Australia’s biannual VET eZine
MAY 2019
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VET STAYING CONNECTED IN
Achieve Your Impossible with Keith Abraham! Skillaroos to Take On International Championship Year13 Launches New Platform To ‘Connect’ Youth
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CONTENTS
Staying Connected in VET May 2019 Volume 13
EDUCATE INSPIRE
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KEITH ABRAHAM
Achieve Your Impossible
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ALAN MAGUIRE VET Review 2019: What changes have been recommended?
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KERRI BUTTERY Trainers Working Under Supervision
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WORLDSKILLS AUSTRALIA Skillaroos to Take On 45th Worldskills International Championship in Kazan
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AUSTRALIAN TRAINING AWARDS
EMPOWER
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YEAR13 Year13 Launches New Platform To ‘Connect’ Youth To Education Providers
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TY JONES
Be Recognised Nationally!
Challenges for VET Trainers and Students for the Changing Job Landscape
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CAITLIN RYAN & LEONIE DAVIS 2019 VET CEO Conference
ITECA
ITECA’s Formation Affirms Need For Tertiary Education Reforms
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Staying Connected in VET
WELCOME
LETTER FROM THE CEO Michelle Weaver
Welcome to the 13th edition of the Staying Connected in VET eZine. As the team at Velg Training continue to Educate, Inspire and Empower the VET community, I want to take this moment to thank you – your dedication and commitment to an evolving and exciting community is greatly valued. As Trainers and Assessors, Managers, Administrators or Leaders, we have continued to play our part in showcasing and promoting the value of VET. We strive to continuously improve ourselves as practitioners and to challenge common misconceptions. It has been encouraging to see evidence of a shared responsibility to the VET sector. Thought provoking reviews and recommendations have us asking questions and participating in robust discussion. The relaxation of the deadline for TAE Requirements for Trainers and Assessors has seemed to provide a sense of reinforcement that fundamentally, ensuring that the skills of Trainers and Assessors is of the highest quality, is at the forefront of the future of VET. Events that celebrate VET success stories motivate us to explore what we can do to inspire and prepare students for the impending changes to the future job landscape. As 2018 wrapped up, Velg Training was all systems go! 2019 has absolutely flown by and the halfway mark is creeping a lot closer. We have had an incredibly busy start to this year with a suite of exciting initiatives, events and resources underway.
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We kicked off January by diving straight into the New Year with a PD Planner created to provide a snapshot of events to our Members and Followers. This nifty guide proved to be a fantastic resource for planning and tracking upcoming Velg Training events. You can access the most recent and up to date version of our PD Planner here. Our online events continue to drive strategic thinking, develop relevant and insightful skills, and focus on future-proofing your knowledge. With a combination of Webinars, Velg2Go, Focus Week, National VET PD Week, Speed Training and exclusive webinar series’, there is definitely an option to suit your needs. Webinar Series’ have become increasingly popular over the last year and we had several packages on offer. With focuses on LLN, the use of the ACSF and the ‘how to’ of accommodating different learning styles, Rachel Taylor provided some fabulous insights into this highly sought-after topic. After a successful run in 2018, the Six Phases of the Audit Process was back! This series was developed to ensure you’re taking the right steps to understand the learner’s journey. Mark Long guided attendees in the appropriate evidence for each of the six phases to ensure your steps are in sync with the ASQA auditor.
May 2019 Volume 13 Velg2Go continues to expand and defy our expectations, proving that our online courses are so much more than just a boring ‘read and test’ format. I am proud to say that Velg Training is truly revolutionising the way professional development is delivered within the digital space. 2019 saw the launch of our most anticipated and exciting course yet: Guidelines for Conducting a Training Product Review. Building upon one of our most popular workshops of all time, this 6 week Velg2Go course was designed to help you discover the secrets of conducting an effective training product review. Having the opportunity to up your PD profile in your own time, in the most convenient and engaging way is possible with Velg2Go! Our ever-popular Focus Weeks have proven to be popular, once again! Focus Week are our dedicated week of learning opportunities aimed to increase knowledge and skills in targeted, more focussed topics. In April we focussed on Assessment and future-proofing against the looming threat of non-compliant assessment. Our 2019 Focus Week for Administration is up next in June and it is here to give you key insights into record keeping, entry requirements, student support, trainer files and validation. Currently, the team at Velg Training are heavily involved in preparations for our 13th annual National VET Conference (NVC) to be held in Brisbane at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on the 12 – 13 September. Brisbane is the home of Velg Training and we want to share all it has to offer with you! This year we are bringing you an even more personalised and innovative NVC where we aim to embody the 2019 theme: Innovate, Activate, Educate. Our 2019 program has been designed to reflect the theme and it has also been shaped by you! That’s right, this year we have sifted and sorted and praised the feedback we received from our #2018NVC delegates, which has resulted in: • 20 presenters that did not attend #2018NVC will deliver new and exciting content • A more focussed and tailored program of six streams • A brand new stream called ‘Freestyle Facilitation’ developed to kickstart discussions surrounding core topics in the VET industry • Two motivational speakers • A unified structure over both conference days The ability to take on constructive criticism to deliver you an innovative and exciting program is something we are proud of.
