ACE-TAFE Western Region Project Final Report BACKGROUND In December 2006, the Board of Vocational Education and Training (BVET) approved funding to support the implementation of the Adult and Community Education (ACE) - TAFE Western Region Project. The aim of this project was to build productive collaboration between the Adult and Community Education and TAFE sectors through the identification of initiatives to improve efficiency and extend delivery of vocational education and training in Western New South Wales as well as enhancing community capacity-building. The project built on the work undertaken in the BVET-funded project The Gwydir Learning Region. The project was managed by the ACE – TAFE Western Region Working Group chaired by Mr Warren Grimshaw AM, a member of the TAFE Commission Board. Other members of the working group were: Ms Kate Baxter, Director, TAFE NSW – Western Institute; Ms Bronwyn Clinch, Executive Officer of Barraba Community Learning Association and member of the former Board of Adult and Community Education (BACE); Dr John McIntyre, policy consultant, Adult Learning Australia, member of the former BACE and Chair of the former Advisory Committee on Community Education (ACCE); and Dr Kathy Esson, Senior Manager, Skills Strategy Unit. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION The ACE-TAFE Western Region Project was implemented in two stages. STAGE ONE - COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS The first stage of the project involved extensive consultations with the key stakeholders in the Western region of NSW to inform activities of further stages. The consultations were facilitated by the contractor, John Mitchell & Associates and involved: interviews with key stakeholders in the Western Region of NSW a written survey of other stakeholders with whom it was difficult to arrange an interview focus groups discussions on-site observations to validate findings from the interviews, focus groups and survey site visits to identify opportunities for projects in Orange, Cobar, Dubbo/Wellington and Bourke which would demonstrate the benefits of ACE- TAFE collaboration a Regional Seminar in Orange involving key representatives from the ACE, TAFE, Schools and Industry sectors to discuss consultations outcomes and further stages of the project.
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ACE-TAFE Western Region Project Final Report
BACKGROUND In December 2006, the Board of Vocational Education and Training (BVET) approved funding to support the implementation of the Adult and Community Education (ACE) - TAFE Western Region Project. The aim of this project was to build productive collaboration between the Adult and Community Education and TAFE sectors through the identification of initiatives to improve efficiency and extend delivery of vocational education and training in Western New South Wales as well as enhancing community capacity-building. The project built on the work undertaken in the BVET-funded project The Gwydir Learning Region. The project was managed by the ACE – TAFE Western Region Working Group chaired by Mr Warren Grimshaw AM, a member of the TAFE Commission Board. Other members of the working group were: Ms Kate Baxter, Director, TAFE NSW – Western Institute; Ms Bronwyn Clinch, Executive Officer of Barraba Community Learning Association and member of the former Board of Adult and Community Education (BACE); Dr John McIntyre, policy consultant, Adult Learning Australia, member of the former BACE and Chair of the former Advisory Committee on Community Education (ACCE); and Dr Kathy Esson, Senior Manager, Skills Strategy Unit. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION The ACE-TAFE Western Region Project was implemented in two stages. STAGE ONE - COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS The first stage of the project involved extensive consultations with the key stakeholders in the Western region of NSW to inform activities of further stages. The consultations were facilitated by the contractor, John Mitchell & Associates and involved: interviews with key stakeholders in the Western Region of NSW a written survey of other stakeholders with whom it was difficult to arrange an
interview focus groups discussions on-site observations to validate findings from the interviews, focus groups and
survey site visits to identify opportunities for projects in Orange, Cobar,
Dubbo/Wellington and Bourke which would demonstrate the benefits of ACE-TAFE collaboration
a Regional Seminar in Orange involving key representatives from the ACE, TAFE, Schools and Industry sectors to discuss consultations outcomes and further stages of the project.
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A project report on consultation outcomes is at Appendix A. STAGE TWO – MOU, DEMONSTRATION AND PATHWAYS PROJECTS The second stage of the project built on findings of the consultations and involved: 1 The development of Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) 2 The implementation of demonstration projects
3 The development of the Pathways Project. 1. MOU
Project description
The aim of the project was to negotiate Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) between TAFE NSW – Western Institute and each of the ACE providers located in the Western region of NSW to provide a framework for on-going collaboration and cooperation between the TAFE and ACE sectors and to build trust and understanding.
In July 2008, the MOUs were signed between TAFE NSW – Western Institute and all ACE providers located in the Western region of NSW: the Central West Community College, the Western College, Robinson Community College, Broken Hill and the now defunct Condobolin Adult Education. The MOU Implementation Committee consisting of the Director of the TAFE NSW – Western Institute and Chief Executive Officers of the three remaining ACE providers was established to oversee the development and implementation of the MOU joint initiatives and projects. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS Three demonstration projects involving partnerships between TAFE NSW – Western Institute and Adult and Community Education providers together with industry, communities and the schools sector were developed. Those projects demonstrated that collaboration and cooperation between ACE and TAFE are mutually beneficial and bring economic returns to both sectors. Those projects are: a. the Wellington Learning Community Project b. the ACE-TAFE Western Region Remote Collaborative Project
2.3 the Broken Hill Project.
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2.1 The Wellington Learning Community Project
Project description
The purposes of the Wellington Learning Community Project were:
to foster a shift in the way the ACE and TAFE sectors work to service Wellington as a remote community of New South Wales and address mature learner needs in that community; and
to model the development of a learning community model, adapting some of
the lessons learnt from the BVET evaluation of the Gwydir Learning Region in 2006.
The initial stage of the Wellington Project involved consultations with the key stakeholders in Wellington and Dubbo. These were designed to identify levels and types of support and strategies to progress the implementation of the learning community in Wellington. The consultations were facilitated by the contractor, John Mitchell & Associates, who was engaged for the first stage of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project. The consultations revealed that Wellington has some core community strengths, such as a determination to improve education and employment levels locally and that there is a clear and high level of support from key stakeholder groups for the Wellington Learning Community. A project report on consultation outcomes is at Appendix B. To progress the implementation of the Learning Community, the Wellington Learning Community Working Group was established comprising representatives from TAFE, ACE, schools, local government, business and community sectors. The inaugural meeting of the Working Group was held on 30 July 2008. After a year of planning and intensive preparations under the guidance of the Working Group, the Wellington Learning Community was officially launched on 20 May 2009. A highlight of the launch was the announcement of the winner of a local youth competition to develop the Wellington Learning Community Logo. The launch generated significant interest from the local community and was covered by the local media. A copy of an article from the Wellington Times, the winning Wellington Learning Community Logo, as well as the Wellington Learning Community launch program are attached at Appendix C. Wellington Learning Community
The WLC involves a range of stakeholders in Wellington, including the Wellington Shire Council, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Western College, local schools, the Gallanggabang Aboriginal Corporation, local business, community and employment organisations. Its aim is to establish a culture in Wellington of participation in education and training in order to improve life and work skills and community and regional development.
The Learning Community is managed by a Committee consisting of representatives from the major stakeholders. The Committee holds regular monthly meetings chaired
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by the Wellington Shire Council with TAFE NSW – Western Institute providing executive support. Since its official launch members of the WLC have been working together to create new learning opportunities and employment pathways for people in Wellington and surrounding districts. A range of training needs have been identified and are being met through joint training ventures between stakeholders. Examples of joint training initiatives developed under the framework of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project are as follows: A course for youth in Wellington providing on-the-job training in construction and
landscaping skills developed as a result of successful collaboration between TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Orana Education and Training Co-operative, the Police and Community Youth Clubs and the Wellington Shire Council.
A course in clothing production developed by TAFE NSW – Western Institute in association with Wellington Primary School.
A course for mature age men from Wellington and surrounding areas providing training in a variety of skills jointly developed by TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington Men’s Shed and Sureway Employment.
A course in retail skills for youth in Wellington which includes valuable work experience provided by local businesses.
A “suspension school” for young people on short and long-term school suspensions jointly established by all members of WLC.
A joint, long-term youth program, involving TAFE NSW-Western Institute, Western College, Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) and local organisations of Job Services Australia (JSAs), that provides an introduction to trades plus literacy, numeracy and job readiness.
Careers Expos in Wellington hosted by the WLC since 2010. The Wellington Learning Community members are working with Wellington Shire Council to contribute to the Council’s Community Plans. They also take turns to produce a monthly press article on training opportunities and highlights. In recent months the WLC identified a large cohort of students who require speech pathology and occupational therapy assistance. A committee was formed between local schools and Communities for Children representatives and Greater Western Area Health Service (GWAHS). This has resulted in the WLC presenting a paper “Schools Based Therapy” to local state and federal members to lobby for the presence of these specialised services in Wellington.
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2.2 The ACE-TAFE Western Region Remote Collaborative Project Project description
The aim of the project was to provide skilling and workforce development for indigenous people in Condobolin. This was to be developed and delivered through joint venture arrangements between Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation, TAFE NSW – Western Institute and originally two ACE providers: Central West Community College and the now defunct Condobolin Adult Education.
The Project provided a catalyst to form a Vocational Training Alliance to support the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation to achieve goals identified in their 2008/2009 Education and Training Plan.
The Project focussed on the following training areas:
Horticulture Skills
Waste Management
Cleaning Operations
Leadership Skills
Mining Skills
As a result of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group members’ support and lobbying, funding for the program delivery components of the project was secured from a range of sources: the DET Strategic Skills Program’s Joint Indigenous Funding Pool, the TAFE NSW – Western Institute’s Aboriginal Funding and the Australian Apprenticeship Access Program brokered from the Central West Community College for TAFE NSW – Western Institute. Funding from the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project budget was used to support the coordination, travel and liaison costs of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Remote Collaborative Project to ensure the success of this project. In 2008, small groups of up to 10 indigenous students participated in Horticulture, Waste Management, Cleaning Operations and Mining introductory training courses jointly delivered by the partner organisations of the Vocational Training Alliance. TAFE NSW allocated additional funding to enable students who completed the Cleaning Operations and the Waste Management introductory courses to undertake the full Certificate II courses. All students completing the Waste Management and Cleaning Operations courses gained part time employment as a result of their study. Details on project training and ACE/TAFE collaborative partnership outcomes are at Appendix D. Long-term outcomes
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The Project developed a framework to address the skilling and workforce development needs of Aboriginal people in Condobolin through joint venture arrangements between the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation, TAFE NSW – Western Institute and Central West Community College. The Condobolin Vocational Training Alliance established under the project continues to function to support the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation in providing training and employment opportunities for the Wiradjuri community in Condobolin. The partnership is now working closely also with the newly formed Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation’s training facility to deliver local training for Aboriginal youth.
2.3 Broken Hill Project
Project description The project focussed on the development of a model for ACE-TAFE collaboration with other training providers and major employers in Broken Hill.
Examples of collaborative initiatives developed in Broken Hill under the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project framework are: Enrolled Nurse Training An Enrolled Nurse course has been established at Broken Hill TAFE as a result of collaboration between TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Greater Western Area Health Services, the Nurses and Midwives Board, Broken Hill City Council and Robinson Community College. The Broken Hill Health Service provides clinical placement.
Education Providers Forum An Education Providers Forum was established in Broken Hill and meets quarterly to discuss ways of: better engaging with the community and industry; developing a combined vision for education and training in Broken Hill, including pathways between all sectors, and; looking at options to access resources through partnerships. Members of the Forum include Charles Sturt University, Robinson Community College, Sydney University, the school sector and TAFE NSW - Western Institute.
A community garden project A community garden project was conducted in partnership between the Robinson Community College and the local indigenous community in Wilcannia. The aim of the project was to grow low-cost seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables onsite for the community to purchase. The project offered training under the Certificates II and III in Horticulture and included participation in preparing the soil, installing irrigation and planting crops. Land, equipment and materials were provided by community partnerships.
A new Hair and Beauty Training Salon in Broken Hill
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In May 2010, under the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project framework, TAFE NSW – Western Institute’s Broken Hill College and Robinson Community College conducted joint consultations into perceived industry gaps in Broken Hill. The consultations involved local industry, Broken Hill City Council, Regional Development Australia, Industry and Investment NSW and Local Training Group Providers.
As the result of these consultations, Broken Hill College secured Strategic Development Funds from TAFE NSW – Western Institute and established a new hair and beauty training salon on the college grounds. A sample model of delivery was also developed. It involves TAFE delivering school-based apprenticeships, and Robinson Community College delivering pre-apprenticeship training. Small Motors Course As the result of collaboration between TAFE NSW - Western Institute, Robinson Community College and local high schools, a Small Motors Course has been developed to address the needs of disengaged Year 10 youth (males), aged between 16 – 17 years in Broken Hill. The course includes interpersonal, communication and team skills as part of its curriculum and runs for a full day over a 9 week period.
Literacy program for CDEP participants Collaboration between TAFE NSW Broken Hill and Murdi Paaki Regional Enterprise Corporation has resulted in the development of a new literacy program for Community Development Employment Program (CDEP) participants. The program provided CDEP participants, working on their current CDEP projects and completing TAFE Certificates in Welding and Carpentry, with access to the support of a specialist literacy teacher.
Centralised Local Information Portal Under the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project framework, the Regional Governance Committee consisting of representatives from TAFE, ACE, Schools, Broken Hill City Council, CentraCare, local community groups, employment agencies and employers was established and guided the development of the Centralised Local Information Portal which improved coordination and delivery of services in Broken Hill.
This group continues to meet regularly and has auspiced joint programs for schools in the Broken Hill Community and vocational training in Wilcannia in the metals industry. These programs have been jointly funded and delivered by TAFE NSW – Western Institute and Robinson Community College. Robinson Community College has been supporting the TAFE delivered schools programs by providing course materials and student equipment.
Higher Education Pathways - TAFE Associate Degree Program The Higher Education Working Party including TAFE NSW – Western Institute and Robinson Community College was established by the Broken Hill City Council. The Working Party is currently negotiating the establishment of a Higher Education Planning Committee with Charles Sturt University to jointly deliver courses in Broken Hill. Possible course fields include: nursing, hospitality, early childhood, local
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government, social welfare and media. Discussions are ongoing with CSU regarding the development of a TAFE associate degree program to provide pathways and recognition for VET students into CSU Early Childhood Degree programs.
3 PATHWAYS PROJECT
Project description
The Pathways Project was created to provide a means of:
recognising, documenting, publicising, and progressing collaborative initiatives between ACE-TAFE in the Western Region of NSW; and
ensuring that students in the Region would be made aware of learning pathways that might involve ACE-TAFE collaboration, particularly those students who are more remote from learning facilities or less advantaged.
The project aimed to:
identify progress between ACE-TAFE providers in the development and implementation of the collaborative initiatives
enable providers to share resources, provide referrals and point out career learning pathways that otherwise might not be evident to existing students or prospective community participants
ensure that Pathways initiatives can be recognised and documented through time to keep the spirit of collaboration alive within ACE and TAFE.
The Pathways Project was implemented as part of the MOU between the Adult and Community Education Sector and TAFE NSW – Western Institute.
The project activities fell under two key areas:
3.1 Relationship Strategy via ACE/TAFE small project creation; and
3.2 Marketing and Publicity Strategy.
3.1 Relationship Strategy via ACE/TAFE small project creation
The following ACE/TAFE collaborative initiatives were developed under the Relationship Strategy:
The Birrang Project.
Under the Birrang Project a jointly funded partnership was created involving Birrang Enterprise Development Company, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Central West Community College and the Department of Housing NSW. Its purpose was to offer a free pre-employment training course in construction to eligible indigenous applicants, which would provide a pathway to entering a limited number of apprenticeships.
Partnership Education Program (PeP)
The program has been developed as a partnership between schools, Western College, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, CentraCare and Mission Australia. It provides a variety of activities aimed at students who are at risk of disengagement from education.
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Life Choices Program
The Program involves Central West Community College, TAFE NSW – Western Institute and Schools working together to re-connect students who have disengaged in Years 9 and10.
School within School Program The Program involves Bathurst School, TAFE NSW – Western Institute and Central West Community College providing an alternative curriculum for years 9 and 10.
Pathways for L&N Western College students Pathways have been established between TAFE NSW – Western Institute and Western College to assist language and numeracy students.
3.2 Marketing and Publicity Strategy Four video clips have been developed to promote the benefits of collaboration between the ACE and TAFE sectors and encourage people to come forward with new collaborative initiatives. Each clip focuses on collaboration between TAFE NSW – Western Institute and a particular ACE College. TAFE NSW – Western Institute was engaged to develop these video clips in close consultation with ACE providers under the guidance of the project management group. The video clips are provided electronically with this report (Appendix E). They are available on the TAFE NSW – Western Institute website at: http://www.wit.tafensw.edu.au/the-institute/ace-tafe-western-collaboration CONCLUSION
The ACE-TAFE Western Region Project was very successful in achieving its objectives of building productive collaboration to improve efficiency and extend delivery of vocational education and training in Western NSW as well as enhancing community capacity-building.
The project greatly improved the relationship between TAFE and ACE in the Western region of rural NSW. Joint planning and management of numerous joint initiatives has built trust and respect and developed ACE/TAFE partnership models that could be duplicated across the State.
The project has developed sustainable partnerships between TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Adult and Community Education providers, industry, communities, shire councils and schools which will continue to function into the future.
The video clips developed as part of the Pathways Project will promote and encourage the development of new collaborative initiatives to keep the spirit of collaboration alive within ACE and TAFE long after the project is completed.
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The ACE-TAFE Implementation Committee consisting of the Director of the TAFE NSW – Western Institute and Chief Executive Officers of all ACE providers has agreed to continue holding twice yearly meetings to provide a structure for ongoing collaboration between ACE and TAFE. Prepared by: Warren Grimshaw AM, Chair, ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group
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A P P E N D I X A
J O H N M I T C H E L L & A S S O C I A T E S ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ R E S E A R C H P L A N N I N G E V A L U A T I O N
ACE – TAFE WESTERN REGION PROJECT
PHASE ONE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION The ACE-TAFE Western Region Project is an initiative of the NSW Government, and is being conducted by the NSW Board of Adult and Community Education (BACE) and the NSW TAFE Commission Board
and is funded by the NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training (BVET)
Chapter 4: Findings in relation to locations, issues and opportunities ___________ 28
Chapter 5: Findings in relation to ACE and TAFE cultures ___________________ 31
Chapter 6: Findings from the seminar conducted in Orange __________________ 34
Chapter 7: Recommendations in relation to the outcomes of the overall project and the proposed deliverables __________________________________________________ 38
Appendix 1: Overview of project and first stage _____________________________ 42
Appendix 2: Members of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group ______ 44
Appendix 3: Research activities __________________________________________ 44
Appendix 4: Overview of community consultations conducted _________________ 45
Appendix 5: List of interviewees and focus group participants _________________ 47
Appendix 6: Participants in regional seminar, Orange, 29 June 2007 ___________ 49
Executive summary This report is one product of the ACE TAFE Western Region Project which focuses on the vocational education and training (VET) needs of remoter communities in New South Wales (NSW) that are most likely to miss out in the implementation of national VET arrangements. The report summarises consultations conducted in the western region of NSW from May to July 2007, regarding collaboration between Adult and Community Education (ACE) and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in that region. Aim and region The aim of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project is to assist in building necessary collaborative ventures between the ACE and TAFE sectors through the identification of at least three initiatives to improve collaboration and delivery efficiencies in both sectors as well as enhance community capacity building, particularly in remote and regional communities The project relates to the geographical region of New South Wales serviced by the TAFE NSW - Western Institute, bounded by Grenfell in the south, Broken Hill in the West and Bourke and Lightning Ridge in the north and containing the substantial regional centres of Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo. Further details about the overall project are set out in Appendix 1. Focus of this first stage of the project This report relates to the first stage of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project. The first stage involved: facilitation of consultations with key stakeholders in the Western region of NSW,
defined as the area covered by TAFE NSW – Western Institute the provision of practical advice on how the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project
outcomes and deliverables might be achieved based on the outcomes of the consultations.
