Foundation Skills
Workforce Development
Project
(Louise Edgar and Jane Stanier)
December 2013
FSWD Workforce Development Project ACT
Foundation Skills Workforce Development Project
Table of Contents
Project Summary
page 3
Project Aim
page 4
Certificate III Aged Care student profile
page 5
Project Rationale
page 6
Design Decisions
page 7
Implementation
page 8
Challenges
page 8
Conclusion
page 8
References
page 9
© Canberra Institute of Technology
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Date created: 4/08/2014
Date updated: 9/02/2016
FSWD Workforce Development Project ACT
Foundation Skills Workforce Development Project
Project summary
Students studying the Certificate III Aged Care at CIT are diverse in relation to their previous employment,
education, and life experiences.
Informal analysis of student progression through the course demonstrated that the varied language,
literacy and numeracy skills of students on commencement impacted on their ability to successfully
complete their studies and meet industry and workplace expectations.
The ‘National Foundation Skills Strategy for Adults’ is a Commonwealth, State and Territory government
initiative to improve education and employment outcomes for adult Australians whose abilities in
foundation skills (language, literacy and numeracy) may not be at their optimum level (National Foundation
Skills Strategy for Adults, n.d.).
The ‘Foundation Skills Workforce Development’ project at CIT provided the opportunity to investigate
options for the integration of foundation skills from the ‘Foundation Skills Training Package’ into an existing
qualification (Foundation Skills training Package, 2013). It was hypothesised that access to and study in
appropriate ‘Foundation Skills’ competencies, may improve the educational outcomes (and therefore
potential employment opportunities) for students in the Certificate III Aged Care at CIT.
The model proposed at the completion of the study was for the inclusion of two (2) ‘Foundation Skills’
competencies:

FSKWTG09 - Complete routine workplace formatted text (CHCINF408C)

FSKDIG03 - Use digital technology for routine workplace tasks (CHCICS302B)
embedded within two Certificate III Aged Care competencies:

Comply with information requirements of the aged care & community care sectors (CHCINF408C)

Participate in the implementation of individualised plans (CHCICS302B)
to be delivered to students in their first term of the Certificate III Aged Care at CIT.
© Canberra Institute of Technology
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Date created: 4/08/2014
Date updated: 9/02/2016
FSWD Workforce Development Project ACT
Project Aim
Informal analysis of student progression through the Certificate III Aged Care demonstrated that the varied
language, literacy and numeracy skills of students on commencement impacted on their ability to
successfully complete their studies and meet industry and workplace expectations.
An initial formalised assessment of student literacy and numeracy skills on entry to the Certificate III Aged
Care provides a snapshot of existing student skill levels. Students with literacy and numeracy levels at the
lower end of the assessment score spectrum are linked with CIT student support services to provide
immediate and ongoing assistance with literacy and numeracy skill development.
Whilst the recommendation to access CIT student support services is made to students by the Aged Care
Course Coordinator, the decision to access these services remains with the student. The use of the tutoring
services ranges between both ends of the spectrum and the degrees of student success with course
completion whilst not statistically correlated have been hypothesised by teachers to be related.
The ‘National Foundation Skills Strategy for Adults’ is a Commonwealth, State and Territory government
initiative to improve education and employment outcomes for adult Australians whose abilities in
foundation skills (language, literacy and numeracy) may not be at their optimum level (National Foundation
Skills Strategy for Adults, n.d.). Students studying the Certificate III Aged Care with identified literacy and
numeracy deficits were considered to be within the demographic identified by the ‘National Foundation
Skills Strategy for Adults’ (National Foundation Skills Strategy for Adults, n.d.).
It was hypothesised that access to and study in appropriate ‘Foundation Skills’ competencies, may improve
the educational outcomes (and therefore potential employment opportunities) for students in the
Certificate III Aged Care at CIT. The ‘Foundation Skills Workforce Development’ project at CIT provided the
opportunity to investigate options for the integration of foundation skills from the ‘Foundation Skills
Training Package’ into the Certificate III Aged Care (Foundation Skills training Package, 2013).
© Canberra Institute of Technology
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Date created: 4/08/2014
Date updated: 9/02/2016
FSWD Workforce Development Project ACT
CIT Certificate III Aged Care student profile
Students studying the Certificate III Aged Care at CIT are diverse in relation to their previous employment,
education, and life experiences.
Students studying in the program range between:

Recent school leavers

Students combining their CIT studies with year 11/12 studies

People returning to studies after many years away from education

International students (many of whom have worked in professional capacities in their countries of
origin) and

School leavers from various year levels (8-12)
Reasons for studies in Certificate III Aged Care include:

Entering the workforce for the first time or re-entering the workforce after an absence

Retraining for a new career

Up grading skills generally

Gaining entry to studies at a higher level (Nursing) or

Existing Aged Care workers required to gain a qualification by their employer
Student skill sets range between:

Those with a history of successful studying (at secondary and tertiary levels)

Highly literacy and numeracy levels to poor literacy and numeracy levels

Those with identified (or sometimes unidentified) learning difficulties

Those who have been disenfranchised from formal education (for various reasons)

Those from LOTE backgrounds (with varying levels of English competency) and

Students with formal tertiary educational qualifications
The student demographic in any class may be therefore quite varied, with different learning needs,
different reasons for studying, different levels of motivation to complete the course and with variable
levels of foundation skills.
The variable foundation skills specifically presented barriers to some students for academic, clinical and
employment success.
© Canberra Institute of Technology
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Date created: 4/08/2014
Date updated: 9/02/2016
FSWD Workforce Development Project ACT
Project Rationale
Specifically it was hypothesised that access to and study in appropriate ‘Foundation Skills’ competencies
embedded within core competencies from the training package may:

