NCETA RTO Trainers Talk Training

7/29/2019 NCETA RTO Trainers Talk Training

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An Examination of Vocational Educationand Training for the Alcohol and Other

Drugs Sector in Australia

Ann Roche

Michael White

Vinita Duraisingam

Victoria Adams

Trainers Talking Training:


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Trainers Talking Training:An Examination of Vocational Education

and Training for the Alcohol and OtherDrugs Sector in Australia

Ann Roche

Michael White

Vinita Duraisingam

Victoria Adams


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australiaii

Citation details

Roche, A.M., White, M., Duraisingam, V., Adams, V. (2012).

Trainers Talking Training: An Examination o Vocational

Education and Training or the Alcohol and Other Drugs

Sector in Australia. National Centre or Education andTraining on Addiction (NCETA). Flinders University, Adelaide,

South Australia.

ISBN: 978-1-876897-46-8

This work is copyright. Apart rom any use as permitted

under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced

without prior written permission rom the National Centre or

Education and Training on Addiction, available rom Level

3B Mark Oliphant Building, Science Park, Bedord Park,

South Australia 5042, Australia.

Any enquiries about or comments on this publication

should be directed to:

Proessor Ann Roche

National Centre or Education

and Training on Addiction (NCETA)

Flinders University

GPO Box 2100 Adelaide 5001

South Australia, Australia

Published by:National Centre or Education and Training on Addiction

www.nceta.inders.edu.au

Design and layout by Inprint Design

www.inprint.com.au


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australia iii

Acknowledgements

This report was produced with nancial support rom the

Australian Government Department o Health and Ageing

and the National Cannabis Prevention and Inormation

Centre.

NCETA would like to thank all respondents who gave

generously o their time to complete the survey.

Dr Ken Pidd, Tania Steenson, Stacey Appleton and Paula

Wilson are also thanked or their various contributions to

the development o the project.

NCETA

The National Centre or Education and Training onAddiction is an internationally recognised research

centre that works as a catalyst or change in the

alcohol and other drugs (AOD) eld.

Our mission is to advance the capacity o

organisations and workers to respond to alcohol-

and drug-related problems. Our core business is

the promotion o workorce development (WFD)

principles, research and evaluation o eective

practices; investigating the prevalence and eect

o alcohol and other drug use in society; and the

development and evaluation o prevention and

intervention programs, policy and resources orworkplaces and organisations.

NCETA is based at Flinders University and is a

collaboration between the University, the Australian

Government Department o Health and Ageing and

the SA Department o Health.


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australiaiv

Preface

This review was undertaken by the National Centre or

Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) at Flinders

University to examine aspects o alcohol and drug training

courses oered through Registered Training Organisations(RTOs) within the vocational education and training (VET)

sector. The review also specically addressed issues in

relation to cannabis training content.

The review is a companion document to a previous project

that collated inormation about RTOs providing alcohol and

other drugs (AOD) training in Australia:

Roche, A. M., & White, M.R. (2011).Alcohol and Other

Drug VET Qualifcations and Training Providers Database.

Adelaide, South Australia: National Centre or Education

and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University.

It also supplements earlier work undertaken by NCETA

that involved a survey o AOD managers views about VET

Training:

Pidd, K., Roche, A., & Carne, A. (2010). The Role o VET

in Alcohol and Other Drugs Workorce Development.

Adelaide, South Australia: National Centre or Education

and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University.

Pidd, K., Roche, A. M., Duraisingam, V., & Carne, A.

(2012). Minimum qualifcations in the Alcohol and Other

Drugs feld: Employers views. Drug and Alcohol Review,

31(4), 514-522.

Copies o these reports are available rom NCETA in hard

copy or electronically rom the NCETA website at

www.nceta.finders.edu.au.


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australia v

GlossaryAOD

Alcohol and other drugs.

Australian Qualifcations Framework (AQF)

The national policy or regulating qualications in Australian

education and training. It incorporates the qualications

rom each education and training sector into a single

comprehensive national qualications ramework.

Blended Delivery

Training which incorporates two or more modes o delivery

(i.e., ace-to-ace, online, distance or RPL/RCC).

Certifcate IV

A qualication which prepares students or both

employment and urther education and training. Certicate

IV recognises skills and knowledge that meet nationally

endorsed industry/enterprise competency standards as

agreed by relevant industry, enterprise, community or

proessional groups. It includes preparatory access and

participation skills and knowledge.

Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council

(CSHISC)

The CSHISCis the recognised advisory body on skills

and workorce development across Australia or the two

important industries o community services and health.

It has carriage o the reviews o the Community ServicesTraining Package (CHC08) rom which AOD qualications

are drawn.

Competency Standard

An industry-determined specication o perormance, which

sets out the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to

operate eectively in employment. In vocational education

and training (VET), competency standards are made up

o units o competency. Competency standards are an

endorsed component o a training package

(source: NCVER www.ncver.edu.au).

Credit TranserThe process that provides students with agreed and

consistent credit outcomes or components o a qualication

based on identied equivalence in content and learning

outcomes between matched qualications (AQFC, 2011).

Diploma

A qualication which prepares students or the sel-directed

application o skills and knowledge based on undamental

principles and/or complex techniques. This qualication

recognises capacity or initiative and judgment across a

broad range o technical and/or management unctions.

Dual Qualifcation

A qualication which combines the skills and knowledgerelevant to two separate areas. Students graduate with two

qualications instead o one.

Dual Sector University/TAFE

A training organisation that is accredited to deliver both

vocational and higher education qualications.

Elective

A unit within a qualication which relates to a particular area

o knowledge or group o skills. Qualications may or may

not recommend electives or groups o electives that are

recommended in order or the qualication to be awarded.

NCETA

National Centre or Education and Training on Addiction.

Range Statement

Also called: Range o variables. The part o a competency

standard which species the range o contexts and

conditions to which the perormance criteria apply

(NCVER, 2012).

RPL/RCC

Recognition o prior learning/Recognition o current

competency. A method or gaining part o, or an entire,

qualication through recognition o skills and knowledgegained through ormal training, work experience or other

relevant lie experiences.

RTO

Registered training organisation. An RTO is an organisation

that is registered in accordance with the Australian Quality

Training Framework (AQTF) Standards or Registered

Training Organisations to provide specic vocational

education and training and/or assessment services. RTOs

may include TAFE institutes, private providers, community

providers, schools, higher education institutions, industry

organisations and enterprises.