Management of the project The overall project is being managed by the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group, chaired by Mr Warren Grimshaw AM. The full membership of the Working Group is set out in Appendix 2. The consultant for the first phase of the project was Dr John Mitchell, from John Mitchell & Associates. Research activities Research activities undertaken by the consultant are described in Appendix 3. In summary, these actions included the conducting of fifty five interviews, five site visits, two focus groups and one regional seminar. Further information is provided in appendices 3-5. Major findings Set out below are the major findings from the consultations.
Overview of regional features and skill needs (chapter one) This project covers an area that includes three different regions of NSW, the Central West Region, the Far West Region, and the Orana Region, and each region has its own features. The overall western region provides contrasting patterns: a decline in the size of small towns, an increase in the size of regional centres; difficulties caused by
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drought, complexities caused by mining boom; an increase in job opportunities in areas as different as tourism and horticulture, and a doubling of people over the age of 65 by 2031. This is a complex area with both opportunities for growth and challenges to realise that growth. The mining industry has been the largest contributor to employment growth in the central west over the past 10 years, but the industry is experiencing skill shortages. Reductions in the number of workers are also expected in range of occupations related to the critical agriculture sector. To become a more vibrant economy, the western region is one of the many regions of Australia that needs support from a range of service providers including training providers.
Potential for ACE-TAFE collaboration (chapter two) Research in other parts of Australia has identified the benefits of ACE-TAFE collaboration such as improving community capacity-building, the success factors such as establishing trust between key participants, and effective planning strategies such as defining an agreed set of goals. The region may benefit from referring to the Gwydir Learning Region model of collaboration. However, while the Gwydir Learning Region may provide some ideas for the western region of NSW, the western region is a much larger area than the Gwydir, with a bigger population and has a different set of environmental factors and local stakeholders. Affecting types and amounts of collaboration at a practical level, there are significant differences between the large scale of TAFE Institute with its twenty four campuses on the one hand and the smaller size of the four ACE providers in the region on the other.
Overall findings (chapter three) There are skill development and related community development needs in Western NSW that are not currently being serviced by ACE and TAFE which could be targeted by collaborative ventures between the two parties. Any new ventures could build on the few current examples of effective ACE-TAFE collaboration. Currently there are no formal, effective mechanisms or frameworks for collaboration between the ACE and TAFE training providers in the region. Different mechanisms, not just one mechanism, and a number of models of collaboration are needed, to meet diverse needs and contexts. Trust not mechanisms is the main key to future collaboration.
Findings in relation to locations, issues and opportunities (chapter four) As a generalisation, the larger regional centres in the western region such as Orange, Dubbo and Bathurst, are well serviced by ACE and TAFE, but smaller towns such as Wellington and more remote towns such as Cobar and Bourke have many more unmet needs for training. There are already some examples available within the region about how to service well the smaller towns and remote locations. Despite these isolated successes, many training needs are not currently addressed in remote locations
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There exists the potential for agreements made in Orange by key stakeholders such as the TAFE Institute, the Central West Community College, schools, key government departments and industry, to develop flexible training systems that could be delivered in many sites or for many learners around the region. There appears to be an opportunity to build a training business in Cobar if the business can work with erratic pattern of demand, mostly for mining-related skills, and small enrolment numbers for any one program. This is an opportunity TAFE or ACE or both or another provider could explore. There is considerable scope to develop a learning community approach in Wellington, given the positive attitudes to training and collaboration of ACE, TAFE, the Shire, schools, industry/employers and the community. There is a range of training needs in Bourke, but they are difficult to service because of the thin markets: in many cases only a few people are looking for any one course at any one time. Low literacy levels are also a significant barrier to many people entering vocational training.
Findings in relation to ACE and TAFE cultures (chapter five) The brief for this project noted that to sustain public value in the provision of VET to remoter communities of the State requires a cultural shift in the way the ACE and TAFE sectors work to service those communities. It is not possible to provide many general comments about culture that are relevant to all four ACE providers, because the providers vary significantly in terms of their histories, locations, enrolment levels, staff size and business goals. However, some broad comments are that ACE colleges are open to the possibility of further collaboration with TAFE, but are wary in case they lose any of their current business. It is impossible to summarise the TAFE culture, because there is such a range of TAFE staff at so many sites in so many different fields. However, some broad comments are that many TAFE staff have little experience of working with ACE, and some of these have misconceptions about ACE, but the few TAFE staff who have collaborated with ACE have seen positive developments. There are positive elements within the cultures of the ACE and TAFE providers, particularly the willingness of the leaders of the organisations to explore collaboration, which indicate that the cultural barriers to collaboration can be either removed or greatly diminished.
Findings from the seminar conducted in Orange (chapter six)
The findings from the seminar in Orange validate the findings from the field observations and interviews conducted in the weeks prior to the seminar. The consistency in the data provides a useful base for future planning and strategy making. Skill shortages and the lack of access to training by some communities in the western region provide an ongoing incentive to enhance collaboration between TAFE and ACE. The case of Broken Hill illustrates the breadth of skill needs in the region, with the creation recently of nearly 500 jobs due to the resources boom and the urgent need for 1000 new homes.
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Previous collaboration between TAFE and ACE in the region has been irregular and on a small scale, but often has been very successful. There are substantial opportunities for additional collaboration, particularly by involving in the collaboration other stakeholders, including employers, schools, parents and the wider community. Schools, for example, provide an imposing infrastructure and resource base as a contribution towards extensive collaboration across the entire region. Equally there are signification challenges facing collaboration including the fact that the TAFE Institute and the ACE colleges are keen not to lose market share to each other and the ACE colleges each have Boards who need to approve new ventures. Commonsense guidelines for collaboration include the development of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the regional level and the development of local initiatives that are accepted and embraced locally. As part of the discussions that will lead to the preparation of the MOU, the ACE-TAFE participants involved could be encouraged to identify a project in a community classified by the state government as remote, where ACE and TAFE could collaborate in a project that (a) has a high likelihood of enterprise development and employment outcomes for those undertaking the training, (b) also creates possible future training and education pathways for those undertaking the training, and (c) involves, where appropriate, the use of recognition of prior learning strategies. Recommendations (chapter seven)
1. As practical advice on how the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project outcomes and deliverables might be achieved based on the outcomes of the consultations, it is recommended that the two key principles for ACE-TAFE collaboration be as follows:
a. ACE-TAFE collaboration is particularly about reaching people who are not being served by conventional provision of training, including people in remoter regions.
b. ACE-TAFE collaboration includes not just ACE and TAFE, but other appropriate stakeholders, such as schools, universities, government agencies, industry and community groups.
2. As additional practical advice on how the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project outcomes and deliverables might be achieved based on the outcomes of the consultations, it is recommended that key guidelines for ACE-TAFE collaboration be as follows:
a. ACE-TAFE collaboration be driven by the identified needs of the community and the region
b. ACE-TAFE collaboration be outcomes focused and be designed to assist regional development, ongoing capacity for innovation and economic development and community capacity building
c. ACE-TAFE collaboration be based on trust and ongoing open dialogue between the two parties, at both senior management level and at practitioner/community level
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d. ACE-TAFE collaboration be characterised by realistic expectations and achievable time frames and resources.
3. It is recommended that some possible projects that could be the focus of later stages of this ACE-TAFE Western Region project be as follows:
a. A memorandum of understanding (MOU). An MOU be negotiated between ACE and TAFE in the Western Region, to provide a framework for ongoing collaboration between the parties and to build trust and understanding.
b. Broken Hill model for collaborating with mining companies. A model for ACE-TAFE collaboration with mining companies be developed at Broken Hill, by Robinson College and Western Institute.
c. Wellington learning community project. A learning community be developed at Wellington, drawing on successful models of learning communities in other regions such as the Gwydir Region, involving a range of stakeholders in Wellington, including ACE, TAFE, other providers, the Shire, schools, industry/employers, and the community.
4. It is recommended that further advice be sought about the following possible projects, before proceeding: a remote community project with employment and pathways outcomes; an Orange/Western Region mental health project; and a just-in-time skills project in Cobar. Chapter 1: Overview of regional features and skill needs This chapter provides a general overview of the western region of NSW, focusing on demographic features such as the distribution of people over regional centres and remote towns and economic features such as major and growth industries and skill needs. Key points The key points in this chapter include:
This project covers an area that includes three different regions of NSW, the Central West Region, the Far West Region, and the Orana Region, and each region has its own features. A feature in common is the distance from the metropolitan area and related infrastructure and services.
The wider western region provides contrasting patterns: a decline in the size of small towns, an increase in the size of regional centres; difficulties caused by drought, complexities caused by mining boom; an increase in job opportunities in areas as different as tourism and horticulture, and a doubling of people over the age of 65 by 2031. This is a complex area with both opportunities for growth and challenges to realise that growth.
The mining industry has been the largest contributor to employment growth in the central west over the past 10 years, but the industry is experiencing skill shortages in underground operations, metal and automotive trades. There are identified shortages in all construction trades during peak periods, and persistent shortages in wood and furniture trades and amongst chefs and pastry cooks.
Reductions in the number of workers are also expected in range of occupations
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related to the critical agriculture sector, including farmers and farm managers and skilled agricultural and horticultural workers.
To grow its economy and maintain its standard of living, Australia not only needs a skilled and productive workforce, it also needs vibrant regional and rural communities and economies. To become a more vibrant economy, the western region is one of the many regions of Australia that needs support from a range of service providers including training providers.
Regional context for the project The project brief for this project provided the following context, which emphasised the importance of ensuring public value from the delivery of ACE and TAFE services, particularly in thin markets:
The ACE and TAFE sectors in New South Wales are undertaking substantial work around the development of their services to ensure public value for what they deliver in a robust national vocational training and education reform environment. Increasingly, this means that any proposed new services or proposed substantial changes to existing services are subject to rigorous and objective scrutiny, both in the light of customer needs and of possible market impact, particularly in thin markets.
The brief also noted that the community consultation project is the initial phase of a larger project, which will target the VET needs of remoter communities in New South Wales that are most likely of missing out in the implementation of new national arrangements. As the brief refers to customer needs and thin markets it is important to examine the broad features of the market for training, over the western region. Features of the region This project covers an area that includes three different regions of NSW, according to the NSW Department of State and Regional Development and each region has its own features, as summarised below (see http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/region/profiles/). A feature in common is the distance from the metropolitan area and related infrastructure and services.
The Central West region of NSW is described as ‘the agricultural heart of NSW’. The region has a population of 172,790 and a land area of 63,262 sq km and includes the major towns of Bathurst and Orange. The Department lists food processing as a major industry and provides this overview of the Central West region:
o major industries: agriculture; mining; food processing; manufacturing; tourism; retail
o home to an expanding mining sector involving coal, gold and copper
o significant natural resources including the Lachlan and Macquarie Rivers, hardwood and softwood forest resources and rich mineral deposits.
The Far West Region of New South Wales borders Queensland and South Australia, (NSW) and is the most sparsely populated in the State, with 18.4 per cent of its area, but only 0.4 per cent of the population. The region has historically been the mineral powerhouse of the State. It also contains some of the State's
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most flourishing agricultural enterprises and large stretches of the world-famous outback. The region’s traditional industries, mining and wool production continue to underpin the regional economy. Diversification is taking place through emerging industries such as goat and meat sheep production, intensive horticulture and tourism.
The Orana region of NSW, which is also part of the area involved in this project, is located in the mid north western area of NSW. It is the largest region in NSW (approximately 199,000 square kilometres) with the area covering 25% of the State of NSW and producing over AUD$850 million worth of agricultural commodities per annum. The region encompasses thirteen local government areas, including Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Cobar, Coolah, Coonabarabran, Coonamble, Dubbo City, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett, Warren and Wellington. While mining has been the largest contributor to employment growth in the Orana region over the last ten years, the region has considerable strengths in value-added food processing, tourism, wine and agriculture.
The TAFE NSW Research Project – Draft Report by Strategic Economics (2007) provides a succinct summary of the three sub-regions in the catchment area covered by the Western Institute, in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Description of Western Institute catchment (Strategic Economics 2007, p.53)
The Western Institute catchment encompasses three distinct sub-regions of Central West, Orana and Far West New South Wales. By far the largest catchment area in the state it covers an area of 410,000 square kilometres, ranging from relatively rich and settled areas of the central west, regional centres such as Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst, smaller towns and villages, to the most remote areas of the state around Bourke and Broken Hill.
The estimated population was 308,000 in 2006, which is forecast to increase by around 200 persons by 2012 and to 320,000 by 2031. The number of residents over the age of 65 is expected to more than double from 13% in 2001 to 26% in 2031.
Small towns in remote agricultural areas are declining and population growth is concentrating around Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo. Increasing world prices for mining commodities is reviving the fortunes of some centres such as Parkes, Broken Hill and Cobar. Small towns with lifestyle and cultural attributes with reasonable access to Sydney such as Mudgee and villages around Bathurst and Orange are flourishing.
The regional economy is largely driven by prospects in agriculture and mining. These industries are supported by diverse manufacturing and service industries. The whole region has been badly affected by drought and suffers from a shortage of water even at the best of times. The key agricultural industries are wool, cattle and wheat. Emerging industries include horticulture, dairy farming, viticulture and goat and sheep production.
The region has a growing mining industry, particularly around Broken Hill, Cobar, Parkes, Orange and Lithgow. Key industries are silver, lead, zinc, gold, copper and coal. Investment, production and exports, and employment are increasing. The local coal industry supports part of the state’s power industry capacity with large power
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stations at Mt Piper and Wallerawang. The manufacturing base of the region specialises in processed foods, manufacturing equipment, and includes a large whitegoods manufacturing plant at Orange.
The service industries are growing in the major regional centres, with growth in retail, finance and business, education and health jobs. Charles Sturt University has campuses at Bathurst and Orange and the Western Institute has a strong presence throughout the region. Demand for health and aged care facilities and services are growing to match demographic changes in the region.
The city of Broken Hill and the area’s proximity to the Outback is creating an expanding niche in the tourist industry. The above descriptions of the region provide a profile of a region with contrasting patterns: a decline in the size of small towns, an increase in the size of regional centres; difficulties caused by drought, complexities caused by mining boom; an increase in job opportunities in areas as different as tourism and horticulture, and a doubling of people over the age of 65 by 2031. This is a complex area with both opportunities for growth and challenges to realise that growth. Skill needs in the region The Inquiry into Skill Shortages in Rural and Regional NSW Report by the Standing Committee on State Development, NSW, 2006, provides details of the skill shortages in specific trades in the region:
Central NSW Councils (CENTROC) indicated that the mining industry has been the largest contributor to employment growth in the central west over the past 10 years, but that the industry is experiencing skill shortages in underground operations, metal and automotive trades. CENTROC also identified shortages in all construction trades during peak periods, and persistent shortages in wood and furniture trades and amongst chefs and pastry cooks. (p.21)
The summary of skill shortages in the Central Western Region and Far Western Region of NSW provided by NSW Regional Development Advisory Council to the same Standing Committee (2006) also notes:
Central Western NSW: shortages in boilermakers and welders
Far Western NSW: shortages in automotive mechanics, carpenters, nurses, commercial cookery staff, community service workers, electricians, fitters and turners, hairdressers, hospital machinists and metal fabricators.
The Western Research Institute on the Orana region of NSW (Sept 2005) reported that the construction industry in the region is suffering from acute skill shortages. Shortages in this industry are closely followed by shortages in retail, manufacturing, business services, agriculture and hospitality. The Western Research Institute has also reported apparent effects of the drought (Western Research Institute, Sept 2006 Newsletter). There is evidence of a steep quarterly decline in sales in the construction industry in their September 2006 Business Survey. Declines were also being experienced in manufacturing, and the agricultural sector remained a “poor performer” in its sales.
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The following table provides occupational projections for the region within Western Institute of TAFE’s catchment area for the period from 2006-2012. The column headed “Change 2006-12” reinforces some of the expected skill losses indicated above. For example, the predictions include reductions in the number of workers in key demand areas, such as in the mining related jobs of mechanical and fabrication engineering tradespeople, electrical and electronics tradespeople. Reductions are also expected in range of occupations related to the critical agriculture sector, including farmers and farm managers and skilled agricultural and horticultural workers.
Table 2. Western Institute catchment: occupational projections 2006-12 (Strategic Economics 2007, p.54)
Occupation
Employed Persons Change
2006-12 CGR (%/Year)
State shift share 2006 2012
Generalist managers 1,975 2,007 32 0.3 0.2
Specialist managers 3,835 4,351 516 2.1 -0.1
Farmers and farm managers 14,258 13,275 -982 -1.2 -0.1
Science, building and engineering professionals 2,410 2,288 -121 -0.9 -0.3
Business and information professionals 3,035 3,264 229 1.2 -0.2
Health professionals 4,763 5,484 722 2.4 0.1
Education professionals 7,939 9,083 1144 2.3 0.0
Social, arts and miscellaneous professionals 3,406 3,864 458 2.1 -0.1
Science, engineering and related associate 1,526 1,428 -98 -1.1 -0.3
Business and administration associate professionals 4,238 4,660 423 1.6 -0.4
Managing supervisors (sales and service) 7,236 7,982 745 1.6 0.0
Health and welfare associate professionals 1,902 2,316 414 3.3 -0.1
Other associate professionals 1,529 1,674 145 1.5 -0.4
Mechanical and fabrication engineering tradespersons 3,507 3,001 -506 -2.6 -0.1
Elementary service workers 1,548 1,735 187 1.9 -0.3
Cleaners 4,018 3,938 -80 -0.3 -0.6
Factory labourers 4,051 3,144 -907 -4.1 -0.5
Other labourers and related workers 10,327 10,274 -53 -0.1 -0.6
Total 150,312 151,211 899 0.1 -0.3
The reductions in some occupations in the region are in contrast with the economic opportunities available in fields such as mining and agriculture. These reductions will intensify current skill shortages. Final comment To grow its economy and maintain its standard of living, Australia not only needs a skilled and productive workforce, it also needs vibrant regional and rural communities and economies. Ideally, these communities need world-competitive industries providing sustainable jobs and long-term security for their populations. Hence, the western region needs not only minimal training provision, it, like every other region, needs training which can enable it to be world-competitive. This criterion of world-competitiveness could be added to the criteria when deciding on initiatives involving the western region. Chapter 2: Potential for ACE-TAFE collaboration This chapter discusses the broad potential for ACE-TAFE collaboration, mostly based on prior research in other regions of Australia about the benefits, success factors, and planning strategies for ACE-TAFE. The discussion also includes possible pointers from the Gwydir Learning Community. Key points The key points in this chapter include:
Before considering ACE-TAFE collaboration in theory, it is worth noting that there are significant differences between the large scale of TAFE Institute with its twenty four campuses on the one hand and the smaller size of the ACE providers in the region on the other. In addition, the ACE organisations vary greatly, from the multi-dimensioned Central West Community College to the part-time Condobolin operation.
