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Fast Facts

Edition 294

Registrations open for the 2008 Australian Training Awards Presentation Dinner

The 2008 Australian Training Awards will be held in Darwin at the Darwin Convention Centre on 20 November. To register your attendance to witness the best in Australian training, visit Register_to_attend page.

For further information please contact Emma Gaughwin on (02) 62405408 or email emma.gaughwin@deewr.gov.au.

Grant funding for Registered Training Organisations

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is calling for applications for funding up to $50,000 (GST exclusive) for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to develop and implement ‘Fast-Track Apprenticeships’.

Applicants should address

  • how proposed activities will reduce the completion time of an apprenticeship (not just off-the-job components), and still meet the high quality demands of industry, employers and apprentices;
  • how they will work with industry and local employers to ‘fast-track’ apprenticeships; and
  • how they will address skill shortages within regions as well as industry demand.

Applicants will need to download the following documents:

Brokerage Funding for Fast-Track Apprenticeships

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is calling for applications from lead organisations to broker ‘fast-track’ apprenticeship models/activities to alleviate skill shortages. These models/activities should increase the number of apprenticeships completed on demonstrated competence rather than time served. 

Only lead organisations that have been operating an effective, nationally recognised fast-track model in the proposed industry for at least five years are eligible for funding. These organisations should have demonstrated broad development, promotion and implementation of this model with industry on a regional and/or national level. 

Applicants will need to download the following documents:



All applications for funding should be emailed to fast-track@deewr.gov.au For more information contact the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, on 02 6240 7219 / 9046, fast-track@deewr.gov.au or visit www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/RTO/Fast_track.asp

Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association

Members of the Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) are hosting a series of VET research seminars around Australia, in AVETRA's annual October VET series.

Events are being held during October and November in Melbourne (two events), Wagga Wagga, Darwin, Mackay, Ballarat and Perth. For details see:
http://www.avetra.org.au/calendar/index.shtml

New Ways of Working in VET Forum 5

Reframing the Future is facilitating an interactive, national two day forum encouraging fresh thinking about innovation, agility and responsiveness in the vocational education and training system.

The forum will be held on 17 and 18 November 2008 in Melbourne and will provide an opportunity for the participants to network, share contemporary approaches to vocational education and training and promote good practice in implementing the national training system.

Participants will also have an opportunity to attend the ‘Enterprises Enhanced by VET’ forums, as well as activities with a special focus on the latest Council of Australian Governments recognition of prior learning resources and practices from around Australia.

The forum will be of value to vocational education and training practitioners interested in developing their capabilities to continuously improve competency based training and assessment and in being responsive to the workforce development requirements of industry and communities.

Confirmed keynote speakers include Dr Peter Smith who will speak on insights from strategic and change management projects in registered training organisations and Jane Figgis in conversation about teaching and learning in VET.

Participants can register by downloading a detailed flyer/registration form from www.reframingthefuture.net .

For more information contact Renata Marshall, Reframing the Future, on
 08 8207 9655, or Renata.Marshall@tafesa.edu.au .

Insights from Strategic and Change Management Projects in Registered Training Organisations

Reframing the Future has produced a new publication that is available as an easy to navigate PDF from www.reframingthefuture.net 

The publication provides snapshots of eleven of the thirty Reframing the Future strategic and change management projects undertaken in 2007.  The projects took place in a range of public, private, community and enterprise providers from around Australia.

The author, Dr Peter Smith, is a recently retired senior academic and experienced researcher with a long standing understanding of VET organisations.

In analysing the interviews with the eleven project convenors Dr Smith drew a number of conclusions that provide insights into how Reframing the Future projects are assisting RTOs to develop capabilities to contribute to meeting the national priorities of workforce productivity and participation.

For more information contact Suzy McKenna, National Project Director, Reframing the Future on 08 8207 9688, Suzy.McKenna@tafesa.edu.au

CEET Annual National Conference

The expansion of education and training: ensuring relevance, quality and inclusion.

Friday 31 October, Ascot House, 50 Fenton Street, Ascot Vale

Registration by October 10th would be appreciated to assist with planning.
Registration details and draft program

Manufacturing Skills Australia (MSA), 3rd annual conference

Manufacturing – Skilling for the future on Wednesday 29 October, 2008 at Dockside (venue) Balcony 1, Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Harbour, Sydney.

The central theme for the conference Manufacturing – Skilling for the future will focus on current and future issues for manufacturing, including building and enhancing workforce capability.

It is expected that close to 200 national delegates will attend the 2008 conference, including enterprise decision makers, key stakeholders of the manufacturing industry associations, unions and training providers. MSA will be showcasing companies that are participating in workforce development.

Keynote speakers that have been confirmed and announced are; Chief Executive of the Australian Industry Group, Heather Ridout, Chair of Skills Australia, Philip Bullock and Sharan Burrow, President of the Australian Council of Trades Unions,

Other keynote speakers will be talking about the latest technology development and innovation in manufacturing; case studies on their experiences in workforce development; recognising and building skills and growing the green collar economy.

For more information contact Bernadette Shiel from Manufacturing Skills Australia on (02) 9955 5500, email bernadetteshiel@mskills.com.au or visit http://www.mskills.com.au/

Professional development opportunities:

Voc Ed Learning Group (VELG) will be running two new workshops for RTO staff to attend during October and November 2008.  Feedback from previous VELG workshops in 2008 has indicated that people were eager to learn more about assessment validation and survey writing as forms of ‘Continuous Improvement’ under the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration.

For more information regarding these workshops please visit www.velg.com.au.

Striving for Excellence Conference – 13 October

QTIC Skills Link will be holding its annual conference for teachers and trainers of tourism and hospitality on Monday 13th October 2008. 

Our aim is to provide an opportunity for teachers and trainers to update their industry knowledge and skills through a series of workshops and information sessions.  It will be hands on and informative and a great opportunity to network with a range of training providers and industry!
For details please visit QTIC Skills

WELL on the way! – 2008 Conference

A National Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) Practitioners’ Conference will be held on Wednesday 12 November and Thursday 13 November, at Bankstown District Sports Club, NSW, Australia.

For further information email Kath at MESAB – mesab@mesab.com.au

This Conference is supported by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

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Want to submit information for Fast Facts?

Fast Facts will be published next on Friday, 17 October 2008.  The deadline for submission of information for inclusion is COB Monday 13 October.