Skill Set

Single units o competency or combinations o units o

competency, drawn rom a nationally endorsed Training

Package, which link to a licence or regulatory requirement

or a dened industry need. These units o competency can

be drawn rom one or more Training Packages. Nationally

recognised Skill Sets are dened in Training Packages by

Industry Skills Councils. RTOs can identiy combinations o

units o competency to meet specic industry, or enterprise

needs.


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australiavi

Scope o Registration

The particular services and products that an RTO is

registered to provide. An RTOs scope denes the specic

AQF qualications, units o competency and accredited

courses it is registered to provide. It also indicates whether

it is registered to provide both training delivery andassessment services, or only assessment services. It lists

AQF qualications and statements o attainment the RTO

can issue (www.training.com.au).

Stand Alone Unit

A unit o competency which may be completed in isolation

(rather than within the context o a broader qualication), in

order to gain skills or knowledge within a particular area.

TAFE

Technical and Further Education Institute.

Training PackageA nationally endorsed, integrated set o competency

standards, assessment guidelines and Australian

Qualications Framework (AQF) qualications or a specic

industry, industry sector or enterprise. Training packages

speciy the skills and knowledge required to perorm

eectively in the workplace (source: NCVER website).

Unit o Competency

A component o a competency standard. A unit o

competency is a statement o a key unction or role in a

particular job or occupation (source: NCVER website).

VETVocational Education and Training.


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australia vii

Executive Summary

BackgroundIn 2011, the National Centre or Education and

Training on Addiction (NCETA) conducted a national

survey o training providers involved in the delivery o

alcohol and other drug (AOD) qualications through

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) across

Australia.

The aim o the study was to examine the content and

delivery o AOD qualications, the demand or and

availability o these courses, and to develop a national

database o RTOs that delivered these qualications.In addition, the extent to which cannabis content was

addressed within these qualications was assessed.

Training providers interest in oering input into

the development o cannabis-specic training and

associated resources was also ascertained.

Report Structure

Chapter 1 provides the background and rationale or

the project. Chapter 2 describes the methodology.

Findings rom the survey are presented in Chapter 3,in Parts A, B, C and D. Respondents demographic

details are presented in Part A, with results pertaining

to the provision o AOD courses presented in Part

B. Findings that relate specically to cannabis are

presented separately in Part C. Part D addresses

general issues in regard to AOD training. A discussion

o the ndings and recommendations or improving

AOD training is included in Chapter 4.

Methods

The project involved a national survey o VET

training providers o AOD qualications, utilising both

quantitative and qualitative measures. Participants

were recruited rom organisations listed on the RTO

database compiled by NCETA as part o this project

(Roche & White, 2011). This database included

all relevant RTOs on the Australian Governments

www.training.gov.au website as o 30 August

2011. Telephone interviews were conducted with

CEO/owners, managers, course coordinators and

trainers. Responses were analysed or demographic

inormation and to identiy key themes.

ResultsA total o 49 RTO providers participated in a telephone

survey (an 86% response rate). Respondents were

mostly over 50 years o age (53%) and emale (63%).

These RTO providers oered the:

Alcohol and other drugs Skill Set (AOD Skill Set)

(33%)

Certicate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work

(Cert IV (AOD)) (70%)

Diploma o Community Services (Alcohol and

other drugs) (Dip CS (AOD)) (23%) Diploma o Community Services (Alcohol, other

drugs and mental health) (Dip CS (AOD/MH))

(31%)

Alcohol and Other Drugs Stand Alone Units o

competency (AOD Stand Alone Units) (22%).

Most training was provided by public TAFEs and

concentrated in New South Wales and Victoria.

Face-to-ace delivery was the most common

training ormat. Face-to-ace delivery was oered or

100% o the Dip CS (AOD/MH) courses, as well as

other delivery ormats. Distance delivery was mostprevalent or the AOD Skill Set (44%) and the Cert IV

(AOD) (40%).

The availability o recognition o prior learning (RPL)

also varied substantially: it was most commonly

oered or the Dip CS (AOD/MH) (80%), Cert IV

(AOD) (61%) and the AOD Skill Set (56%). Most RPL

processes did not specically address cannabis

knowledge and skills.

Quality

Training providers identied a need to improve the

standard o all qualications delivered to the AOD

eld. Strategies to achieve this include:

increased collaboration among training

providers

orums and other orms o proessional

development to acilitate training improvement

better linkages between training providers and

service providers

improved training pathways and credit transer

between VET and higher education providers.


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australiaviii

Respondents raised concerns about AOD

qualications in the Community Services Training

Package1 and supported their revision, including:

the need to address comorbidity/mental health

issues in AOD qualications. Inclusion o atleast one mental health unit o competency

as a core unit in all AOD qualications was

suggested (while mental health qualications

generally included AOD units, AOD

qualications did not necessarily include mental

health units or content)

specic guidance on the amount o coverage to

be given to specic drugs, including cannabis

a reduction in generic units and an increase in

AOD units included in AOD qualications.

The calibre o the trainer was highlighted as critical

to the quality o training. Respondents rom rural

and remote sites indicated that the unavailability o

suciently well qualied trainers was a signicant

barrier to the delivery o on-scope qualications. The

quality o courses was signicantly enhanced where

training providers were able to access good trainers.

Trainers Professional Development

The need or on-going proessional development

or trainers was highlighted. Many trainers ound it

dicult to access on-going proessional development

due to cost and time limitations. This was particularly

relevant or trainers rom rural and remote regions and

trainers in less populous states. Access to online or

distance proessional development was supported.

External Presenters

External presenters were reported to make training

more interesting and engaging. However, variability

in access to and the quality o external speakers

was highlighted. Providers commented positively on

training oered by the National Cannabis Prevention

and Inormation Centre (NCPIC).

Student Cohorts

Two distinct cohorts o students were noted. One

group was pre-service, ex-clients o the system who

accessed training largely or personal reasons.

1 Nationally accredited qualications and units o competency aredeveloped in Training Packages and modied through an on-goingreview process.

The other group were higher education qualied, with

relevant work experience and seeking proessional

development or undertaking training to meet minimum

qualication requirements. Meeting the needs o both

cohorts was a challenge or the training system.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Concerns were expressed about RPL processes

applied in AOD-related courses. RTOs developed

and implemented their own RPL procedures. Whilst

some jurisdictions had delivered RPL proessional

development programs, and there were guidelines in

the Australian Qualications Training Framework (AQTF),

RPL remained an internal process or RTOs. It was

subject to highly variable interpretation and application

(Smith, 2011). Development o national AOD-specic

RPL guidelines that stipulated key knowledge and skills

(including cannabis-related) was endorsed.