The region may benefit from referring to the Gwydir Learning Region model. The Gwydir Learning Region is a partnership between local government, education, business and community stakeholders in north-west New South Wales. However, while the Gwydir Learning Region may provide some ideas for the western region of NSW, the western region is a much larger area than the Gwydir, with a bigger population and has a different set of environmental factors and local stakeholders.
Research in other parts of Australia has identified the benefits of ACE-TAFE collaboration such as improving community capacity-building, the success factors such as establishing trust between key participants, and effective planning strategies such as defining an agreed set of goals.
Research suggests that flexible delivery supported by collaboration between ACE and TAFE might be a very effective strategy for improving training provision in some sections of the western region.
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ACE and TAFE providers in the region Before considering the potential for ACE-TAFE collaboration in the region, it is necessary to provide brief descriptions of the organisations involved. One TAFE institute and four ACE providers are located in the region and involved in this project, as follows:
TAFE provider:
TAFE NSW – Western Institute has twenty four campuses across the region and over 34,000 VET student enrolments per year. Courses range from the traditional trades to accounting, agriculture, beauty, business, children’s services, communication, digital media, horticulture, hospitality and information technology and other programs. The Institute was Large Provider of the Year in NSW in 2006.
ACE providers:
1. Central West Community College is a provider of ACE programs, Job Network Employment Services and accredited VET services, with staff in Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Mudgee, Forbes and Parkes, and at other sites outside the region such as Lismore and Coffs Harbour, Albury and Wagga Wagga. It is also a New Apprenticeship Centre.
2. Western College, Dubbo, provides a range of ACE programs in Dubbo that attract people from the surrounding towns and area. Western College was recently awarded an Australian Technical College that will have its headquarters in Dubbo, with learning centres in Cobar, Parkes, Mudgee and Orange.
3. Robinson College, Broken Hill, offers short courses - for pleasure, for business and for seniors. It also offers literacy and numeracy courses, and, from time to time, nationally accredited courses. It is also first point of contact for people wishing to study university courses by distance education.
4. Condobolin Adult Education (CAC), Condobolin is a small college offering a number of VET and leisure programs. The VET programs are conducted in conjunction with Griffith Adult Learning Association in Griffith as CAC is not a registered training organisation (RTO). The office opens two days per week.
The above descriptions show that there are significant differences between the scale of TAFE on the one hand and the smaller size of the ACE organisations. In addition, the ACE organisations vary greatly, from the multi-dimensioned Central West Community College to the part-time Condobolin operation. Possible ideas from the Gwydir region The brief for this project in the western region of NSW noted that the region may benefit from referring to the Gwydir Learning Region model. The Gwydir Learning Region is a partnership between local government, education, business and community stakeholders in the north-west area of New South Wales within the Gwydir Shire Council – a council formed in 2004.
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The Gwydir Learning Region was initially established in 2000 as a partnership involving three Shire Councils (Yallaroi, Bingara and Barraba), Warialda High School and TAFE NSW New England Institute. The partnership evolved after that, changing its name and organisational structure, but it continues to focus on improving educational, social and economic outcomes for residents of the local community. An evaluation of the Gwydir Learning Region undertaken by Mitchell (2006) and funded by BVET reported that some key outcomes of the region are as follows:
From the point of view of individual development, the Gwydir Learning Region provides individuals with opportunities to extend their learning, develop new skills, achieve social and economic goals, and pursue pathways that might not have been available to them previously.
From the point of view of education, the Gwydir Learning Region represents new levels of cooperation between schools and TAFE and ACE, new ways of relating learning to local businesses and communities and new ways of implementing personalised learning – an approach to learning which involves the provision of targeted attention for each student.
From the point of view of local government, the Gwydir Learning Region demonstrates the importance and value of Council involvement in new partnerships and Council involvement with the social infrastructure of rural and remote communities, where those communities want to build social capital and create their own positive options for the future.
From the point of view of economic and regional development, the Gwydir Learning Region represents an innovative approach to aligning skill development with local employment needs, to create a sustainable future in rural NSW.
While the Gwydir Learning Region may provide some ideas for the western region, it needs to be noted that the western region of NSW is a much larger area with a bigger population and has a different set of environmental factors and local stakeholders. It is expected that the lessons from the Gwydir will be relevant to some communities but not others. Possible ideas from other ACE-TAFE collaboration In many parts of Australia, ACE and TAFE organisations work effectively in their own spheres of influence, delivering VET to their communities and industry clients. However, there are examples of ACE and TAFE effectively working together to better service communities. From research (e.g. Kearns 2004) we know that the benefits of such ACE-TAFE collaboration can include enhancement of the following:
regional development
capacity for innovation and economic development
lifelong learning
community capacity-building. From research (e.g. Gelade et al. 2006), we have a clear idea of the success factors behind such ACE-TAFE collaboration. These success factors commonly include:
establishing trust between key participants through both formal and informal
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discussions
appointing to the collaborative venture those staff who are positive about the collaboration and have knowledge of the two sectors involved
having plans for managing staff needs as the collaboration becomes more extensive
linking with stakeholders in other agencies who have, perhaps, a supportive role to play in the collaborative venture
respecting each other’s aims and vision and being willing to accept differing organisational cultures.
Also from research (e.g. NCVER 2006) we know that good practice in the planning of ACE-TAFE collaboration includes:
finding a partner for the collaboration who has a common interest and shares your organisation’s goals
establishing what a community or region needs will be served by the collaboration
defining an agreed set of goals
being honest and realistic about the expected outcomes
setting a timeframe for the completion of various tasks. This research about benefits, success factors and planning practices for ACE-TAFE collaboration will be invaluable for any such initiatives in the western region. Possible ideas from research into flexible delivery In a study of the central west region of NSW for the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, Mitchell (2004) identified critical issues for local industries which might be assisted by more flexible learning as follows:
intensive production: effective flexible learning may mean that the production line can keep moving but training can still occur for selected staff
skills shortages: effective flexible learning may enable unemployed clients to gain the necessary pre-vocational skills necessary to gain employment
high staff turnover: effective flexible learning may address some causes of staff turnover such as lack of skill development leading to a reduced career path
employment of casual labour: effective flexible learning may include the provision of a structured approach to induction and initial skills training.
This research indicates that flexible delivery has a role to play in the central west, where there is intensive production, skill shortages, high staff turnover and employment of casual labour. Flexible delivery supported by collaboration between ACE and TAFE might be a very effective strategy for improving training provision in some sections of the western region. Final comment The above descriptions of ACE and TAFE operations, and the descriptions in the previous chapter of the regional context and the national reform agenda, indicate
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that collaboration between ACE and TAFE on its own will not be sufficient to address a breadth of needs. A range of different stakeholders, from government and regional representatives, industry leaders and training providers, need to work together to support vocational learning and skill development across this vast region of NSW. A potential benefit of such collaboration is the design and support of learning activities that address industry skill needs and can be provided at times and in locations that suit local enterprises and individuals. Chapter 3: Overall findings This chapter provides a summary of the overall findings from the consultations for this project. Subsequent chapters provide more detailed findings on topics such as the training needs of a sample of towns, the cultural features of ACE and TAFE that could assist or hinder further collaboration and the findings from a seminar conducted as part of the project. The points set out in this chapter were tabled with the participants in the seminar and validated as accurate insights. Key points The key points in this chapter include:
There are skill development and related community development needs in Western NSW that are not currently being serviced by ACE and TAFE which could be targeted by collaborative ventures between the two parties.
Any new ventures could build on the few current examples of effective ACE-TAFE collaboration.
Currently there are no formal, effective mechanisms or frameworks for collaboration between the ACE and TAFE training providers in the region. Different mechanisms, not just one mechanism, and a number of models of collaboration are needed, to meet diverse needs and contexts. Trust not mechanisms is the main key to future collaboration.
Broad findings The area of western NSW covered by the TAFE Institute is very substantial, including three separate regions identified by the NSW government, so the following comments are necessarily general. Some broad findings are as follows:
1. There are skill development and related community development needs in Western NSW that are not currently being serviced by ACE and TAFE which could be targeted by collaborative ventures between the two parties.
2. Some examples of effective ACE-TAFE collaboration already exist. While these examples are small in number, they provide hope that more might be developed. Three examples are as follows:
a. the Re-engaging Young Mums program in Orange in late 2006 which involved ACE, TAFE, schools and indigenous community groups;
b. the Australian Apprenticeship Access Program in Orange in 2006 for which the ACE college, Central West Community College, was the broker and contracted Central West group Apprentices to be the provider, which then sub-contracted the training provision to TAFE;
c. literacy training funded by BACE and conducted by ACE in Bathurst,
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involving many students with disabilities and in small classes of around six people, where students are encouraged to move on to TAFE.
3. At Institute/college level, there are no formal mechanisms or frameworks for collaboration between the two parties in the region. Those arrangements that do exist are based on ad hoc relationships between staff from the two sectors and are the result of previous positive experiences by individual staff.
4. Across the region, there is a small number of examples of duplication between ACE and TAFE, particularly in the offering of highly popular and lucrative programs such as certificates level four in training and assessment and in business services.
5. Skill shortages in the Western region of NSW – both those cited in government reports and those noted in these consultations – are pronounced, particularly in the mining industry, although very significant skill shortages are expected to be highlighted in the agricultural industry if and when the current drought breaks.
6. Any near-future skill need analyses conducted in the region could be expected to provide challenging data, including the breadth of training needs – from tourism to building and construction and mechanical engineering. In addition to the breadth of needs, there are often very small numbers of potential students in any one location.
7. If ACE-TAFE collaboration is to address some of this breadth of training needs in a thin market across a vast region, then new levels and types of flexible delivery will be required. Current examples of flexibility include the use of videoconferencing and teleconferencing and the provision of programs at times to suit employers such as in between shift breaks. More flexibility will be needed in catering for small class sizes, in adjusting costing structures and in making innovative arrangements about times and locations of the training.
8. The Western region will face increased skill demands if the Commonwealth Government approves the construction of the inland railway line from Melbourne to Brisbane, running through the centre of the region, particularly through Parkes and Dubbo.
9. Some of the training needs which emerged in the consultations do not fit comfortably with the national training system of units of competence and full qualifications, which TAFE, more so than ACE, is geared to provide. Often the identified training needs are for immediate skill development in a narrow field such as one aspect of technology maintenance. Support for the development of skill sets, not full qualifications, largely addresses this issue.
10. Industries in the region such as food processing and tourism are often affected by seasonal demands, making it difficult for employers to release staff for orderly lengths of time for training.
11. Putting aside the large mining companies and the health and education organisations, much of the industry in the Western region is represented by small business in fields such as retail, automotive, hospitality and building. In addition, there are many contractors who could be viewed as small business operators. These small business owners and employees often look for immediate skill development, not full qualifications. Again, the national training system with its emphasis on lengthy periods of study to acquire full qualifications does not fit well with this small business need for just-in-time training. As noted above, support for
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the development of skill sets, not full qualifications, helps address this issue.
12. Provided a number of essential tasks are undertaken, particularly the joint development of a set of shared principles for ACE-TAFE collaboration, there is a basis for optimism that this collaboration could be both far-reaching and effective.
13. For ACE-TAFE collaboration to be effective and sustained, trust between the parties will need fostering, nurturing and protecting.
14. In the first instance, this collaboration may need special seed funding, particularly if the government wants to promote to other regions exemplary collaboration in the Western region.
15. It is not simply a matter of ACE and TAFE collaborating. Other stakeholders such as industry, community, schools and universities need to be consulted and where appropriate involved in the collaboration. In addition, there are many other training providers in the region – such as group training organisations and business enterprise centres – with whom ACE and TAFE collaborate and who could be invited to participant in collaborative activities.
16. A variety of models for collaboration is needed across this large and complex region. For instance, elements of the Gwydir model of collaboration between the Shire Council and educational providers and industry might be appropriate in a town like Wellington but a different approach would be needed in Cobar, given its different industries, socio-economic profile and training needs.
Final comment Points 12-16 above could also be viewed as propositions, to underpin the possible projects set out in the final section of this report, chapter 7. As propositions, they would read:
effective collaboration between ACE and TAFE is feasible (point 12 above)
trust will underpin the collaboration (13)
seed funding will a worthwhile investment (14)
other parties besides ACE and TAFE can be involved (15)
it is appropriate to use different models of collaboration (16). These propositions were tabled and accepted at the regional seminar in Orange on 29 June 2007 and informed the framing of the principles and guidelines for ACE-TAFE collaboration set out in chapter 7. Chapter 4: Findings in relation to locations, issues and opportunities It was agreed by the Working Party that a sample of locations would be visited by the consultant, with a view to identifying different issues and opportunities. This chapter provides a summary of the data obtained from those consultations. Key points The key points in this chapter include the following:
There exists the potential for agreements made in Orange by key stakeholders such as the TAFE Institute, the Central West Community College, schools, key government departments and industry, to develop flexible training systems that could be delivered in many sites or for many learners around the region.
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There appears to be an opportunity to build a training business in Cobar if the business can work with erratic pattern of demand, mostly for mining-related skills, and small enrolment numbers for any one program. This is an opportunity TAFE or ACE or both or another provider could explore.
There is considerable scope to develop a learning community approach in Wellington, given the positive attitudes to training and collaboration of ACE, TAFE, the Shire, schools, industry/employers and the community.
There is a range of training needs in Bourke, but they are difficult to service because of the thin markets: in many cases only a few people are looking for any one course at any one time. Low literacy levels are also a significant barrier to many people entering vocational training.
Sites for consultations In brief, focus groups were conducted in Orange and Cobar and visits were made to Wellington, Dubbo, Bourke and Cobar. The rationale for selecting these sites is set out in Appendix 4. Orange Orange is a large regional centre in the western region, with considerable infrastructure in education and health and government services. Orange is one of the training hubs in the region with the potential to provide more training services along spokes, particularly through the increased use of technology. Currently there are some random but effective examples of ACE-TAFE collaboration in Orange – in engaging young mothers, in literacy and in mental health – that could be used as models elsewhere in the region. There also exists the potential for agreements made in Orange by key stakeholders such as the TAFE Institute, the Central West Community College, schools, key government departments and industry, to develop flexible training systems that could be delivered in many sites or for many learners around the region. Cobar Cobar presents a challenge to all training providers because of its distance from locations such as Dubbo (300km) where there is substantial infrastructure for training. Another challenge is the small number of people in Cobar who want training at any one time, such as 2-4 people. Then there is the challenge is to identify a local trainer. A further challenge is that many people may want an isolated skill, such as how to use one piece of machinery, and do not wish to enrol for a lengthy certificate. Cobar is polarised between many people with high incomes who can afford to pay for training and the unemployed who can’t, which adds a further complexity for training providers who may be unsure how to cater for both groups. TAFE has good facilities and a campus administrator in Cobar but an ongoing challenge is identifying suitable trainers. Forming viable-sized class groups can also be challenging in communities like Cobar but TAFE is utilising various techniques and technologies to try and overcome the difficulties. Delivering VET in remote sites such as Cobar will always be more expensive than in many other locations.
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TAFE’s facilities are seen by the Cobar community as catering more for business administration programs whereas there is unmet demand for technical training, although that demand pattern is erratic. On the other hand, there are difficulties for TAFE in recruiting trade teachers. One suggestion is that TAFE develop relationships with the mining sector and the federal government, to support work readiness programs, to enable students to move directly into entry level employment or traineeships and apprenticeships with the mine. In this way, the workplace supervisor takes a larger responsibility for overseeing on the job training. There appears to be an opportunity to build a training business in Cobar if the business can work within the above profile of widespread needs and small numbers for any one program. This is an opportunity TAFE or ACE or both or another provider could explore. Dubbo/Wellington Dubbo is well served by both ACE and TAFE. Both have significant campus facilities and established markets and a range of training products and services. ACE does not have a strong presence in Wellington but TAFE has a sizeable campus and staffing complement. There are unmet training needs in the Wellington community, such as a significant number of single mothers who are disengaged. The correctional services facility in Wellington provides additional challenges to training providers. If construction of the gas pipeline is approved, it will provide jobs for two hundred people for two years, placing more demand on training providers. Consultations revealed that there is considerable scope to develop a learning community approach in the town, given the positive attitudes to training and collaboration of ACE, TAFE, the Shire, schools, industry/employers and the community. Bourke The isolated community in Bourke has suffered in recent times from the multiple effects of drought, such as reduced economic activity, fewer jobs and a shrinking population. There is a range of training needs in Bourke, but they are difficult to service because of the thin markets: in many cases only a few people are looking for any one course at any one time. Low literacy levels are also a significant barrier to many people entering vocational training. Bourke has a small TAFE staff group supplemented by personnel who travel from other centres, particularly Dubbo. TAFE staff also service a number of smaller communities out from Bourke. An innovative TAFE ‘Outreach’ approach seems to fit well with the small communities in towns around Bourke, offering some flexibility in terms of when, where and how the training is provided. TAFE has demonstrated flexibility in its approaches in and around Bourke. For instance, it has successfully offered a certificate level program in governance using
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videoconferencing to deliver into Bourke. TAFE has also been successful in offering horticulture programs in Bourke and several other towns, in partnership with a number of stakeholders, particularly Murdie Paaki Regional Enterprise Corporation. An ACE operation, Outback ACE, closed down recently, apparently due to insufficient demand to sustain a training business. Yet there is still a need for ACE to deliver programs, ranging from leisure interest to literacy to ‘taster’ vocational programs, that could provide participants with sufficient confidence to undertake a certificate level 1 program. On the other hand, there is a view that organisations such as Centacare could provide some of the same services previously offered by ACE, or might in future. Final comment As a generalisation, the larger regional centres in the western region such as Orange, Dubbo and Bathurst, are well serviced by ACE and TAFE, but smaller towns such as Wellington and more remote towns such as Cobar and Bourke have many more unmet needs for training. There are already some examples available within the region about how to service well smaller towns and remote locations. For instance, the Outreach program and the horticulture program conducted by TAFE in towns distant from Bourke are examples of how to provide flexible and effective training. Despite these isolated successes, many training needs are not currently addressed in remote locations. Chapter 5: Findings in relation to ACE and TAFE cultures This chapter examines the cultures of ACE and TAFE providers in the region, in response to the comment in the brief for this project that to sustain public value in the provision of VET to remoter communities of the State requires a cultural shift in the way the ACE and TAFE sectors work to service those communities. Key points Key points in this chapter include the following:
For this project, culture is taken generally to mean the beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, views, customs, habits and preferred working styles of the members of the training organisations.
It is not possible to provide many general comments about culture that are relevant to all four ACE providers, because the providers vary significantly in terms of their histories, locations, enrolment levels, staff size and business goals. However, some broad comments are that ACE colleges are open to the possibility of further collaboration with TAFE, but are wary in case they lose any of their current business.