As always, I would like take this opportunity to personally acknowledge our eZine advertisers and article contributors who are an incredibly valued part of our commitment to producing this publication. Our sincerest gratitude for your support in enabling us to fulfil our ongoing commitment to educate, inspire and empower all those who work in the Vocational Education and Training space. On behalf of Velg Training, I wish you the reader, the very best for the second-half of 2019. Our next edition of the VET eZine will be in November 2019. I hope you enjoy this edition, happy reading!
Michelle Weaver CEO and Founder of Velg Training
@velgtraining www.velgtraining.com Velg Training
Did you know? This eZine is sponsored. Velg Training works with advertisers from across the VET industry to publish our biannual eZine! Connect with Velg Training’s database of 35,000+ Members and Followers. Download our 2019 Media Kit or contact: sponsorship@velgtraining.com
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EDUCATE
ACHIEVE YOUR IMPOSSIBLE! Keith Abraham I love the quote from Nelson Mandela … It always seems impossible until someone does it. Achieving your impossible is not about being an Olympic Athlete or a corporate Highflier. It is about achieving the goal that is beyond your comfort zone. That is a little bigger and bolder than you think is possible for you. You see I believe there are 3 levels in life … Survival, where you just get by but you don’t get ahead. The second is Success where you are making progress but there is the need to tap into your true potential. The third is Significance, where you are recognised by your peers and friends. To become significant you need to achieve some of those goals in your life that are beyond your comfort zone, the ones that seem impossible and on the other side of difficult. Too many people swim in a sea of sameness. We keep on doing what is comfortable, not what is going to give us completeness. Too many people put up with sameness, they go through the motions and they are satisfied with the crumbs that come with survival mode. Rather than taking time to prepare for the banquets and feasts that can be enjoyed when you put yourself out of your comfort zone and dream big dreams, pursue your passions and set greatness as the standard to live by.
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Let me ask you, are you doing what you love to do? Whether that is in your personal life or your professional life? I am not asking you to leave your job; close your business down; leave your partner or spouse. I am not saying that your life is going to be great every single day in your personal and professional life. But if it is not that way the majority of the time, then what are you doing to fix it? It has often been said, that ulcers are caused not from what you have eaten, but what’s eating you. If you don’t take time to pursue your passion, it eats away at you. Are you doing what you love to do? Your activity … Please take a moment to ponder and then respond to the following questions. 1. What would you love to do if you knew you could not fail? You may have more than one answer and that’s OK. 2. What is one roadblock that is holding you back from achieving what you would love to do? 3. How would you get around this roadblock, if you had the time and the resources? 4. What is one thing you need to do different in your life?
