Staying Connected in VET eZine | May 2015 | Volume 4 by Velg Training

STAYING CONNECTED IN Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarterly VET eZine

MAY 2015

VOLUME 4 | FREE

Assistant Minister Birmingham on protecting students

VET

2015 Feature: Virtual VET Summit launches online

National Youth Week (NYW) Recap: 10-19 April 2015

EDUCATE | INSPIRE | EMPOWER velgtraining.com

Velg Training Membership Velg Training is Australia’s leading provider of Vocational Education and Training (VET) professional development and consulting services. Our Vision is to Educate, Inspire and Empower the VET community by providing quality, flexible and innovative products and services - and the Velg Training Membership program is no exception. Velg Training Membership supports your compliance with the national VET Standards. As a Member you have access to programs and resources that assist in the continued development of knowledge and practice of vocational training, learning and assessment. Membership is available to all VET practitioners from private, public and enterprise training organisations as well as VET consultants.

Benefits for Velg Training Members

Discounts on all Velg Training Events

FREE PD

- through our Members only webinars

Resources

- hundreds of resources available to download on the Members Lounge

Consulting

- access advice, assistance and discounts on consulting services

Weekly Members eNews

Members Only Validation Directory

- comprehensive round up of the week in VET

Online Members Lounge

VelgCasts

- just like a PodCast, a digital audio file

- custom-built online resources for Members.

Membership logo & certificate Displaying the Velg Training Membership Logo is an excellent way to demonstrate that you are a part of the Australian VET sector’s peak member-serving organisation. All Velg Training Members are provided with a Certificate of Membership. Individual Membership Certificates include the Individual Member’s name, while Corporate Membership Certificates include the organisation’s name.

Individual Membership: $290 (incl. GST)

Corporate Membership: $990 (incl. GST)

The named individual has access to the online Members Lounge, the weekly Member eNews and is eligible for discounts on Velg Training products and services, as outlined in Membership benefits.

Corporate Members have access to the same Membership benefits, but it is targeted at organisations with four or more staff. Corporate Members are entitled to an unlimited number of ‘Sibling Accounts’, which can be added at no additional charge.

For more information on the Terms and Conditions of Velg Training Membership, please visit velgtraining.com/membership.

CONTACT P 07 3866 0888 F 07 3866 0899 E members@velgtraining.com 1/52 Jeffcott Street, Wavell Heights Qld 4012 velgtraining.com @velgtraining

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

2015 Virtual VET Summit Feature

EDUCATE

INSPIRE

EMPOWER

Reforms to VET protect students 6

2015 Virtual VET Summit: online PD for the busy VET professional 10

Applying IBSA’s VET Capability Framework 18

Using third parties: Is your RTO complying with the Standards? 7 FSAT: Meeting the assessment challenge 8

Inspiring excellence in VET 14

Instructional design for the 21st century 19

Encouraging a creative culture 16

NYW a huge success! 20 VET PD Events 22

Using third parties

Cultivating creativity

National Youth Week

© Velg Training All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without explicit written permission of the editor, except in the case of brief quotations and other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the editor at the address below, with the subject “Permissions Request”. Publication design by Amy Lynch. Icon design by Freepik. CONTACT Velg Training Pty Ltd. 1/52 Jeffcott Street Wavell Heights QLD 4012 Australia | 07 3866 0888 | enquiries@velgtraining.com SUBSCRIBE To subscribe to Staying Connected in VET eZine visit velgtraining.com. CONTRIBUTE Velg Training welcomes previously unpublished editorial contributions in the form of VET sector news, events and feature articles supplied with high quality web resolution photographs. All submissions will be published at the editorial committee’s discretion and may be used in Velg Training’s weekly eNewsletters upon confirmation with the contributor. news@velgtraining.com ADVERTISE Advertising space is limited and bookings will be confirmed upon receipt of payment on a ‘first in, best dressed’ basis. Advertising bookings do not guarantee editorial submissions will be published. For more information, view the Terms and Conditions of Contract in the 2015 Media Kit.

Australia’s quarterly VET eZine

MAY 2015

VOLUME 4

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LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER Michelle

Weaver

elcome to the fourth edition of Staying Connected in VET eZine, the online magazine for Australia’s VET sector. We are celebrating one year of delivering this free interactive publication to the country’s VET professionals. We want to take the opportunity to thank all of our advertisers and editorial contributors to date. Since I last wrote to you, Velg Training has hosted our first ever live streamed Virtual VET Summit. An audience of over 300 delegates logged on across Australia to hear the latest updates about the new Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015, the USI and more – all presented live and completely online. The event was such a success, we are gearing up to host another online event in two week’s time: the 2015 Queensland Schools Virtual VET Summit. We have released select Virtual VET Summit recordings for RTOs, from the 10 sessions hosted over two days in February. They are available for a limited time only to purchase before 30 June 2015. Our Membership program has welcomed over 10,000 Corporate and Individual Members to date, offering exclusive access to online resources, templates, webinars, our weekly eNews and discounts on Consulting, Products and PD events. Recent additions to the Velg Training Members Lounge include our suite of VelgCasts (short and sharp

downloadable PodCasts) and the new Validation Directory designed to connect RTOs who have similar validation requirements. We are thrilled to add this online space to our Member benefits and have developed complimentary sample tools and templates to assist with your validation processes. Non-Members can also preview and purchase these customisable products to use within their organisation. Last year we hosted our largest National VET Conference to date, where we explored our ever-evolving sector in depth and reminded each other that the ‘Impossible IS Possible Together’. Given all of the changes, announcements and reforms over the past six months, you may be feeling like you have had to give your organisation and/or your role a refresh since the start of 2015. So this year we are back at it again and we want you to focus on ‘Reconnecting VET’. We want to get you back in touch with the information you need to know to stay current and compliant. We have launched a comprehensive program to take you through our two-day flagship event and we are proud to be hosting it all from Adelaide for the first time. Preview our program online (and on Pages 12-13) for this year’s National VET Conference at the Adelaide Convention and Exhibition Centre from 17-18 September 2015. Our Early Bird Catches The Worm date has come and gone but you still have time to grab the Early Bird rate before 30 June 2015! We have celebrated the milestone of launching Australia’s largest Mentoring Program for the VET sector, with positive attendee feedback so far. If you would like to learn more about