It is impossible to summarise the TAFE culture, because there is such a range of TAFE staff at so many sites in so many different fields. However, some broad comments are that many TAFE staff have little experience of working with ACE, and some of these have misconceptions about ACE, but the few TAFE staff who have collaborated with ACE have seen positive developments.
There are positive elements within the cultures of the ACE and TAFE providers, particularly the willingness of the leaders of the organisations to explore collaboration, which indicate that the cultural barriers to collaboration can be either removed or greatly diminished.
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Brief The brief for this project stated that BACE and the TAFE Commission believe that to sustain appropriate public value in the provision of VET to remoter communities of the State, which are characterised by thin training markets, requires a cultural shift in the way the ACE and TAFE sectors work to service those communities. Hence this chapter provides some insights into the current cultures of ACE and TAFE in the region, in relation to servicing training markets. The term culture is taken generally to mean the beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, views, customs, habits and preferred working styles of the members of the training organisations involved in this consultation project. This approximates the text book definition of Brown (1998):
Organisational culture refers to the patterns of belief, values and learned ways of coping with experience that have developed during the course of an organisation’s history, and which tend to be manifested in its material arrangements and in the behaviours of its members. (p.9)
ACE culture It is not possible to provide many general comments about culture that are relevant to all four ACE providers, because the providers vary significantly in terms of their histories, locations, enrolment levels, staff size and business goals. Some general comments are:
On a broad plane, ACE providers are wary about the greater resources available to TAFE and are concerned about losing future business to TAFE. If regional collaboration was to be encouraged, it would need to be based on the understanding that neither party will lose its current volume of business.
On close questioning, ACE providers are open to exploring regional collaboration with TAFE, where everyone wins, including ACE, TAFE and the community.
While the lower level certificates and literacy and numeracy fields are not their only interests, ACE providers are generally comfortable with servicing these fields, and making arrangements with TAFE for the literacy students to move on to TAFE. There are some current examples of this happening.
ACE providers historically are well attuned to social engagement, leisure programs and lifelong learning, although in recent years some providers have focused more on fee for service streams, to compensate for the reduction in funds from the Government. The ability of ACE providers to operate in the two different spheres of social engagement and revenue raising is a strength which can be used within ACE-TAFE collaborative ventures.
One ACE provider, Central West Community College, has a Job Network contract which means it is well aware of the needs of the unemployed and the under-employed and the value of pathways into higher level programs. These insights are invaluable for ACE-TAFE collaboration.
ACE providers generally cannot afford expensive technical infrastructure for workshops so they gravitate towards programs that do not require extensive infrastructure and towards programs that lend themselves to learning and assessing on the job.
The proposed use of the LifeWorks program by Community Colleges NSW could be included in any deliberations about ACE-TAFE collaborations. This program
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enables isolated individuals to benefit from a mixture of learning resources and support systems including mentoring.
TAFE culture It is impossible to summarise the TAFE culture, because there is such a range of TAFE staff at so many sites in so many different fields, from shearing to accounting to cooking. Perspectives also vary depending on role and position within the organisation. However, some broad comments are as follows:
Most TAFE staff have little experience of working with ACE, because ACE has not operated for many years, or ever, in their local town or teaching area.
Those few TAFE staff who have collaborated with ACE have seen positive developments, such as students moving from literacy programs with ACE to entry into certificate programs with TAFE.
Some TAFE staff who have not worked closely with ACE expressed concerns about the variable quality of ACE provision in VET. This misconception is removed by other TAFE staff who have worked with ACE and who understand that ACE activity in the VET arena is monitored by the same quality assurance system overseen by VETAB.
Many TAFE staff in the consultations expressed the wish to be more flexible and responsive, but feel constrained by the way funding is made available and the requirements of the national training system with its rigid implementation of the AQTF and a focus on full qualifications.
TAFE’s Institute Director indicated that partnerships with a variety of organisations are pivotal to its operation and will continue to be an important strategy.
ACE-TAFE collaboration could be assisted by a different approach to funding TAFE and to internal performance management, both of which could encourage student employment and business outcomes, not student enrolments taken and student qualifications gained.
TAFE staff who primarily work in the fee-for-service arena are cautious about collaborating with ACE, for fear of losing market share.
TAFE is generally focused on mid-large enterprises and students wishing to undertake formal qualifications. These target markets fit with TAFE’s funding model and facilities.
High travel costs around this large region place a limit on the opportunities for flexible delivery.
Some TAFE staff feel unsettled by recent government strategies such as the use of work skill vouchers, so any new ACE-TAFE collaboration needs to be introduced in a non-threatening manner.
Some TAFE staff view the Year 11-12 Australian Technical College awarded to the ACE provider Western College at Dubbo as a competitor to TAFE. However, a number of ATCs around Australia are involved in excellent collaboration with TAFE and TAFE has conducted discussions with Western College about working together in Dubbo.
The substantial campus facilities of TAFE in twenty four towns in the region represent an asset base which can be used more in ACE-TAFE collaborative
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ventures.
ACE-TAFE collaboration would be assisted by a change management program which takes account of staff concerns and the understandable resistance to collaboration with ACE providers. However, changes may be needed not just in the culture: changes may be needed in centralised funding arrangements and internal performance managements.
Final comment Cultures can be changed. The expressed willingness of the leaders of ACE and TAFE providers to explore collaboration, suggests that the cultural barriers to collaboration can be either removed or greatly diminished. This collaboration could also lead to the development of new attitudes about what is possible in terms of servicing remoter communities in the region. Chapter 6: Findings from the seminar conducted in Orange This chapter provides a selection of the key points raised by the participants at the regional forum in Orange 29 June 2007. Key points Key points in this chapter include the following:
Skill shortages and the lack of access to training by some communities in the western region provide an ongoing incentive to enhance collaboration between TAFE and ACE.
The case of Broken Hill illustrates the breadth of skill needs in the region, with the creation recently of nearly 500 jobs due to the resources boom and the urgent need for 1000 new homes.
Previous collaboration between TAFE and ACE in the region has been irregular and on a a small scale, but often very successful.
There are substantial opportunities for additional collaboration, particularly by involving in the collaboration other stakeholders, including employers, schools, parents and the wider community. Schools, for example, provide an imposing infrastructure and resource base as a contribution towards extensive collaboration across the entire region.
Equally there are signification challenges facing collaboration including the fact that the TAFE Institute and the ACE colleges are keen not to lose market share to each other and the ACE colleges each have Boards who need to approve new ventures.
Commonsense guidelines for collaboration include the development of a memorandum of understanding at the regional level and the development of local initiatives that are accepted and embraced locally.
Sample of points A sample of points tabled by is set out below, organised into a number of themes.
Regional skill shortages
Skill shortages are observable in smaller towns in the western region, and many are not at the professional level: many other skills are needed besides those needed for professional occupations.
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In some smaller centres there are no bus services to enable local residents to access training programs in larger centres. Demands on training providers in the western region arising from skill shortages can be expected to be ongoing. There is a growing demand from industry for shorter training programs across the region, addressing specific, urgent skill needs. While VET qualifications are valued in western region communities, there is still an interest in lifelong learning not attached to accredited training.
ACE-TAFE collaboration: previous experiences and future opportunities and challenges
To date, collaborations between ACE and TAFE, for example with the Re-engaging Young Mums program in Orange, have been one-off initiatives without the benefit of ongoing funding. Collaboration between ACE and TAFE in larger regional centres such as Orange is not easily reproduced in smaller centres. Yet it is in the smaller centres where there is often little existing service and significant unmet needs. Neither ACE nor TAFE can easily service remoter communities, partly due to the costs involved and the lack of funding. An obstacle for the TAFE Institute and for ACE colleges in wanting to be more flexible is restricted access to Commonwealth funds. It would be beneficial for a collaborative ACE-TAFE group to examine the opportunities available from the collaboration for all stakeholders, including employers, schools, parents and the wider community. A collaborative ACE-TAFE group would benefit from the successful conducting of a range of joint projects, but to achieve such success requires some funding. There are indications that in future there will be more user choice funding and that more funding from the Commonwealth will be in the form of vouchers or coupons. This could encourage ACE and TAFE to collaborate to identify more joint opportunities, for example for joint tender submissions. On the other hand, collaboration must not breach the provisions of the Trade Practices Act: competition must be allowed. BVET supports the contestability of funds. Where collaboration makes most sense is where there are thin markets and little or no existing service provision. Benefits would ensue from basic joint planning between ACE and TAFE providers, such as sharing organisational directions and agreeing to share facilities.
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There are practical impediments to ACE-TAFE collaboration, such as the costs arising from the need for a TAFE store-person to be available for a minimum number of hours when an ACE group uses TAFE facilities in Broken Hill. TAFE’s strengths include its facilities and staff and its expertise in accredited programs and its coverage of the region and its long history of promoting programs for disadvantaged people. ACE’s strengths include that they are smaller, responsive organisations with a lack of bureaucracy.
Schools
Schools – in some cases groups of schools – have developed some models for collaborating with industry. Potentially, schools can be significant partners for other educational providers such as ACE and TAFE. Schools can bring to collaborative ventures their significant infrastructure. There is also more knowledge of VET in school staff cohorts. For instance, a growing number of school teachers have the Certificate IV in workplace training and assessment. The commitment or values of the high school principal are sometimes significant factors in determining the volume of effort applied to vocational education within the school. In the near future, more schools are expected to actively provide industry curriculum framework subjects, as more subjects become available. Schools enjoy a good relationship with TAFE across the region, particularly for the delivery of TVET programs. Schools are also looking to non-TAFE providers, hence there is potential for more Schools-ACE collaboration. Schools are particularly open to partnerships with other providers to service the needs of student groups who might ‘fall between the gaps’ in formal curriculum delivery: for example, disengaged youth or indigenous youth. Schools have previously collaborated with ACE, but ACE only has a presence in a number of towns in the region, limiting the chances of further collaboration. Schools may become more active offering Australian school based apprenticeships. Schools often prefer to develop local arrangements with other providers in order to find solutions that meet local challenges.
Broken Hill
As one example, Broken Hill is experiencing an unusual mix of pressures: a fluctuating population, a resources boom with 474 new jobs recently created, and a housing shortage, with 1,000 homes required. Industry in Broken Hill does not have the capability to upskill staff, so training providers need to collaborate better to address the breadth of needs. The Broken Hill experience of catering for the training needs of a combination of large mines and many other small businesses and individuals is a common experience across the region, at locations such as Cobar, Mudgee, Orange and Parkes. Approximately 40% of those in businesses in Broken Hill are small businesses.
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In locations such as Broken Hill, where ACE is not focused on providing comprehensive pathway options for all students, and where ACE provision is on a lower cost structure than TAFE, there would appear to be significant opportunities for collaboration. Historically, there has been little collaboration between ACE and TAFE in sites such as Broken Hill.
Nature and features of TAFE and ACE colleges
There is a perception in the region that TAFE is not able to be flexible and has been skewed towards school leavers. This is not the case and the Institute can change the perception. ACE colleges are more and more independent small businesses, albeit not for profit businesses, that need to operate in a commercial fashion. The amount of government funding for community colleges is shrinking so they need to make decisions based on business information. ACE colleges normally have Boards that need to consider the costs and benefits of any initiatives, with the common view that all ventures need to be at least cost neutral if not profitable. While leisure programs are in some cases only 10% of the activities of a community college, these programs are still important to the lifelong learning features of communities. ACE colleges are becoming more complex. One of the ACE colleges, Central West Community College, has a number of business arms including its Job Network contract and its Apprenticeship Centre. Western College has been awarded an Australian Technical College.
Guidelines and other considerations for future ACE-TAFE collaboration
ACE colleges continue to work well with disadvantaged and marginalised groups. TAFE might look to this ACE strength, in developing relationships with ACE. Any memorandum of understanding between, say, schools and ACE or any other combination of stakeholders, needs to be more than a formula applied to a new partnership: the partnership needs to be acceptable and embraced at the local level and involve real sharing of teachers and other resources. Collaboration between TAFE and ACE needs to be based on an appreciation of each other’s strengths. Partnership activities arising from the collaboration need to be mutually beneficial. One possible area for examination is the strength of ACE in the lower literacy areas, which can link with TAFE’s strengths in offering pathways through the Australian Qualifications Framework. Most ACE colleges have few programs at Certificate 111 or IV level or above.
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As a component of TAFE-ACE collaboration, flexible learning approaches are an option, but the limited availability of broadband restricts the potential usage of online approaches. Additionally, some learner groups are not suited to remote delivery or independent, self-directed learning. The use of flexible approaches cannot be at the expense of quality. The proposed collaboration in fostering a learning community at Wellington will enable TAFE, ACE and schools to develop an improved understanding of how to work together. Western College would prefer to support the proposed project in Wellington instead of the more complex proposal for Cobar. A memorandum of understanding between ACE and TAFE is preferable as a collaborative mechanism than the formation of a company or a joint venture. Many previous attempts to find a way for ACE and TAFE have foundered, so this MOU strategy needs to be handled well. Staff of all participating organisations need to be committed to it. The MOU needs to be set within the context of a particular agreement to do things. The initial benefits of the MOU may take twelve months to emerge. The needs of remote communities may be addressed once the MOU helps in bringing about more collaboration. Final comment The findings from the seminar in Orange validate the findings from the field observations and interviews conducted in the weeks prior to the seminar. The consistency in the data provides a useful base for future planning and strategy making. The comments set out above provide a basis for optimism that additional collaboration can be achieved by TAFE and ACE. The comments duly acknowledge the opportunities, the challenges and, ultimately, the benefits to the communities and industry of increased TAFE-ACE collaboration in the western region. The comments also lead to the recommendations provided in the next chapter. Building on the ideas raised at the seminar and as part of any future collaborative discussions, the ACE-TAFE participants involved could be encouraged to identify a project that (a) has a high likelihood of enterprise development and employment outcomes for those undertaking the training, (b) also creates possible future training and education pathways for those undertaking the training, and (c) involves, where appropriate, the use of recognition of prior learning strategies. Chapter 7: Recommendations in relation to the outcomes of the overall project and the proposed deliverables This chapter sets out proposed principles and guidelines for collaboration, based on the research. It also describes some possible collaborative projects between ACE and TAFE.
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Key points The key points in this chapter include the following:
Two key principles are that ACE-TAFE collaboration is particularly about reaching people who are not being served by conventional provision of training, including people in remoter regions, and that ACE-TAFE collaboration includes not just ACE and TAFE, but other appropriate stakeholders, such as schools, universities, government agencies, industry and community groups.
Some of the many guidelines agreed to in the consultations are as follows: ACE-TAFE collaboration is to be driven by the identified needs of the community and the region; and ACE-TAFE collaboration is outcomes focused and is designed to assist regional development, ongoing capacity for innovation and economic development and community capacity building;
Other guidelines arising from the consultations are: ACE-TAFE collaboration is based on trust and ongoing open dialogue between the two parties, at both senior management level and at practitioner/community level; and ACE-TAFE collaboration is characterised by realistic expectations and achievable time frames and resources.
The first project that could be undertaken is the development of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between ACE and TAFE in the Western Region, to provide a framework for ongoing collaboration between the parties and to build trust and understanding.
A second project could be the development by Robinson College and Western Institute of a model for ACE-TAFE collaboration with mining companies at Broken Hill, with the model likely to be of use in other parts of the region.
A third project could be the development of a Wellington learning community project, drawing on successful models of learning communities in other regions such as the Gwydir Region, and taking advantage of the shared needs and high potential for collaboration locally between ACE, TAFE, other providers, the Shire, schools, industry/employers, and the community.
Brief The brief for this project notes that the aim of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project is to assist in building necessary collaborative ventures between the ACE and TAFE sectors through the identification of at least three initiatives to improve collaboration and delivery efficiencies in both sectors as well as enhance community capacity building, particularly in remote and regional communities. Three immediate initiatives are set out below, following the tabling of some principles and guidelines that emerged from the research.
Principles for collaboration
The consultations highlight the importance of the development of shared principles for collaboration between ACE and TAFE. Primary ones, arising from the consultations, and endorsed at the seminar in Orange, are:
1. ACE-TAFE collaboration is particularly about reaching people who are not being served by conventional provision of training, including people in remoter regions and groups commonly under-represented in training such as indigenous communities, disengaged youth and the unemployed and under-
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employed.
2. ACE-TAFE collaboration includes not just ACE and TAFE, but other appropriate stakeholders, such as schools, universities, government agencies, industry and community groups, as and where they are relevant.
Guidelines for collaboration
It was also agreed during the consultations and at the Orange seminar that guidelines are required to frame the collaboration. The following arose from the consultations and were endorsed at the seminar:
1. ACE-TAFE collaboration involves more than cooperating with each other and with stakeholders: it is about jointly engaging with local communities and groups of learners, particularly by building networks and communication channels.
2. ACE-TAFE collaboration can support ‘bottom-up’ initiatives driven by the community.
3. ACE-TAFE collaboration extols and rewards collaboration by its staff.
4. ACE-TAFE collaboration is outcomes focused and is designed to assist regional development, ongoing capacity for innovation and economic development and community capacity building.
5. ACE-TAFE collaboration needs to build upon some early and likely successes, but long-term needs to be targeted at challenging locations and groups.
6. ACE-TAFE collaboration uses flexible learning approaches that suit the learning preferences of the learners.
7. ACE-TAFE collaboration fosters accredited, formal, non-formal and non-accredited provision of education and training, including through partnerships with community groups.
8. ACE-TAFE collaboration takes a holistic view of the individual and promotes lifelong learning.
9. ACE-TAFE collaboration is to be driven by the identified needs of the community and the region.
10. ACE-TAFE collaboration accepts that needs identification requires continual updating, as areas of skill shortage change.
11. ACE-TAFE collaboration could involve increased levels of sub-contracting and outsourcing of work, as part of a memorandum of understanding between the parties. This approach was modelled effectively in the Australian Apprenticeship Access Program in Orange in 2006.
12. ACE-TAFE collaboration involves an agreed set of goals.
13. ACE-TAFE collaboration is based on trust and ongoing open dialogue between the two parties, at both senior management level and at practitioner/community level.
14. ACE-TAFE collaboration is capable of accommodating the differing organisational cultures of the two parties.
15. ACE-TAFE collaboration can sensibly leverage off existing examples of collaboration and draw on the experience of staff who have knowledge of the
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two sectors involved.
16. ACE-TAFE collaboration is designed to accommodate issues that will arise beyond any initial honeymoon phase.
17. ACE-TAFE collaboration is characterised by realistic expectations and achievable time frames and resources.
Possible projects
To optimise what is learnt from any exemplary projects, it is important that the projects are of different types. For instance, the projects could vary from one that is very much community led to one that is heavily involved with industry to one that deliberately has significant schools and/or university involvement. Other options are to target:
specific communities, for example Cobar and Wellington,
or groups of learners, for example indigenous people or disengaged youth,
or the involvement of some or all of the four ACE providers,
or a range of program areas such as mechanical engineering or literacy,
or a range of levels such as pre-employment or certificate levels 3-4. Based on the consultations to date, some possible projects that could be the focus of later stages of this ACE-TAFE Western Region project, and which cover many of the options above, are as follows:
1. A memorandum of understanding (MOU). An MOU will be negotiated between ACE and TAFE in the Western Region, to provide a framework for ongoing collaboration between the parties and to build trust and understanding.
