WELL Practitioners’
Professional Development
Guide
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
Funded under the Workplace English Language and Literacy Program by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
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About WELL
WELL is an Australian Government initiative.
It aims to:
• Assist existing employees to undertake training
essential to retaining their job and progress in the
workplace by integrating English language, literacy
and numeracy (LL&N) with vocational training in the
workplace
• Assist IEP participants who require LLN training
• Assist employers to see the value of English LL&N
in achieving business and workplace training goals,
and
• Support resource development and strategic
activities that improve the uptake of English LL&N
training in industry
About WELL cont.
Enterprises have reported improved:
- access to training & skill development
- workplace communication
- workplace skills
- means of managing change
- occupational health & safety
- productivity
WELL Target Group
• Employees whose English language, literacy &
numeracy proficiencies are at Levels 1, 2 and/or
3 of the ACSF i.e. below the level where one can
communicate in English with sufficient accuracy
to meet specific workplace needs
• IEP participants whose language, literacy and
numeracy proficiency is at Levels 1, 2 and/or 3
of the ACSF
Access to WELL training funding
The following types of organisations can apply for
WELL training funding:
- Enterprises (including Government business
enterprises);
- representative bodies (e.g. ISCs, employer
organisations and trade unions);
- Local governments;
- RTOs on behalf of enterprises;
- agencies which receive partial funding from
Government sources provided revenue is
also derived from commercial business
activities;
- non-government bodies; and
- Group Training Organisations (GTOs)
WELL Project Funding: 3 Areas
• Training Projects
- demonstrated need for language, literacy &
numeracy in the workplace
- retain employment
- advance within the organisation
- training must be integrated with vocational
training
- training is designed to meet the needs of:
- the company
- the worker
WELL Project Funding: 3 Areas
cont..
• Resource Projects
- development of training materials
- experimentation of training materials
- develop industry relevant language, literacy &
numeracy assessment & reporting methods
• Strategic Projects
- projects that have:
* national scope
* activities to support cost effective training
across one or more industry sectors
WELL Project Roles &
Responsibilities
• Applications for WELL training projects are
considered at State/Territory level
• WELL program requires recipient to contribute
25% of training costs in the first year
• Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) must
be used
• Regular reports to DEEWR
• All activities must comply with relevant
legislation
WELL Project Management
• Administered by the Australian Government
Department of Education, Employment and
Workplace Relations (DEEWR)
• Each State and Territory has a WELL
Coordinator
• DEEWR’s National Office manages Resource
and Strategic projects
WELL Project Funding
• Training projects have a joint project funding
arrangement with the Australian Government
(75%) and employer (25%) for first year
• Subsequent years - 50% contribution from
employer
• Resource & Strategic Projects are fully funded
WELL Project Reporting
Requirements
• Reports must be provided at:
- three months
- six months
- twelve months
- an independent audited financial statement on
project completion
WELL Project Reporting
Requirements cont…
Use approved WELL resources:
- Literacy Net website
(www.deewr.gov.au/skills/literacynet)
- NTIS website (www.ntis.gov.au)
- Individual Industry Skills Councils
(ISCs)
WELL Practitioners Qualifications
A range of qualifications to deliver LL&N training
to adult learners, such as:
• Certificate IV in Workplace Training &
Assessment, plus
• Advanced Diploma in Teaching LLN in VET
(South Australia)
WELL Management &
Administration
• Recruitment
- Employer’s needs must align with jobseeker
- Employer considers how well you can
accommodate the jobseeker
- New successful recruit must be integrated
and be productive – this may take work
WELL Management &
Administration cont…
• Position Description
- Articulates the most important outcome you
need from an employee to do a particular job
- Tells an employee where their job fits
within the department & the company
- Is an integral piece of the performance
development planning process
WELL Management &
Administration cont…
• Promoting the vacancy
- Cast the net wide
- Communicate clearly about the job on offer
- Choose the most effective means of