this new collaborative form of online PD or our other face-to-face and online events, you can contact our office on (07) 3866 0888 or email events@velgtraining.com. I would like to close with a note about our National RTO Network LinkedIn Group. When I created this online forum as a ‘private’ LinkedIn Group several years ago, I wanted to provide a space for RTO professionals from across Australia to connect with each other. We made the switch to an ‘open’ Group in 2012 when it had around 1,700 members and it has grown exponentially since then to almost 10,000 members. It is remarkable to see the number of new discussion threads being posted each week and the sense of collaboration and dialogue this medium fosters. We distribute our weekly eNews to Velg Training Members and subscribers each Thursday but you can rest assured that if something has occurred in the VET sector in between our publishing dates, you will find it on the National RTO Network LinkedIn Group. If you haven’t already joined this free online social media network, I invite you to do so. I would like to thank all of our article contributors and eZine advertisers once again for your continued commitment to Australia’s VET sector. Thank you for working with us to create another informative edition for our readers.

Michelle Weaver CEO/Founder of Velg Training

Stay Connected in VET - the team at Velg Training can’t wait to hear from you! 1/52 Jeffcott Street, Wavell Heights Qld 4012 (07) 3866 0888

news@velgtraining.com

Australia’s quarterly VET eZine

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

e’re having a virtual VET eZine 1st birthday party with the launch of this edition – join us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and share your ‘birthday wish’ for Staying Connected in VET! For more information, visit our website. Our Volume 4 edition features content to Educate our readers about current VET FEE-HELP reforms and the new National Vocational and Education Training Regulator (NVETR) Act from Assistant Minister for Education and Training Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham. ASQA’s Chris Robinson also enlightens us with information about using third parties for student recruitment and enrollment, while ACER’s Martin Burdis provides an overview of the recently developed Foundation Skills Assessment Tool (FSAT). We want to Inspire new ways of delivering VET PD and new ways to

implement positive changes within your organisation, so we have covered Velg Training’s 2015 Virtual VET Summit. Dr Denise Meyerson has written about ways to foster a creative problem solving culture within your workplace. You will also find easy-to-digest tips from industry experts in our regular ‘Inspiring excellence in VET’ section. Lastly, we hope to Empower our readers: We have an update from IBSA about their VET Capability Framework, Dr Melissa Bordogna’s take on embracing 21st century teaching and learning tools and a recap of this year’s National Youth Week. This is all in addition to our regular VET Glossary and upcoming industry events. Share this VET eZine with your contacts — they can subscribe to our E-Alerts and free Subscriber Bulletin, where we link to each new edition, or join directly via our Issuu account. The next edition of our VET eZine

will be published in August — you can expect a 2015 National VET Conference planner, information from Velg Training’s Consulting Team and updates to take you through the second half of the year. If you have any future editorial or advertising requests, please do not hesitate to contact me at news@velgtraining.com. Amy Lynch Editor, Velg Training

Amy Lynch will be presenting ‘Reconnecting with the Virtual VET Community’ on Day 1 of Velg Training’s 2015 National VET Conference.

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EDUCATE

Reforms to VET protect students by Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham

y Stepfather, Jim, started his working life as a cook in the Royal Air Force. By the time he migrated to Australia he had trained and was working as a butcher, although later work as a bus driver and farrier would ensue. My Aunt started out as a hairdresser, while Mum variously worked in administration, retail and driving. VET has been a large part of my family’s life. As it has been, and continues to be, for most Australian families. Australia’s training system is one of the best in the world and we want to make sure that it remains so. That is why we have taken action to ensure the integrity of our training system is preserved well into the future. In March this year we introduced reforms to the VET sector, including the VET FEE-HELP scheme that will protect

The National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment Bill and the new national Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 have introduced positive changes to the regulation of VET providers. It means more transparency. All providers, including brokers and other third parties that are marketing a VET course need to clearly identify which registered training organisation is providing the qualification. It also means an extended registration period for RTOs from five to seven years, reducing the volume of reregistration audits so our national training regulator, ASQA, can focus more on thoroughly investigating and acting on high risk and poor-quality providers. There are also tough new national Standards, which now apply to VET marketing practices, the information

to support Australian businesses. We are also continuing to work with the industry to get the best results for students. I recently had the pleasure of launching ACPET’s Codes of Practice and Ethics. This industry-led response to tackle rogue providers and lift standards in the VET sector shows how both government and industry are working towards a common goal. I started with a reference to my family and I will finish similarly. My late maternal grandmother was a teacher and primary school principal, or headmistress as they called them in her day. She was perhaps the greatest influence over my interest in politics, public policy and current affairs. I know that Nan would be smiling on my recent assignment to the education portfolio and willing me to do everything possible to ensure that all students, whatever their educational pathway, have the skills necessary to succeed in life, to get a job, support their families and contribute to society. That is exactly what our government intends to do. At the end of the day, we want a high-quality training system that meets the needs of both students and business, and we are taking action now, to secure the future of our training sector.