2. Broken Hill model for collaborating with mining companies. A model for ACE-TAFE collaboration with mining companies will be developed at Broken Hill, by Robinson College and Western Institute. The model will focus on one particular mine in Broken Hill, but the framework for collaboration may provide directions for ACE and TAFE working collaboratively with other mines and in other locations, where appropriate.
3. Wellington learning community project. The correctional services facility in Wellington is expected to put out to tender a range of new training programs in Wellington, creating possible opportunities for TAFE and ACE to jointly tender for some of the business, with perhaps a focus on pathways, with ACE providing training at a lower level, feeding into TAFE programs at a higher level. Increased collaboration between a range of stakeholders in Wellington, including ACE, TAFE, other providers, the Shire, schools, industry/employers, and the community could result in additional programs for targeted groups, such as current prisoners and young, unemployed and disengaged mothers. Wellington has both a need to collaborate and the underpinning level of shared goals that could see the collaboration succeed. A benefit of this project is that it could model the use of the learning community model.
Possible projects for further investigation
Further advice will be sought about the following possible projects, before proceeding:
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4. Remote community project with employment and pathways outcomes. As part of the discussions that will lead to the preparation of the MOU cited above, the ACE-TAFE participants involved will be encouraged to identify a project in a community classified by the state government as remote – using the MCEETYA-endorsed classification of remote schools in the Western Region as a guide – where ACE and TAFE could collaborate in a project that (a) has a high likelihood of enterprise development and employment outcomes for those undertaking the training, (b) also creates possible future training and education pathways for those undertaking the training, and (c) involves, where appropriate, the use of recognition of prior learning strategies.
5. Orange/Western Region mental health project. This current planned project in Orange involves a range of stakeholders including ACE, TAFE and the area health service. The project will involve initially the conducting of an Access pre-vocational course for five-six weeks. The program could be expanded to include a range of other towns and communities in the region. A benefit of expanding this project is that it could model the use of regional delivery for a targeted market. TAFE’s Kate Baxter is one of the stakeholders to be consulted about this initiative.
The Director of Western Institute will meet with Roger Jackson, Everyday Mining Services, and other stakeholders in Cobar to decide on a response to the following opportunity:
6. Cobar just-in-time skills project. An improved engagement strategy for providing training for small groups is needed in Cobar, which caters for individuals or very small groups of trainees who require specific skills in narrow areas, for example forklift driver, safety officer or machine operator. Existing, qualified tradespeople in the area could be recruited as teachers and this strategy would cater for a diverse range of needs for just-in-time training. A benefit of this project is that it could model the use flexible business strategies by ACE-TAFE. It would also improve relations with industry.
Final comment This consultation project has identified the need for more training in the western region at a level not easily captured by statisticians. For instance, interviews in Wellington identified that a range of stakeholders had similar hopes for a group of young mothers disengaged from training. One way to respond to these many different training needs is for ACE and TAFE to find ways to collaborate more effectively, so their combined resources are used efficiently, not duplicated. The level of trust between the TAFE Institute and the four ACE colleges appears adequate to underpin the taking of the next step, the development of a memorandum of understanding and the management of a number of pilot projects. The success of this collaboration depends on the continuation of this trust, the commitment to shared goals and a willingness to collaborate for sufficient time for the dividends to become tangible. Appendix 1: Overview of project and first stage The ACE TAFE Western Region Project focuses on the vocational education and training (VET) needs of remoter communities in New South Wales (NSW) that are most likely to miss out in the implementation of national VET arrangements.
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The aim of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project is to assist in building necessary collaborative ventures between the ACE and TAFE sectors through the identification of at least three initiatives to improve collaboration and delivery efficiencies in both sectors as well as enhance community capacity building, particularly in remote and regional communities The project relates to the geographical region of New South Wales serviced by the NSW TAFE Western Institute, bounded by Grenfell in the south, Broken Hill in the West and Bourke and Lightning Ridge in the north and containing the substantial regional centres of Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo. Expected outcomes of the overall project The expected outcomes of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project, of which this community consultation in mid-2007 is the first phase, are as follows: community, ACE and TAFE in the Western region are enabled to implement new
and innovative learning pathways for mature learners to enhance VET services for the region
a strategic initiative is seeded to enhance collaboration between communities and the ACE and TAFE sectors to improve VET services to regional and remote communities across NSW
the identification of strategic initiatives to improve VET flexible delivery that can be rolled out across NSW
the development of a three-year strategic framework for collaborative dialogue, improved flexible delivery, creating more innovative learning pathways between the ACE and TAFE sectors and efficiencies in VET delivery across NSW regions
the development of a model to recognise and promote excellence in collaborative endeavours to enhance ACE and TAFE delivery to regional and remote communities.
Deliverables of the overall project The expected deliverables of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project are:
1. Identify and document priority areas for improving efficiencies in learner-centred, flexible and timely VET service delivery for mature learners in regional and remote communities
2. Best practice case studies to guide endeavours at the local level to achieve enhanced and innovative learning pathways for mature VET learners through ACE-TAFE collaboration
3. Three-year ACE-TAFE strategic framework to guide greater collaboration and efficiencies for the provision of VET services to regional and remote communities.
Focus of this first stage of the project This first stage of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project focuses on: facilitation of consultations with key stakeholders in the Western region of NSW,
defined as the area covered by TAFE NSW – Western Institute the provision of practical advice on how the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project
outcomes and deliverables might be achieved based on the outcomes of the consultations.
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Aim/outcomes of the consultation process The consultation process is a cornerstone of both the Community Consultation Project and the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project. It should be designed in such a way that it will assist with achieving the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project outcomes and deliverables. Components of the consultation process
1. Focus groups with key stakeholders
2. Interviews with relevant stakeholders (face-to-face and over the telephone) and observations on-site
3. A development of a brief discussion paper for focus groups, to enhance interviews and to obtain written comments from stakeholders who will not be able to participate in interviews and focus groups.
4. Other consultation tools such as a survey tool.
5. Analysis of data from interviews, focus groups, written responses to the discussion paper
6. Regional seminar. Deliverable of the community consultation project The deliverable is a report on consultation outcomes including recommendations to progress the next phases of the ACE – TAFE Western Region Project. Appendix 2: Members of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group Mr Warren Grimshaw, AM Chair, ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group; member of the NSW TAFE Commission Board Ms Bronwyn Clinch, representing the NSW Board of Adult and Community Education Mr Steve Harrison, representing the NSW TAFE Commission Board Mr David Michaels, Senior Manager of the Skills Strategy Unit which provides policy and secretariat support to the NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training Mr Adrian Mitchell, Director, TAFE NSW – Western Institute (who replaced due to overseas project leave, Barry Peddle, Director, TAFE NSW – South Western Sydney Institute) The Working Group is assisted by the Senior Education Officer, Ewa Kozlowska, TAFE and ACE Boards Secretariat. Appendix 3: Research activities Set out below are the key research activities proposed by the consultant at the start of this project. These actions were subsequently undertaken.
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Stage Research activities Time
1. Planning and preparation
Reading of all background documents and relevant research reports Early May 2007
Identification of possible consultation strategies that fit with the briefing from the Working Group and the consultant’s current knowledge of the western region of NSW and previous experience consulting with regions such as the Gwydir Region in 2006
Early May 2007
Preparation of consultation instruments, including tools for stakeholder analysis, community analysis and for interviews, observations and focus groups. In particular, a brief discussion paper will be prepared for focus groups and to enhance the interviews
Early May 2007
2. Contact with stakeholders
Contact with appropriate, key stakeholders via email and phone contact, on the advice of the Working Group. Following advice from the Working Group, identified stakeholders could include some parties in addition to BACE, the TAFE Commission Board and BVET
May-June 2007
With the support of the Working Group and the TAFE and ACE Boards Secretariat, planning of the itinerary for the site visits, for interviews, observations and focus groups
3. Site visits Visit sites agreed by the Working Group, meet key stakeholders and conduct focus groups with key stakeholders
Conduct interviews and observations on-site
Maintain regular contact with the Working Group throughout site visits to ensure local protocols and sensitivities are observed and to ensure the consultant quickly establishes trust, goodwill and good communication with all stakeholders
May-June 2007
4. Analyse data and prepare and provide briefing
Collate and analyse data
Provide briefing for the Working Group
June 2007
5. Prepare for regional forum
In liaison with Working Group, preparation for regional forum, including purposes, structure, content, invitees
May-June 2007
6. Assist with conducting regional forum
Facilitate and support regional forum June 2007
7. Debrief on the regional forum
Debrief with Working Group
By agreement with the Working Group, provide a brief regional forum report to participants
July 2007
8. Draft and final report
Compile a report on the consultation outcomes and provide recommendations from these outcomes to progress the next phases of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project
Draft report late July 2007
Final report August 2007
Appendix 4: Overview of community consultations conducted Focus groups Focus groups were conducted at the following two locations, for the reasons cited below:
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Orange, 5 June 2007. Rationale for conducting focus group:
o Large regional centre.
o Site for many key stakeholders with regional responsibilities and capabilities.
o Potential key location for increased ACE-TAFE collaboration, for regional delivery.
o Focus group can consider how regional centres (e.g. TAFE, ACE, Schools) can provide services to remote sites – in which fields; which flexible methods; possible support systems.
The Orange focus group of six participants consisted of representatives from indigenous education, apprentice training, higher education, school education and the mining and health industries.
Cobar, 8 June 2007. Rationale for conducting focus group:
o Remote site.
o Potential recipient of increased ACE-TAFE collaboration.
o No current ACE presence: withdrawn in early 2000s.
o Focus group can consider current unmet needs; optional learning/delivery methods; other support issues.
o Possible site for best practice case study/initiative for post-Phase One of the project, focused on increased training demands generated by mines. Opportunity identified by Ron Maxwell, discussion 9 May 2007.
The Cobar focus group of seven participants consisted of representatives from the City Council, the mining industry, recreation and leisure industry, two employment agencies and Community Working Party/CDEP. Site visits Focus groups were conducted at the following locations, for the reasons cited below:
Wellington. Rationale for visit:
o Medium-sized population centre. Under pressure particularly due to new corrections centre.
o Currently no ACE representative sited locally.
o Potential recipient of increased ACE-TAFE collaboration.
o Possible site for best practice case study/initiative for post-Phase One of the project – opportunity identified by Adrian Mitchell, interview 4 May 2007.
Bourke. Rationale for visit:
o Remote site.
o Small population. Drought affected.
o Indigenous issues. ACE services withdrawn in recent years.
o Possible site for best practice case study/initiative for post-Phase One of the project, focused on increased learning opportunities for mature
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Indigenous people - opportunity identified by Adrian Mitchell, interview 4 May 2007; Bronwyn Clinch, interview 7 May 2007.
Dubbo. Visit to Western College Dubbo on 7 June supplemented by a range of telephone and teleconferencing interviews. Rationale for visit:
o Large regional centre.
o Site for many key stakeholders with regional responsibilities and capabilities.
o Potential key location for increased ACE-TAFE collaboration, for regional delivery.
o Focus on how regional centre stakeholders (e.g. TAFE, ACE, Schools) can provide collaborative services to remote sites.
Appendix 5: List of interviewees and focus group participants
1. Adrian Mitchell, Director, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Orange and member ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group
2. Allan Jones, Manager Safety and Support Services, Cadia Valley Operations, Orange
3. Anne Holst, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Bourke
4. Barbara Feather, Teacher, Textiles, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Dubbo and ESO, Wellington
5. Barbara Moseley, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Bourke
6. Barry Williams, Aboriginal Training Coordinator, Western NSW State Training Centre, Dubbo
7. Bronwyn Clinch, Executive Officer, Barraba Community Learning Association, Barraba, and member ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group
8. Bronwyn Ingersole, Relieving School Development Office, School Education, NSW DET, Dubbo
9. Catriona Atkins, Manager, Training Services, Central West Community College, Orange
10. Colin Feather, Principal, Wellington High School
11. Daneeca O’Brien, Campus Administrator, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
12. David Crean, Head Teacher, Primary Industries, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
13. David Michaels, Senior Manager, Skills Strategy, NSW DET and member, ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group
14. Dennis Hodgkins, Acting Head, School of Rural Management, Charles Sturt University, Orange Campus
15. Dianne Kitcher, CEO, Central West Community College, Bathurst
16. Douglas Dennis, Community Working Party, Bourke
17. Dr John McIntyre, Chair, NSW Board of Adult and Community Education, Bullaburra
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18. Fiona Watts, Teacher, Natural Resource Management, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
19. Gerry Crawley, Youth Forum, Bourke
20. Gina Perks, Board of Adult and Community Education, NSW DET
21. Hedy Bryant, Manager HR, Charles Sturt University and member of Board of Central West Community College, Orange
22. Helen de Silva Joyce, Board of Adult and Community Education, NSW DET
23. Janine Manns, Community Working Party/CDEP, Cobar
42. Nannette Stevenson, Nursing industry, Orange and member Advisory Council, TAFE NSW – Western Institute
43. Neil Urqhart, Manager Cobar Bowling & Golf Club –
44. Phil Johnston, Economic Development Officer, Shire Council, Bourke
45. Robyn Grace, Teacher, Business and Administration Services, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
46. Roger Jackson, Owner, Everyday Mine Services, Cobar
47. Ron Maxwell, General Manager, Western College, Dubbo
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48. Sandra Gray, Faculty Business Co-ordinator, Manufacturing, Engineering, Construction and Transport Faculty, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Orange
49. Sharon Waters, College Administrator, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Cobar
50. Steve Baker, Manager, Robinson Education Centre, Broken Hill
51. Steve Harrison, Managing Director, Industrial Development Australia Pty Ltd, Collaroy and member ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group
52. Susie Brown, Careers Advisor Wellington High School
53. Todd Ferguson, Wellington Council
54. Tony Aumuller, Regional Manager Western NSW and Riverina State Training Service, Western NSW State Training Centre, Orange
55. Warren Grimshaw, Chair, ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group Appendix 6: Participants in regional seminar, Orange, 29 June 2007 ACE sector representatives
Mr Steve Baker, Manager, Robinson Education Centre, Broken Hill Ms Dianne Kitcher, Chief Executive Officer, Central West Community College Mr Ron Maxwell, General Manager, Western College, Dubbo Ms Elizabeth McGufficke, representative of the board of Condobolin Adult
Education; also Teacher, Literacy and Numeracy, TAFE NSW, Parkes Campus and a member of TAFE NSW – Western Institute Advisory Council representing practicing Teachers
TAFE sector representatives Mr Adrian Mitchell, Director of the TAFE NSW – Western Institute
School sector representatives Mr Garry Brown, School Development Officer, Western NSW Regional Office,
Dubbo Ms Pam Ryan, School Education Director, Western NSW Regional Office,
Orange Industry representatives
Ms Susan Collett (Tourism industry , member of TAFE NSW – Western Institute Advisory Council)
Ms Nannette Stevenson (Nursing industry, member of TAFE NSW-Western Institute Advisory Council)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community representatives Mr Barry Williams, Aboriginal Training Coordinator, Western NSW State
Training Centre, Dubbo ACE – TAFE Western Region Working Group
Mr Warren Grimshaw, AM Chair, ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group, also a member of the NSW TAFE Commission Board
Ms Bronwyn Clinch, representing the NSW Board of Adult and Community Education
Mr Steve Harrison, representing the NSW TAFE Commission Board Mr David Michaels, Senior Manager of the Skills Strategy Unit which provides
policy and secretariat support to the NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training.
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Seminar facilitator Dr John Mitchell, Managing Director of John Mitchell and Associates,
engaged by the Working Group to work on the ACE-TAFE Western Region project and to facilitate the seminar.
Seminar support Ms Ewa Kozlowska, Senior Education Officer, TAFE & ACE Boards
Secretariat, NSW Department of Education and Training Appendix 7: References accessed The following reports, studies and texts were accessed during the project: Allison, J., Gorringe, S. & Lacey, J. 2006, Building learning communities: Partnerships, social capital and VET performance, NCVER, Adelaide. Allison, J., Gorringe, S. & Lacey, J. 2006, Building learning communities: Partnerships, social capital and VET performance – Support document, NCVER, Adelaide. Brown, A. 1998, Organisational Culture, Second Edition, Prentice Hall, England. Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia (CRLRA) 2002, Learning communities in vocational education and training. Volume 1: Meeting needs in regional Australia, ANTA, Brisbane. Council of Australian Governments (COAG), 2006a, Communique, 10 February, available at www.coag.gov.au Gelade, S., Stehlik, T. & Willis, T. 2006, Learning collaborations between ACE and vocational education and training providers: Good practice partnerships, NCVER, Adelaide. Gelade, S., Stehlik, T. & Willis, T. 2006, Learning collaborations between ACE and vocational education and training providers: Good practice partnerships – Support document, NCVER, Adelaide. Ife, J. (2002), Community Development. Community-based alternatives in an age of globalisation, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW. Kearns P (2004) VET and Social Capital: A paper on the contribution of the VET sector to social capital in communities. ANTA. Kilpatrick, S. (2003) The role of VET in building social capital for rural community development in Australia. Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia. Kilpatrick, S. Barrett, M. and Jones, T. (2003) Defining Learning Communities. Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia. Hume City Council, no date, Hume Global Learning Village, four page descriptor. Mitchell, J.G. 2004, Implementing flexible learning in the workplace: strategies, models and barriers in the meat and food processing industries in regional Australia, a report for FLAG, TAFESA Adelaide.
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Mitchell, J.G. 2006, The Gwydir Learning Region Model: An Independent Evaluation, a report for BVET, Sydney. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) 2006, Good practice guide: Creating effective ACE and VET partnerships, NCVER, Adelaide. Standing Committee on State Development, 2006, Inquiry into skills shortages in rural and regional NSW, NSW Parliament. Legislative Council. Standing Committee on State Development, Sydney NSW. Stokes, H, Stacey, K & Lake, M 2006, Schools, vocational education and training and partnerships: Capacity-building in rural and regional communities, NCVER, Adelaide. Waterhouse, P, Virgona, C & Brown, R 2006, Creating synergies: Local government facilitating learning and development through partnerships, NCVER, Adelaide. Waterhouse, P, Virgona, C & Brown, R 2006, Creating synergies: Local government facilitating learning and development through partnerships – Support document, NCVER, Adelaide.