The future is not some place we are going to but one we are creating. The paths to it are not found, but made and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination. Keith Abraham is the authority on goal achievement and creator of the GoalDriver™ Formula, a formula designed to determine what energises and engages each individual, driving them to achieve the unreachable. With over 22 years as a professional speaker, delivering to over 340 clients in 29 countries, Keith has received multiple awards - in 2012 he was named Keynote Speaker of the Year and in 2019 Educator of the Year. He is the best-selling author of five books, published in 12 languages, covering passion, goal achievement, customer loyalty and focus. @keithabrahamcsp keithabraham.com Keith Abraham CSP
May 2019 Volume 13
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May 2019 Volume 13
VET REVIEW 2019: WHAT CHANGES HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED? Alan Maguire The Australian Government commissioned the Honourable Steven Joyce to conduct a review of the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system. He has completed the review and his report titled, Strengthening Skills: Expert Review of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training System was released on 2nd of April 2019. The report is comprehensive and very well structured. It consists of 71 separate recommendations covering: • Strengthening quality assurance, • Speeding up qualification development, • Simpler funding and skills matching, • Better careers information, • Clearer secondary school pathways, and • Greater access for disadvantaged Australians. The VET Review report was released on the same day as the Federal Budget 2019-20. The Budget announced a $525.3 million Skills Package to be known as Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow. The government funding will support VET Reforms that have been recommended by the VET Review. The VET Review report has a range of recommendations. If implemented, some would have a significant impact on Australia’s VET system. The following is a small number of selected recommendations to be considered. The first recommendation of the VET Review report is about establishing a new vision for VET that places workbased learning at the forefront of Australian skills development. VET is about work-based learning, and Australia’s VET system has been about work-based learning for decades. It is
interesting that the VET review looks to have a ‘new’ vision when it could be said that it is the same as the current vision. The VET Review report also encourages Australia to create one integrated tertiary education system. It talks about the ‘vocational education sector’ and ‘skills education’. VET as an ‘education system’ is far more dominant in the report than VET being a ‘training system’. Transforming VET into an education system could lead to making the VET system less work-based. It is vocational training that really makes VET work-based. It begs the question, what would happen to Australia’s current work-based training system if a new vision of an integrated tertiary education system is implemented? Another recommendation is to enhance the role of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) so that it could take over the functions of the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC). Would this mean industry leadership of VET would be replaced by a government agency? The VET Review 2019 is a platform for many big ideas. It may in fact be a lost opportunity to set government policy based on sound ideas that would improve the Australian VET system. There are some controversial recommendations that have the potential to change the shape of VET in Australia; such as: • Changing VET from a training system to an education system • Replacing competency-based training with time-based training (recommendation 3.9) • Separating training and assessment functions (recommendation 3.10) • Replacing competencybased assessment with proficiency-graded assessment
(recommendation 3.12) • Taking short-cuts to develop training packages quickly (recommendation 4.1) This article highlights only some of the recommendations. There are many more that, if implemented, will affect Australia’s VET future. The VET Review invokes healthy, robust questioning and debate about the direction of Australia’s VET system. Will the VET Review report be used by some in years to come to pursue unworkable and unnecessary change? Will the recommendations add further complexity? As passionate advocates of VET in this country, it is critical that we continue to educate ourselves. To take time to look at the big picture. It is our responsibility to stay informed and have our say about the future of our industry. I encourage you to stay knowledgeable: Read reports and do your research, network at seminars, conferences, workshops, discuss issues with colleagues at work, and use LinkedIn to connect and converse with others. Alan Maguire is an independent consultant and owner of On Target Work Skills. He has extensive experience working in Australia’s VET system, and proactively provides information and services to enhance the capabilities of the Australian VET workforce. For more information visit: ontargetworkskills.com or read Alan’s LinkedIn articles that give more details about the VET Review.
ontargetworkskills. com Alan Maguire
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EDUCATE
TRAINERS WORKING UNDER SUPERVISION Kerri Buttery, Director, VETNexus With the updated 1 July 2019 deadline approaching for trainers and assessors to obtain the updated TAE credentials, Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) need to consider if they have any practitioners who won’t ‘get over the line’ in time. Even with the threemonth deadline extension from 1 April to 1 July, the amount of training and rigour that is involved in obtaining the units TAEASS502 and TAELLN411 is quite extensive. For some fitting in the time to undertake these units on top of a full-time workload can be difficult. What do we do with those who won’t meet the deadline? Options for trainers and assessors who don’t meet the deadline include: • Move them to other duties until they update their qualifications, such as reviewing training materials or updating assessments • Discontinue their employment or contracts [this is the option we don’t want to see used!] • Have them work under the supervision of another trainer who meets the requirements for supervising other trainers In order for a trainer to work under supervision, they need to meet the requirements outlined in Clauses 1.171.20 of the Standards for RTOs 2015. Specifically, this means that they will
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need to hold (no equivalence) one of the skill sets specified in Item 6 of Schedule 1. The catch is, there is a unit across all accepted skill sets that many trainers would not hold – TAEDEL301 Provide work skill instruction. This means that RTOs will need to think very carefully about the credentials held by staff and prioritise and plan who can supervise, who can be supervised and who cannot do either. The initial steps to follow when determining your supervision arrangements: 1. Conduct a review of staff qualifications and determine which staff fully meet the requirements from 1 July 2019. This should be done at the training product level as these staff members will be qualified to supervise other trainers in their area of expertise. For example, if you have staff delivering SIT31016 Certificate III in Patisserie, identify the staff who are fully qualified to deliver and assess independently for that qualification. 2. Identify which staff delivering that training product (for example, SIT31016) who have the skill set to deliver under supervision, holding one of the accepted TAE skill sets outlined in Item 6 of Schedule 1. These trainers will be able to work under supervision of one of the trainers identified in Step 1 above.