The time is up for dodgy marketing agents enticing

people to sign up for courses they don’t need vulnerable students and taxpayers against those who seek to take advantage of them. It is disappointing that a few bad apples have undermined the reputations of the many training providers who provide high-quality VET for around three million Australians every year. I have made it clear that the time is up for dodgy marketing agents offering inducements like laptops, meals, vouchers and prizes, enticing people to sign up for VET courses they don’t need and incur a debt they cannot repay. Our government’s reforms are about getting the best quality training for our students, so they can bring the skills that businesses need to the jobs of the future, skills that will keep our economy strong.

provided to prospective students and to how individual learners are supported to meet training requirements. All this builds on significant reforms we have already made across the VET sector. We have created a national VET Complaints Hotline — 13 38 73 — so people can raise concerns about organisations that are not doing the right thing. We have improved data reporting and invested $68 million to strengthen ASQA. We have created new Trade Support Loans and last month cracked the 20,000 application mark. Effective support for our apprentices is essential to ensure the Australian apprenticeships system provides an ongoing supply of skilled workers

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Simon Birmingham has served as a Liberal Party Senator for South Australia since May 2007. In December 2014, he was appointed to serve as the Assistant Minister for Education and Training in the Abbott Ministry, with specific responsibility for vocational education, apprenticeships, training and skills.

See Senator Birmingham’s Keynote on Day 1 of Velg Training’s 2015 National VET Conference.

velgtraining.com

EDUCATE

Using third parties: Is your RTO complying with the Standards?

RTOs must have a written agreement with any third party that they work with and ASQA must be informed of any such agreements

he use of third parties, or brokers, in VET, particularly for student recruitment and enrolment, continues to be an issue for the sector and threaten its internationally-recognised reputation of providing high-quality training and assessment. ASQA believes that the majority of RTOs that engage third parties are doing the right thing and ensuring those parties meet all relevant requirements of the Standards. However, as with many other aspects of life, there is the minority of RTOs that – through their practices are casting a shadow over the sector as-a-whole. I recently wrote to all RTOs regulated by ASQA to remind them of their obligations under the new Standards regarding the use of third parties. Because of the importance of the issue, I would like to use this column to reinforce the advice I provided. Under the new Standards, RTOs must have a written agreement with any third party that they work with and ASQA must be informed of any such agreements. This notification must be done by submitting a Notification of material change or event form, which is available from ASQA’s website. Notification is required for all existing third party arrangements (if AQSA has not already been notified) as well as

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any new arrangements. The Standards also place an increased emphasis on ensuring prospective learners are only enrolled in programs that are appropriate to meet their needs and, further, that the learner has the capability, existing skills and competencies to be able to undertake the training program. Whilst brokers and similar service providers can play a role in referring students to RTOs, it is essential that a proper assessment of each learner’s needs and capabilities occurs. RTOs are responsible for ensuring this assessment is undertaken. Only knowledgeable and experienced VET practitioners have the ability to assess students for these requirements. Therefore, it would be unwise for RTOs to allow unskilled and inexperienced people to undertake this part of the enrolment process on their behalf. It is also the RTO’s responsibility to ensure learners are properly informed and protected. A prospective learner must be provided with current, accurate information to enable them to make an informed decision about training with an RTO. RTOs need to ensure any third parties are also meeting these requirements. Finally, there are also clear requirements in the Standards relating to information about fees and government funding. If a third party is

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recruiting a learner into a qualification paid by VET FEE-HELP, the RTO must ensure the information provided to a learner explains they will incur a debt and the costs of establishing the loan. The prospective learner must understand how they will need to repay that debt, and they must also understand other implications of entering into a VET FEE-HELP loan arrangement. Third parties, such as brokers, have a role to play in the VET sector. However, the onus is firmly and wholly on the RTO to ensure that the third party is meeting all relevant requirements of the Standards. ASQA will not hesitate to take action against any RTO if it is found that a broker acting on their behalf in non-compliant. Chris Robinson is the Chief Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of ASQA, the national regulator for Australia’s VET sector. ASQA regulates courses and training providers to ensure nationally approved quality Standards are met. asqa.gov.au

See Chris Robinson’s Keynote on Day 1 of Velg Training’s 2015 National VET Conference.

velgtraining.com

EDUCATE

FSAT: Meeting the

assessment challenge

t is now widely recognised that addressing the LLN skills of learners in the VET sector is both crucial and an accepted part of our VET pre-training assessment and delivery mechanisms. The challenge in addressing LLN within VET in the 21st century is that

computer adaptive approach in order to accurately target the assessment for the learner. Other skills, such as writing and speaking, will be assessed offline using prompts and comprehensive marking guides. ACER believes that FSAT will be

ACER believes that FSAT will be an important

tool for RTOs to use in the future –

and it is intended to be free literacy and numeracy no longer simply address the three ‘Rs’, but require mastery of a complex set of skills. The ACSF represents this complexity across five core skills and across five widely differing levels of performance. A structure of performance indicators and sets of detailed descriptions cover different facets of each LLN skill. The new CSfW likewise addresses this complexity. Developing valid, reliable and fair tools for assessing and reporting the Foundation Skills of learners is not a simple matter of using a handful of questions to decide where a learner is at across the whole five ACSF levels. In order to support VET providers in further addressing this challenge, the Australian Government contracted ACER to develop FSAT, combining its’ assessment expertise with that of Foundation Skills content experts. Purpose built on a stand-alone online platform, FSAT will assess learners’ skills automatically, online and using a

an important tool for RTOs to use in the future – and it is intended to be free.

Where is FSAT at? With the consultation phase and the development of all the assessment questions complete, FSAT is now in the vital trial stage. The trials are essential to the success of FSAT as they ensure that the final assessments are valid, reliable and fair. The trials are scheduled to run in the forthcoming months and will continue until it has been tested with a sufficient number of learners. A minimum of 200 different learners answering each question will provide the robust psychometric data required to verify the quality of the assessments and to drive the computer adaptive feature. This means many thousands of learners need to participate. The trials are also important for gathering feedback both about the assessment questions and about learning in cognitive laboratories. This feedback enables ACER to guarantee that the FSAT meets learners’ needs and interests. It also gives important

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feedback about the most appropriate supporting information that needs to be developed for both learners and RTOs. Feedback received from learners to date has been overwhelmingly positive. As one participant explained, “the problems were interesting everyday things that would happen” and “I liked how it showed different ways to solve problems.” ACER is very interested in hearing from VET and employment services providers who wish to be involved in the FSAT trials.