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A P P E N D I X B J O H N M I T C H E L L & A S S O C I A T E S
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ R E S E A R C H P L A N N I N G E V A L U A T I O N
Section 1. Stakeholder support and opportunities for the Wellington Learning Community____________________________________________________________________ 58
Section 2. Directions for the Wellington Learning Community ________________ 68
Appendix 1. Objectives of the project _____________________________________ 75
Appendix 2. Working Group ____________________________________________ 76
Appendix 3. Stages, actions and timetable _________________________________ 76
Appendix 4. Interview questions for key stakeholders in Wellington community___ 77
Appendix 5. List of interviewees and participants in focus groups and public consultation meeting _____________________________________________________________ 78
Executive summary This final report is a product of the ACE TAFE Western Region Project which focuses on the vocational education and training (VET) needs of remoter communities in New South Wales (NSW) that are most likely to miss out in the implementation of national VET arrangements. The report summarises consultations conducted in Wellington and Dubbo in March 2008, regarding collaboration between Adult and Community Education (ACE) and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in that region and specifically the development of a Wellington Learning Community, 352 km from Sydney, in Central West NSW. Background to the project The Wellington project follows a finding from the earlier consultation project of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project that increased collaboration between a range of stakeholders in Wellington, including ACE, TAFE, other providers, the Shire, schools, industry/employers and the community could result in additional local programs for targeted groups, such as current prisoners and young, unemployed and disengaged mothers. Wellington has both a need to collaborate and the underpinning level of shared goals that could see this collaboration succeed. Purposes of the project The purposes of the Wellington project are:
to foster a shift in the way the ACE and TAFE sectors work to service Wellington as a remoter community of New South Wales and address mature learner needs in that community
to model the development of a learning community model, adapting some of the lessons learnt from the BVET evaluation of the Gwydir Learning Region in 2006.
The specific objectives for the project are listed in Appendix 1. Definition and rationale The publication Learning around Town: Learning Communities in Australia published by Adult Learning Australia (ALA, 2000) provides some definitions of and rationale for learning communities that are relevant to Wellington:
Becoming a learning community involves improving the links between existing educational providers (whether formal, non-formal or informal), establishing new pathways, and promoting community understanding of and participation in lifelong learning.
The desire to become a learning community often stems from the need for a community to renew itself in a period of change. Becoming a learning community may fulfil a need to stimulate economic development, create employment and provide learning opportunities for all members of the community. (p.4)
In Defining Learning Communities, Kilpatrick, Barrett and Jones (2003), propose a definition of the term learning communities “for the twenty first century”:
Learning communities are made up of people who share a common purpose. They collaborate to draw on individual strengths, respect a variety of perspectives and actively promote learning opportunities. The outcomes are the creation of a vibrant, synergistic environment, enhanced potential for all members, and the possibility that new knowledge will be created. (p.10)
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The reasons for establishing learning communities will vary from place to place, as will the goals and the ways in which they are achieved (ALA, p.5). Waterhouse, Virgona and Brown (2006, p.5) examined four learning communities in Victoria where local government was involved, each of which involved a range of industry, community, education and local government stakeholders. Their study revealed the complexities faced by participants in developing the cooperative partnerships required for the creation of learning communities. Management of the project The overall project is managed by the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group, chaired by Mr Warren Grimshaw AM. The full membership of the Working Group is set out in Appendix 2. The consultant for the Wellington Learning Community project was Dr John Mitchell, from John Mitchell & Associates. Consultations Activities undertaken by the consultant are described in Appendix 3 and the interview questions in Appendix 4. Actions included site visits to various bodies in Wellington and Dubbo on 11-12 March 2008, involving the conducting of interviews, focus groups and one public consultation meeting with the people listed in Appendix 5. Major findings Set out below are the major findings from the consultations, summarised from section one of the report. Wellington presents a range of challenges, such as substantial need for more Aboriginal adult education, which provide the rationale for initiating an innovative learning community. Wellington also has some core community strengths, such as a determination to improve education and employment levels locally and an optimism that this is achievable, which will help underpin the learning community. There is a clear and high level of support from key stakeholder groups for the Wellington Learning Community, as identified during the consultations in March 2008. These key stakeholders represent TAFE, ACE, Council, High School, Wellington Development Incorporated, Gallanggabang Aboriginal Corporation, the Police, Charles Sturt University, Wellington Aboriginal Community Health Service, Wellington Correctional Centre and others. In terms of opportunities, there are natural synergies between the work and aims of many of the stakeholder groups which will help underpin the Wellington Learning Community. For instance, there are synergies between the Council and all other stakeholders; TAFE and Aboriginal people; the high school and TAFE; the High School, TAFE and ACE; TAFE and ACE and employment agencies; and educators, the PCYC, Police, and the Probation and Parole Board. There is also a fortuitous link to the Gwydir Learning Region, through the new local Federal Member for the seat of Parkes, Mark Coulton, who was not only mayor of the Gwydir Shire Council, but also was and remains a strong supporter of the Gwydir Learning Region. Regarding the areas where there is a fair amount of support and agreement between parties which could lead to the establishment of the Wellington Learning Community, the following areas were identified: the provision of information about
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study, career and job options; focusing on improving learners’ self esteem; coaching senior members of the community to mentor learners; using more flexible delivery methods; supporting more learning in the community; increasing access to resources; pooling of clientele, such as by opening TVET programs to adults; and providing programs for single young mothers. The main challenge to the successful implementation of the Wellington Learning Centre is the depth and breadth of the issues involving Aboriginal education. Aboriginal people represent around one quarter of the population. Some related challenges are the dependency on welfare, the low level of literacy and numeracy skills, the perceived lack of jobs locally for skilled Aboriginal people, the low level of support for regular attendance at structured training programs over a lengthy period, and the multiplicity of Aboriginal representative groups. Interviewees commented on the range of different Aboriginal groups in Wellington and that no one group could expect to win support from, or represent, all the others. Other obstacles or challenges identified in the consultations included the following points: the history of existing collaborative structures not succeeding, the lack of data about industry training needs, the small cohorts of students, the lack of general interest courses in Wellington which could build learners’ confidence and the lack of ACE presence in Wellington. Further challenges include the mis-information about the qualifications and quality level of ACE teachers and the lack of previous collaboration between TAFE and ACE. Finally, some obstacles include the lack of knowledge of learning communities and the related lack of leadership experience for learning communities. Some specific challenges for the TAFE Institute include its resources being spread over 24 campuses and some standard TAFE parameters which restrict the ability of TAFE to respond to some complex issues in Wellington, such as the common need for fifteen enrolments in a class. Recommendations A deliverable from this project is the provision of recommendations in respect to the establishment of a working group and support mechanisms necessary to enhance the prospect of the successful delivery of the project at the local level. A range of recommendations is set out in section two of the report, based on the consultations undertaken in March 2008. For brevity, the many recommendations in section two are not repeated here. However, the key ones are:
the aim of the Wellington Learning Community be to establish a culture of participation in education and training in order to improve life and work skills and community and regional development
the objectives be that, by the end of the first twelve months of operation:
o a Working Group be established in the first few months, preferably as a sub-committee of Council
o formal links be established with the Gwydir Learning Region, as a benchmark and guide for Wellington
o partnerships of the Wellington Learning Community be formed with the stakeholder groups listed in this report
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o an audit be completed of local resources that can be pooled for use by education and training providers involved with the Wellington Learning Community
o a range of flexible approaches be developed for the delivery of educational and training programs for individuals and small groups of less than fifteen
o innovative approaches be implemented for the provision of information about study, career and job options
o educational and training programs be provided which are focused on improving learners’ self esteem
o a program be established to coach senior members of the Wellington community to be mentors for younger people
o new educational and training programs be developed that place most emphasis on learning in the community.
the vision for the Wellington Learning Community be that every youth and adult in the Wellington Shire region be aware of the education and training opportunities available to them and be confident about taking up these opportunities.
the Working Group consist of the following members in the first twelve months:
o Adrian Mitchell, Institute Director, TAFE NSW – Western Institute
o Ron Maxwell, General Manager, Western College
o Joyce Williams, Chairperson/Director, Gallanggabang Aboriginal Corporation (representing Indigenous people and issues in Wellington)
o Lisa Austin, Centre Manager, PCYC
o Colin Feather, Principal, Wellington High School
o Tony Graham, President, Wellington Development Incorporated
o David Beaton, General Manager, Wellington Shire Council
o Shannon Brown, Sureway Employment and Training Wellington (representing all employment agencies in Wellington).
the two initial targeted segments of the Wellington community be:
o those who want to re-connect with education and training and with the workforce, including disengaged youth, unemployed people, young mothers, people on parole or similar, those with literacy and numeracy challenges, those with drug and alcohol dependencies, and Aboriginal people who have not had recent, positive experiences with education
o those who seek upskilling to acquire a new job or win a promotion or to undertake a change of career or to improve their own or their employer’s productivity and business.
Section 1. Stakeholder support and opportunities for the Wellington Learning Community This section addresses the first and second of the four objectives for this project:
identify levels and types of support for a Wellington Learning Community from stakeholders associated with Wellington
to map out opportunities and areas where there is a fair amount of support and
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agreement between parties which could lead to the establishment of the Wellington Learning Community.
The other two objectives are addressed in section two of the report. Key points Key points in this section include the following:
Wellington presents a range of challenges, such as substantial need for more Aboriginal adult education, which provide the rationale for initiating an innovative learning community. Wellington also has some core community strengths, such as a determination to improve education and employment levels locally and an optimism that this is achievable, which will help underpin the learning community.
There is a clear and high level of support from key stakeholder groups for the Wellington Learning Community.
In terms of opportunities, there are natural synergies between the work and aims of many of the stakeholder groups which will help underpin the Wellington Learning Community. There are also fortuitous link to the Gwydir Learning Region.
There is a fair amount of support and agreement between parties which could lead to the establishment of the Wellington Learning Community including prioritising the provision of information about study, career and job options; focusing on improving learners’ self esteem; coaching senior members of the community to mentor learners; and using more flexible delivery methods.
The main challenge to the successful implementation of the Wellington Learning Centre is the depth and breadth of the issues involving Aboriginal education.
Wellington’s mix of challenges and strengths Wellington and its local region provide a mix of challenges and strengths which are relevant to the development of the learning community. The information in the following Figure is drawn partly from the 2007 Annual Report of the Wellington Shire Council and partly from the March 2008 interviewees.
Figure 1: Snapshot of Wellington’s mix of features, challenges and strengths
362km north west of Sydney, and around 50 km and 150km from regional centres at Dubbo and Orange
Limited public transport to Dubbo and Orange
The local government area includes the villages of Geurie, Elong Elong, Mumbil and Stuart Town
Population of Wellington 4,500; population of the Shire around 10,000; about 23% Indigenous
High school population of around 350, with about 45% Indigenous students
Second oldest town west of the Blue Mountains, with many heritage buildings
Attractively nestles at the foot of Mount Arthur, and on the banks of the Macquarie and Bell Rivers
Tourism attractions include the Wellington Caves and Burrendong Dam
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Major industries are agriculture and related industries and drought continues to severely affect local farming
A breaking of the drought is expected to reveal a lack of skilled farm workers
Wellington Working Farm Project is effectively supporting schools and the indigenous community
Wellington is gaining a reputation as a Centre for Land Management
Skill shortages currently exist in industries such as retail, aged care and hospitality
$115m Wellington Correctional Centre opened in 2007. Currently around 350 inmates; capacity around 660; largest local employer
Major issues with drugs and alcohol consumption
Substantial numbers of single mothers and teenage pregnancies
Crime prevention programs actively conducted and Night Patrol buses are used on Friday and Saturday evenings
The data in the table indicate the current situation of Wellington – a mix of future potential and current challenges – as follows:
current challenges include economic problems arising from the long-term drought and social problems related to long-term unemployment, disengaged youth and widespread substance abuse
future potential could be realised if the drought breaks, mining starts in the near vicinity, and the goal population increases providing more employment – although qualifications will be needed for many of these jobs.
Optimism important Almost all of the interviewees for this report were mindful of these current challenges but were committed to reducing their impact and focusing more on the future. Most of the interviewees articulated a ‘virtuous’ sequence consisting of:
the provision of customised education and training programs will enable a range of people to gain self-confidence, then basic skills and later qualifications
following this training, social issues such as a dependency on welfare and a reluctance to work and undertake training will diminish
and employment opportunities will arise in local industries such as retail, health, tourism, hospitality, farming, land management and aged care and in regional industries such as transport and mining.
This optimism about developing a sequence of confidence building, training, increased employment and workforce participation infused most of the interviews for this report. This optimism is an important underpinning for the Wellington Learning Community and reflects a similarly positive view by the supporters of the Gwydir Learning Region. The optimism is also in line with the thinking expressed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), which notes that “a healthy, skilled and motivated population is critical to workforce participation and productivity, and hence Australia’s future living standards” (COAG February 2006 Communique). Further, COAG’s human capital stream of reform “aims to provide Australians with the opportunities and choices they need to lead active and productive lives”.
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Levels and types of stakeholder support There is a clear and high level of support from key stakeholder groups for the Wellington Learning Community, as identified during the consultations in March 2008. Anecdotal evidence provided by interviewees suggests that a range of other stakeholder groups not consulted at this time also would support the Wellington Learning Community. The following table provides a snapshot summary of the stakeholder support expressed during the interviews, focus groups and public consultation meeting.
Table 2: Summary of support expressed by key stakeholders consulted in March 2008 Key stakeholder group
Level of support Types of support
1. Wellington High School
Principal Colin Feather conveyed a high level of support
Colin Feather indicated that there was total support for a learning community from him and his regional director and, in principle, from the High School Principals Association. He offered to make available to TAFE and ACE facilities such as the school’s semi-commercial kitchen, the woodwork/metalwork facility and classrooms with interactive technology.
2. TAFE NSW – Western Institute
Director Adrian Mitchell conveyed a high level of support
Adrian Mitchell offered that other providers for the Wellington Learning Community could place their signage on the TAFE campus in Wellington and use the TAFE facilities. He also offered to collaborate with the Wellington Learning Community process.
3. Western College (ACE)
General Manager Ron Maxwell conveyed a high level of support
Ron Maxwell accepted Adrian Mitchell’s offer regarding signage and facilities, and has agreed to collaborate with the Wellington Learning Community process and to seek to provide services in Wellington
4. Wellington Shire Council
Mayor Anne Jones, General Manager David Beaton and Todd Ferguson Manager of Economic Development and Strategic Services conveyed a high level of support
The Mayor offered to put a motion to Council that the Wellington Learning Community be a “355” sub-committee of Council – a sub-committee with some authority – following the approach taken with the Gwydir Learning Region. The Mayor also offered that an industry skills needs survey would be conducted of Wellington businesses to determine skills needed locally.
5. Wellington Development Incorporated
President Tony Graham and Deputy President Michael White conveyed a high level of support
The president and deputy president of Wellington Development Incorporated attended the public consultation meeting and offered to continue to bring an understanding of employers’ perspectives to the Wellington Learning Community.
6. Gallanggabang Aboriginal Corporation
Joyce Williams, Chairperson/Director, Violet Carr, Traditional Wellington Descendant, and Lee Thurlow, Contact Office conveyed
Joyce Williams represents the traditional people of Wellington and offered to bring an understanding of Aboriginal peoples’ needs to the Wellington Learning Community.
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strong support
7. Wellington Police
Acting Sen. Sergeant Rod Brauer and Aboriginal Liaison Officer Paul West conveyed strong support
Acting Sen. Sergeant Rod Brauer will support the Wellington Learning Community as another helpful strategy which can reduce crime and increase community well being in Wellington.
8. Wellington PCYC
Lisa Austin, Centre Manager, conveyed strong support
Lisa Austin is using successful strategies working with disengaged youth and is enthusiastic about linking with educational providers.
9. Charles Sturt University
Heather Bell from CSU conveyed a high level of support
Heather Bell participated in the public consultation meeting and was very enthusiastic about the university adding its expertise in distance and flexible delivery to the Wellington Learning Community.
10. Wellington Aboriginal Community Health Service
CEO, Darren Ah-See, conveyed support
Darren Ah-See has nominated his human resource director to represent WACHS in ongoing developments concerning the Wellington Learning Community
11. Wellington Correctional Centre
Kerry Joseph, Senior Correctional Education Officer, conveyed support
Kerry Joseph performs a significant educational role at the Wellington Correctional Centre and will support the planning committee for the Wellington Learning Community
12. Sureway Employment and Training Wellington
Shannon Brown and Natalie McMillan conveyed strong support
Shannon Brown and Natalie McMillan participated in the public consultation meeting and indicated their enthusiasm for bringing to the planning for the Wellington Learning Community their knowledge of learning needs of those local people currently not employed.
13. Maranatha House Wellington
Chair John Trounce conveyed a high level of support
Maranatha House is an aged care facility in Wellington which has an ongoing need for trained staff and indicated a strong interest in supporting the Wellington Learning Community.
14. Probation and Parole Board
Probation Officer Joe Tobin conveyed a high level of support
Joe Tobin is keen to support the Wellington Learning Community to generate a culture of learning in the community (“we are looking for ways to help our clients to rebuild their lives”), including in the nearby satellite towns such as Geurie, Elong Elong, Mumbil and Stuart Town which he considers are in need of special assistance.
15. Wellington Working Farms Project
Peter Ampt, University of NSW, conveyed support
Peter Ampt contacted the consultant to convey his interest in linking the Wellington Working Farms Project with the Wellington Learning Community.
The above table demonstrates the extensive support for the Wellington Learning Community from important stakeholder groups. This shared enthusiasm is a strong base upon which to build the initiative. Wellington Council strategies The Wellington Council is a key stakeholder in the Wellington Learning Community and its strategic approach is directly aligned with the concept, as demonstrated by the following excerpt from the Council’s current strategic plan.
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Figure 2: Wellington Council strategic aims for education
Goal 7: Education
There will be a high proportion of residents reaching their full potential.
Increasing the educational opportunities for residents to continue past secondary school has proven to be a major benefit to many regional communities. The Wellington area has benefitted from the degree programs offered through Charles Sturt University and the courses run by TAFE. There is the ability to start and finish a degree course locally. However, Wellington can do more to encourage the residents to take up the opportunities that are available to them.
Lifelong learning does not start and end with tertiary education but is recognised in the results in primary and secondary schools and importantly focuses on the learning achieved away from institutions including community benefit through coaching and personal development. The greater the knowledge and skill of the citizens the more dynamic and robust the community becomes.
Strategies:
1. Lifelong learning: Promote and embrace the benefits of lifelong learning ot the community, to enhance the culture and support within the Shire.
2. Kindergarten and Primary School: Support early childhood learning to encourage participation in future learning.
3. High School: Support high school students to access a range of employment and educational opportunities locally/regionally.
4. Trade and TAFE Courses: Advocate and support the provision of industry responsive and relevant apprenticeship and trade related courses and local TAFE access to courses.
5. University Courses: Advocate and support for the access of university placements by residents of the Shire.
6. Local Government Careers: Actively as an employer encourage continued education of employees.
These aims and strategies were supported by the comments of other people interviewed and will inform the proposed aims and objectives of the Wellington Learning Community set out in the next section. Opportunities and areas where there is a fair amount of support The two topics of opportunities and areas will be discussed in turn, below.
Opportunities In terms of opportunities, there are natural synergies between the work and aims of many of the stakeholder groups which will help underpin the Wellington Learning Community. For instance:
Synergies between the Council and all other stakeholders. As noted in relation to Figure 2 above, the Council’s strategies for education are entirely compatible with the Wellington Learning Community initiative. Its position is also aligned with the types of support offered by other stakeholders, as summarised in Table 1 above. The Wellington Learning Community could act as the catalyst for
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all the stakeholders to achieve their common goals.
Synergies between TAFE and Aboriginal people. TAFE offers a substantial outreach program across the Western Region of NSW, including in Wellington, and many of these programs are conducted well and are seen as successful. “We do well second chance education,” said one TAFE interviewee.
