Training Talk Newsletter - September 2005

After witnessing the care provided to her father by aged care workers, Valda Thompson, 56, from Sydney began a New Apprenticeship in the aged care industry, as she realised this would be a career she would enjoy.

Stacie Hamilton, 25, also from Sydney began her New Apprenticeship in youth work after being unable to find work after finishing her Bachelor of Creative Arts.

Freddy Davies, 16, from rural Queensland is a school based New Apprentice studying agriculture while still attending school.

There are currently 382,400 New Apprentices in training.  Many have similar stories about what attracted them to their New Apprenticeship.  Valda, Stacie and Freddy reflect the diversity of New Apprenticeships available and age of people who undertake them.

Valda, Stacie and Freddy joined fifteen other New Apprentices at the inaugural New Apprentices Roundtable hosted by the Department in July 2005.  The New Apprentices were from all over Australia and from industries or occupations where skills needs have been identified, particularly in the traditional trades. 

The Roundtable provided New Apprentices with the opportunity to:

• share information about their training and identify aspects that might help inform the development of strategies to address skills gaps; and
• undertake an action research project which will be presented to Ministers Nelson and Hardgrave later this year.

The Roundtable participants are exploring five projects:

• financial and other incentives for people to start a New Apprenticeship and for employers to take on New Apprentices;
• effective information about New Apprenticeships for Careers Advisors;
• standardising the quality of off-the-job training from Registered Training Organisations – with particular focus on motor mechanic and agriculture training;
• the duration of New Apprenticeships; and
• promotion and marketing of New Apprenticeships - including improving the perception and benefits of New Apprenticeships.

On the last day of the Roundtable participants visited Parliament House and met with members of staff from the offices of Minister Nelson and Minister Hardgrave to outline the topics of the projects. 

Roundtable participants will return to Canberra in November to meet Ministers Nelson and Hardgrave to present the findings/recommendations of their reports.

In July 2003 a decision was taken by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) to pursue the development of a national approach to articulation and credit transfer arrangements to promote the efficiency of Australia’s education and training system and make lifelong learning more attractive.

Under the auspices of MCEETYA’s advisory committee on matters of higher education (the Joint Committee on Higher Education), a number of proposals for improving credit transfer and articulation were developed based on two key elements: achieving better implementation of credit transfer and articulation in practice; and improving information to students and potential students.

The following proposals were endorsed by MCEETYA at its meeting in May 2005:

• Good Practice Principles for Credit Transfer and Articulation from VET to Higher Education – the principles set some broad goals to encourage measurable improvement over time and provide a benchmark against which progress can be assessed and reported.  Copies of the Good Practice Principles can be found at: www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher_education/policy_issues_reviews/key_issues/
  assuring_quality_in_higher_education/good_practice.htm
  
• Draft Principles for Good Practice Information Provision – the Draft Principles outline standard measures for providing clear and easily accessible information on credit transfer and articulation pathways to prospective students and their parents. Copies of the draft principles can be found at: http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher_education/policy_issues_reviews/key_issues/
  assuring_quality_in_higher_education/draft_good_practice.htm.

MCEETYA has agreed that the Draft Principles should be the basis of consultation with the Higher Education and VET sectors.  It is expected that MCEETYA will endorse a final set of Principles by the end of 2005.  Comments on the Draft Principles can be emailed to Jill.Vardy@dest.gov.au by end September 2005.  

In addition to these two initiatives, MCEETYA has agreed to:

• A National study of current practices in credit transfer and articulation between VET and higher education, mapped against the Good Practice Principles. This study will identify gaps in practice and make recommendations for initiatives to drive further improvement.  It will be undertaken by the JCHE in consultation with the Australian Qualifications Framework Advisory Board (AQFAB) and other stakeholders.  A final report is expected by mid 2006.
  
• The establishment of a Working Group to improve data. The Data Working Group will be established under the JCHE with cross-sectoral representation and will look at improving existing data sets, definitions of articulation and credit transfer and collection methods.  This will enable national performance to be tracked more accurately.
  
• Asking the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) and the new VET quality agency to take a more active role in auditing credit transfer and articulation practice against the National Good Practice Principles.

