ACFE VCAL/VCE 2006 November Conference:

The Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo, provided the perfect setting for a successful 2006 VCE/VCAL Conference. Funding from the ACFE Board enabled more than 60 ACE VCE and VCAL providers and practitioners to take time out from delivery and reflect on teaching and learning practices in 2006 and how these could inform strategies for 2007

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Main conference room at the Shamrock
One of the highlights of this conference was the participation of an additional 40 people from a range of other providers including TAFE, secondary government schools, catholic education schools and private providers.  This created an excellent opportunity for cross sector networking, resulting in an awareness of a range of different teaching and learning strategies and a great opportunity to share resources and establish local networking opportunities for 2007.

Participants network over lunch on the verandah.

Other key highlights included

• Interactive, hands-on workshop delivery (no chance to sit and snooze after lunch) as all workshops and forums required active participation.
• A great conference dinner enabled more networking and the opportunity to showcase a local Bendigo innovative learning program.  Hairdressing students from Bendigo TAFE showed practical skills in hairstyling and demonstrated new innovative styles on some of the conference participants. 

Students and teacher from Bendigo TAFE Hairdressing College

On a more serious note, Dr Madeline Fernbach addressed the conference on issues related to Disadvantage in Learners, outlining her research and findings.

Special thanks to the ACFE Board for the provision of funding to enable the conference to take place and to all the workshop presenters and facilitators including representatives from the VCAA who gave up their time to share their knowledge to ensure a great learning experience for all.

Engaging Koorie People in learning:

The Wurreker Strategy and the A Frame

The Non Accredited Learning “Koorie Driver’s Licence Program” has been operating for the last four years at The Mildura Aboriginal Corporation (M.A.C.). The program is coordinated by MAC’s Education Officer, Leo Male.  Leo has brought together MAC, Road Safe Mildura, The Department of Corrections, local Driving Instructors and Vic Roads in a program designed to encourage local Indigenous people gain their Learner’s and Probationary Driver’s Licences. The program is provided flexibly to meet individual needs.

Not only does this program provide Koorie participants with the opportunity to gain a Learner’s Permit or Probationary Licence, it is often the first step for many to engage in a practical, supportive, learning program that has positive outcomes and supports individual learning styles. For many, it is the first time they have become involved in, or attended a community centre, or undertaken any training since leaving school.

The program improves self esteem and confidence while also creating a range of other opportunities, including the ability to look for work, providing independent travel, access to and participation in sport, recreation, community and family activities.

With such positive outcomes this non accredited ACE program provides the foundation for many Koories to break down the initial obstacles to re engagement in learning and training programs.  While undertaking the Licence program many see what other learning opportunities are available in the centre and having had such a positive experience in this program are more inclined to undertake and move onto other training.

This is a great example of how such programs can be utilised to deliver quality outcomes for Koorie people. It aligns closely with the Wurreker Strategy and uses the Quality Assurance tool – The A frame.  The Wurreker Strategy was developed by the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI) in partnership with the State Government, via the Office of Training and Tertiary Education. It aims to address the training needs of Koorie people and to ensure clear pathways to training and employment.

Garry Hansen from VAEI and Cate Thompson from CAE will build on this model to demonstrate to other practitioners how easily this can be accomplished. A number of Wurreker/Aframe workshops will be held in 2007 mapping non accredited learning programs to the A Frame. The aim is to ultimately engage Koorie people in quality, relevant, user friendly programs that pathway to further education, training and community participation while also establishing strong partnerships between Koorie organisations and ACE providers.

The HEAT program:

Victoria Police support young people undertaking Applied Learning Programs:

HEAT (Hospitality Education and Training) is a pre-employment training program for young people from the City of Port Phillip and surrounding areas. The program has been running since August 2005 and targets young marginalised people not in employment or education. The program is quite unique in that it is founded on the strength of a community network and is supported with funding from the ANZ Philanthropic Trust.

HEAT operates within an informal learning environment and offers a twelve week program that incorporates five key elements: (i) industry specific training, (ii) work readiness, (iii) personal & group support, (iv) work experience and employment and (v) personalised post-program support, advice, referral and advocacy.

A major part of the program is practical learning opportunities. These include work experience, mock bars, fine dining and more. William Angliss TAFE delivers the Certificate II in Hospitality and for the first time this year students undertake VCAL Literacy and Personal Development Skills Units delivered by the CAE.  The VCAL delivery is via a Project and an integrated approach that is embedded in the program.

The program has an excellent success rate with more than 60% of students gaining their Certificate II in Hospitality and pathway into employment or further training.

The program is strongly supported by the Victorian Police and recently Christine Nixon attended a function to acknowledge the student’s achievements. Other partners include Port Phillip City Council.

Commissioner Christine Nixon at the HEAT program

Vital role for ACE Providers

With Federal Government employment policies now focusing on moving people from unemployment into training and employment, many ACE providers will soon find themselves well positioned to play an integral and important role to ensure their learner’s needs are best met.

ACE providers can accomplish what few other providers can: effectively engage and support the special needs of disengaged adults via non-accredited programs. These programs complement what larger, more formal organisations offer.  ACE programs tend to be less intimidating than those offered at TAFE or private organisations, as they are built on informal learning practices that attract people to learning by acknowledging and valuing different interests and styles of learning and offering relevant, hands-on programs likely to engage learners.

Having assisted the learner overcome the first barrier of engagement in learning, ACE programs often provide the platform for learners to move into further training. With the support of ACE providers these learners can gradually pathway from non accredited programs and move confidently into more formal accredited programs, eventually gaining the skills and confidence that will lead to employment and or wider community engagement while also assisting them to meet any Centrelink requirements.

A key to successfully providing their learners with positive outcomes is the creation of partnerships with other training and employment networks.  When designing non accredited programs ACE providers should now look not only at what the learner’s needs are but design program content to maximise pathway opportunities. They need to take into account what other local training organisations have to offer and to be aware of local employment opportunities.

A good example of this is a rural ACE provider who identified their local industry as hospitality and tourism. They worked with TAFE to ensure there was a relevant hospitality course and then developed non-accredited cooking classes as a means of engaging learners and when each learner was ready, they assisted them to pathway to TAFE and some moved from there into employment.

To achieve these outcomes the ACE providers had to form strong links with other local organisations.  These links/partnerships enabled them to build accessible pathways for their learners that firstly enabled the learners to engage in user friendly learning and to then move into more formal skills training while meeting Centrelink requirements and improving both employment and community connectedness opportunities.

City Youth Education forum

CAE held a City Youth forum late March.  The purpose of the forum was to bring together key stakeholders to identify key ingredients for a ‘user friendly’ educational centre for young people in post compulsory education whose needs are not being met by existing education organisations.

Participants came from a wide range of organisations and sectors including DE&T, Victoria Police, Welfare Agencies, Government service organisations, Centrelink, education and also representation from young people themselves.

The format was informal and participatory with opportunity for everyone to contribute ideas, raise issues and most importantly, to identify strategies and actions that could be taken to ensure the correct ingredients were identify.

CAE will have a report on the findings of this forum. To access these go to www.saalt.com.au.    The report will be available after April 10th

New Teachers in VCAL. How does the New CGEA work?

Upcoming Professional Development at CAE
CAE will be conducting three workshops in the second half of the year.

These are designed to support teachers, coordinators and facilitators delivery VCAL and or those who will deliver the New CGEA in 2008.