Get Involved in the FSAT trials

Martin Burdis is the Project Director for the Foundation Skill Assessment Tool (FSAT) at ACER. He has 15 years of experience in delivering educational services and projects around the world in the schools, VET and higher education sectors. acer.edu.au

ACER’s Dave Tout will present ‘Making the Connection: Supporting and addressing LLN in VET assessments’ on Day 2 of Velg Training’s 2015 National VET Conference.

velgtraining.com

2015 Virtual VET Summit Feature

SMW in between VET Summit sessions

Velg Training hosted the first completely live and online Virtual VET Summit from our Brisbane Training Room on 24-25 February 2015. In frosty NYC during the #VETSummit

he event featured 10 sessions delivered completely live and online to an audience of over 300 delegates who logged on from across Australia. Presenters included: • Kathryn Shugg, General Manager, Reform Policy, VET Reform Taskforce;

The Velgy Bunch were working onsite in Brisbane to facilitate the twoday event and answer client enquiries. Three of our team members logged on from another timezone where they were working remotely while attending Social Media Week (SMW) in New York! They moderated the Virtual VET Summit chat feed, listened in, live

presentations and explain key areas and accompanying requirements. View the select recordings available for purchase on Velg Training’s website until 30 June 2015. View the social media coverage from the event by searching for the #VETSummit event hashtag on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For more information about future live streamed Velg Training events, contact our Events Team on (07) 3866 0888 or email events@velgtraining.com. Mark your diary for the 2016 Virtual VET Summit which will take place in the first half of the new year!

Over 300 delegates logged on from across Australia to attend 10 sessions delivered live online • David Garner, Regional Manager Compliance, ASQA; • Jason Coutts, Acting Student Identifiers Registrar, Information Infrastructure Branch, Skills Policy Division of the Department of Education and Training; • John Dwyer, Consultant, Velg Training; • John Price, Consultant, John Price & Associates; • Carol Hunter, Principal, RTO Services & Consulting; and • Kerri Buttery, Consultant, Velg Training.

Tweeted and posted on Facebook to cover the sessions and keep our social media followers up-to-date across our channels. This was a truly ‘virtual’ event, and we even went to the other side of the world to prove it! Sessions were recorded and post-event resources were sent to all delegates. If you missed your chance to log into the Virtual VET Summit, you can now purchase select high-quality recordings to support your RTO’s transition to the new Standards. Virtual VET Summit recordings will take you through the event’s detailed

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Purchase select 2015 VET Summit recordings to support your RTO’s transition to the new Standards

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The Velgy Bunch prepares for launch

Velgy Bear logged on from SMW in NY

Jason Coutts spoke about the USI

Kerri Buttery, Velg Training Consultant and 2015 Virtual VET Summit Presenter

Quick Velgy Bunch selfie between phone calls!

‘Smokey’ made a surprise guest appearance

New Workshop series John Price

RPL the ‘Black Box*’ Approach Clarity in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 has been achieved in a number of instances including that associated with recognition of prior learning (RPL). The requirement of implementing RPL assessment in an RTO is now a component in clauses 1.8 and 1.12. *The ‘Black Box’ approach implies from a student’s point of view they need not necessarily be concerned with the ‘jargon of the unit’ but more focused on achieving the practical and observable aspects of competency that emerge from the ‘Black Box*’ in a user-friendly assessment environment that maintains the quality and rigour of the unit.

Brisbane

9 June 2015

Velg Training

Sydney

23 June 2015

Novotel Sydney Central

Melbourne

30 June 2015

Parkview Hotel Melbourne

Adelaide

7 July 2015

Rydges South Park Adelaide

Perth

8 July 2015

Novotel Perth Langley

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2015

NATIONAL VET CONFERENCE ADELAIDE DAY ONE

Thursday, 17 September 2015 7:30am 8:45am

8:45am 10:30am Keynote

Registration, Tea & Coffee 8:45am - 8:55am

8:55am - 9:10am

9:10am - 9:40am

9:40am - 10:20am

10:20am - 10:30am

The Hon Gail Gago MLC SA Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills

Kerri Buttery Velg Training

Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham Assistant Minister for Education and Training

Chris Robinson Chief Commissioner Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)

Dimity Redcliffe Marketing, Conference & Events Manager Velg Training

10:30am 11:00am

Morning Tea & Networking Policy & Reform

11:10am 11:55am

Master Class

Admin Stream

Thought Leadership Advantage: How to elevate the thinking of your key people to drive performance

Is it or isn’t it: What constitutes a third party arrangement?

Reconnecting with the Virtual VET Community

Validation of Assessment: Is it me or the auditor

It’s not Rocket Science: The sequel

The VET Landscape: The big picture

Department of Education and Training

Mark Hodgson

Carol Hunter

Amy Lynch

Wendy Cato

Geoff Oliver

Angela McGregorGoodwin

Implementation and Implications of VET Reform

RPL is Mandatory Again, You Need a User-Friendly RPL Kit!

