In The News 

Fine Tuning Recognition- Tuesday 24 July or         Thursday 2 August

Announcing 2 dates for this new 1 day workshop to explore new methods for providing recognition and to ensure processes and tools meet the rigour of NVR compliance.

For more information click here

To register click here

External Assessment Validation Networks for RTOs

Following on from the success of our 2011 networks, we will be offering this opportunity again in mid 2012

For more information  click here

2012 ASSESSOR NETWORK

More information click here

Assessor Network Invitation click here

Register NOW click here

 

        

INTEGRITY IN ASSESSMENT WORKSHOPS- Wed 29 Feb or Thurs 8 March, *Just added Thursday 3 May

The ITAB has recieved many requests from RTOs to provide a workshop opportunity to develop skills in aligning assessment activities and strategies to requirements of units of competency including alignment to the AQF.  Often referred to as 'mapping' or 'assessment matrix'.  This workshop will explore the ins and outs of all things to do with assessment to ensure RTOs are able to maintain the integrity of training package requirements.

Workshop Invitation:  click here

Register NOW:  click here

 

ANNOUNCING 2012 ASSESSMENT VALIDATION WORKSHOPS- due to the success of our 2011 workshops, we will be offering these workshops in 2012.  The half day Introduction to  Assessment Validation workshop will be held on Thursday 23 February and Tuesday 6 March. * Just added Tuesday 14 May

NOTE: Participants will be eligible to join the ITAB External Valdiation Network.

Workshop Invitation: click here

Register NOW: click here

 

Training Package Continuous Improvement Updates

          

 

Community Services and Health ISC Training packages national information forum coming to NSW

Click here for information and registration

 

CHC08 Version 4.0 and HLT07 Version 5.0 have been submitted by the ISC to the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) for endorsement.  Once endorsed, the new versions should be available on training.gov in May 2012.

E-learning Resources

Check out our e-learning resources on www.workplaceskills.com.au , For quick access use the e-learning icon in the left hand menu.   Current resources include:

• All In a Day's Work (recognition for early childhood educators)
• Oral Health for Aged Care
• Workplace Buiding Blocks- Core Skills in Aged Care (supporting LLN needs)
• Policy@My Place (incorporating support for Keep Them Safe policy development and implementation)

Our industry endorsed resources are free for learners with unlimited access.

We'd love to hear from you when you've viewed or used our resources. Each resource has an online 'Feedback' section for your convenience. 

REVISED CIII Aged Care Resources 

Details on Products page

Child Protection

New section on Navigating NSW detailing NSW Keep Them Safe initiative and related units of competency.

to view click here

CHC08 and HLT07 Traineeships

For more information click here

 

Welcome to Autumn everyone and what a wet ride it has been so far this year for so many!! We can only hope that as April and Easter draw upon us, the weather improves and for many of us, our lives can settle back down into a more regular and less stressful routine.

There are many changes impacting our Community Services and Health Care sectors and the world of VET at both state and national levels. A quick update on some areas:

Community Boards

Our current climate of change is having a significant impact on our Community Boards and Management Committees. Implementing the new Workforce Health and Safety legislation and the new SCHCADS (SACS Modern Award) must be a key focus for our management bodies.  By 1 July 2012 SCHCADS will be fully operational which means that the new 8 level classification structure that replaces the current 6 level structure of the NSW SACS Award will have to be implemented. In an effort to ensure the reclassification of 25,000 employees happens smoothly NCOSS has produced a briefing paper which outlines a process for reclassification. Download: NCOSS Briefing Paper Moving the SCHCADS Modern Award.   

Additionally the following industry information sessions are being held and organisations are encouraged to attend one of the briefings:

AREA	DATE	TIME
Sydney Sydney Town Hall, George St	15 March	10am-1pm
Gosford	16 March	10am-1pm
Liverpool	19 March	10am-1pm
Lismore	20 March	1pm-4pm
Coffs Harbour	21 March	10am-1pm
Queanbeyan	22 March	10am-1pm
Wollongong	26 March	10am-1pm
Albury	27 March	1pm-4pm
Penrith	28 March	10am-1pm
Tamworth	29 March	10am-1pm
Orange	5 April	1pm-4pm
Chatswood	10 April	10am-1pm
Maitland	12 April	10am-1pm

 

Register on-line on the NDS website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R7868K9

To support Boards and Management Committees with their corporate governance and to support the professional development of these groups, the NCOSS 2012 Sector Development Conference in May this year will focus on the major role of Boards as the employer. To find out more click here:

NCOSS Sector Development Conference 2012 'The Buck Stops with the Board'

 

Community Services and Health Training Packages

 The ISC submitted CHC 08 Version 4.0 & HLT07 Version 5.0 to National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) for endorsement recently. The NSSC meets on 19 April to review the submission for endorsement.

 

Current endorsement timeframes

If there are no issues they aim for a two week turn around so the new versions should be available on training.gov by May 2012.

Major changes in the proposed versions

There are some significant changes in the proposed versions due in particular to the revision of the OHS units to meet new Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) legislation and First Aid units. All qualifications with the new First Aid units in their core have been recoded. First Aid has affected 35 qualifications in HLT07 V 5 and 2 units in CHC08 V4. The ISC is working with ASQA to understand the impact of these changes for RTOs and their requirements for changing their scope of registration to reflect the newly coded qualifications.

