for spending on adult education including at least 6% of national education budgets being spent on youth and adult education (in countries with significant literacy challenges – where a minimum of half of this should be spent on literacy). An equally binding target should be agreed of at least 6% of aid to education being spent on the education of adults and young people (premised on at least 0.7% of GNI being spent on aid and 15% of overall aid being earmarked for education). The international community and financing agencies should recognise Goals 3 and 4 from Dakar as equally important as other goals in all their education aid and should develop accurate projections on financing gaps for achieving these. At least $10 billion in new aid is needed by 2015 to make an impact on adult literacy.

7. The Fast Track Initiative needs to be radically transformed into a Global Initiative on Education For All which explicitly requires sector plans to include credible action on, and investment in, youth and adult, especially women’s, literacy. This transformed initiative should be fully independent from the World Bank and much more ambitious than the present FTI in the scale of resources that it mobilises.

8. The G20, which recently re-empowered the IMF, needs to challenge the restrictive macro-economic conditions imposed (and policies promoted) by the IMF that have undermined investment in education for all. There should be a clear requirement on the IMF to show sustained flexibility in inflation and deficit targets through to 2015 that will allow for significant increases in long term investment in education as a key part of the solution to the financial crisis.

9. All governments have a responsibility to maximise the learning opportunities available for all people on their territory and so should ensure that sustainable investment is maximised from individuals, employers and the State to ensure no-one is left behind. All employers should invest at least 1% of the payroll in work-related education and training. All resources should be well targeted to ensure they reach those who are most disadvantaged or excluded, especially women who often suffer from multiple marginalisation. It is important to recognise that no country has fully overcome the challenge of including all people and of transforming the profile of participation in adult learning. In all contexts adult learners themselves should have a voice in the development of policies and practices that affect them.

10. There need to be comprehensive and multi-agency monitoring mechanisms for ensuring that these commitments are delivered. At a national level this should include public institutions, universities and civil society. At an international level this should include for example OECD DAC requiring reporting on aid to adult education, UIS and GMR tracking government spending, WHO monitoring 5% recommendation on health promotion, FAO tracking agricultural extension and so on. There need to be clear benchmarks established by 2012 in all areas so as to facilitate assessment of progress. There should be a global monitoring report with rigorous data on adult learning every three years, which will inform analysis of progress towards CONFINTEA commitments and feed into other UN processes (e.g. on climate change, financing for development, women’s rights, MDGs, population, migration, etc).

Civil society has a crucial role to play in rigorous monitoring and in being a critical partner of government in developing adult learning policy and practice.

CONFINTEA CIVIL SOCIETY CAUCUS
1st DECEMBER 2009 www.fisc2009.org
__._,_.___

COAG

COAG Must Deliver on Reforms

7 December 2009

The latest Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting underlines the need for continued urgency in delivering reforms to strengthen the Australian economy.


“As we emerge from the downturn, it becomes even more important to strengthen the economy’s productive capacity,” says BCA Chief Executive Katie Lahey.


Ms Lahey says the BCA wants to see continued focus on previously agreed elements of the seamless economy agenda, designed to deliver uniform business regulation across state borders.
“Progress within COAG remains difficult to assess from outside,” Ms Lahey says.


Read the full statement here:http://www.bca.com.au/Content/101632.aspx

Another Paper

Emerging technologies in Australia: horizon report

Greg Black Education.au

03 December, 2009

Greg Black shares an Australian perspective on the four emerging technologies identified by the Horizon Report as likely to be entering mainstream use by educators within the next few years.

New Paper

e-Portfolios beyond education and training

Andrew Williams, Jerry Leeson Education.au


03 December, 2009

This investigation examines implementations of e-portfolios in environments other than educational institutions.

New VET Regulator

The COAG decision to create a new, independent national regulator for the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector is a significant reform that will give clearer and better quality outcomes for both individuals and businesses, the Australian Industry Group said. It is a giant step towards having a truly national, well-regulated training system which will deliver clear and consistent results for all. It will also have a big impact on companies and individuals working across borders.

New National VET Regulator

The Australian Council of Trade Unions welcomed the creation of a single national regulator of Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector as an important step towards higher standards in the sector. The Council of Australian Governments has agreed to set up a new regulatory body that will begin operation in 2011. ACTU President Sharan Burrow said this was an important reform that would help ensure that the highest levels of quality and enforceable standards apply across all states and territories. She said it was hoped that eventually Victoria and Western Australia, who will continue to regulate providers in their own states, would see the virtues of a single national regulator.