3. Identify any of the trainers who do not fit into the above two categories. These trainers will not be able to deliver training, independently or under supervision, until they either obtain one of the TAE skills sets or update to meet the trainer credential requirements. Once you have identified what role your trainers are able to undertake in alignment with the requirements of the standards, you are then able to move forwards with a plan of teaming people up for supervision arrangements and determining needs for professional development and upskilling of trainers. Kerri Buttery, Director of VETNexus, has over two decades experience in the Vocational Education and Training sector along with experience in eLearning as a Partner with Instructure, the provider of the Canvas LMS. VETNexus also partners with John Price, John Price & Associates, and Angela McGregor, RTO Consultant, to deliver a wider range of services through The VET Gurus.
@kerributtery vetnexus.com.au Kerri Buttery
May 2019 Volume 13
Online Events Our online events have been purposefully shaped to educate, inspire and empower you. Velg Training continues to provide quality, flexible and innovative online events that drive strategic thinking, develop relevant and insightful skills, and focus on future-proofing your knowledge. We want to ensure you can access PD that suits you!
Webinars
Velg2Go
Focus Week
National VET PD Week
Speed Training
Exclusive webinar series’
Online not your style? Velg Training continues to offer face-to-face events too.
For more information regarding Velg Training Events please contact events@velgtraining.com or visit velgtraining.com/events
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Staying Connected in VET “The WorldSkills experts have been selected because they represent the best of their industry or skill category. They are also passionate about helping develop their industry and young competitor,” he continued.
INSPIRE
Mr Judd said WorldSkills Australia was nurturing and developing the skills of young Australians and highlighting the opportunities available to those pursuing a trade or skill.
SKILLAROOS TO TAKE ON 45TH WORLDSKILLS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN KAZAN WorldSkills Australia With less than five months until the opening of the 45th WorldSkills International Championship taking place in Kazan, Russia, WorldSkills Australia has selected an elite team of 40 people, including 15 competitors and 25 experts and officials who will represent our nation at the competition - the leading international skills event for 2019. The 15 young men and women from across Australia, known as the Skillaroos, will compete against the best apprentices and trainees from the 60 WorldSkills member countries in the hope of becoming World Champions in their chosen trade or skill area. The Skillaroos, all aged between 19 to 22, represent a wide range of trades and skills with the majority aligning with the National Skills Needs list, these include: Cloud Computing, Electrical Installations, Plumbing and Heating and Graphic Design Technology. The 45th WorldSkills International Championship will bring together more than 1,600 young people, representing 60 countries and regions who will compete in 56 skill competitions. It will take place in Kazan, Russia from 22-27 August 2019. It is expected that more than 250,000 spectators will attend the Championships. Australia, currently 10th on the WorldSkills rankings, is aiming to better this and hoping for a top 5 finish.
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Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said the competitors demonstrated the excellent quality of skills we have in Australia. “Australia has one of the best reputations in the world for skills development and the Morrison Government is continuing to invest in the sector, creating over 80,000 new apprenticeships to give more young Australians the opportunity to have a skills career. “I congratulate all of the competitors that came to Melbourne this week to compete for a spot in the national team and wish them luck in Kazan.”
“These young people are excelling in their chosen fields and many have already been rewarded with international experience and opportunities - their training and skills are really taking them places,” he said. WorldSkills Australia will also send a group of category experts to Kazan who will assist with facilitating the event as judges and advisors. The Australian experts, who are all volunteers and highly regarded by their international peers, will utilise time in Kazan to network with global experts. This will give Australia the opportunity to learn best practices from other WorldSkills member nations and bring these learnings back to Australia to use within the Vocational Education sector, ensuring we remains competitive in these important industries. For a full list of the 2019 Skilaroos, please visit the WorldSkills website.