Other changes include: new skill sets, new units of competency, one new qualification: CHC42912 Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work and the removal of one qualification: HLT43407 Certificate IV in Nursing (Enrolled/Division 2 nursing) on the advice of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Keep an eye out for the new versions, the impact for RTOs and transition arrangements.

 

National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) update

Streamlining of Training Packages “VET Products of the 21st Century”

In December 2010 NSSC agreed that by 2014 all Training Packages must conform to the new design model. Consultants are currently holding nationwide forums to get feedback on the new format:

• Training Package – NSSC endorsed consisting of
• Units of competency – changed format
• Assessment requirements
• Qualifications
• Credit arrangements
• Companion Volume – Quality Assured but not endorsed:
• RTO implementation guide
• Learning strategies guide
• Knowledge guide
• Assessment strategies guide.

The Community Services and Health ISC is using this change to drive their continuous improvement process so they plan to have two totally revised and updated Training Packages by 2014. Keep an eye out over future months to see how you can contribute to the process and ensure all the qualifications reflect current and forward looking work practices.

In brief

The February 2012 reports for Traineeships in the Community Services and Health sector show a healthy growth for this financial year despite it not yet being over. New Entrant numbers have grown by nearly 7% and Existing Worker numbers by over 18% . Growth in Health is particularly strong in Certificate III in Health Support Services & Certificate IV in Health Administration. For Community Services we are seeing growth in Aged Care, Disability, Education Support and Children’s Services.

 

Children’s Services news

The Department of Education and Communities is hosting regional and metropolitan forums to engage the early childhood education and care workforce in their strategy to help the sector meet the new National Quality Framework requirements. Using the RPL resource “All in a Day’s Work” developed by the ITAB in collaboration with the ECEC sector and providing government subsidised training by RTOs for any identified gaps, existing workers who do not hold qualifications in ECEC will be able to meet the staffing requirement by achieving a Children’s Services Certificate III or Diploma. Click here for more information and remember Certificate III in Children’s Services is now a school based traineeship pathway for Years 11 and 12 students:

CIB 517 - "Community Services - Children’s Services - Traineeship URL - https://www.training.nsw.gov.au/cib_vto/cibs/cib_517.html

Diploma of Children’s Services (Outside School Hours Care) is now a 24 month traineeship pathway enabling existing workers to gain this qualification.

CIB 516 - "Community Services - Outside School Hours Care – Traineeship 

URL - https://www.training.nsw.gov.au/cib_vto/cibs/cib_516.html

 

Determination for Trainers and Assessors

The NSSC is responsible for setting the competency standards required by VET trainers and assessors if they are delivering training and assessment services. At the meeting of 8 December 2011, the NSSC:

• considered and endorsed a new Determination for Training and Assessment competencies to be held by Trainers and Assessors
• specified the qualifications or competencies that must be held, as a minimum, by trainers, persons delivering training under supervision, and assessors in the VET sector
• agreed to a transition period to 1 July 2013, to allow providers time to adopt a planned approach to ensuring all trainers and assessors meet the requirements of this Determination by 1 July 2013.

This Determination replaces the NQC Determination dated 17 June 2010, which was due to take effect on 17 June 2012. The NQC Determination of 18 December 2009 will continue to apply during the transition period (i.e. to 1 July 2013).

Click here for details

 

ASQA targeting aged care training from January 2012

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is targeting aged care training as a key risk factor in assessing providers. Ensuring the quality of aged care training has been made a priority by the national regulator of the VET sector. From January, ASQA will scrutinise registered training organisations (RTOs) when they apply to register, renew or amend courses that include aged care qualifications.

ASQA has alerted its compliance staff to especially scrutinise applications from providers wanting to move into aged care training, as well as re-registration applications from current aged care trainers.

This means all organisations applying for initial aged care training registration will be site audited at the time of registration and again a year later. All RTOs that offer aged care qualifications will be audited when applying to renew their registration. If an RTO requests to add aged care qualifications to their schedule, they will need to provide training and assessment criteria plus training materials.

On the issue of complaints, the spokesperson said ASQA would continue its “risk-focused approach” to aged care training provision and monitoring of standards. “ASQA responds rigorously to issues and complaints that are made about the aged care sector and is currently undertaking a major audit of a national aged care RTO.” ASQA confirmed it is gathering further information to determine if a sector-wide audit is required. A possible national audit of aged care training will be a "very high priority'' for ASQA once it has national coverage.

In its aged care report last year the Productivity Commission aired some scathing assessments of the standard of courses. It recommended that a national audit of aged care training be carried out.

Submissions to the Productivity Commission complained of the wide variability in the competency of graduates, and criticised "fast-tracked'' courses of only a few weeks duration that have no clinical placements. The highly variable quality of Certificates III and IV training was raised repeatedly during the commission’s public hearings, with the issue canvassed extensively in its final report.

This information is informed by articles in

Campus Review: by Natasha Egan 12th December, 2011

and

The Australian: by Andrew Trounson  02 September, 2011

 

We are pleased to announce the new look and updated NavigatingNSWwebsite to include CHC08 Community Services Training Package. Access the website by clicking on the site icon on the left menu bar of this page or use www.csh-itab.com.au/navnsw/ NavigatingNSW also includes advice about the HLT07 Health Training Paqckage qualifications, Child Protection and First Aid units of competency. We endeavour to keep NavigatingNSW up to date and welcome any feedback, comments or current NSW developments that will help us provide a useful and vital information service.

Last updated 13 March 2012