A key priority for Australian, State and Territory governments is to make it easier for Australians to enter higher education from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences, including those students transferring from VET to Higher Education.  It is hoped that this package of measures will result in improvements that will aid in the uptake of credit transfer and articulation arrangements by students and prospective students.

For further information please contact Jill Vardy on (02) 62407181 or Jill.Vardy@dest.gov.au.

The Group Training in the Trades Programme (GTTP), as announced during the 2004 election campaign, is a $45.9 million investment over four years and will assist up to 11,500 people nationally to undertake a New Apprenticeship in the trades.

GTTP will provide funding to Group Training Organisations through brokered organisations to provide New Apprenticeship opportunities in trade areas.  These New Apprenticeship opportunities will focus on providing: Pre-vocational training in the trades with articulation into a New Apprenticeship; and School-Based New Apprenticeships in the trades.

The programme commenced on 1 July 2005, and over four years will provide an additional 7,000 School-Based New Apprenticeships in the trades and up to 4,500 pre-vocational training places for people preparing to take up a New Apprenticeship in the trades.

The Group Training in the Trades Programme will deliver a range of further vocational education and training opportunities for people in regional Australia, as well as opportunities for industries in these regions that are currently experiencing difficulties in accessing suitably qualified tradespeople.

Beneficiaries from this initiative, across metropolitan and regional Australia, will be young people in years 11 and 12 of high school seeking a career in the trades, people requiring pre-vocational training prior to entering a New Apprenticeship and Australian industries experiencing shortages of skilled tradespeople.

Minister Hardgrave announced the outcomes of the Group Training in the Trades tender process in a media release on 1 July 2005.  Four organisations were successful in securing business to act as Brokers for the Programme across twelve regions throughout Australia.

Further information about the GTTP is available at https://gttp.dest.gov.au/ , by phoning the Training Initiatives hotline on 1300 782 295 or by emailing grouptraining@dest.gov.au 

The VET Priority Places Programme commenced in May 2004 and contracts ended on 30 June 2005.

The Programme has been a great success in providing quality vocational education and training outcomes for low income earners who belonged to the following Priority Target Groups: people with a disability; older workers aged 45 years or over; and parents entering or re-entering the work force. 

To 30 June 2005, 7,426 participants participated in the Programme and over 4,640 had successfully completed training.  A large number of these participants have now gained employment or have decided to undertake further study.

The courses provided under the Programme included Business, Information Technology, Retail Operations, Aged Care, Home Care, Home & Community Care, Disability Care, Workplace Assessment, Library Information and Transport & Distribution. The level of training undertaken has ranged from AQF level II to V.

It’s not everyday that the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Governor-General of Australia shake your hand and congratulate you on your work achievements. For 21 group training apprentices and trainees this was just part of what they experienced at Group Training Australia’s four day leadership program, Today’s Skills: Tomorrow’s Leaders, held at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Canberra and sponsored by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).

Chosen from the group training network’s 40,000 apprentices and trainees across Australia, this select group experienced life at the AIS, met athletes in training and worked on developing their own ideal vision for their future, along with realistic steps to get them there.

Lifestyle strategist, Ian Hutchinson, led the program centred on one fundamental psychological principle: “Everyone is motivated by improving their lifestyle”. He challenged the group to make better informed decisions about their work, life and the balance between the two and to have an inspiring vision so they are in more control of their future.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was not at all open to the idea that in only four days I would shape, change and realise how to make my life better, by just little easy steps. Amazing!!!”

“I left my mind open, not expecting a lot and I was blown away with the tools and the things that I realised about myself. 10/10”

This group proved that even though their apprenticeships are in diverse career areas such as Electro-technology, Engineering, Automotive, Hospitality, IT, Business, Horticulture, Painting & Decorating etc, some things are the same – they all are motivated to excel in their work and are confident that they have made a positive career move that will lead to a great future ahead.

“I am walking away with so much confidence in my future. This program has helped clear my clouded vision.”

“It gave me an insight into myself which I didn’t let in before because it was too “unrealistic”. Now I know it isn’t, anything is possible and I have to at least try!”

For information on group training call 1800 819 747 or go to http://www.grouptraining.com.au/