reaching your target
Assessing applicants and recruiting
WELL practitioners
Key skills and attributes should include:
• Experience working with adults
• Understanding workplace culture
• Flexibility
• Integrity
• Empathy
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to deal with a range of stakeholder needs
• Good communication skills
Workplace induction
Orientation
• A workplace induction from your local area
• HR induction interview
• Orientation program
• Induction must include the specific cultural and
social environments which encompass LLN
requirements
WELL Project Managers
• Will be responsible for planning the work of
others
• Self starter
• Apply technical & organisational knowledge to
organisation issues & problems
• Apply their skills to the management of trainees
& a variety of workplace situations
• Exercise appropriate judgement
• Manage appropriate resources & services
• Manage organisational processes
WELL Project Management Skills
Development
Manager’s role:
• Develop
• Sustain
• Grow workplace literacy program
Workplace literacy practitioner’s role:
• Planning
• Leading
• Developing
• Coordinating
• Monitoring workplace literacy program
A guide to supporting WELL practitioners &
the unique issues they face
• General
- understand the processes & performance
expectations
- understand their role
- Participate in a team
- Prepare reports
- Understand business priorities
- Communicate effectively with all stakeholders
A guide to supporting WELL practitioners &
the unique issues they face cont…
• Specific WELL
- Organise, conduct & document activities
- Prepare & present WELL findings
- Design & deliver workplace literacy program
- Communicate effectively with staff & team
- Organise, conduct & document teaching
activities & learner progress
- Work effectively in a non-traditional teaching
environment
A guide to effective client
management
• Find out as much as you can about the client
• Demonstrate that you can meet their needs
• Demonstrate that you understand the company’s
issues and that you are competent
• Be realistic – don’t promise more than you can
deliver
WELL Administration - A guide to
preparing WELL Applications
• Invitations for WELL funding applications are
advertised at various times during the year in
major newspapers & on the DEEWR website
• The form can be downloaded from the site
• The form may not be modified
• There is a helpful “Hints and Tips” document to
assist you
• Complete application forms are sent to the
relevant State/Territory WELL office
A Guide to AQTF
• AQTF 2007 is the national set of training
standards
• It assures nationally consistent, high quality
training & assessment services
• There are two sets of national agreed standards
- AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for
Registration
- AQTF 2007 Standards for State & Territory
Registering Bodies
A Guide to AQTF cont….
• National Audit & Registration Agency (NARA)
provides audits & registration services for RTOs
• Registration under the AQTF requires an RTO to
take account of language, literacy & numeracy
skills as part of its core business
WELL Project Administration &
Reporting
• DEEWR administers the WELL Program
• A State WELL Coordinator and SAC assess
local training applications
• Payments are made via Electronic Funds
Transfer
• The first payment is made when the contract is
signed
• Subsequent payments are made per the
contract
WELL Program Delivery –
WELL Client
A guide to learner characteristics &
learner needs
Adult learners:
• Expect to find learning rewarding
• Use all their senses to learn
• Learn more effectively when they can relate new
information to their existing knowledge
• Need opportunities to practice their new skills
A guide to learner characteristics &
learner needs cont..
Adult learners:
• Remember the first & last things in a learning
session
• Need feedback on their progress
• Need to be actively involved in the learning
process
• Need more time to make sense of & value new
information
A guide to learner context
• Be aware of interlinking language, literacy &
numeracy
• Industries have their own vocabulary, technical
terms & acronyms
• Effective cross-cultural communication is
essential
• The ABS Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALLS)
Survey 2006 identified that 7 million Australians
between 15 – 74 have poor & very poor literacy
& numeracy skills
Industry Sector overviews specific
to Language, Literacy & Numeracy
• Australian industry needs competent, skilled
workers with the flexibility to adapt to the
changing workplace environment.
• OECD research indicates that a 1 percent rise in
average literacy will lead to a 1.5 percent
increase in GDP per capita and a 2.5 percent
rise in labour productivity.
