. Explain what is meant by the VET sector and how it fits into the education field as a whole?
VET, an abbreviation for Vocational Education and Training, is a sector in the Australian education that provide professional training to meet the various needs for employment (FitzSimons, 2002). Arguably, the VET sector fits in the Australian education field as whole owing to the fact that it offers professional post-compulsory education that prepare individuals for various placements.
2. Outline the function and responsibilities of Industry Skills Councils.
The principal function of the Industry Skills Councils is to bring together various players in the Australian economy, for instance educators, industries and the governments, and getting them to work together driven by a common goal of attaining workforce development. The ISC provides advisory services and intelligence to the government, educators and the industries on the workforce needs, support implementation and incessant improvement of workforce training while at the same time helping the government in placements under the Productivity Places Program (ISC, 2012). Currently there are 11 ISC in Australia served with the responsibility of advising the following industrial sectors; business innovation, agriculture, manufacturing, energy, transport and health, just to mention a few.
3. Summarise the components of the AOTF. Outline the benefits of the AQTF for the leaner.
The Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) is a set of national standards aimed at ensuring consistency in VET (Elsner, Boggs, & Irwin, 2008). The standards also serve to ensure that the quality of vocational training provided in Australia is of acceptable standards (Elsner, Boggs, & Irwin, 2008). To the learner, ATQF, by way of ensuring that the VET is consistent nationally, is beneficial in the sense that a learner can get placement in any part of the nation because the training he or she has received meets the demand of the country as a wholes and not just a specific region.
4. A) Explain Training Packages and the role and purpose of each component endorsed and non endorsed (supplementary)
Training Packages are Australian nationally certified standards that are utilitarian in the assessment of knowledge and skills that are essential for people to perform efficaciously in various job placements. Training in Australia by Registered Training Organizations, most commonly conform to the Training packages. Useful in recognizing people’s competencies, Training packages are divided in to two major categories of components; endorsed and non-endorsed (conventionally known as supplementary) components. The endorsed components comprises of Competency Standards that detail the knowledge and skills conventionally known as units of competency that delineate expected workplace outcomes, National Qualifications Framework that comprise of the units of competency collectively packaged in to nationally accepted qualification standards and finally the Assessment Guidelines whose function is moderate the industry requirements for assessment. Non-endorsed components encompass; Learning Strategies which regulate the type of resources that should be used for training, Professional Development Materials which help in the understanding of the training packages as well as Assessment Materials that details the resources that should be used for assessment.
B). Explain how the endorsed components are used to develop a learning program.
The functions of endorsed components as highlighted above give insight to how the endorsed components can be used in developing a learning program. The components provide benchmarks that are overly useful in the developing a training program. These components help in the development of uniform nationally acceptable training assessments strategies (Assessment Guidelines) for a learning program. The components, in light of the fact that they detail the qualification standards for various placements, can be used in the particularization of the requirements when grading people, for instance a grade I, II or III, diploma or certificate, for a give learning program.
5. When reviewing the Qualification Framework and Units of Competencies, explain the impact prerequisites may have on a program of learning.
Prerequisites units of competency are units of competency in which a candidate should be deemed competent before the actual determination of the candidate’s competency. However, it is not always that deeming a person as competent may actually reflect a person’s competence. In this regard, some people might be locked out certain learning programs simply because they appeared incompetent and could not go through the actual review of competency.
6. Explain the purpose of an accredited course and how it differs from training packages. What client needs does it meet?
In is arguable that a given set of qualification standards apply for all a training needs. In some instances, a training package might not meet the some specific training needs. In such a situation, Course Accrediting Bodies might approve a course the fill in the gap with regards to training needs that was could not be met by the training packages (Training.com.au,2012). The Course Accrediting Body, national or territorial, before accrediting any course, must ensure that the elements of the course to be accredited does not in any way duplicate the existing training packages. Accredited course mostly last for three years only and must meet the AQTF outlined standards (Training.com.au,2012). An accredited course therefore differs from a training package in terms of duration and purpose; an accredited course lasts for only three years while a training package has no any specific duration. Besides, an accredited course is aimed at meeting training needs that could not be met a training package. It is worth saying that an accredited only meets the training needs of a specific client only.