Future Delivery

Delivery o the Cert IV (AOD) had been stable and was

expected to remain so. Delivery o the Dip CS (AOD)

had declined as a consequence o the introduction o

the Dip CS (AOD/MH ) and was expected to continue

to do so, with some exceptions where barriers to the

delivery o the Dip CS (AOD/MH) existed. Respondents

reported interest in delivering the Dip (AOD/MH) and

noted demand or this course. However, delivery may

be hampered due to diculty in recruiting trainers

with appropriate mental health qualications and

experience. Delivery o the AOD Skill Set was expected

to increase with uture promotion by training providers

and adoption by industry.

Current Cannabis Coverage

Wide dierences in the coverage o cannabis in the

AOD qualications were identied. Lack o specicity

in the Training Package, lack o student interest

and trainers attitudes resulted in many students

completing AOD qualications and units with little or

no exposure to cannabis content. This is a cause or

concern given the prevalence o cannabis use, the

risk o harm associated with its use (health, social and

legal) and the increasing number o clients presenting

to services. Cannabis coverage in training programs

and RPL processes warrant attention.


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australia ix

Views about Cannabis (Demand and Provisionof Course Content)

Respondents saw cannabis content as very

important. This was not matched by students

interest, although increases were noted. Respondentsmoderately agreed that their courses met students

cannabis-related training needs. Just over hal (62%)

supported more cannabis content in the Cert IV

(AOD), Dip CS (AOD), and the Dip CS (AOD/MH).

Most respondents (>80%) were interested in assisting

the development o cannabis-specic training

resources. Eighty percent o respondents could

identiy ways to enhance cannabis coverage in the

Skill Set, Cert IV (AOD) or the Dip CS AOD (AOD) and

the Dip CS AOD (AOD/MH).

Resources to Support Online CannabisTraining

A need or more online resources to support

the delivery o cannabis training was noted. This

included online resources or trainers proessional

development as well as or training students.

Recommendations

The ollowing recommendations are made to address

barriers to the delivery o quality training that meetsthe needs o students and employers.

General Recommendations

Make and/or support representations to the

Training Package review process undertaken by

the CSHISC on:

the need or greater guidance on drugs

that should be covered in training, including

guidance on the quantum o training in

relation to specic drugs, including but not

limited to cannabis

the development o a new Cert IV (AOD/

MH) to refect the current ocus on

comorbidity.

Develop an interactive register o providers o

AOD qualications, with the aim o achieving

improved quality and consistency o delivery

across the AOD training system, and to enable

trainers and RTOs to:

exchange resources

work collaboratively on the development o

training and assessment materials and RPL

processes

share knowledge and create a platorm or

problem solving in relation to AOD training

delivery

identiy locally available trainers with

qualications in related areas o practice

(e.g., mental health, youth work) who could

assist AOD providers deliver dual/combinedqualications

deliver appropriate proessional

development or RTO trainers and

associated sta.

Cannabis-Specic Recommendations

Create and/or disseminate resources to

provide trainers with essential material to teach

and assess knowledge and skills in relation

to cannabis. This would include materials to

support ace-to-ace, online and distancedelivery and RPL procedures

Support proessional development or RTO sta

to deliver cannabis-related training

Establish an RTO network to acilitate the

sharing o research, training materials, and

assessment processes (including RPL

strategies) to enhance the delivery o training on

drugs, especially cannabis.

The study highlighted the considerable energy and

enthusiasm o many trainers and their high level

o commitment to improving AOD training at an

organisational and systemic level.


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australia xi

Trainers Talking Training

Contents

1. Introduction 1Background and Rationale 1

Current Study 2

2. Methodology 3Research Design 3

Sampling 3

Measures 3

Procedure 5

Ethics 5Participants 5

Data Management and Analysis 6

3. Results 7Part ARespondents Demographic Details 7

Part BDelivery o AOD Training 9

Summary o Certifcate IV (AOD), Diploma o Community Services (AOD) and Diploma oCommunity Services (AOD/MH) 9

Student Numbers 10

Course Structure and Electives 11

Training Delivery Formats 11

Credit Transer 12

Types o Training Providers 13

AOD Skill Set 14Funding and Demand 14

Certifcate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work 15

Dual Qualifcations 15

Units and Electives 15

Future Delivery 18

Emerging Demand or the Cert IV 18

Student Cohort Issues 18

Other Issues 18

Diploma o Community Services (Alcohol and other drugs) 19Dual Qualifcations 19

Units and Electives 19

Future Delivery 20


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australiaxii

Diploma o Community Services (Alcohol, other drugs and mental health) 20Units and Electives 21

Future Delivery 21

Stand Alone Units o Competency 21

Part CCannabis Training 23i. Cannabis-Specifc Training 23

ii. Student Interest 24

iii. Meeting Student Needs 25

iv. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Specifc Issues 25

v. Cannabis Training Content 25

vi. RPL and Cannabis 26

vii. Cannabis Content 27

Part DGeneral Findings 28

1. Training Quality 28

2. Emerging Challenges 30

4. Discussion 32Provision o Courses 32

Mode o Delivery 34

Future Course Delivery Intentions 34

Diverse Student Cohorts 34

Dual Qualifcations 34Mental Health Focus 35

Quality 35

Proessional Development or Trainers 36

Recognition o Prior Learning (RPL) 36

Cannabis-related Content 37

Current Cannabis Coverage 37

Views about Cannabis (Demand and Provision o Course Content) 38

RPL and Cannabis 38

Improving Cannabis Content 38How Much Cannabis Content is Enough? 38

Study Limitations 39

Summary 39

Recommendations 40

References 41

Appendices 43Appendix 1: Survey Tool 43

Appendix 2: AOD Qualifcations 55Appendix 3: AOD VET (RTO) Training Providers in Australia 67


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australia xiii


List of TablesTable 1. Sampling Frame 6

Table 2. Respondents Work Roles by Years o Experience 7

Table 3. Summary o Key Features o AOD Training Delivery 10Table 4. Course Structure 11

Table 5. Provision o Cert IV (AOD) and Dip CS (AOD)/(AOD/MH) by RTO Provider Type 13

Table 6. Cert IV (AOD) Electives Most Commonly Oered by RTOs 16

Table 7. Cert IV (AOD) Electives Most in Demand by Students 17

Table 8. Perceptions o Cannabis-related Content 23

Table 9. Perceived Need to Improve Cannabis-related Content 27

List of FiguresFigure 1. Qualifcations Held by RTO Respondents 8

Figure 2. RTO Respondents Oering Cert IV (AOD), Dip CS (AOD), Dip CS (AOD/MH),Skill Set and Stand Alone Units 9

Figure 3. Units o Competency Matrix or AOD and MH Qualifcations 12


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australia 1


1. IntroductionIn 2011, the National Centre or Education and

Training on Addiction (NCETA) conducted a national

survey o training providers involved in the delivery o

alcohol and other drugs (AOD) qualications through

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) across

Australia.