Embed Standard 1 Compliance Evidence in your Learning Management System

10 Sure-Fire Ways to Send your Class to Sleep (and How to Avoid them)

Significant Items from the ‘Standards for RTOs 2015’ for Administrators

Department of Education and Training

Corporate Social Responsibility in the VET Sector: Using industry engagement to empower communities

John Price

Tricia Velthuizen

Allison Miller

Jonathon Peck

Angela McGregorGoodwin

Implementation and Implications of VET Reform

Elective Session 1

12:05pm 12:50pm Elective Session 2

RTO Management & Compliance

Training & Assessing

12:50pm 1:35pm

1:45pm 2:30pm

Networking Lunch Implementation and Implications of VET Reform

The Thick Grey Line of Compliance

Practical Transition Planning for Training Products

20+ Ways to Boost Student Completion Rates

Conducting Assessment at Certificate IV and Diploma Levels

Joe Newbery

Therese Hickey

Denise Meyerson

Tony Feagan

Advanced Facilitation Workshop

Navigating through TGA and ASQAnet

Elective Session 3

Department of Education and Training

2:40pm 3:25pm Elective Session 4

Elective Session 5

5:00pm 9:00pm

Lauren Hollows

Implementation and Implications of VET Reform

How to Massage Data for Painless AVETMISS Upload

Department of Education and Training

Gabrielle Deschamps

3:25pm 3:55pm

4:05pm 4:50pm

Marc Ratcliffe & Jason Ash

Afternoon Tea & Networking Implementation and Implications of VET Reform

Department of Education and Training

Compliance Q&A

Ensuring Best Practices under the Fair Work Act

Creating Quality Online Training Resources

HR Requirements and the Colloquial Length of String

The Power of Fun, Interactive Scenarios in E-learning

Guru Panel

Stephen Roebuck

Allison Miller

Kerri Buttery

Byron Tik & Michelle Kenny

Welcome Function - Networking & Fun!

How to Successfully Ride the Wave of Change in Admin-land

Nick McEwan-Hall

DAY TWO

Friday, 18 September 2015 8:15am 8:45am

Catch up over Coffee

8:45am 9:00am

Kerri Buttery & Dimity Redcliffe, Velg Training

9:00am 9:45am

Motivational Speaker!

9:45am 10:15am

Morning Tea & Networking VET Shapers

10:25am 11:10am Elective Session 6

11:20am 12:05pm

RTO Management & Compliance

Training & Assessing

“So you’re Planning an Internal Review of a Qualification on your Scope of Registration - Systems within Systems!”

Compliance is not a Dirty Word

Recharge your Social Media Presence

The Art of Introduction

John Dwyer

Geoff Oliver

Dimity Redcliffe

Jason Ash

Reconnecting with the Power to Learn

A is for Agent, B is for Broker: Managing student engagement and assessing suitability

Implementing Quality Assurance Strategies

Laurie Kelly

Lauren Hollows

Tony Feagan

Elective Session 7

12:05pm 12:50pm

1:00pm 1:45pm

Master Class

Exploring the Amount of Training within the Volume of Learning

Non-Linear Learning

Angela McGregorGoodwin

George Nelson

Compliance Q&A

Networking Lunch Baker’s Dozen: How your procedures fit into your RTO’s operations

Intersecting VET and Learning & Development

VET FEE-HELP vs Payment Plans: And the winner is...

Creating Experiential Learning that Works Better than you’d Expect

Making the Connection: Supporting and addressing LLN in VET assessments

Save Money, Save Time: Cluster it!

John Price Industry Engagement: Beyond the ‘tick and flick’

Paul Rasmussen

Davin Miller

Gene Howell

Dave Tout

Wendy Cato

Developing the Skills of VET Practitioners: A real story

Connecting with ‘Total VET Activity’

Carol Hunter

Kerri-Anne Sommerfeld & Claire Rasmussen

Elective Session 8

1:55pm 2:40pm Elective Session 9

Alison Anlezark

2:40pm 3:10pm

Afternoon Tea & Networking The Funology of Engagement

Enough Finger Pointing: Let’s choose the culture we want for VET in Australia

Innovation in Learning: Engaging with technology for successful pedagogic practice

Training and Assessment Strategy Development

Top Tips for Developing Compliant Assessment Tools

Developing Compliant Marketing Material

Marc Ratcliffe

Nick McEwan-Hall

Leo Gregorc

Therese Hickey

Joe Newbery

Kerri Buttery

3:20pm 3:55pm Elective Session 10

4:05pm 4:25pm

Australian Training Awards Panel Session

4:25pm 4:30pm

Prize Draw & Close

Training Package Stream

Inspiring excellence in VET RPL in a nutshell Many people think that RPL is just another assessment tool, and it is. However it does need some “acknowledgement” of some of its “uniqueness” within the structure of an RTO. Listed below are three “must have” areas of compliance that should be considered when offering RPL and a series of questions your RTO should be able to answer. Policies and procedures RPL like any other form of assessment needs to have policies and procedures to support its’ use. The policies and procedures should cover areas such as: • When do we offer RPL – will it be at the beginning or on a continuous basis (apprentices)? • Who is allowed to assess RPL – can anyone be an RPL assessor or do we want structure around who does this?

RPL assessment instruments The questions to be asked here deal with how the RTO treats the RPL assessment process: • Does the RTO have specific instruments for RPL or is it just using the “normal” assessment instruments, or even worse no formal instruments where the assessor is more of a “guesser”? • Are materials given to the applicant readable and understandable or has the RTO just given them printed copies of the Units of Competency? • Are the instruments mapped and validated? RPL assessor requirements • Have the assessors been trained in the organisation’s RPL process? • Are the new RPL assessors mentored to make sure they actually know what needs to be done?

Wendy is the Director of CATOHR/RPL Assist. The company sells and designs electronic RPL Tool Kits made to order, for any qualification as well as providing professional development workshops on RPL, clustering and other topics, and providing quality consulting services to RTOs. catohr.com.au

Wendy Cato will present ‘Validation of Assessment: Is it me or the auditor?’ on Day 1 and ‘Save Money, Save Time: Cluster it!’ on Day 2 of Velg Training’s 2015 National VET Conference.

New Workshop series

Register for Velg Training’s NEW RPL workshop series presented by John Price, with sessions taking place in major city *The ‘Black Box’ approach implies from a student’s point of view they locations throughout 2015. need not necessarily be concernedJune with the and ‘jargonJuly of the unit’ but more

focused on achieving the practical and observable aspects of competency that emerge from the ‘Black Box*’ in a user-friendly assessment environment that maintains the quality and rigour of the unit.