COAG ANNOUNCEMENT

REGULATING AND IMPROVING AUSTRALIA'S VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING SECTOR


The Council of Australian Governments yesterday agreed to create a new, independent national regulator for the vocational education and training (VET) sector. The regulator will be responsible for the registration and audit of registered training providers across Australia. It is significant micro-economic reform for a $6.4 billion industry, with close to 5,000 providers charging students almost a billion dollars a year.

Ambassador for Ageing recognises older volunteers

Ambassador for Ageing Noeline Brown has asked everyone to take the time to recognise and thank older Australian volunteers for the enormous contribution they make on International Volunteer Day (5 December 2009). More than a quarter of Australian seniors, or more than 690,000 people, volunteer, contributing around 160 million hours of their time every year. Ms Brown said: "Older volunteers provide invaluable services to their communities through their voluntary contributions. Older Australians volunteer freely and give up their time to support sport, the arts, health, housing, community care and education.

NT - elearning

An innovative project which uses e-learning to deliver vital safety induction training to Indigenous night patrol workers in the Northern Territory (NT) has been highly commended at the coveted 2009 Australian Safer Communities Award, in the education, training and research category.

The Sundowner Project, a joint initiative between the Council for Aboriginal Alcohol Program Services (CAAPS) and the Human Services Training Advisory Council, uses digital stories to allow learners to see and hear the experiences of others.

Night patrol services were extended to 73 remote NT communities as part of the 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), which seeks to make children and communities safe.

Night patrol workers work within communities to break the cycle of violence and crime and have contributed to improving community safety, protecting children and reducing individuals' contact with the criminal justice system.

The Sundowner training DVD, which is designed to provide course material to staff in an easy and effective manner, has evolved into a far-reaching e-learning strategy which trains night patrol workers across the NT in two units of competency from the Community Services Training Package.

Program Manager, Judy McKay, credits the personalised nature of the Sundowner e-learning resource with the ultimate success of the project.

“The Sundowner DVD is a raw, emotional and captivating story of life in NT communities. It contains photos, videos, music and drawings which are overlaid with storytelling and focus on Indigenous learners in remote communities. This ensures material is culturally appropriate and stimulates interest,” she said.

“We can't always reach night patrol workers for face-to-face training but they all have access to computers and this project gives new recruits an insight into what the job entails.”

Stephen Banderson, a night patrol worker and the main voice on the DVD, said: “I feel very proud that the Sundowner Project has been recognised among the calibre of contestants competing in these Awards…Sundowner is a great training tool for night patrols across the Northern Territory and I am honoured to stand here and receive this award,” he said.

Hosted by the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department, the awards recognise individuals and organisations that use best practice to build safer communities across Australia. The awards cover all aspects of community safety including risk assessment, research, education and training, information and knowledge management, and prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

The Sundowner Project was developed through funding and support from the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework). The Framework’s E-learning Innovations program integrates and embeds e-learning into the national training system by supporting and enabling innovation in training design and delivery.

NCVER

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research has released the June quarter 2009 apprentice and trainee statistics for the Australian vocational education and training system.


To download a copy of Australian vocational education and training statistics: Apprentices and trainees, June quarter 2009 visit http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2213.html.

VET graduate employment falls in 2009

The economic slump has seen the number of VET graduates employed after training
decrease.


According to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research’s 2009 Student
Outcomes Survey, 77.8% of graduates were employed after training, compared to
80.7% in 2008.


Dr Tom Karmel, Managing Director, NCVER said the impact of the economic downturn
has been felt.


“This year it was harder for graduates to find work after finishing their training,
especially for those who did not have a job before starting their training,” Dr Karmel
said.


In 2009, for graduates who were not employed before training, there was a decrease of
5.6 percentage points in finding a job after their training compared to last year.
However, not everyone has been affected by the economic conditions.
Outcomes for trade apprentice and trainees have been relatively unaffected by the
downturn.


Despite a general decline in employment after training, graduates were positive about
their training. Satisfaction across the board remains high, with over 89% of all
graduates satisfied with the overall quality of their training.


To download a copy of Australian vocational education and training statistics: Student
outcomes 2009 visit http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2180.html

Technology vs Content

– can’t we all just get along?

Technology is hot…right? Google Wave, blogs, RSS, Twitter, crowdsourcing, connectivity – the potential for new ways of teaching and learning is enormous.

In this exciting world of rapid technological advancements, it can be easy to be distracted by flashy new technologies and forget that the key to learning is quality instructional design* and content. Within the vocational education and training (VET) community there’s a growing consensus that well-designed learning activities and quality content are at the core of truly effective e-learning.