The aim o the study was to examine the content and

delivery o AOD qualications, the demand or andavailability o these courses, and to develop a national

database o RTOs which deliver these qualications.

In addition, the extent to which cannabis content

was addressed within these qualications was

assessed. Training providers interest in supporting

the development o cannabis-specic training and

associated resources was also ascertained.

The background, rationale, methodology, results and

implications o the project are presented here.

Background and Rationale

The past decade has seen growing interest in the

workorce development needs o the alcohol and

other drugs (AOD) sector, as well as in the provision

o ormal qualications or workers in this area (Roche

& Pidd, 2010). This is particularly evident in:

the growing discussion around minimum

qualications or employees in the AOD eld

(Gethin, 2008; Pidd, Roche, & Carne, 2010;

Pidd, Roche, Duraisingam, & Carne, 2012)

the use o the Cert IV AOD as a minimum

qualication, an initiative adopted in the

Australian Capital Territory and Victoria

(ACT Government Health Directorate, 2011;

Petroulias, 2009; Victorian Government

Department o Human Services, 2004)

related discussions underway in other places

including Tasmania (Fudge, 2011).

An appropriately skilled and qualied workorce

is critical to achieving and sustaining eective

responses to drug use (Ministerial Council on DrugStrategy, 2011). This in turn necessitates a high

quality training system and highlights the need or

appropriate and comprehensive qualications and

training courses in the AOD area.

The vocational education and training (VET)

sector caters or those who may be interested in

pursuing work in the AOD eld but have ew ormal

qualications, those who wish to ormalise their

existing skills and those who wish to acquire urther

skills. It also provides a pathway or those with ormal

qualications but little experience or training in relationto alcohol and drugs to enter the sector.

VET sector competency standards, assessment

guidelines and AQF qualications are contained in

Training Packages. As the AOD sector sits within the

community sector, AOD qualications are developed

as part o the Community Services Training Package

(CHC08). These qualications cover the knowledge

and skills relevant to people who work in the AOD

sector.


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An Examination of Vocational Education and Training for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector in Australia2

A large proportion o workers obtain AOD

qualications2 through RTOs within the VET sector.

In order to best serve the interests o the community

and to meet the needs o the workorce, it is

imperative that these courses are o high quality andadequately address issues acing the AOD workorce.

To date, however, there has been little examination

o the content and quality o these courses. There is

growing interest in ensuring that the training made

available through these courses is o an appropriate

standard to meet the changing needs and demands

o the AOD sector (Pidd et al., 2012).

A specic issue o concern is the high degree o

cannabis use within the Australian community. In

Australia, cannabis is the most commonly used

illicit drug, and it has a correspondingly high rate opresentations within AOD treatment settings

(AIHW, 2011).

Even where the principal presenting drug is not

cannabis, it is oten part o the clinical prole o a

large proportion o clients in the AOD treatment

system and is associated with a range o potentially

harmul consequences, while still largely maintaining

a reputation as a sot drug (McLaren, Lemon,

Robins, & Mattick, 2008). As such, AOD workers

are requently aced with an array o issues related

to cannabis use, and it is important that they receive

sucient training in this area to enable them to

respond eectively and proessionally.

Until recently, there has been scant research

undertaken to examine the availability o AOD

qualications oered by RTOs across Australia,

or the content and delivery o such courses

(Pidd et al., 2010).

There is also little guidance within the CHC08

Community Services Training Package (CSHISC,

2012) regarding how much or what content should

be delivered on cannabis. The units o competency

in the Training Package do not entail any specic

cannabis-related knowledge requirements (Roche

& White, 2011). The extent o cannabis-related

content delivered within AOD training qualications is

unknown at present.

2 These qualications comprise: CHC40408 - Certicate IV

in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work, CHC50208 - Diploma oCommunity Services (Alcohol and other drugs), and CHC50408 -Diploma o Community Services (Alcohol, other drugs and mentalhealth) rom the CHC08.

Current Study

A national project was undertaken to address the

lack o Australian research concerning AOD-relevant

qualications oered by RTOs, and secondarily, to

assess the extent to which such qualications containtraining content on cannabis. It was envisaged that

ndings rom this study would identiy both strengths

and weaknesses within the current VET AOD training

delivery system. A urther aim o the study was to

identiy training providers which may be interested

in contributing to the development o cannabis-

specic training and associated resources to acilitate

development o appropriate skills, knowledge and

attitudes necessary to work with clients who use

cannabis.

It is anticipated that these ndings will inorm

strategic and comprehensive improvements in AOD

qualications, and ultimately result in a more eective

AOD workorce.

The project involved two distinct phases:

1. Development o a national database o RTOs that

oered AOD-relevant qualications, and

2. A survey o training providers identied rom the

database to obtain greater detail on:

types o providers qualications delivered

geographic coverage

delivery mode (ace-to-ace, distance, online,

by recognition o prior learning/recognition

o current competency (RPL/RCC3), blended

delivery)

elective units o competency used in delivering

the qualications

provision o Skill Sets/Stand Alone Units

background and demographic prole o trainers what/how cannabis-related content is delivered

in training.

This report ocuses on phase 2. A detailed database

o RTO providers was previously published as a

separate report (Roche & White, 2011).

3 RPL/RCC takes into account skills and knowledge gainedthrough ormal training, work experience, and other relevant lieexperiences.


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2. MethodologyResearch Design

The project involved a national survey o training

providers, utilising both quantitative and qualitative

measures. Data was collected via one-on-one

telephone interviews. Responses were transcribed

onto an established interview protocol template using

SurveyMonkeyTM, a web-based survey sotware and

questionnaire tool (www.SurveyMonkey.com). The

interviews included both open-ended and categoricalquestions.