WorldSkills Australia CEO Brett Judd congratulated the Skillaroos on being selected to represent Australia.
WorldSkills Australia is a social
“The competitors and their expert trainers and mentors have consistently shown the dedication, commitment and excellence we require of Team Australia when they represent our nation against the best in the world,” said Mr Judd.
Australia’s prosperity. Since 1981 we
“I applaud their determination and congratulate them on their selection. But their success would not have been possible without the dedication and support of their expert trainers and mentors, many of whom volunteer their time and experience to work with the Skillaroos.
enterprise that passionately believes that skills drive your future and have been the leading voice for skills excellence in vocational, technological and service oriented careers in Australia and have raised the awareness of hundreds of thousands of young Australians, as well as their parents, industry and employers.
@WorldSkills_AU www.worldskills. org.au WorldSkills Australia
November 2018 Volume 12
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INSPIRE
BE RECOGNISED NATIONALLY! Australian Training Awards For more than 25 years, excellence in vocational education and training (VET) has been celebrated at the annual Australian Training Awards. The 2019 awards will be held on 21 November in Brisbane and will acknowledge and reward the outstanding achievements of VET graduates, VET practitioners, businesses, secondary schools, and registered training organisations for their contribution skilling Australia. There are 18 categories, with seven categories available for direct entry nomination to the Australian Training Awards. Direct entry categories include: Lifetime Achievement Award “The Australian Training Awards are all about the finalists and their families, who have, in some cases, surmounted all odds to achieve greatness. I’m truly honoured to receive this amazing award.” – Marie Persson, 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. National Achievement Award “It was an absolute honour to be even considered for this award, let along the national recipient for 2018. I am grateful to receive this honour. By honouring me, I think you have highlighted the vital role that vocational education plays across our society.” – Jennie Barrera, 2018 National Achievement Award
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Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Award “So many Australians don’t have the language, literacy or numeracy skills, nor the confidence, to go from a position of ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’. That’s why I, and my colleagues, do what we do. It’s such an honour to receive this award and I give thanks to the Australian Training Awards Team.” – Lidia Lipkiewicz, 2018 Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Award. Small Employer of the Year Award “Winning the awards has been very uplifting for our workforce. The application process was extremely beneficial for us all to review and reflect on our established training systems and processes as well as the achievements of our staff- as a team and as individuals. Our clients and suppliers have also reacted very well to us winning the awards.” – Stuart Spencer, Spencer Constructions, 2018 Small Employer of the Year. Australian Apprenticeships Employer Award “While the awards are great recognition of our combined efforts, we’re particularly proud of giving the first batch of apprentices pathways to work in Australia and globally.” – Jeff Connolly, Siemens Australia, 2018 Australian Apprenticeships - Employer Award.
School Pathways to VET Award “Winning in 2018 has been extremely positive for our students, our staff, graduates, local employers and the community generally. All stakeholders and partners have a sense of pride and achievement with this national recognition.” – Connie Watson, Busselton Senior High School, 2018 School Pathways to VET Award. International Training Provider of the Year Award “The flow-on effect of winning the award was national recognition, an enhanced reputation for the organisation, and ultimately an increase in enrolments. Potential students are able to act on their enrolment decision with confidence that they are dealing with one of the best TAFEs in Australia” – CEO Vivienne King, Box Hill Institute Group, 2018 International Training Provider of the Year. Applications for the above direct entry categories close on Friday 31 May 2019. For more information visit australiantrainingawards.gov.au @AusTrainAwards www.australiantrainingawards.gov.au
May 2019 Volume 13
WHY APPLY? For individuals, the awards can open up networks and career opportunities and provide you with the opportunity to become a member of the prestigious Australian VET Alumni. For businesses and registered training organisations, the awards can propel you into the national spotlight, positioning you as a front-runner in skills and workforce development and leader in best practice, which sets you apart from the competition and makes you an employer, or registered training organisation of choice. Businesses and registered training organisations are also invited to join the Australian VET Alumni.