WELL Context
Information about VET & Industry
Training Packages
Vocational Education & Training (VET)
• VET Vocational Education & Training or Training
for Work
- AQF
- AQTF
- RTO
- State & Territory registering authorities
• AQTF defines all nationally recognised
qualifications
- a single framework for all qualifications
from senior secondary certificate to PhD
Information about VET & Industry
Training Packages cont..
Training Package
• Key resource for RTOs in the delivery of
structured, accredited training
• Developed by industry through National
Industry Skills Councils (ISCs)
• Has two parts
- endorsed
- support material
A guide to WELL Program & AQTF
• An RTO needs to fit LLN into the delivery of its
training and assessment to:
- redress any LLN deficiencies
- build skills such as teamwork, communication
& problem solving
- Fit LL&N into training & delivery
- LL&N skills are integrated into units of
competency in all training packages
Back to Basics VET Information
Learning & Assessment Strategies
•
•
•
•
•
Determine industry requirements
Select qualification/units of competency
Determine target group needs
Determine delivery and assessment schedule
Determine evidence gathering/assessment
method
• Validate assessment strategies
Access & Equity
Equity groups may include, but are not limited to:
• Students with English as a second language
• Students with literacy or numeracy difficulties
• Indigenous students
• Students in remote locations
• Women in non-traditional industries
• Students with sensory impairment
• Students with physical or intellectual disabilities
Developing Assessment Tools,
Validation
Assessment tools are materials that enable you to collect
evidence using your chosen assessment method.
Assessment tools are the instruments and procedures used
to gather and interpret evidence of competence:
• The instrument is the activity or specific questions used
to assess competence by the assessment method
selected. An assessment instrument may be supported
by a profile of acceptable performance and the decisionmaking rules or guidelines to be used by assessors
• Procedures are the information or instructions given to
the candidate and the assessor about how the
assessment is to be conducted and recorded.
Developing Assessment Tools,
Validation
Validate assessment strategies
• Assessment strategies must be developed in
consultation with enterprises/industry, and
• The RTO must validate its assessment
strategies by reviewing, comparing and
evaluating the assessment processes, tools and
evidence contributing to judgements made by a
range of assessors against the same
competency standards, at least annually
Flexible Delivery/Reasonable
Adjustment
Flexible learning includes a range of delivery
modes such as:
• distance education
• mixed-mode delivery
• online/e-learning
• self-paced and self-directed learning.
Flexible Delivery/Reasonable
Adjustment
Reasonable adjustment may mean:
• Making learning materials and methods
accessible
• Adapting the physical environment and
equipment
• Making adjustments to the procedures for
conducting assessment
• Making adjustments to the evidence gathering
techniques
Information about competencies
Units of competency, or competency standards,
are the building blocks of a qualification. These
standards describe discrete work tasks, and the
knowledge, technical skills and employability
skills a person needs to perform the task
effectively in the workplace.
By looking at different aspects of a unit of
competency, a complete picture of required
performance is generated, which informs the
design of learning and assessment activities.
This is often called ‘unpacking’ the unit of
competency.
Unpacking LL&N Requirements
‘Unpacking’ a unit of competency has also been called
‘building a picture of competency.’ This means breaking down
the competency standard to gain answers to the following
questions:
– What is the work activity?
– What does the work activity involve?
– What skills are needed to perform the work activity?
– What level of skill is needed?
– What evidence is needed to prove that a person is
competent?
– what knowledge and skills are needed to perform this
work activity?
– What generic work skills are needed?
– Where should evidence be gathered?
– What resources are required to gather the evidence?
WELL Professional Development
Tools
•
Self Assessment Checklists for WELL
Practitioners
Checklist 1
Checklist 2
Checklist 3
WELL Professional Development
Plan Template
• Template 1
• Template 2
• Template 3
Case Studies of Best Practice Delivery,
Assessment, Administration & Management
• Case Study 1
• Case Study 2
• Case Study 3
PowerPoint Presentation
• Presentation 1
• Presentation 2
Events Calendar of WELL
Professional Development
Helpful Links
• WELL Website www.deewr.gov.au/well
• MESAB www.mesab.com.au