As Harriet Wakelam, Flexible Learning Toolboxes (Toolboxes) Business Manager for the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), explained, “the fundamental educational needs of learners don’t change every time a new technology influences people’s lives”.

“Good learning design and content retains its value over time, and has the ability to grow with the user,” Harriet said.

“Web 2.0 technologies and user-generated content certainly have the potential to enrich core content, and make learning more flexible and engaging.”

Harriet explained that a review of the Toolboxes model is currently underway, and in 2010 a prototype project would explore new Toolbox models including formats which allow customisation and take into account the impact of newer technologies.

As a result, in 2010 and beyond, the Framework would look to design Toolboxes with the capacity to allow training providers to use new technologies to adapt Toolbox content to their specific needs.

The importance of learning content and instructional design is also emphasised by leading international e-learning designer Cathy Moore, who is currently touring Australia speaking at the Framework’s state and territory end of year events.

Cathy is urging teachers and trainers to re-think the traditional approach to e-learning design in which large amounts of text-heavy content is presented on PowerPoint slides, websites or CDs, and immediately followed by a multiple-choice quiz to test learners’ short-term retention.

Cathy stresses that teachers and trainers don’t need access to expensive or cutting edge technologies to create successful e-learning design as simple, well designed activities can be far more effective and engaging than impressive graphics.

Her key criteria for effective instructional design are that it should:

· Be activity/scenario based – Realistic decision-making scenarios have been proven to help learners practice retrieving information, and are particularly potent in creating long-term retention. They are also useful for teaching learners about the consequences of their actions, and give learners the skills to solve problems in the real world. Ideally, learning should feel like a series of activities uninterrupted by information breaks.

· Show, not tell – Beware, for example, of simply having a character (ie an avatar) who tells the learner the content. Instead, put the character in a challenging situation, and have the learner help them to resolve it.

· Give learners a reason to care – Design your learning activities around scenarios that show learners the benefits of learning – for example, if you were designing an activity to train waiters, you could point out that completing the training can help them to achieve bigger tips.

· Be conversational – However, avoid asking the learner too many direct questions, especially in a character-based scenario – this will remind the learner that the character is their teacher.

· Plunge the learner into the situation – Content doesn’t need to be presented at the outset (the cover-all-bases approach). Rather, teachers and trainers can lead with activities and make content available on an as-needs basis; not only will this avoid flooding the learner with content they already know, but research has shown that trial and error is conducive to learning.

Both Harriet and Cathy presented at the recent E-Dayz’09 conference in South Australia, which was sponsored by the Framework. To listen to their E-Dayz’09 presentations, go to: http://edayz.org/program/audio-recordings, or to view Harriet’s presentation slides, go to: http://2009.edayz.org/course/view.php?id=22

For more information about Cathy’s presentations for the Framework, and to view her presentation slides, visit: http://www.cathy-moore.com/resources.html, or check out her recommended resources:
· Michael Allen’s Guide to E-learning
· http://work-learning.com – for research summarising why scenarios are conducive to learning, including useful suggestions about making scenarios culturally relevant.

Toolboxes are high quality, cost effective, interactive e-learning and assessment resources. For more information about Toolboxes, and to browse and preview the full Toolbox range, go to: http://flexiblelearning.net.au/toolboxes

NCVER

Help shape the national VET research agenda


If you are interested in putting your ideas forward on the national VET research priorities, then the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) wants to hear from you.Download the discussion paper, National VET Research Priorities 2010 and beyond http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2195.html and then send us your written submissions or contribute to a blog. Written submissions must be received by Friday, 18 December 2009 and can be sent by email to renee.lukeman@ncver.edu.au.


The blog can be found at http://futureresearch.pbworks.com.


For further information about the consultation process contact Jo Hargreaves on 08 8230 8678 or joanne.hargreaves@ncver.edu.au.

Apprentice Kickstart program

The Rudd Government is urging employers to act quickly to capitalise on the extra funding on offer to take on a new apprentice under the $100 million Apprentice Kickstart program which starts on 1 December 2009. Minister for Employment Participation Mark Arbib said the Government was more than tripling the commencement bonus for employers who take on a traditional trades apprentice from today until February 28, 2010. There has never been a better time to take on an apprentice with the bonus for a new apprentice increasing from $1500 to $4850 in their first year, Senator Arbib said. Employers will receive $2350 when they employ a 15 to 19 year old apprentice in an eligible trade and then receive a further $2500 after they complete nine months.