2018 AUSTRALIAN TRAINING AWARDS
Lifetime Achievement Award Marie Persson
National Achievement Award Jennie Barrera
Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Award Lidia Lipkiewicz
Small Employer of the Year Award Stuart Spencer, Spencer Constructions
Australian Apprenticeships Employer Award Jeff Connolly, Siemens Australia
School Pathways to VET Award Connie Watson, Busselton Senior High School
International Training Provider of the Year Award Box Hill Institute Group
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INSPIRE
2019 VET CEO CONFERENCE Caitlin Ryan & Leonie Davis, Velg Training A bright and surprisingly warm Friday 17th May in Sydney set the stage for the 2019 VET CEO Conference. This year, the team at Velg Training had a vision‌ to go above and beyond the more traditionally focussed topics of compliance, management and strategy to deliver an impactful experience; a turning point to Ignite Your Spark. The line-up of speakers were carefully selected to shape a meaningful program that would resonate with CEOs and key decision makers from around the country. 14
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May 2019 Volume 13
Walking along Casino Wharf toward the beautiful Doltone House at Darling Island, delegates were met with a refreshing start to their day catching up with event exhibitors over a morning coffee. Gerry Gannon, Master of Ceremonies, opened the day with thought provoking questions paired with quick wit and delegates were asked to switch on their spark, with a flurry of fairy lights igniting each table. After a quick video message from Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash MP, the acclaimed Michael McQueen propelled attendees through a perceptive and innovative presentation on ‘Mastering the Art of Momentum’. Michael’s insight into the future of work and his ability to ‘hack’ work life to optimise time and output was simply incredible. He gained some shocked faces, huge laughs and intrigue from delegates when he suggested utilising a fake phone call app to avoid disrupting colleagues. He highlighted that, with time being our most precious commodity, acquiring tricks to maximise your own time is essential in a world that is overwhelmed with technology and distraction. Mr Mark Paterson AO , Chief Commissioner and CEO for ASQA delivered an informative update on recent findings, insights and data. As noted throughout the session, ASQA has ‘raised the bar’ by introducing increased scrutiny on new providers entering the market. A change of pace was guaranteed
the second Phill Nosworthy took the stage. Phill delivered an engaging session on finding mastery, fulfillment and purpose at work. One of his key takeaways was about making the time to reflect as “Feedback without reflection is half a data set”. He encouraged delegates to ask themselves ‘What went well today?’ and ‘What didn’t go well today?’.
This year, the team at Velg Training had a vision… to go above and beyond the more traditionally focussed topics of compliance, management and strategy After Lunch, Claire Madden discussed the importance of ‘Unlocking your Why’. She explored the new workforce landscape, as Generation Z enters at an increasing rate. There is an apparent shift in key ideologies around how we work and how we learn. Claire unpacked the importance of knowing how to leverage the strengths of different generations and appearing attractive and engaging to digital natives. Laurie Kelly got delegates up and moving, delivering an interactive and expressive session that really energised the room! Laurie’s take on ‘Dealing with Information Overload’ was inspiring, and saw 100+ leaders standing up and pledging their passion for their RTO.
Tamara outlined how the pathway to compliance can be accomplished through a strategic mix of objectives and daily tasks. She encouraged delegates to recognise the importance of taking their management hat off and putting their CEO hat on, so that they can work on rather than for their business. Rounding out the day was Keith Abraham and his focus on ‘Creating engaged, energised and empowered leaders’. Keith took attendees on a journey as he helped them meticulous plan and shape their goals. He emphasized that finding your passion is important and setting goals in different areas of your life will act as a guiding light: “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” As the 2019 VET CEO Conference wrapped up, sentiments of action could be heard as attendees left seemingly empowered, motivated with sparks reignited. Velg Training would like to thank all the incredible contribution of the Presenters, valued Exhibitors and of course delegates, for making this exclusive event a resounding success. Velg Training is a member serving organisation and Australia’s leading provider of Vocational Education and Training (VET) professional development and consulting services.
As Afternoon Tea came to an end, delegates were met with Tamara Simon’s swift reality check: ‘Are you The Reluctant RTO CEO?’.