Sampling

Participants were recruited rom organisations listed on

the RTO database compiled by NCETA as part o this

project (Roche & White, 2011). This database included

all relevant RTOs on the Australian Governments

www.training.gov.au website. An organisation was

considered relevant i it oered one or more nationally

accredited alcohol and other drugs qualications

on its Scope o Registration as at August 30, 2011.

O the 4889 agencies listed on the government

website, 69 (1.4%) met this criteria. Contacts rom

these organisations were approached and invited to

participate in the study.

A total o 49 RTOs agreed to participate; a response

rate o 86%. Phone interviews were conducted with

CEO/owners, managers, course coordinators and/or

trainers involved in the delivery o relevant accredited

AOD courses i.e., the Certicate IV in Alcohol and Other

Drugs Work, Diploma o Community Services (Alcoholand other drugs), Diploma o Community Services

(Alcohol, other drugs and mental health), the AOD Skill

Set and/or AOD Stand Alone Units.

Measures

An interview protocol (see Appendix 1) was

developed to examine providers views regarding

AOD course content and delivery, as well as the

perceived importance o cannabis-specic content in

training courses. The interview protocol contained a

series o mostly closed questions which also provided

the option to urther extend or comment on answers.

A number o questions used 5-point Likert scaleresponse options. The survey included questions

regarding:

demographics: gender, age, location, position

currently held, years o experience and

qualications

type o training oered: Skill Set/Certicate/

Diploma/Stand Alone Units

location o training oered

mode o delivery: ace-to-ace, online, distance,

RPL/RCC proportion o students achieving some or all o

their qualications through RPL/RCC

electives oered

plans to deliver other types o training in the

AOD eld

perceived importance o cannabis-related

content in training

student interest in learning about cannabis

perceptions o adequacy o training.


20/88


The interview protocol was structured under seven

sections:

1. Alcohol and other drugs Skill Set

2. Certicate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work

(CHC40408)3. Diploma o Community Services (Alcohol and

other drugs) (CHC50208)

4. Diploma o Community Services (Alcohol, other

drugs and mental health) (CHC50408)

5. AOD Stand Alone Units o competency

6. Cannabis

7. Demographics.

Section 1 sought inormation about the AOD Skill Set

drawn rom the CHC08 Community Services Training

Package. The AOD Skill Set was developed, as part

o the CHC08, to identiy the key units o competency

needed by AOD workers who either had no ormal

qualications or who had qualications in generalist

or non-AOD specic areas (e.g., youth, disability,

housing, child welare). Skill Set units included:

CHCAOD402A Work eectively in the AOD

sector

CHCAOD406D Work with clients who are

intoxicated

CHCAOD408A Assess needs o clients with

alcohol and/or other drug issues

CHCMH401A Work eectively in mental

health settings.

Section 2 compiled inormation on the delivery o

the Certicate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work

(Cert IV (AOD)). This qualication covered workers

who provided a range o services and interventions

to clients with alcohol and other drug issues and/

or workers who implemented health promotion and

community interventions. The qualication dened the

knowledge and skills or support and care workersin the community services and health sectors. It

reerred to the specic knowledge necessary to work

with a client with alcohol and other drug issues and

to provide appropriate intervention processes in

residential and community settings

(see Appendix 2).

Section 3 sought inormation on the delivery o the

Diploma o Community Services (Alcohol and other

drugs) (Dip CS (AOD)). This diploma requires higher

level knowledge and skills than the Certicate IV, and

includes training in counselling, reerral, advocacy

and education/health promotion. The Dip CS (AOD)

was recently revised during the development o the

CHC08 Community Services Training Package, and

replaced the older Diploma o Alcohol and Other

Drugs Work.

Section 4 addressed a new qualication introduced

in the revised CHC08 Community Services Training

Package - the Diploma o Community Services

(Alcohol, other drugs and mental health) (Dip CS

(AOD/MH)). The Dip CS (AOD/MH) integrated alcohol

and other drugs and mental health units into a singlequalication and was targeted at workers in both

the AOD and MH sectors. This qualication was

developed in recognition o the substantial number o

clients with co-occurring issues related to alcohol and

other drugs and mental health. It is oten reerred to

as the dual diagnosis or comorbidity qualication.

Section 5 compiled inormation rom respondents

who provided AOD Stand Alone Units o competency

rom either the Cert IV (AOD) or the Dip CS (AOD).

Stand Alone Units were usually delivered on a ee

or service basis. They could be oered as part o aprogram o on-going proessional development to

AOD workers, to students in other qualications who

wanted or required skills and knowledge in relation

to clients with AOD issues, to individuals who had

a personal interest in AOD issues, or as part o a

workplace training strategy.

Section 6 consolidated inormation and opinions

rom respondents on issues related to cannabis.

Survey items addressed the type and extent o

training on cannabis, the level o importance attached

to it by respondents, perceived student interest, themost popular and/or useul units, and respondents

willingness to help improve cannabis coverage and

content.

Section 7 compiled demographic inormation

on respondents age, length o time working in

the sector, work role, length o time teaching,

qualications held, and gender.

The research team piloted the interview protocol to

ensure that all questions could be easily understood

and were appropriate to the aims o the project.


21/88



Procedure

Contacts rom the RTO database were approached

initially via letter, phone and/or email invitation,

and provided with inormation about the project.

A subsequent ollow-up phone call was made toascertain contacts willingness to participate, or to

identiy other more suitably qualied participants.

All those who agreed to participate in the study

nominated a time and date or a telephone interview

to take place, or alternatively elected to complete a

hard copy o the interview proorma.

Researchers used a protocol to conduct the phone

interviews, with verbal consent obtained rom all

participants beore the interview commenced.

Answers were recorded with paper-and-pencil on

the survey tool (see Appendix 1) in the rst instance,

and then transcribed onto an electronic database.

The interviews took approximately 15-30 minutes

and participants were assured that they would not

be individually identiable and that their comments

would not be attributed to their organisation in any

subsequent reports. Participants were also inormed

that they could stop the interview at any time, and

ask any questions they may have during the interview

or ater the interview had taken place.

Participants who chose to complete the surveyquestions in writing were provided with copies o the

survey tool and given the option to either e-mail, ax or

post their completed survey back to the project team. A

prepaid return envelope was provided or this purpose.