Australian Training Awards nomination tips Each November, the Australian Training Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of Australian apprentices, vocational students, training practitioners, businesses, secondary schools, RTOs and industry for their contribution to skilling Australia.

Pictured from top to bottom: Recipient of the 2014 National Leadership Award, CEO and Founder of Velg Training, Michelle Weaver, and with winners of the 2014 Australian Training Awards.

For individuals The Awards can open up networks and career opportunities within the business sector and provide you with the opportunity to become a national ambassador for skills to promote the VET sector at a national level. For businesses and RTOs The Awards can propel you into the national spotlight positioning you as a front runner in skills and workforce development and a leader in best practice. This can set you apart from the competition and make you an employer, or RTO, of choice. Award nomination tips • Consult widely for input to your application, both within your organisation and with your key stakeholders; • identify your strengths early: this is the material that will make your application stand out as a contender;

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John

Brisbane

9 June 2015

Velg Training

Sydney

23 June 2015

Novotel Sydney Centra

• use examples and highlight positive Melbourne 30 June 2015 Parkview Hotel Melbou outcomes delivered; Adelaide 7 July 2015 Rydges South Park Ade • have someone review your Perth 8 July 2015 Novotel Perth Langley application before submission; and • keep to the word limit. Applications for direct entry categories close Friday 29 May 2015. Nomination forms can be found on the Australian Training Awards website. This year’s Awards will be held in Hobart on 19 November 2015.

Established in 1994, the Australian Training Awards are the peak national awards for the VET sector, recognising individuals, businesses and RTOs for their contribution to skilling Australia. australiantrainingawards.gov.au

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The ROI of planned PD webinar than an expensive course or conference. Sending someone to a conference as a reward is very different to using it as PD. Plan ahead Staff development plans provide a map for PD. Look at what staff want and need and develop a plan with them. It allows you the luxury of matching PD needs against the needs of the business and ensures better outcomes. It also allows you to better control your PD budgets and better map the benefits of the Professional Development.

Professional Development is vital in the VET sector. It helps to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone. But what is good PD and where do we find it? The cost benefit equation

Do not just send your staff off and hope for the best. Develop a plan of what they want to achieve from the PD and have them report back on what they did achieve, including the

Need an expert’s opinion? Our specialist VET Consultants are here to help!

Stay connected in the VET Sector without leaving your desk! |

MAY 2015

Paul Rasmussen is a multi-award winning Learning and Development professional specialising in the VET and RTO Sector. He is currently the National Training Manager for The Spectrum Organisation and also writes one of Australia’s most widely read blogs on the VET sector.

After the PD

Is sending your staff to a $3500 two-day conference good value? Price does not determine quality. Know what outcomes your staff need and tailor their PD to achieving that. Sometimes you will get more benefit from a free online

Australia’s quarterly VET eZine

quality of the program. This embeds the learnings for your staff and gives you an insight into whether other staff might benefit from the same program, and whether it is value for money. If you do not know the benefit your staff are getting from the PD, why are they attending in the first place?

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Paul Rasmussen will present ‘Intersecting VET and Learning & Development’ on Day 2 of Velg Training’s 2015 National VET Conference.

Promote your business | VOLUME 5 Staying Connected in VET eZine

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Apply now for Membership! So many benefits

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INSPIRE

Encouraging

a creative culture W

hat do high performing teams look like in your organisation?

Do your teams: Have participants with lively minds who are able to problem solve in innovative ways? Include staff and managers who are resilient in the face of change and who are hungry to learn and constantly grow? Play is not considered an escape from the working environment – it is the very foundation of a creative culture. There is no longer a conversation around work vs play. We now think of work via play. If your goal is to achieve your business strategy, play is your process! By introducing more play into your organisation, you ensure that teams: • develop tactics to deal with the unexpected and know how to apply prior knowledge to their tasks; • adopt effective strategies as they learn from their failures; and • are engaged and present at work as fun is introduced.

Convinced? Here are some practical tips to get started: 1

Place objects such as LEGO bricks on desks at meetings to encourage teams to fiddle. This ensures that you are bringing hands-on, minds on thinking in to the room.

Set meetings alight by changing the 2 environment and the space in which you come together. Shift the chairs around. Paste inspiring phrases up on walls. Meet in different rooms and venues. 3 Enable teams to experience collaboration by introducing improvisation techniques. Your local theatre sports club will be happy to provide some basic starting activities. Improvisation is the single most impo rtant skill that teams need to learn so that they are more flexible in their approach and prepared to think on their feet. 4

Keep a determined look out for opportunities to introduce playful elements such as games and activities: team building events, huddles, off-site strategy events. Build a toolkit of these games so that they energise meetings and enable ideation.

5 There are wonderful apps that can be downloaded to establish creative frameworks for meetings. They are inexpensive (and often free) and enable you to try out different tools to encourage innovative and critical thinking

Have a look in the App Store or Google Play for: concept maker, gamestorming and 75 tools. Another great one for random inspiration is storycubes.

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Set up a culture of ‘Yes and’ instead of ‘Yes but’. Encourage your team to build on each other’s suggestions instead of shutting them down too quickly. Gain formal training in creative problem solving so that you are able to apply these principles in your organization. Top international teams use this well researched framework to diverge and converge on ideas that add value to their projects and ideation sessions.

Dr Denise Meyerson trained as a teacher in South Africa and is passionate about educating people. She moved to Sydney in 2004 and a decade later her company, Management Consultancy International (MCI), provides online vocational training, corporate training and consulting to more than 4000 active students, including training to Top 100 companies in Australia. mci.edu.au

Dr Denise Meyerson will present ‘20+ Ways to Boost Student Completion Rates’ on Day 1 of Velg Training’s 2015 National VET Conference.