7. Learning Program Developers conduct research for existing training resources, why does this happen and what criteria would be used to evaluate their usefulness?
As mentioned earlier, one of the non-endorsed components of the training packages is the learning resources component that regulates the type of learning resources for use in training. The list or training resources as highlighted in the Learning resources component are as a result of researches conducted by the Learning Programs developers. Likewise, the learning programs developers conduct researchers on the existing learning resources that ascertain their usefulness in training. The findings of such researches go a long way in helping the bettering of these resources to serve their intended functions. Criterions that can be used in judging the usefulness of the learning resources include impact of the resources on social and practical skills of the trainees, cost of the resources,
8. A) How do the developers of learning programs keep up to date with Training Packages changes
It is notable that training packages are prone to constant changes owing to the continuous improvement process. Such changes are usually communicated to the concerned stakeholders in the education field. It is indubitable, in light of the pivotal role the training packages play in shaping the Australian training programs, that any slight change in the training packages will vastly affect the national training programs. Therefore, when changes are made in the Training packages, the changes should be communicated to the developers of learning programs in a timely manner so that appropriate action is taken. Besides, changes in the training packages as always posted as training.gov.au hence the learning programs developers can keep-up-to-date with the changes in the training packages by constantly checking this website. Additionally, the ISC must be aware of any of such changes, it is also of the essence for the learning programs developers always stay in touch with any ISC that is nearest to them.
B) Outline the impact changes in Training Packages may have to a learning program
Changes in the training Packages may affect the following;
Assessment guidelines- for instance such changes might affect the Australian benchmarks for assessment.
Qualification frameworks- for instance the changes might lead to gross changes in Qualification frameworks
And competency standards- changes in training packages also affect that basic of recognizing people’s competency
9. Explain what contextualisation is in the Training (VET) sector and why it has to occur. Identify the parts of a Training Package that can be contextualised.
As asserted earlier, the competency standards are normally packaged into units of competencies. However, difference clients, specifically business enterprises, have variant needs that cannot be catered for by uniform units of competencies. Contextualization in the therefore the process of modifying the units of competencies to meets specific individual needs. The most commonly affect components of a training package are the endorsed components of training packages; Competency standards, assessment guidelines, and qualification frameworks.
10. Outline the OHS responsibilities of someone who is designing and developing learning program.
Occupational Health and Safety responsibilities of learning program developers are not directly outlined but can be inferred; the developer should develop a risk-free learning premises, the materials and machinery for learning should be safe, and also provide a suitable learning environment (Business.gov.au, 2012).
11. a) What are the dimensions of Competency
A dimension of competency is a list of skill that can be used to describe a level of competency in any give job.
b) How does someone who is designing and developing learning programs use/build in the Dimensions of Competency?
A person developing a learning program should use his task skills to develop a learning program that conform to the required standard. Additionally, it should be noted that the process of developing a learning program is a gradual process hence one should be done in a careful stepwise manner. In this regards, the person developing the learning program should use his task management skills to handle one thing at a time. Similarly, the person should use his or her contingency management skills to handle problems that might occur during the process of developing the learning program. The above steps should also be complemented with job environment skills to critical for a responsible management of job demands.
References
Business.gov.au (2012). Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). Retrieved from http://www.business.gov.au/BusinessTopics/Occupationalhealthandsafety/Pages/YourOHandSobligations.aspx
Elsner, P. A., Boggs, G. R., & Irwin, J. T. (2008). Global Development of Community Colleges, Technical Colleges, and Further Eudcation Programs. Washington, DC: American Association of Cummunity Colleges.
FitzSimons, G. E. (2002). What Counts As Mathematics?: Technologies of Power in Adult and Vocational Training. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Industry Skills Councils (2012). Functions of ISC. Retrieved from http://www.isc.org.au/about.php
Training.com.au (2012). Frequently asked questions about accredited courses. Retrieved from http://www.training.com.au/pages/menuitem5d6f7969d4976cab9eb1f81017a62dbc.aspx