Ethics

Ethics approval was obtained rom Flinders University

and Southern Adelaide Health Service Social and

Behavioural Research Ethics Committee, approval

number 5282.

Participants

At the census date o 30 August 2011, there were

69 RTOs on the training.gov.au website with one

or more o the qualications on their scope.4 The

training.gov.au website (TGA) is the database oVocational Education and Training in Australia. The

TGA is the ocial national register o inormation on

training packages, qualications, courses, units o

competency and RTOs. Only organisations listed

on the TGA are recognised as RTOs registered to

provide VET training.

O the 69 RTOs on the TGA websites, nine were

inactive:

six had one or more o the AOD qualications

on scope but had not delivered any in the last12 months and were not intending to deliver

in the next 12 months and were thereore

ineligible

one RTO had ceased delivery o AOD training

whilst they undertook a training review and did

not expect to recommence delivery within 12

months

two training organisations were new to the eld

and had included the qualication(s) on their

scope but had not delivered any training to

date.A urther three organisations ailed to respond to any

communication (i.e., initial letter, e-mails and phone

calls). Hence, it was not possible to ascertain i they

were still active.

An additional eight RTOs did not participate:

two declined to participate in writing

six interviews could not be organised within the

time rame.

Hence, o the initial sampling rame o 69

organisations, 12 were deemed ineligible. This let atotal o 57 eligible organisations in the sample (see

Table 1). O these, 49 RTOs (86%) participated in the

survey. They were all registered RTOs with the AOD

qualications in question on scope and delivered in the

past 12 months (or intended to do so).

4 The training.gov.au website did not identiy as a dened groupRTOs who only delivered the Skill Set. Approximately 180 RTOs

had the our units that comprised the AOD Skill Set on theirscope. However, it was not possible to identiy and interviewrepresentatives rom those RTOs who only provided the Skill Setin the time rame o the project.


22/88


Table 1. Sampling Frame

Sample N

Interviews completed 49

Interview pending at cut-o date 6

Reused in writing 2

Unable to contact (no response to email or phone calls) 3*

Provided advice that whilst the qualication(s) were on scope they had not been

delivered in the last 12 months and no delivery was planned or the next 12 months

6*

Provided advice that whilst qualication(s) were on scope delivery had not yet

commenced and thereore they could not provide relevant data (delivery would only

commence i there was demand)

2*

RTO registered but had not actively delivered any qualications recently. Delivery o

AOD qualications unlikely in the next 12 months.

1*

Total Initial Sampling Frame 69

* Ineligible to participate

Data Management and Analysis

Reponses to the interview questions were

transcribed onto an electronic data-management

program (SurveyMonkeyTM) and saved onto a secure

server. The inormation provided by participants ispresented here in an aggregated,

de-identied and anonymous ormat.

Descriptive statistics were perormed to summarise

key responses and demographic characteristics o

the sample. Correlations between dierent questions

and demographics were examined or statistical

signicance.

Qualitative comments were transerred onto an

Excel spreadsheet. Each respondent was given a

unique code to enable individual responses to be

tracked. The coding system was as ollows. Each

interviewee was allocated a respondent number

(R), which corresponded with the order in which

they had been entered into the spreadsheet.

In addition, a numerical code identied salient

demographic details, while retaining respondent

anonymity. Each interviewee was also provided with

an alphabetical code which identied the provider

type (TA=TAFE; Egovt=enterprise based government

provider; ENG=enterprise based nongovernment;CBP=community based provider; DUTA=Dual

University/TAFE provider; PO=privately owned

provider; AOD/MH RTO=specialist AOD/MH based

RTO). A designation o SS indicated that a provider

delivered the AOD Skill Set.

Subsequent to data organisation and

de-identication, the researchers undertook a

process o categorising the qualitative responses.

This involved identiying recurring words, phrases or

ideas in responses to individual questions, and then

consolidating these into categories across the entire

section. Further analysis identied themes arising

rom the responses. These themes were in turn

consolidated to identiy key themes.


23/88



3. ResultsKey ndings rom the qualitative and quantitative

components o the survey are presented below in

our sections - Part A, B, C and D. Respondents

demographic details are presented in Part A. Results

pertaining to the provision o AOD courses in general

are presented in Part B, the ndings that relate

specically to cannabis are presented in Part C and

general training issues are addressed in Part D.

PART A RespondentsDemographic Details

The majority o the 49 respondents were emale

(63%; N=30). More than hal (53%) were aged

50+ years, with a urther 28% aged 40-49 years.

Respondents were predominately based in Victoria

(37%) and New South Wales (29%), with smaller

percentages rom Queensland (14%), South Australia

(6%), Australian Capital Territory (4%), Tasmania (4%),

Western Australia (4%), and Northern Territory (2%).

They were primarily trainers/educators (61%), course

coordinators (41%) or RTO managers (31%). These

roles were not mutually exclusive. Mean years o

experience in these roles are shown in Table 2. No

signicant association was ound between work role

and years o experience.

Table 2. Respondents Work Roles by Years

o Experience

Work role Years o experience

Mean SD N

Trainer 8.4 6.8 28

Course Coordinator 6.5 2.8 17

RTO Manager 9.3 5.9 14


24/88


In addition to their current role, respondents had

previously been rontline AOD workers (82%),

supervisors (56%) and/or managers (48%), and 30%

had experience as an AOD volunteer.

All respondents had ormal qualications (see Figure1). The most common qualication was a TAFE Cert

IV (72%)5. Approximately hal the respondents held

a non-AOD diploma (51%), o these 20% held a

generic Diploma o Community Services, which may

have included some AOD units. A urther 26% held

an undergraduate diploma.

5 A Certicate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40110) or itsequivalent is a mandatory qualication or VET trainers, and 28%o this sample appeared not to hold this qualication.

Figure 1. Qualifcations Held by RTO Respondents

0%

0%

4%

6%

34%

72%

28%

9%

51%

26%

68%

55%

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Postgraduate qualication

Bachelors Degree

Undergraduate Diploma

Other TAFE Diploma

Dip CS (AOD/MH)

Dip CS (AOD)

Other TAFE Cert IV

Cert IV (AOD)Certicate II or III

Trade or Certicate

No ormal qualications

The most common AOD qualications were the Cert

IV (AOD) (34%), Dip CS (AOD) (28%) and Dip CS

(AOD/MH) (9%). Over two thirds o respondents held

a Bachelors degree (68%) and 55% a postgraduate

qualication.