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Applying IBSA’s VET Capability Framework Why Foundation Skills? The VET Practitioner Capability Framework describes the broad capabilities required for a range of job roles in the VET sector. It provides a common language for the knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes that practitioners will display if they are performing well in their roles. It has been developed as a practical starting point for a range of Learning and Development and HR functions.

use the framework. Senior managers and owners of RTOs can use it to develop their workforce, managers can identify the skills they need at different levels and VET practitioners can self-assess and provide professional development.

The Framework describes skills and behaviours people

What is it exactly? The Capability (ability) Framework describes the skills and behaviours that people will demonstrate when they are doing high quality work. IBSA’s framework consists of four domains (areas of capability): systems and compliance, industry and community collaboration, teaching, and assessment. It also has six generic skill areas: teamwork and communication, leadership, ethics, cultural competence, innovation and evidence-based practice, and research. Who can use it? People in different roles in RTOs can IBSA is one of 12 ISCs authorised by the Australian Government as the official voice on VET issues. IBSA has a special focus on innovation and creativity to help improve business performance working with the following industries: Business Services, Cultural & Creative Industries, Financial Services, Information & Communications Technology & Telecommunications, Printing & Graphic Arts and Training & Education, as well as the area of Foundation Skills. ibsa.org.au

capabilities against the TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and has found a good fit. Level 2 capabilities fit well with the TAE50111 Diploma of Vocational Education and Training.

will demonstrate when doing high quality work What are the levels? Three levels have been created for each element of the four domains and for each of the six skill areas. The levels can be summarised as: Level 1: Practitioners have a broad theoretical knowledge and practical experience of training and assessment. They operate independently and seek guidance when necessary. Level 2: These practitioners have specialised theoretical knowledge and practical experience of training and assessment. They employ a wide range of techniques in training and assessment and provide guidance and support to other practitioners. Level 3: These practitioners have in-depth knowledge and established skills to shape a team’s training and assessment practice. They inspire others, lead change processes and provide specialist advice and support. How do the levels relate to qualifications? IBSA has mapped the Level 1

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What about Level 3 capabilities? When IBSA asked VET practitioners how they would like to use the framework, they strongly preferred a Professional Development support approach, rather than the provision of additional higher level qualifications. How can people in the VET sector use the Capability Framework? IBSA has developed an Implementation Guide, which provides detailed advice as to how the framework can be used by the categories of VET people outlined above. This online resource also includes a Capability Card Set and Capability Assessment and Review Tool. In the near future these two resources will merge and an online assessment app will be provided. This will make the process of assessment and review much easier. For in-depth information on the VET Practitioner Capability Framework, visit IBSA’s website.

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Instructional design

for the 21st century

t the heart of 21st century teaching and learning are the spirits of exploration, discovery and imagination, all contextualised and mass personalised. Where once ignorance was the enemy and knowledge was power, we now find knowledge a cheap commodity and ignorance a blissful, though seldom attainable construct in our ever-connected world. The teacher as expert, now struggles to find relevance in these evolving times. Even with the promise of a qualification or the threat of unemployment, many learners only marginally engage or do just enough to finish a learning program — if a teacher is lucky. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t dedicate my life to teaching and learning for students to decide that ‘getting by’ was good enough. As such, I began exploring what it would take to reignite the spirits of exploration, discovery and imagination in my students even though the realities of ticking-off learning outcomes and competencies boxes were everpresent. During my explorations, I have stumbled upon many tools, methods and approaches. These allow me to imagine new ways of engaging my learners and adapting to their needs, and new ways to apply modern

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tools to age-old education principles. I’ve found that a combination of gamification (both structural and content) and the flipped classroom (a blended, multi-media approach) couched in the notion of differentiation works best for me, as well as for the content and students that I teach. A cautionary note needs to be applied though, as there is no

on the journey. Even Albert Einstein recognised the bounded-reality of knowledge when he said, “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Reengage your imagination

I’ve found a combination of gamification and the flipped classroom couched in the notion of

universal truth merely experimentation with the hopes of best practice. Being a competency-based system, the VET sector is an ideal space to truly embrace 21st century teaching and learning tools, methods and approaches. The space, however, is only as functional as the instructional design applied. When we design learning so that students are engaged with exploration, discovery and imagination, we also provide opportunities for them to experience autonomy, mastery, purpose and social connection. Ultimately, 21st century teaching and learning is less about which tools you use and more about shifting paradigms from one solely focused on the end-game to one focused

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and begin exploring, discovering and applying 21st century teaching and learning tools, methods and approaches to your classrooms.

Dr Melissa Bordogna is the founder of The Savvy Academic, a brand focused on championing innovative 21st century, teaching and learning approaches. Named Best Instructional Designer 2012 by LearnX, Melissa has 17 years of instructional design and teaching experience both online and off, in the USA and Australia. thesavvyacademic.com

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National Youth Week a huge success!

Photos by Eventphotography.com: The National Planning Group Young Members. Back row from left to right: Indigenous Young Member Chantal Ober, Australian Government Young Member Steph Jackson, Trent Caldwell (Western Australia), Shannon Dillon (Queensland), Griffin Blizzard (Tasmania), Michael Casha (Victoria), Sharnie Roberts (Northern Territory). Front row from left to right: Caitlin Duggan (New South Wales), Maria Hull (South Australia) and Annie Zhou (Australian Capital Territory).

his year’s NYW has just concluded, with thousands of young people taking part around the nation. Participants from every state and territory played their part, hosting hundreds of events for what was the largest celebration of young people in the country. NYW has been running since 2000 and with each year more and more organisations and young people are getting involved. The official Australian Government event of NYW is the National Youth Awards (NYA), which were held on 16 April in Brisbane.

The 2015 National Youth Awards Winners. From left to right: Meridah Hunter (Youth Culture and Diversity Award), Leah Findlay (Youth Courage Award), Samuel Clarke (Youth Health Award), Laura Armitage (Youth in Media Award), Brynlea Gibson (Youth Leadership Award), Colleen Chen (Youth Employment Award) and Lilly Lyons (Youth Safety Award).

