ITAB News September 2008

Employability Skills

At its July 2007 meeting the National Quality Council endorsed an approach to descriptive reporting on employability skills which involves: learners downloading qualification specific Employability Skills Summaries for Training Package qualifications they have completed from an internet site; and RTOs adding a mandatory sentence providing directions to the site to all qualification testamurs for Training Package qualifications.

The website housing the Employability Skills Summaries for Training Package qualifications has now been established. In order to allow sufficient time for RTOs to modify their qualification testamurs to include the mandatory sentence, at its March 2008 meeting the Council agreed to the following two step process for moving to the new reporting arrangements:

From 1 July 2008, RTOs will be required to inform all students issued with Training Package qualifications that Employability Skills Summaries for Training Package qualifications can be downloaded from http://employabilityskills.training.com.au ; and

From 1 January 2009, RTOs will be required to add the following mandatory sentence to all qualification testamurs issued for Training Package qualifications:

A summary of the employability skills developed through this qualification can be downloaded from http://employabilityskills.training.com.au

NSW Department of Education and Training 2009-2010 NSW Training Market Tender

This is a reminder that tenders for 2009-2010 NSW Training Market Approved Providers List for the delivery of government funded training:

will open at 0:01am on Wednesday 17 September 2008
will close at 5pm on Wednesday 15 October 2008

There will be no extensions granted to this time line.

You can only tender for course and training packages qualifications that are:

approved within your VETAB scope of registration, or
lodged but not yet approved within your VETAB scope of registration.

All interstate Registered Training Organisations MUST have courses and qualifications they wish to tender, appear on NTIS as being delivered in NSW prior to 5 September 2008.

All the details of the tendering process are on the Training Market website at: https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/trainingmarket/

Code of Conduct for Unregistered Health Practitioners

A Code of Conduct for Unregistered Health Practitioners has been developed following a consultation process that included a wide range of organisations and individuals from relevant health care professions and services. Provision for this Code of Conduct is found in the NSW Public Health Act 1991, Health Legislation Amendment (Unregistered Health Practitioners) Act 2006. It is anticipated that the Code of Conduct will commence early April 2008.

The term unregistered health practitioner refers to any person who provides a health service and who is not registered under a health professional registration Act in NSW. This may include counsellors, psychotherapists, massage therapists, naturopaths, herbalists, reike therapists, homeopaths and other complementary and alternative health practitioners.

The NSW Health Impact Assessment Statement for this Code of Conduct states:

As with registered health professionals the overwhelming majority of unregistered practitioners are honest, competent and caring. However, there will always be a limited number of practitioners who represent a risk to the public because of a lack of competence, impairment or dishonesty.

Complaints about unregistered health practitioners can be made to the Health Care Complaints Commission. Under the new provisions a complaint can be made that an unregistered practitioner has breached the code of conduct and where the complaint is substantiated and the Commission finds that the person represents a substantial risk to the health of members of the public, an order can be made to either ban the person from practice or place conditions on his or her practice (a prohibition order).

Without a code of conduct the ability of the Health Care Complaints Commission to take action to protect the community from those unregistered practitioners is limited

It is expected that all training in Complementary and Alternative Health qualifications will include understanding and knowledge of the NSW Unregistered Health Practitioners Code of Conduct .

Click here to view The NSW Health Impact Assessment Statement for this Code of Conduct.

Rural and Remote Training Needs Research Report

NOW AVAILABLE

The Community Services Training Needs in Rural and Remote NSW research project has been completed. The research encompassed a wide range of community services sectors with 231 rural and remote employers participating in the data collection. This represents over 5200 full time, part time and casual employees. The research findings have been collated into six main rural and remote regions and provide a clear profile of skills shortages, training needs, priority groups and barriers and challenges to training provision.

Research Report available here

TRAINEESHIP FOR CHC50302 DIPLOMA OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES

On October 30, 2007 the Commissioner for Vocational Training, NSW Department Education and Training, advised that a vocational training order has been established for CHC50302 Diploma of Children's Services.

The following funding advice from the Commissioner was also recieved by the ITAB:

In July 2007, the NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training called for a report on the funding of apprenticeship and traineeship training in New South Wales. This report is expected to be completed in February 2008. So while Diploma and Advanced Diploma quallifications may be approved for delivery as traineeship or apprenticeship pathways in New South Wales no decision on the funding of their delivery will be made until 2008.

Some targeted Diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications attract financial assistance for eligible employers from the Commonwealth Govermnment. Details of the Commonwealth's financial assistance can be seen at http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/employer/incentives.asp

NOTE: Diploma of Children's Services is a targeted qualification for financial assistance by the Commonwealth Government.

Pocket Guides to a Skilled Workforce

The ITAB has worked in partnership with industry sectors to produce customised pocket guides that contain straightforward information about:

The match between the skills and knowledge of the workforce and qualifications in the national training system
Explanations and examples of the training choices available to suit the diverse needs of workers and their workplace
A 'Ready Reckoner' for easy access to additional information and support.

The Pocket Guides will assist employers to recognise training opportunitiesand choices to achieve a highly skilled and competent workforce.

Pocket Guides to a Skilled Workforce now available from the ITAB for the following industry sectors:

Disablity Work
Alcohol and Other Drugs Work
Community Mental Health Work
Out of School Hours Care

Other industry sector Pocket Guides are currently being developed and will be posted here as they become available.

NSW ITABS

Announcing the recent launch of the joint ITABs website www.nswitabs.com

Please visit this site for information about the role and work of the ITABs servicing NSW. The ITABs will hold an industry forum on Wednesday May 28th for key stakeholders and peak industry organisations.

Stay tuned for more details.

ITAB Assessor Network

The next meeting of the Assessor Network will be held on Tuesday, 26 February 2008, 2-4:30pm, at Building 8, Gladesville Hospital, Gladesville.

The Network provides the opportunity for community services and health workplace assessors to come together for professional development, information sharing and networking.

Anyone who is involved in assessing Community Services and Health national competency standards is invited to register for the Assessor Network by contacting Kathy at the ITAB.

NavigatingNSW Launch Photo Gallery

To view the photos Click here