Address the literacy and numeracy skills deficits which existed in varying degrees by strengthening
the literacy and numeracy skills of some students and developing the literacy and numeracy skills
of others

Provide support for individual learners within a classroom using contextually relevant material

Make the learning time at CIT a more valuable one

Provide an opportunity for students to build their capacity as learners

Provide an opportunity for students to build their capacity as learners in relation to specific content

Target support specifically but generally enough that students in the class with more advanced
levels of competence would not be disadvantaged in relation to the delivery of core materials
Generally it was hypothesised that access to and study in appropriate ‘Foundation Skills’ competencies
embedded within core competencies from the training package may:

Indicate responsiveness to the needs of our learners and to the needs of the industry they work in

Improve the outcomes of education for students (& therefore future employment)

Increase the understanding of literacy generally (with staff and students)

Ensuring skills (literacy and digital literacy) to fulfil job requirements

Impact positively on completion rates completion rates
The integration of ‘Foundation Skills’ into an existing VET qualification was therefore considered to be an
exciting option for improving the educational outcomes for all students and therefore their likelihood of
completion and potential employment opportunities.
© Canberra Institute of Technology
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Date created: 4/08/2014
Date updated: 9/02/2016
FSWD Workforce Development Project ACT
Design decisions
The initial consideration was what level of ‘Foundation Skills’ should be targeted. The Adult Literacy and
Life Skills Survey (ALLS) identified that Level 3 from the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) was the
level necessary for active employment possibilities (Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey 2013). It was
proposed therefore to include competencies which were located at the ACSF level three, to maximise
educational and industry symmetries and successes. It was also considered important to incorporate
literacy elements into everyday learning events and use a workplace specific context.
In terms of workplace requirements Aged Care workers need to be able to:

Convey critical information about residents both orally and in writing to internal and external
personnel and family members

Read care plans/service delivery plans/assessment documents/ resident profiles

Record and interpret data in relation to vital signs, behaviour charts/toileting/infection
control/ADLs

Being able to understand spoken and written instructions and relay information orally

Contribute to the development of service delivery plans
All of these skills require digital and literacy skills, which led to the decision to include the ‘Foundation
Skills’ competencies:

FSKWTG09 - Complete routine workplace formatted text (CHCINF408C)

FSKDIG03 - Use digital technology for routine workplace tasks (CHCICS302B)
embedded within the two Certificate III Aged Care competencies of greatest clinical relevance:

Comply with information requirements of the aged care & community care sectors (CHCINF408C)

Participate in the implementation of individualised plans (CHCICS302B)
© Canberra Institute of Technology
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Date created: 4/08/2014
Date updated: 9/02/2016
FSWD Workforce Development Project ACT
Implementation
In a combined three (3) hour class (‘Foundation Skills’ competency and Training Package competency)
there will be with a period of content delivery (from Training Package), followed by a period of specialist
LLN delivery, concluded with a period of application of LLN theory within industry context / content
As students require these skills to successfully complete industry placements so it was decided they should
be delivered in the first term at CIT.
An evaluation of the delivery of these ‘Foundation Skills’ competencies will be competed with the
possibility of consideration for the inclusion of two further (as yet unidentified) ‘Foundation Skills’
competencies in term two.
Challenges
The teachers on the Aged Care team were unanimously excited by and supportive of the project and its
aim. The main challenge therefore will be the implementation of the project as this will be determined by
future funding models as yet undecided. The need for allocated curriculum time to create blended
assessments appropriate to address industry relevance is also acknowledged.
Conclusion
The ‘Foundation Skills Workforce Development’ project at CIT provided the opportunity to investigate
options for the integration of foundation skills from the ‘Foundation Skills Training Package’ into an existing
qualification (Foundation Skills training Package, 2013).
The proposal to include two (2) ‘Foundation Skills’ competencies within the Certificate III Aged Care,
to be delivered to students in their first term of the Certificate III Aged Care at CIT is an exciting opportunity
to improve the educational outcomes (and therefore potential employment opportunities) for students in
the Certificate III Aged Care.
© Canberra Institute of Technology
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Date created: 4/08/2014
Date updated: 9/02/2016
FSWD Workforce Development Project ACT
References
National Foundation Skills Strategy for Adults (n.d.). Australian Government, Department of Industry.
Retrieved December 16, 2013, from
http://www.innovation.gov.au/skills/About/Policy/NationalFoundationSkillsStrategyForAdults/Pages/defau
lt.aspx
Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) (n.d.). Australian Government, Department of Industry. Retrieved
December 16, 2013, from
http://www.innovation.gov.au/skills/LiteracyAndNumeracy/AustralianCoreSkillsFramework/AboutTheACSF
/Pages/default.aspx
Foundation Skills Training Package (2013). Australian Government, Innovation and Business Industry Skills
Council. Retrieved December 16, 2013, from
http://training.gov.au/Training/Details/FSK?releaseId=67300945-98bb-4601-bced-dc5ed9fcd257
Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (2013). Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved December 17, 2013,
from
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/4228.0Main%20Features22006%20(Reissu
e)?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4228.0&issue=2006%20(Reissue)&num=&view=
© Canberra Institute of Technology
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Date created: 4/08/2014
Date updated: 9/02/2016