Synergies between the high school and TAFE. There are already strong links between the school and TAFE, particularly with regard to the TVET program. Currently 80 students in years 9-11 undertake TVET programs provided by TAFE after school hours. The link between the school and TAFE was accidentally strengthened last year when a fire at the high school led to some of TAFE’s classrooms being used by the school students.
Synergies between the school, TAFE and ACE. One concrete connection between the educational bodies is the pooling of resources. As cited above, the TAFE Institute Director Adrian Mitchell has offered to share facilities with other providers. The high school has some facilities such as a commercial kitchen that are available to and could be used by TAFE and ACE. The principal Colin Feather also would like to see in Wellington a pooled approach to such resources. He believes it is essential that facilities are made available to ACE by the school and TAFE, to attract ACE to Wellington.
Synergies between TAFE and ACE and employment agencies. As noted by a representative of an employment agency at the public consultation meeting, if an adult in Wellington is not employed, then the agency will know about them and their educational achievements and needs. This knowledge will be vital in informing and guiding educational providers within the Wellington Learning Community, such as TAFE and ACE.
Synergies between the educators, the PCYC, Police, and Probation and Parole. Over the last six months, under centre manager Lisa Austin, the PCYC has succeeded in attracting and retaining previously disengaged young people, mostly in the 10-15 years age group. A police officer expressed the view that the learning community could create more opportunities for younger people, from say 10-16 years, some of whom fall into the habit of stealing and harassing the public. He suggested that participation in learning community activities could be a condition of bail, for some offenders.
Fortuitous link to the Gwydir Learning Region. The new local Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, was not only mayor of the Gwydir Shire Council, he was also a strong supporter of the Gwydir Learning Region. He heard about the proposal for a Wellington Learning Community and visited the town recently to encourage various parties to support it. Given his background, he would be a helpful link to the Gwydir initiative and a valuable, ongoing supporter of the Wellington Learning Community.
Areas
There are many areas where there is a fair amount of support and agreement between parties which could lead to the establishment of the Wellington Learning Community, including the following:
Provision of information about study, career and job options. Possibly the most cost effective strategy that could be used by the Wellington Learning Community is the sharing of information between the stakeholders, for distribution to the public. The information could be not only about what programs
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and courses are available from the different educational providers, but also about jobs and careers. This would need collaboration between the educational providers and employment agencies. Such collaboration is entirely feasible given the statements of interviewees.
Improving learners’ self esteem. There is widespread agreement between many parties interviewed that many people, particularly some young people, have entered into a spiral of loss of interest in education leading to lack of success, a loss of confidence and a reduction in self esteem. Most of these parties believe this spiral can be reversed, for some people, if the right steps are taken with implementing the learning community. These steps could include learning from the existing strategies that work in Wellington, such as the approach taken by the PCYC, and some of the programs conducted at the high school and TAFE. A number of interviewees believed that the key to Aboriginal people succeeding in formal education and training was to ensure they embraced basic principles of respect and good manners. One interviewee said:
Kids around here lack confidence. If we pushed them into another course they might fail again. We use a reward system and find that if young people show respect and good manners towards others it brings back self esteem.
Mentoring learners. An idea tabled at the public consultation meeting was that some of the people retiring from the workforce could become mentors to younger people in the town. A mentoring program could be championed by the Wellington Learning Community.
Using flexible delivery methods. Another idea tabled at the public consultation meeting by the President of the Wellington Development Incorporated and also raised by individual interviewees was that a wider range of flexible approaches could be taken to the provision of programs. These approaches could range from the increased use of the videoconferencing facilities at the Wellington TAFE campus to the use of a blend of distance education offered by the Open Training and Education Network (OTEN) and visiting facilitators.
Learning in the community. A complementary idea tabled by interviewees was greater support for learning that occurs in the community. This would not only focus the learning on the location where most people function, but would also validate learning in the community as a legitimate activity.
Increased access to resources. A related idea was that more could be done to pool the educational resources of educational and other stakeholders in the town, with resources ranging from TAFE’s workshop to the High School’s commercial kitchen to the Council’s meeting rooms.
Pooling of clientele. A further idea tabled at the public consultation meeting by the High School principal and also raised by individual interviewees was that One said: “TVET needs to be expanded to include adults”, a practice which is common in the Gwydir Learning Region.
Programs for single young mothers. Wellington has a noticeably high level of single young mothers and all stakeholders consulted for this project were supportive of this group being offered targeted programs that will enable them to re-join the workforce once their children are of school age. In some cases, the initial programs could focus on confidence building, with later programs focusing
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on skill development.
Obstacles or challenges identified in the consultations Some obstacles or challenges identified in the consultations included the following points.
The scale of the challenge in Aboriginal education. The main challenge to the successful implementation of the Wellington Learning Centre is the depth and breadth of the issues involving Aboriginal education. Aboriginal people represent around one quarter of the population. Some related challenges are:
o Dependency on welfare. Many interviewees talked about some entrenched or long-standing problems such as the extent of dependency on government welfare and the negative attitude to work in many homes, due to two-three generations not experiencing regular employment and now lacking “job ready” skills.
o Low level of literacy and numeracy skills. The permanent literacy teacher at the TAFE campus in Wellington has full classes but cannot service all the needs locally. The low literacy levels restrict TAFE from using more flexible approaches involving a reduction in face to face contact. There is also a perception that State funds are targeted particularly at Certificate III and above, which does not suit the lower literacy levels of the Aboriginal student cohort.
o Lack of jobs locally for skilled Aboriginal people. Some interviewees expressed the view that some local Aboriginal people did have qualifications but were unable to find employment locally due to a lack of jobs. Some suggested that it was ‘who you knew’, not what qualifications you held, which dictated success in gaining local employment, leading some prospective students to believe that there is not much point in gaining qualifications. Others disputed this and said that there were jobs available for qualified people in Wellington in areas such as aged care and hospitality. Others said that the drought was the major cause of low employment in the region.
o Low level of support for regular attendance over a lengthy period. The view was expressed by some interviewees that many local Aboriginal people are not supportive of accredited courses that require, say, once a week attendance over several years. Such courses often result in high attrition rates. Some interviewees suggested that students would prefer to acquire skill sets not “full blown certification”.
o Preference to stay unemployed and living in Wellington? Some interviewees expressed the view that some Aboriginal people would prefer to stay living in Wellington and remain unemployed rather than move to say Dubbo or Orange. Others strongly disputed this and gave examples of people they knew who live and work in, say, the Cadia mine out from Orange, and travel back to Wellington several weekends a month.
o Multiplicity of Aboriginal representative groups. Interviewees commented on the range of different Aboriginal groups in Wellington and that no one group could expect to win support from, or represent, all the others.
History of existing collaborative structures not succeeding. One interviewee said she was “sick of the inter-agencies in Wellington saying they couldn’t do anything” and this view was repeated by a number of other interviewees. A
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number described the inter-agency group as a “talkfest” which didn’t lead to actions. Another said it had failed. One interviewee said that people working in social support agencies in Wellington were tired; “People are burnt and tired. To support the Wellington learning community, they will need to see evidence that there will be outcomes.”
Lack of industry data. A number of interviewees, particularly from TAFE, expressed the wish for more data on the training needs of industry and individual businesses in Wellington, as it was difficult to be confident, when designing and promoting training programs, that sufficient enrolments would be received. “We need to know where the industry gaps are,” said one. As noted above, Council has now offered to conduct a survey of industry skills needed by local businesses, which could partly address this need for information.
Small cohorts of students. However, one could expect that when the industry data is available, it will not generate convenient options for TAFE or other vocational education providers: as discussed below, TAFE normally requires fifteen enrolments to commence a program and Wellington is likely to generate, in most instances, groups that are smaller than that. It is for such reasons of small cohorts of students across multiple industry areas that an alternative approach of a learning community is all the more needed in Wellington.
TAFE resources spread over 24 campuses. While none of the TAFE staff interviewed disputed the high level of unmet needs for vocational education in Wellington, particularly among Aboriginal people, they commonly pointed out that they were working across a range of campuses, such as six, and that they could not give any more of their time to Wellington. One TAFE manager interviewed, who oversees some staff and programs at Wellington, had not visited the town for two years. On the other hand, another TAFE manager described how she provides an effective program at Wellington by liaising with her staff there and the campus administrator. Additionally, the outreach program has conducted a range of effective courses in Wellington over recent years.
TAFE’s parameters. Interviewees regularly raised some standard TAFE parameters which restricted the ability of TAFE to respond to some complex issues in Wellington.
o The first parameter is the need for fifteen enrolments in a class, although Institute Director Adrian Mitchell said this could be and is waived in some circumstances. TAFE has a workshop in Wellington but only eight enrolments were received for welding class in early 2008, so it was cancelled.
o A second parameter is the need for TAFE to set profitable charges for its fee-for-service programs. For instance a course on the accounting package MYOB for which a fee of over $300 was set, failed to receive enough enrolments earlier in 2008 and the fee was considered the main reason.
o A third parameter is that students need to be fifteen years of age to enrol in TAFE, while a key age group needing additional attention in the town are in the 10-15 years range.
Lack of general interest courses in Wellington. A number of interviewees expressed regret that there was no provision of adult and community education (ACE) in Wellington which could offer some of the types of courses once offered by TAFE, such as confidence-building craft programs. For example, one commented: “TAFE is into trade orientated courses. TAFE used to provide more
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general interest hobby courses like ceramics, pottery or art. This is a gap no one is offering to fill and it is still important.” Western College at Dubbo, the closest ACE provider, like TAFE, has progressively reduced the number of such general interest courses, as it needs to be self-sufficient and finds VET programs offer a better return. ACE and TAFE might be able to resolve the lack of confidence building pre-vocational programs in Wellington when they collaborate as part of the Wellington Learning Community.
Lack of ACE presence in Wellington. Western College in Dubbo currently does not offer an adult and community education (ACE) program in Wellington. The College is interested in being part of the Wellington Learning Community and collaborating, in particular, with TAFE, to provide complementary programs. TAFE has offered Western College the use of its campus facilities in Wellington. Western College looks forward to identifying funding programs and to recruiting local course facilitators.
Mis-information about ACE teachers. The view was expressed by a few TAFE staff that ACE staff are less well qualified than TAFE staff, increasing the reluctance of these TAFE people to collaborate with ACE. As both parties are registered training organisation and are required to meet the same national standards, this view needs to be put aside. Ironically, the major person within Western College who is involved in working with disengaged youth, splits her teaching time between TAFE and ACE in Dubbo.
Lack of previous collaboration between TAFE and ACE. There is very little previous experience of collaboration between TAFE and ACE, although this is changing: in 2008 TAFE is providing the technical training for the Australian Technical College at Dubbo which was awarded to Western College.
Lack of knowledge of learning communities. Although nearly all interviewees were supportive, almost most none of the interviewees had any first hand knowledge of learning communities. An exception was the high school principal who was aware of one involving schools in the Mudgee region. The suggestion made by some stakeholders that they ‘hop in a few cars and go to have a look at the Gwydir community’ showed their interest in quickly learning more about them.
Lack of leadership experience for learning communities. As underlined in the discussion paper for this project, learning communities require sophisticated leadership over an extended period. A few people expressed the view that it would not be wise for the Council to be seen providing leadership for the Wellington Learning Community, as its lack of previous experience in this field could leave it open to criticism. Others disagreed and believed the Council would be a key contributor in the Learning Community. The Council is committed to the concept of the Learning Community and to becoming more familiar with the concept.
Final comment The optimism and determination to succeed of a critical mass of stakeholders provides confidence that a Wellington Learning Community will be effective, after an initial period where the Working Group gains more knowledge about how a learning community can operate in this town and local region. Section 2. Directions for the Wellington Learning Community This section addresses the third and fourth of the four objectives for this project:
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to provide the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group with a focus and clear, detailed and firm directions (not conceptualisation) in relation to the development and implementation of the Wellington Learning Community. Those directions will address a range of issues including aims, objectives, vision, values, management framework, partnership arrangements, and implementation and promotion strategies. These directions will enable the Working Group to progress readily with the implementation of the Wellington Learning Community. They will also address any obstacles or challenges identified in the consultations.
to provide the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group with recommendations in respect to the establishment of a working group and support mechanisms necessary to enhance the prospect of the successful delivery of the project at the local level.
Directions An objective of this project is to identify directions in relation to the development and implementation of the Wellington Learning Community, with reference to the items listed below such as aims, objectives and vision.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
this full report be circulated to all stakeholders cited in this report, and other interested parties, to generate enthusiasm and to assist planning for the learning community
a brief version of this report be made available to those stakeholders more interested in an overview
the suggested aims and objectives and other elements of the Wellington Learning Community set out in this report be monitored and reviewed, particularly after the first twelve months of operation.
Aim and objectives One interviewee suggested that the overall aim of the learning community be “the establishment of a culture of upskilling, of people doing courses, of people looking at extra skills.” This comment is close to the Council’s strategic aim for education: “There will be a high proportion of residents reaching their full potential”. For comparison, the overriding aim of the Gwydir Learning Region is “to tailor an individual learning experience to any member of our community, regardless of age, who has a particular desire to learn”.
Recommendations: It is recommended that:
the aim of the Wellington Learning Community be to establish a culture of participation in education and training in order to improve life and work skills and community and regional development
the objectives be that, by the end of the first twelve months of operation:
o a Working Group be established in the first few months, preferably as a sub-committee of Council
o formal links be established with the Gwydir Learning Region, as a benchmark and guide for Wellington
o partnerships of the Wellington Learning Community be formed with the
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stakeholder groups listed in this report
o an audit be completed of local resources that can be pooled for use by education and training providers involved with the Wellington Learning Community
o a range of flexible approaches be developed for the delivery of educational and training programs for individuals and small groups of less than fifteen
o innovative approaches be implemented for the provision of information about study, career and job options
o educational and training programs be provided which are focused on improving learners’ self esteem
o a program be established to coach senior members of the Wellington community to be mentors for younger people
o new educational and training programs be developed that place most emphasis on learning in the community.
Vision For comparison, the vision of the Gwydir Learning Region is as follows:
To encourage and assist a cultural change for our region that will occur when each individual fulfils his or her potential through positive social interaction and participation in the community
The vision of an organisation is the ‘light on the hill’. The organisation should always be walking towards the light. We may never reach the light but, often, the journey itself and what is discovered along the way is worth the attempt.
Our vision is designed to work towards the creation of a better regional community through facilitating and promoting an expansion of the available self development opportunities.
Recommendation: It is recommended that:
the vision for the Wellington Learning Community be that every youth and adult in the Wellington Shire region be aware of the education and training opportunities available to them and be confident about taking up these opportunities.
Values For comparison, the values of the Gwydir Learning Region include:
… a commitment to achieve our primary goal of
promoting lifelong learning by having a bias for action.
We overcome the barriers presented as obstacles to our success by having a ‘can-do’, innovative and flexible attitude.
Our success is extremely important to ensure the sustainability of our community.
We will be true to our mission and vision and display inclusive leadership to our community!
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The Gwydir values also include:
We recognise that our strength is the result of the diversity of our constituent members and that the external commitment of members to their respective organisations may result in differing points of view.
At all times we will seek to contribute in a positive and collaborative manner.
Individually we will be ethical in our dealings with other members and display integrity in overall commitment to the Gwydir Learning Region.
During discussion all interactions will be respectful, honest and open with ideas challenged, rather than people. We will actively listen to the contributions from other members.
We will all ‘own’ the resolved position adopted at our meetings and ‘sell’ the outcome to our respective organisations and the community in general.
We will not ‘white-ant’, externally criticise or work against the best interests of the Gwydir Learning Region within our organisations or the community.
Members may be assertive in expressing constructive criticism at our meetings.
We will support each other and recognise our ‘champions’.
Recommendation: It is recommended that:
the values of the Wellington Learning Community be:
o Flexibility – Participants’ specific needs are met wherever possible, because the learning community will always seek to provide options for individuals
o Accessibility – Participants find it easy to access the learning community’s services, because providers are creative in the way they offer services
o Relevance – Participants learn what is relevant to them, because the learning community fits in with the individual’s personalised learning plan
o Inclusiveness – Every youth and adult in the Wellington community can access the learning community’s services.
Management framework It was agreed during the consultations that a small, tight group needed to manage the Wellington Learning Community, and that the group not seek to have representatives from every stakeholder group in the town and district, as a large group would be too unwieldy. It was also agreed that the term Working Group was preferable to the term Task Force, as the former had connotations of getting down to work while the latter emphasised the urgency of the tasks. Everyone sees the tasks as requiring long-term attention.
Recommendation: It is recommended that:
The Wellington Learning Community be managed by a Working Group.
The Working Group be a sub-committee of the Wellington Shire Council and, if
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so, be chaired by the General Manager of the Council.
The Working Group deliberately consist of a small number of people, around eight-nine, to ensure decisions can be made promptly; and not seek to represent all stakeholder groups in Wellington.
The Working Group consist of the following members in the first twelve months:
1. Adrian Mitchell, Institute Director, TAFE NSW – Western Institute
5. Colin Feather, Principal, Wellington High School
6. Tony Graham, President, Wellington Development Incorporated
7. David Beaton, General Manager, Wellington Shire Council
8. Natalie McMillan, Sureway Employment and Training Wellington (representing all employment agencies in Wellington).
With regard to TAFE and ACE, it is recommended that additional personnel assist the Working Group as an TAFE-ACE action group, as follows:
o TAFE NSW – Western Institute:
Jason Darney, Director Educational Delivery (Dubbo, Wellington, Dunedoo, Gilgandra, Warren and Nyngan Campuses. Access and General Education)
Julie Cross, Faculty Business Consultant, Community Services, Health, Tourism and Recreation Faculty
Denise Smyth, Outreach Coordinator TAFE NSW – Western Institute
Loami Wilson, Head of Administration, Dubbo Area/Daneeca O’Brien, Campus Administrator, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington.
o Western College:
Kate Davis, Youth Officer
Erifilie Davis, Training Manager. Partnership arrangements Interviewees noted that partnerships with regional industries such as the health, mining, transport and farming industries will provide many more opportunities than simply looking for local partnerships.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that, in the first instance, key partnerships be developed with:
1. Gwydir Learning Region: all members of the Gwydir committee including representatives from Schools, ACE, TAFE, Council, industry and the community
3. Charles Sturt University, distance education: Heather Bell
4. Wellington Working Farms Project: Peter Ampt, University of NSW
5. Maranatha House (aged care), Wellington: John Trounce, Chair
6. Probation and Parole Board: Joe Tobin
7. Rotary Club, Wellington: Michael White, Michael White & Co
8. Wellington Police: Rod Brauer, Acting Snr Sergeant; Paul West, Aboriginal Liaison Officer
9. Wellington Aboriginal Community Health Service: Darren Ah-See, Chief Executive Officer.
10. Barnados: Liz Dutton.
11. Regional Industry Career Adviser (RICA), David Floyd. It is recommended that:
Mark Coulton, formerly the Mayor of Gwydir Shire Council with oversight of the Gwydir Learning Region, and currently Federal MHR for the seat of Parkes, be invited to be the external patron of the Wellington Learning Community.