Respondents were employed by six dierent types

o RTO providers: TAFE (43%), privately operated

education and training business or centre (22%),

non-government enterprise (16%), government

enterprise (6%), community based adult education

provider (6%), mental health or AOD specic RTO

(2%), or other entity (6%) (all other respondents

were dual sector university/TAFEs).


25/88



PART B Delivery of AOD Training

The survey elicited inormation specic to each o

the three nationally accredited AOD courses: Cert

IV (AOD); Dip CS (AOD); and Dip CS (AOD/MH);

and in addition, the AOD Skill Set and Stand AloneUnits. Findings or each o the three courses, the Skill

Set and Stand Alone Units are outlined in separate

sections below.

Summary of Certicate IV (AOD),Diploma of Community Services (AOD) andDiploma of Community Services (AOD/MH)

The Cert IV (AOD) was the most commonly oered

AOD course, provided by 76% (N=37) o the 49

respondents (see Figure 2). While thirty seven

respondents reported that they oered the Cert IV(AOD), a urther ve6 indicated that they had it on

scope but did not oer it.

6 Whilst ve respondents indicated that they had qualications onscope but did not deliver them, it was not necessarily the same veproviders across each o the qualications.

The Dip CS (AOD) and Dip CS (AOD/MH) were

oered by 22% (N=11) and 31% (N=15) o

respondents, respectively. While 11 respondents

reported that they oered the Dip CS (AOD), a

urther ve indicated that they had it on their scope

but did not oer it. Fiteen respondents oered the

Dip CS (AOD/MH), and a urther ve* indicated that

they had it on their scope but did not oer it. Most

respondents oered more than one qualication.

Respondents indicated that where qualications on

scope were not oered or delivered it was due to a

lack o demand or the qualication, lack o unding at

a jurisdictional level, or lack o suitable training sta.

Figure 2. RTO Respondents Oering Cert IV (AOD), Dip CS (AOD), Dip CS (AOD/MH), Skill

Set and Stand Alone Units

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Cert IV (AOD) Dip CS (AOD) Dip CS(AOD/MH)

Skill Set Stand AloneUnits

76% (n=37)

22% (n=11)

31% (n=15)33% (n=16)

22% (n=11)


26/88


Table 3 presents a summary o the salient eatures o

AOD courses. Across all qualications, respondents

reported that most training was delivered in New

South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, ollowed by

South Australia.

Student Numbers

Respondents were asked to provide an indication

o their student enrolment numbers or each

qualication. Not all respondents had access to this

data at the time o the survey. Overall, respondents

Table 3. Summary o Key Features o AOD Training Delivery

AOD Training DeliveryCert IV(AOD)

Dip CS(AOD)

Dip CS(AOD/

MH)

SkillSet

StandAlone

Units

Number and Percentage o RTOs

Oering Qualifcation

37

(76%)

11

(22%)

15

(31%)

16

(33%)

11

(22%)

Primary locations

oered

NSW 32% 27% 33% 44% 46%

NT 3% 9% 9%

Qld 19% 36% 20% 31% 18%

SA 11% 27% 13% 13%

Vic 30% 46% 33% 44% 27%

Tas 5% 7% 6% WA 5% 9% 7% 6%

ACT 3%

All1 14% 9% 20% 6%

Mode o delivery

Distance 38% 27% 27% 44% 9%

Face-to-ace 78% 64% 100% 81% 82%

Online 19% 27% 33% 38% 18%

RPL/RCC 59% 91% 80% 56% 27%

% o students who

gained RPL/RCC


27/88



Course Structure and Electives

Both the Cert IV (AOD) and the Dip CS (AOD)

consisted o core units and electives. There were

no electives in the Dip CS (AOD/MH) as all units

were core (see Table 4). To complete a qualication,students were required to achieve competency in the

specied core units, plus the nominated number o

electives.

The Cert IV (AOD) consisted o 16 units; seven core

and nine elective. Electives were designated into

Groups A, B and C, and generic electives. Group

A comprised two units related to rst aid training;

students complete at least one (see Appendix 2).

Group B comprised six units, o which at least one

had to be selected. These units addressed skills in

relation to dealing with clients, work organisation,inection control and sharing inormation with other

organisations.

Table 4. Course Structure

Qualifcation Core

units

Elective

units

Total

Cert IV (AOD) 7 9 16

Dip CS (AOD) 15 2 17

Dip CS (AOD/MH) 19 19

O the remaining seven electives, the Training

Package recommended students undertake one

or both o the two Group C electives that related to

cultural saety. Respondents indicated that at least

one o the Group C units was delivered to most o

their students (see Figure 3).

The generic electives consisted o a pool o 67

units. They were divided into areas o specialisation

including: working with clients with mental health

issues; oral health; nancial literacy education; andservice delivery (see Appendix 2). Students could

transer credit where they held a prior qualication

which shared units in common with the qualication

being undertaken. In addition, students could also

transer credit or two urther electives rom other

relevant qualications. This urther reduced the

number o units they may need to undertake to

complete their qualication.

Students elective choices were usually governed

by a number o constraints, including the availability

o units on oer rom the RTO with which theywere enrolled. Many respondents indicated that

they structured students elective options to meet

workplace or jurisdictional requirements. Employers

oten specied, in negotiation with their local RTO,

the units they wanted pre- or in-service students to

complete. This could substantially infuence the units

oered by most RTOs.

A number o RTOs did not oer any choice o

electives or the Cert IV (AOD). In these cases,

students were expected to complete the core units

o competency rom the Cert IV (AOD), plus the core

units rom another qualication, most oten the Cert

IV (MH) (see Figure 3). This could result in students

graduating with both qualications, but eliminated

students elective choice. This structure was

indicated to be a response to industry or government

demand/pressure or AOD workers to acquire

knowledge and skills in mental health.The Dip CS (AOD) comprised 15 core units plus two

electives (see Appendix 2). The Training Package

recommended that students undertake a cultural

competence elective. This generally let students with a

single elective choice, which was oten determined by

their provider or workplace.

Training Delivery Formats

The majority o courses were available in a range o

delivery ormats, with most providers using blended

delivery; that is, a combination o two or moremethods. The most common delivery ormat or all

courses was ace-to-ace (see Table 3). Face-to-ace

delivery was oered or all Dip CS (AOD/MH) courses.

Distance delivery was most prevalent or the AOD Skill

Set (44%) and the Cert IV (AOD) (38%).