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EMPOWER
YEAR13 LAUNCHES NEW PLATFORM TO ‘CONNECT’ YOUTH TO EDUCATION PROVIDERS Year13 After months of redevelopments, Year13 has recently relaunched their new website and introduced the Year13 Connect platform, positioning itself as the leading destination for young people to explore education and training opportunities. The motivation for this development comes as Year13’s research revealing that 43% of Year 12 students ‘still have no idea’ what they want to do after high school. The new site improves the user experience and offers greater opportunity for youth engagement by integrating its trademark career and life advice with its course, job and travel offerings, making Year13 the one-stop shop for youth to learn about their post-school pathways. For education providers and RTOs, Year13 Connect provides the chance to improve their brand awareness amongst the youth demographic, as well as drive course enrolments. During this launch period, Year13 are offering Velg Training readers the opportunity to create a free profile on the Connect platform, hosting information about their organisation and giving them the ability to post courses online.
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Why Year13? Year13 research shows that just 19% of young people feel they have a good to strong understanding of VET pathways, compared to 49% for university. Meanwhile, 82% don’t believe older generations communicate with them effectively, making it difficult for vocational education providers to close this gap. For education providers and RTOs, Year13 Connect provides the chance to improve their brand awareness amongst the youth demographic... Year13’s experience and expertise engaging with the youth market makes them the ideal platform for increasing awareness of VET pathways and the opportunities they bring. Through their work, they partner with a range of RTOs to promote their brand and generate leads for enrolments, as well as producing native content that resonates with young people in Australia. Being featured on the Connect platform will allow your organisation to leverage the Year13 brand, as well as its highly engaged audience. Educator profiles created during this launch period will be able to post up to 3 courses for a 12-month period.
With up to 200,000 monthly unique browsers on Year13, this can increase awareness, consideration and enrolments for your institution. What’s next? Head over here and enter a few details about yourself and your organisation to get started. Year13’s delivery team will then get in contact with you to get all the information they need, including brand guidelines and opportunities to be listed. Once this is done, they’ll create your profile. Click here for more information about Year13 Connect. Year13’s mission is a simple one; we just want to improve the health and happiness of all young Australians, and create a place where we can have our voices heard. By providing a comprehensive place to explore all options, we want to alleviate some of the stress of young life. Year13 is here to connect young Australians to all the options available after high school and beyond.
@Year13 year13.com.au Year 13 Pty Ltd
Staying Connected in VET
EMPOWER
CHALLENGES FOR VET TRAINERS AND STUDENTS FOR THE CHANGING 21ST CENTURY JOB LANDSCAPE Ty Jones High technology surrounds us from our home to the big world out there. It dominates our lives. Engaging with technologies takes considerable skills. These range from simple end-user situations to high-end equipment usage cases in the workplace, extending to creative team-based development of new technologies, and opening and operating the markets for them. For the purpose of this brief piece, I will concentrate on skills development aspects from VET Trainers and Students employers and employees’ perspectives in Australia. The term STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is familiar to most readers. It directs our attention to the criticality of high technology use and creation in our modern lives. STEM skills are now the most demanded by industries throughout our nation. Based on research from Engineers Australia (1), Australia is alarmingly short of such skills. The concern is that Australia is falling behind and will fail to transition to a smart job’s economy.
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This concern is exacerbated by the news that “Australia is actually producing less STEM graduates now than it was 10 years ago” (2). As a teacher in laboratory operations courses, I often meet with industry employers. I recently visited the head office of one of Australia’s largest pathology services businesses. With rapid changes in technology and population demographics, the company relies on the most modern equipment to deliver exceptional customer value. This includes devices like Matrix–Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight (MALDITOF) mass spectrometers. These machines are used for the detection and localization of drugs, proteins, and lipids in iological tissue. Tools like these are crucial for the business’s daily operations and for their customers’ wellbeing (3). With this, the managers I spoke with are crying out for staff that can understand and run these systems well. It was a nice “wake up” call for me to discuss the capabilities this industry needs and to consider what we can
provide our students to prepare them for the ever-changing jobs that such businesses need. What are the skills that employees and industry jobs require? These skills are rest on Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Flexibility, Data Interpretation, Creativity and Innovation foundations (4). Unfortunately, these cannot be developed overnight. Rather, they build in structured steps from lower to higher levels. This is complicated at the VET training level because most entering students either left school early or have been away from school for much time. Successfully returning students to education and introducing them to new technology while developing necessary STEM skills foundations requires considerable patience and a host of support from different areas, some of which is not easily resourced. As a further complication, VET training organisations often have little access to the state-of-the-art equipment and simulated laboratories that their students need.