Young people aged 12-25 years had the opportunity to nominate themselves or be nominated for an Award across six unique categories. The seventh category was dedicated to a journalist or media representative who had reported on the positive work being done by young people within their communities. The full list of winners is available on the NYA website. The National Planning Group Young Members, who consist of a representative from each state and territory, as well as an Australian Government Indigenous Young Member and an Australian Government Young Member, assisted in the planning and coordination of NYW 2015. Australian Government Young Member Steph Jackson paid tribute to the great things young people are doing throughout the nation and the positive influence that NYW shines on them. “When we (young people) get together, we’re unstoppable,” Ms Jackson said. “Every day, everywhere, young people are having great ideas and working together or supporting each other to make them a reality – it’s amazing!” “NYW is a celebration for us to enjoy

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and show off how awesome young people are – I think it’s so great that we can do that.” NYW 2015 brought about the introduction of a brand new social media ‘live wall.’ The social media live wall was a first for NYW and generated thousands of posts, which were tagged using the #NYW15 event hashtag across various social media platforms. The wall featured on the NYW website, at the 2015 National Youth Awards event and at select NYW events. To keep updated on everything NYW, you can ‘Like’ the NYW Facebook Page, ‘Follow’ NYW via Twitter @NYWAU via and subscribe to our YouTube Channel, where you can also view the NYW 2015 promotional video. For a comprehensive summary of all the 2015 fun, you can subscribe to our exclusive E-News.

National Youth Week (NYW) is the largest celebration of young people in Australia and ran from 10-19 April 2015. The official Australian Government event for NYW is the National Youth Awards, which are in their third year of operation. youthweek.com

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EMPOWER

2015 QLD SCHOOLS

2015 VET PD ROUND UP

V I R TUAL V E T SUMMI T

MAY

Plan your Professional Development this winter! We have rounded up the major VET events taking place across Australia until September 2015. 2015 QLD Schools Virtual VET Summit Velg Training 26 May 2015 online

26 May 2015

JUN

Training Providers Forum Western Australia Department of Training and Workforce Development 25-26 May 2015 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre

6 Sessions

EduTECH National Congress & Expo 2-4 June 2015 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre

JUL

Western Sydney Careers Expo 2015 Resources for Courses 18-21 June 2015 at the Sydney Showground Olympic Park

Key features of the new Standards and QCAA’s approach to auditing Mark Maddox

MoodleMoot Australia 2015 6-8 July 2015 at the Monash University Clayton Campus, Melbourne National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference ‘No Frills’ 6-8 July 2015 at the University of Western Sydney, Parramatta Campus

SEP AUG

Online event

Department of Education and Training: Current initiatives and updates David Lucas

ACPET 2015 National Conference 26-28 August 2015 at the Pullman Albert Park, Melbourne VET Development Centre Teaching and Learning Conference 3-4 September 2015 at the RACV Torquay Resort, Victoria TDA Annual Conference 9-11 September 2015 in Hobart (venue TBC)

‘Surprise’ - Systematic Validation of Assessment has changed John Price

2015 National VET Conference Velg Training 17-18 September 2015 at the Adelaide Convention and Exhibition Centre For current events and updated information, visit the Velg Training ‘VET Industry Events’ listing online. To submit your VET events leading up to our next edition in August 2015, email us at news@velgtraining.com.

VET eZINE GLOSSARY We use acronyms throughout this publication and on our website. Please see our VET eZine glossary below and access your complimentary copy of our extensive VET glossary online. - Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) - Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) - Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) - Australian Training Awards (ATAs) - Core Skills for Work (CSfW) - Foundation Skills Assessment Tool (FSAT) - Industry Skills Councils (ISCs) - Innovation & Business Skills Australia (IBSA) - Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) - Professional Development (PD) - Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Explore Velg Training Membership - Registered Training Organisation (RTO) watch the NEW YouTube video! - Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Comprehensive guide for trainer and assessor requirements Kerri Buttery Marketing and Third Party Arrangements John Price Transition of Training Products Kerri Buttery

Member: $169 Non-member: $209

Velg Training Members have access to complimentary online resources via our Members Lounge Portal.

Brand new Training Room opening soon! ENQUIRE NOW FOR JUNE BOOKINGS

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Educate • Inspire • Empower

Consulting Services

Face-to-face Our consultants will come to you to provide tailored advice and guidance on any area of your organisation. Whether you are looking for a formal review of your documentation or an informal Q&A session, our consultants can provide support and advice to ensure your business is compliant against the requirements of the VET Standards and ESOS Framework.

Correspondence Send us your documentation and our consultants will review and provide recommendations on how they can be improved or suggest suitable rectifications to meet compliance requirements. We can also develop internal documentation and course accreditation.

Internal audit Our internal audit service is a great way to ensure your organisation is meeting the requirements of the VET standards. Our consultants will identify any non-compliances or areas for improvement prior to your external audit by the regulator or as part of a continuous improvement process.

EW N

E! IC V R SE

Training Product Review Have one of our experienced consultants conduct a review of your training and assessment materials via correspondence. A desk review is conducted on the Training and Assessment Strategy, Staff Profile and supporting evidence as well as assessment tools for one unit of competency. A Training Product Review will be provided with rectifications identified and this can then be used to provide input to your annual quality assurance processes.

Presenter Let Velg Training be part of your annual Professional Development (PD) plan. Through our new ‘In House PD’ service, we can provide a guest presenter for your event, deliver our workshops at your premises or online via webinar, tailored to your organisation.

Velg Training Products

Access the following resources from our website now!

2015 Self Assessment Checklist

2015 Training and Assessment Strategy

2015 Trainer/ Assessor Profile

2015 Validation Resources

Transition Plan - Training Products

Plus many more on the Members Lounge