Within Wellington, the Mayor, Clr. Anne Jones, be the local patron.
David Beaton, General Manager, Wellington Shire Council establish communication with Max Eastcott, the General Manager of the Gwydir Shire, regarding the operation of the Gwydir Learning Region.
Implementation strategies The evaluation of the Gwydir Learning Region (Mitchell, BVET, 2006) showed that it took a number of years for the Gwydir model to be fully developed. It commenced in 2000, developed its first strategic plan in 2002 and revised the plan in 2005. The external evaluation occurred in year seven. This shows that the Wellington Learning Community should not try to achieve unrealistic objectives in year one; that an incremental, progressive expansion of aims and objectives is sensible.
Recommendations: It is recommended that, in the first three months of operation:
the Wellington Shire Council confirm the Working Group of the Wellington Learning Community as a sub-committee of Council
the Working Group meet for the first time, regardless of whether the Council has ratified the sub-committee, and confirm, as set out in this document, the aims, objectives, vision, values and management structure and the implementation and promotion strategies
the Working Group send a delegation to meet with the Gwydir Learning Region to learn from their experiences and to seek a partnership with Gwydir
following the Gwydir visit, the Working Group conduct a one-day workshop to develop a strategic plan for the first twelve months including the following: a description of the flexible, innovative ways of operation; specific lists of new programs to be offered, some of which are deliberately experimental; and ways outcomes will be measured
the Wellington Shire Council be encouraged to undertake an industry skills needs
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survey of Wellington businesses to determine skills needed locally
an informal audit be conducted of facilities and resources that can be pooled for use by the Wellington Learning Community including the TAFE campus and the commercial kitchen at the High School
a modest budget be determined for the promotion strategies and this funding be sought from appropriate sources.
It is recommended that, from the fourth-sixth months of operation:
The promotion strategies set out below be instigated
The first round of innovative programs be provided and monitored
The rules for the meetings of the Wellington Learning Community be confirmed, based on the Gwydir approach.
Promotion strategies Interviewees were insistent that – and this links to the experience of the Gwydir Learning Region – success will breed success. Interviewees were convinced that the Wellington Learning Community will have a high impact on people in Wellington if it promotes and leverages off its successes and the word gets around that results are being achieved: word of mouth marketing is more powerful than any other forms of marketing. One interviewee added that the key to promotion was first to win credibility.
Recommendations: It is recommended that:
The purpose of the promotion strategies be to clarify ways to persuade targeted segments of Wellington community of the value the learning community provides to them.
The two initial targeted segments of the Wellington community be:
o those who want to re-connect with education and training and with the workforce, including disengaged youth, unemployed people, young mothers, people on parole or similar, those with literacy and numeracy challenges, those with drug and alcohol dependencies, and Aboriginal people who have not had recent, positive experiences with education
o those who seek upskilling to acquire a new job or win a promotion or to undertake a change of career or to improve their own or their employer’s productivity and business.
The stages of the promotion strategies follow the four-stage model from McDonald and Payne (1996) – awareness, comprehension, conviction and action – as follows:
o The initial stage of the promotion strategy, in the first six months, be the ‘awareness’ stage and the objective be to make Wellington Shire people aware of the services on offer from the Wellington Learning Community.
o The second stage of the promotion strategies, in the second six months, be ‘comprehension’, and the objective be to help the community to fully understand what the learning community will do for them.
o The third stage of the promotion strategies, say in the 13-18th months, be ‘conviction’: to convince the Wellington community that what is said is true and that the learning community will satisfactorily meet their needs.
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o The fourth stage, say in the 19-24th months, be the ‘action’ stage: in this stage the Wellington community will be sufficiently energised to either commit to an ‘offer’ (of a program or other form of participation) from the learning community or embrace the learning community.
For promoting the learning community to its market segments, the main channels available are as follows:
o school channels – e.g. school newsletters
o local community channels – e.g. local newspaper, television stations
o presentations – e.g. presentations to associations within Wellington Shire.
Other tactics for promotion include:
o encourage supporters of the Wellington Learning Community to become public advocates
o spread information via informal and formal networks
o develop short fact sheets on aspects of the learning community
o engage with local business service groups, e.g. Rotary meetings
o engage with other government departments that have branches in the region and provide them with updated information
Ways of measuring the success of the promotion strategies include:
o user surveys, pre and post-program
o group interviews with participants in learning community programs
o data about participation in learning community programs
o data about individuals study/work pathways/destinations
o examples of impacts on local businesses. Appendix 1. Objectives of the project The proposed objectives of the project are:
1. to identify levels and types of support for a Wellington Learning Community from stakeholders associated with Wellington (discussed in Section 1)
2. to map out opportunities and areas where there is a fair amount of support and agreement between parties which could lead to the establishment of the Wellington Learning Community (discussed in Section 1)
3. to provide the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group with a focus and clear, detailed and firm directions (not conceptualisation) in relation to the development and implementation of the Wellington Learning Community. Those directions will address a range of issues including aims, objectives, vision, values, management framework, partnership arrangements, and implementation and promotion strategies. These directions will enable the Working Group to progress readily with the implementation of the Wellington Learning Community. They will also address any obstacles or challenges identified in the consultations. (discussed in Section 2)
4. to provide the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group with recommendations in respect to the establishment of a working group and
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support mechanisms necessary to enhance the prospect of the successful delivery of the project at the local level. (discussed in Section 2)
Deliverables The project deliverables will be:
A discussion paper to inform the interviews, focus groups and the key stakeholder meeting in Wellington. (completed 20 February 2008)
A final report for the ACE-TAFE Western Region Project Working Group setting out the consultation activities and findings and including:
the clear, detailed and firm directions in relation to the development and implementation of the Wellington Learning Community (set out in Section 2); and
recommendations in respect to the establishment of a working group and support mechanisms necessary to enhance the prospect of the successful delivery of the project at the local level (set out in Section 2).
A brief report to the key stakeholders, based on selected sections of the final report (to follow the acceptance of this final report).
Appendix 2. Working Group The members of the ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group are:
Warren Grimshaw AM, Chair
Bronwyn Clinch, Executive Officer, Barraba Community Learning Association,
Barraba
Adrian Mitchell, Director, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Orange
David Michaels, Senior Manager, Skills Strategy, NSW DET.
Administrative assistance is provided by Ms Ewa Kozlowska, Senior Education Officer, TAFE & ACE Boards Secretariat, NSW Department of Education and Training. Appendix 3. Stages, actions and timetable Table 1 provides a summary of the above items.
Table 1: Timetable of actions by the consultant Stage Action Time
1. Planning and preparation
Preparation of project plan.
Preparation of consultation instruments, including tools for interviews, and focus groups and stakeholder meeting.
A brief discussion paper will be prepared for the focus groups and to enhance the interviews.
Submit project plan, instruments and discussion
Late January 2008
- early February
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paper to Working Group for comments.
2. Contact with stakeholders
Contact with appropriate, key stakeholders via email and phone contact.
Planning of the itinerary for the site visit, for interviews, focus groups and stakeholder meeting
February 2008
3. Site visit Visit to Wellington for two days to conduct interviews, focus groups and a stakeholders meeting.
February – March 2008
4. Analyse data, provide briefing, draft report
Collate and analyse data.
Provide briefing for the Working Group.
Draft final report.
March 2008
5. Final report Compile a final report 31 March 2008
Overview of instruments The following instruments were developed and used to gather data:
discussion paper
data collection tools:
o interview questions for key stakeholders in Wellington region (reproduced in Appendix 4 of this report)
o interview questions for ACE, TAFE and School providers
o discussion topics for the focus groups and public consultation meeting. Appendix 4. Interview questions for key stakeholders in Wellington community Dear key stakeholder, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for this project. The aim of this interview is to gather information to assist in the preparation of the report to the NSW DET ACE-TAFE Western Region Working Group on the development of a Wellington learning community. Please note that some quotations from the interview may be used in the report and will be ascribed to you. John Mitchell Preamble: I am hoping you have had a chance to read the Discussion Paper. If not, I will summarise it quickly. Background: Could you please let me know of any previous involvement you have had with TAFE or ACE programs or other training in Wellington?
1. What do you like about the training opportunities in Wellington offered by TAFE
and ACE (adult and community education, such as Western College from
Dubbo)?
2. What other opportunities would you like to see offered by TAFE and ACE for
people in Wellington?
3. Learning communities improve the links between existing educational providers,
establish new pathways for learners, and promote community understanding of
and participation in lifelong learning. What will be some of the benefits of
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establishing a learning community in Wellington?
4. Which individuals or groups in Wellington do you think will support the
development of a learning community?
5. In developing a learning community in Wellington, what issues may need to be
addressed?
6. What would be the broad aims of a learning community in Wellington?
7. If a Working Group or Taskforce manages the learning community in Wellington,
what are some of the early steps they could take?
8. Which stakeholders in Wellington are essential to the success of a learning
community in Wellington?
9. Who would be important partners from outside of Wellington for the Wellington
learning community?What would be the best ways to promote a learning
community in Wellington?
Appendix 5. List of interviewees and participants in focus groups and public consultation meeting Advice was provided by members of the Western Region Working Group in reviewing the project plan, discussion paper, data collection instruments and draft reports. The members are listed in Appendix 2. The following list of people interviewed was compiled with generous assistance from:
Daneeca O’Brien, Campus Administrator, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington.
Jason Darney, Director Educational Delivery (Dubbo, Wellington, Dunedoo, Gilgandra, Warren and Nyngan Campuses. Access and General Education).
Table 1: List of interviewees and participants in focus groups and stakeholder meeting Category Individual
1. TAFE managers in Western Region and Wellington
1. Adrian Mitchell, Institute Director, TAFE NSW – Western Institute
2. Jason Darney, Director Educational Delivery (Dubbo, Wellington, Dunedoo, Gilgandra, Warren and Nyngan Campuses. Access and General Education)
3. Mike Gibson, Director Educational Delivery, Manufacturing, Engineering, Construction & Transport, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Orange
4. Loami Wilson, Head of Administration, Dubbo Area
5. Daneeca O’Brien, Campus Administrator, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
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6. Jenny Kingham, Educational Leader, Faculty of Business, Arts & Information Technology, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Forbes
7. Julie Cross, Faculty Business Consultant, Community Services, Health, Tourism and Recreation Faculty, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Dubbo
8. Margaret Bell, Educational Leader, Primary Industry and Natural Resources TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
9. Denise Smyth, Outreach Coordinator TAFE NSW – Western Institute
10. Wendy Lake, Regional Aboriginal Coordinator
11. Elizabeth Bourke, Head Teacher, Business and Administration Services, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Mudgee
12. Sue Skidmore, Institute TVET Coordinator
13. Chris Leys, Educational Leader, Access, TAFE NSW – Western Institute
14. Deanne Davis, Head Teacher, Welfare, TAFE NSW – Western Institute
2. TAFE staff in Wellington 15. David Crean, Head Teacher, Shearing , TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
16. Fiona Watts, Teacher, Natural Resource Management, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
17. Rita Hough, Head Teacher, Horticulture West & Indigenous Programs, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
18. Kerry Kalen, Teacher, Access, General Education, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
19. Ian Chapman, Teacher, Agribusiness, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
20. Robyn Grace, Teacher, Business and Administration Services, TAFE NSW – Western Institute, Wellington
21. Greg Carroll, Heat Teacher Welding & Engineering, TAFE NSW – Western Institute
22. Patricia Nethery, Librarian, TAFE NSW – Western Institute
3. ACE managers and staff in Western Region
23. Ron Maxwell, General Manager, Western College, Dubbo; Interim CEO, ATC CWNSW
24. Kate Davis, Youth Officer, Western College, Dubbo
25. Erifilie Davis, Training Manager, Western College, Dubbo
4. Local and regional industry and community representatives
26. Michael White, Michael White & Co; Rotary; Deputy Chair of Wellington Development Incorporated
27. Kerry Joseph, Senior Correctional Education Officer, Wellington Correctional Centre
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28. Natalie McMillan, Sureway Employment and Training, Wellington
29. Shannon Brown, Sureway Employment and Training, Wellington
30. John Trounce, Chair, Maranatha House, Wellington
34. Lee Thurlow, Contact Office, Gallanggabang Aboriginal Corporation
35. Heather Bell, Charles Sturt University
36. Jo Tobin, Probation and Parole Board
37. Rod Brauer, Acting Snr Sergent, Wellington Police
38. Lisa Austin, Centre Manager, PCYC
39. Paul West, Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Wellington Police
40. Darren Ah-See, Chief Executive Officer, Wellington Aboriginal Community Health
41. Colin Feather, Principal, Wellington High School
42. Tony Graham, President, Wellington Development Incorporated
43. Peter Ampt, University of NSW, Wellington Working Farms Project
5. Wellington Council representatives
44. Anne Jones, Mayor
45. David Beaton, General Manager
46. Todd Ferguson, Manager of Economic Development and Strategic Services
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References The following references were used in preparing the project materials including the discussion paper and consultation instruments, as well as in preparing this final report: Adult Learning Australia (ALA) 2000, Learning around Town: Learning Communities in Australia, ALA, Canberra. Allison, J, Gorringe, S & Lacey, J 2006, Building learning communities: Partnerships, social capital and VET performance, NCVER, Adelaide. Allison, J, Gorringe, S & Lacey, J 2006, Building learning communities: Partnerships, social capital and VET performance – Support document, NCVER, Adelaide. Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia (CRLRA) 2002, Learning communities in vocational education and training. Volume 1: Meeting needs in regional Australia, ANTA, Brisbane. Council of Australian Governments (COAG), 2006, Communique, 10 February, available at www.coag.gov.au Gelade, S., Stehlik, T. & Willis, T. 2006, Learning collaborations between ACE and vocational education and training providers: Good practice partnerships, NCVER, Adelaide. Gelade, S., Stehlik, T. & Willis, T. 2006, Learning collaborations between ACE and vocational education and training providers: Good practice partnerships – Support document, NCVER, Adelaide. Ife, J. 2002, Community Development. Community-based alternatives in an age of globalisation, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW. Kearns P 2004, VET and Social Capital: A paper on the contribution of the VET sector to social capital in communities. ANTA. Kilpatrick, S. 2003, The role of VET in building social capital for rural community development in Australia. Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia. Kilpatrick, S. Barrett, M. and Jones, T. 2003, Defining Learning Communities. Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia. Hume City Council, no date, Hume Global Learning Village, four page descriptor. McDonald, M. & Payne, A. 1996, Marketing Planning for Services, Butterworth Heinemann, Surrey. Mitchell, J.G. 2006, The Gwydir Learning Region Model: An Independent Evaluation, a report for BVET, Sydney. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) 2006, Good practice guide: Creating effective ACE and VET partnerships, NCVER, Adelaide.
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Standing Committee on State Development, 2006, ‘Inquiry into skills shortages in rural and regional NSW’, NSW Parliament. Legislative Council. Standing Committee on State Development, Sydney NSW. Stokes, H, Stacey, K & Lake, M 2006, Schools, vocational education and training and partnerships: Capacity-building in rural and regional communities, NCVER, Adelaide. Waterhouse, P, Virgona, C & Brown, R 2006, Creating synergies: Local government facilitating learning and development through partnerships – Support document, NCVER, Adelaide.
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Appendix C
Winning Team
Winning Logo
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Appendix D
The ACE-TAFE Western Region Remote Collaborative Project Details on Project Outcomes
Training outcomes
Project Goal 1-Horticulture Skills
This project goal aligned with the aim of the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation to develop a skilled workforce that can play a key role in the management and development of a native plant nursery in Condobolin:
Project Outcomes:
8 indigenous students completed an 8 week introductory course funded through the Strategic Skills Program (SSP) and completed work experience at the WCC Nursery.
Students were provided with support through the New Careers for Aboriginal Program (NCAP) and CWCC Recruitment Services
4 students gained part time permanent employment at the Nursery.
Project Goal 2-Waste Management
This project goal aligned with the aim of the WCC to develop an indigenous enterprise that promotes development of a green waste facility which is part of a NSW Urban Sustainability project working in partnership with local government.
Project Outcomes:
9 students commenced training in Waste Management funded initially through the SSP program and completed 4 units of competency
A follow on program was funded by TAFE NSW - Western Institute core funds and 6 students completed a Certificate II Waste Management qualification
All students have gained employment working part time on the WCC Groundswell project establishing the green waste facility
Students have been supported by the TAFE Waste trainer to develop the skills to manage the Waste Facility and produce high quality green waste compost
Students were provided with support through the NCAP program and CWCC Recruitment Services.
Project Goal 3: Cleaning Operations
This project goal aligned with the aim of the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation to further develop the Cleaning Operations Enterprise. It was managed by the WCC which has successfully gained the cleaning contract for the Barrick Gold Mine.
Project Outcomes:
10 students commenced training in an introductory course in Cleaning Operations and successfully completed 4 units of competency funded through the SSP program
All students gained part-time employment at Barrick Gold and the TAFE trainer supported students on site at Barrick during the course
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6 students completed a Certificate II qualification funded through TAFE NSW - Western Institute
Students were provided with support through the NCAP program and CWCC Recruitment Services.
Project Goal 4: Leadership Skills
This project goal aligned with the aim of the WCC to develop leadership skills of the indigenous community. Students were to be selected from each of the industry training programs and some indigenous youth were to attend a customised leadership program.
Project Outcomes:
SSP funding was gained by CWCC and extensive planning was conducted
with the WCC. However, a decision was made to cancel the training since the WCC could not deem it to be a current major priority and support this training during 2009.
Project Goal 5: Mining Skills
This project goal aligned with development of a sustainable partnership with Barrick Gold at the Lake Cowal mine site. Students attended an introductory course and then progress to employment as trainees with Barrick Gold.
Project Outcomes:
CWCC provided funding and supported the initial phase of delivery for the Cert I mining course funded through the Australian Apprenticeship Access program
TAFE NSW – Western Institute delivered a Cert I training program for 10 students in mining to provide opportunities for employment at Barrick Gold Mine
3 students gained employment at Barrick Gold mine Students were provided with support through the NCAP program and CWCC
Recruitment Services TAFE NSW – Western Institute has developed an ongoing partnership with
Barrick Gold. ACE/TAFE Collaborative Partnership Outcomes The project greatly improved the relationship between TAFE, ACE and the
WCC. Joint planning and management of the project under the banner of the Condobolin Vocational Training Alliance has built trust and respect and developed ACE/TAFE partnership models that could be duplicated across western NSW.
The project has developed a sustainable partnership to support the WCC to provide long term employment opportunities through the development of indigenous enterprises and increased employment at Barrick Gold. As a result of the project excellent relationships exist now between ACE/TAFE and the WCC and project planning is aligned to future employment opportunities. An
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integrated support is being provided for the WCC to ensure skill development is linked to sustainable employment.
The ACE-TAFE Western Region Remote Collaborative Project generated major interest and gained strong support from the local community, business and Lachlan Shire Council. The Vocational Training Alliance submitted an application for the TAFE Quality Award for the ACE-TAFE Western Region Remote Collaborative Project. The Project was shortlisted in the top five projects for the Business relationships category of the 2008 TAFE Quality Awards.