May 2019 Volume 13
Overall, meeting the changing 21st century job landscape poses an increasing challenge for VET teachers and students. A few suggestions for improvement include:
However, it cannot continue successfully using twentieth century methods. Meeting the needs of 21st century industry demands a bold new training approach.
1. Increasing the STEM teacher workforce(5) and concomitant funding.
1. Garrett, C. (n.d.). Media Release: New Report Shows Alarming STEM Skill Shortage Threatens ‘New Economy’.
2. Collaborating with industry and equipment manufacturers for (loanable) equipment and simulators to keep pace with the high rate of modern technological change. 3. Providing more outside-ofclassroom tools and resources for students lacking foundational scientific knowledge, particularly as suiting those in regional and remote areas. VET training is crucial for satisfying the needs of industry employers and employees.
2. Scutt, D. (2017). Australia is Actually Producing Less STEM Graduates Now Than It was 10 Years Ago. 3. Kwang, H.K, Chang, I.K, So, H. P, Na, Y.H, Hoo, H.K, Eun. H. K, & Ki, B.H. (2013). Application of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Imaging Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF IMS) for Premalignant Gastrointestinal Lesions. Clinical Endoscopy, 46(6), 611–619. 4. Cox, J. (n.d.). 21st-century STEM Skills Students Needs to Know.
Ty Jones gained her Ph.D. in Applied Chemistry from RMIT University in 2008. Following, she was employed for four years as a Post Doctoral Research Fellow and Task Leader at CSIRO. In 2009, Ty became one of ten Australian representatives chosen to take part in the Young Australian– Korean Leadership Program. She spent a year teaching environmental chemistry to civil engineering students at the PNG, University of Technology (UNITECH) and currently holds a position as Teacher – Laboratory Operations with CQU-TAFF.
Dr. Ty Jones
5. Timms, M., Moyle, K., Weldon, P., Mitchell, P., (2018). Challenges in STEM Learning in Australian Schools.
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Staying Connected in VET public TAFE college. It’s all about student choice,” Mr Williams said.
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As the peak umbrella organisation representing the independent tertiary education system, ITECA’s focus is on building an appreciation of the value that independent providers bring to the table.
ITECA’S FORMATION AFFIRMS NEED FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION REFORMS Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) Australia’s independent tertiary education providers have signalled their intent to drive the debate about the need to reform the education system through the launch of the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA). “The tertiary education system includes independent providers in the higher education, vocational education and training sectors. It’s time to reform the education system where these sectors can operate as one whilst retaining their separate identity,” said Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive. ITECA has its genesis in the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET), with its members approving the transition from ACPET to ITECA at an extraordinary annual general meeting held in early May 2019. The transition follows a two-year process of consulting independent higher education, vocational education and training providers plus stakeholders across government and the business community.
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“What these consultations established was that there is a growing recognition on the need for reform. Throughout their working lives employees will need to train and reskill to meet the challenges associated with technological disruption. Australia deserves an integrated tertiary education system in which the higher education, vocational education and training sectors operate as one to deliver students and their employees with the quality outcomes they are looking for,” Mr Williams said. ITECA has established a Canberra-based policy and research to drive the case for reform. A high-level policy priority is for reform of government funding arrangements. “We need a funding system that blends private contributions and government funding and permits students to easily transition between the higher education and vocational training systems. Importantly, government funding needs to be agnostic as to the provider allowing students to choose a quality independent provider, a public university or
“By almost any metric it’s the independent tertiary education system that offers higher quality outcomes at a lower cost to the taxpayer. Whether its completion rates, student satisfaction rates or post-training employment outcomes – the independent sector offers outcomes equal to or better than public providers,” Mr Williams said. ITECA is positioned to hit the ground running as it represents more than one-half of independent providers in the higher education sector. Building upon ACPET’s historical position as the peak body for the vocational education and training sector, ITECA’s pre-eminence in that sector is unparalleled. “ITECA provides leadership, strategy, advocacy and support. Our members set our agenda, fund our activities and directly benefit from the results,” Mr Williams said. The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) is a membership-based peak body bringing together independent providers in the higher education, vocational education and training sectors.
www.iteca.edu.au @ITECAust
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