The availability o RPL varied substantially by course

type, and was most commonly available or the Dip CS

(AOD) (91%) and Dip CS (AOD/MH) (80%), ollowed

by the Cert IV (AOD) (59%) and the Skill Set (56%).

The percentage o students who obtained some or

all o their qualication through RPL or RCC varied by

qualication, but this pathway was usually utilised by

less than 25% o students.

A number o respondents indicated that they did not

structure their training around units o competency but

rather by subjects. In these instances, qualications

were delivered as a number o subjects (usually our or

ve) that together covered all o the required core and

elective units. This made it dicult or those RTOs to

identiy students preerred units. This type o training

delivery was generally reerred to as subject baseddelivery. Subject based delivery limited students

choice o electives as students were enrolled in

electives determined by the training provider.


28/88


Figure 3. Units o Competency Matrix or AOD and MH Qualifcations

*See Appendix 2

Certifcate IV in Alcohol

and Other Drugs Work(CHC40408)

16 Units

7 Core Units

(9 Elective Units)

One must be chosen rom Group AOne must be chosen rom Group B

Recommended electives (at least 1)

76 Relevant Electives listed*

Listed electives that are core in related qualications

Diploma o Community

Services (Alcohol and OtherDrugs) (CHC50208)

17 Units

15 Core Units

(2 Elective Units)

Recommended electives (at least 1)

47 Relevant Electives listed*Listed electives that are core in related qualications

Diploma o CommunityServices (Alcohol, Other Drugs

and Mental Health) (CHC50408)

19 Units

19 Core Units

(No Elective Units)

Diploma o CommunityServices (Mental Health)

(CHC50308)

16 Units

14 Core Units

(2 Elective Units)

Recommended electives (at least 1)29 Relevant Electives listed*

Listed electives that are core in related qualications

CHCCOM403A

CHCAOD402B

CHCCS504A

CHCPROM503A

CHCMH402A

CHCMH401A

CHCCW503A

CHCAOD510A

CHCORG428A

CHCAD504A

CHCPOL501A

HLTOHS401A

CHCAOD513A

CHCAOD511B

CHCAOD512A

CHCCMH409A

CHCMH501A

CHCCM404A

CHCMH404A

CHCMH504D

HLTIN301C

CHCAOD411A

CHCCS400B

CHCOHS312B

CHCAOD408A

CHCICS305A

CHCPROM401B

CHCCS403B

CHCAOD409D

CHCAOD407D

CHCORG405D

HLTFA402C

HLTFA301C

PSPMNGT605B

HLTHIR404D

HLTHIR403C


29/88



Credit Transfer7

All providers oered credit transers across applicable

qualications. Respondents indicated that where

students had a pre-existing qualication they

could be granted credit transers or relevant units.For example, where a student had completed a

generalist qualication at Cert IV or Diploma level

then completed core units in an AOD qualication,

they could be granted credit and awarded two

qualications. In some instances, credit transer could

equate to 75% o the qualication (see Figure 3).

Some respondents indicated that this could

acilitate students acquiring multiple qualications i

they also undertook relevant core units rom other

qualications. Most commonly, students acquired

an AOD qualication through credit transer andcompletion o a small number o units, in conjunction

with a mental health or other community service

qualication.

7 Credit transer involves direct recognition o units obtained in onequalication that are credited towards another qualication.

Courses oered

Type o RTO Cert IV (AOD) Dip CS (AOD) Dip CS (AOD/MH) Total

N (%) N (%) N (%) N (%)

TAFE provider 18 (50%) 6 (55%) 9 (60%) 33 (53%)

Enterprise govt 3 (8%) 1 (9%) 1 ( 7%) 5 (8%)

Enterprise non-govt 5 (13%) 0 (0%) 2 (13%) 7 (11%)

AOD/Mental Health

specic RTO

1 (3%) 1 (9%) 0 (0%) 2 (3%)

Community based

adult education

provider

3 (8%) 1 (9%) 0 (0%) 4 (6%)

Education & training

business/centre

privately owned

5 (13%) 2 (18%) 2 (13%) 9 (14%)

Other 2 (5%) 0 (0%) 1 (7%) 3 (5%)

Total 37 (100%) 11 (100%) 15 (100%) 63 (100%)

Table 5. Provision o Cert IV (AOD) and Dip CS (AOD)/(AOD/MH) by RTO Provider Type

Types of Training Providers

The types o RTO providers which oered Certicate or

Diploma courses are shown in Table 5. Just over hal

the courses were oered by TAFEs, ollowed by privately

owned education and training businesses/centres (14%)and non-government enterprise organisations (11%).

Signicantly more non-private than private providers

oered the Cert IV (AOD) (r=-.376;p =.008). No other

signicant associations were ound between courses

oered and type o organisation.

A correlation analysis was conducted to explore

relationships between variables. No signicant

associations were ound between courses oered

and years o experience; courses oered and

percentage o students achieving accreditation

by RPL/RCC; years o experience and type o

organisation; type o organisation and whether RPL/

RCC specically addressed cannabis-related issues;

courses oered and whether RPL/RCC specically

addressed cannabis-related issues.


30/88


AOD Skill Set

Sixteen RTOs (33%) reported that their organisation

provided the AOD Skill Set. The majority were based

in New South Wales (44%) and Victoria (44%). A

urther our RTOs noted that while the Skill Setwas included in their scope, they did not currently

deliver it. Among the RTOs that oered the Skill

Set, respondents estimated that approximately 500

students were enrolled at the time o the survey.

Numbers o enrolees varied rom


31/88



Certicate IV in Alcohol and OtherDrugs Work

Seventy six percent (N=37) o RTOs oered the

Cert IV (AOD). These organisations were primarily

located in New South Wales (32%), Victoria (30%),

Queensland (19%) and South Australia (11%), with

5% or less in Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory,

Northern Territory, and Western Australia. Fourteen

percent were registered to deliver it nationally.

The Cert IV (AOD) qualication was the most

commonly oered and most requently taken up

course, with approximately 1,540 students reported

to be enrolled at the time o the survey. In two

jurisdictions (Victoria and the Australian Capital

Territory), the Cert IV (AOD) was a mandatoryrequirement or workers in the alcohol and drugs

sector. In other jurisdictions, it served as a deault

minimum AOD qualication requirement.

In Victoria, the requirement or AOD workers to hold

the Cert IV (AOD), irrespective o other qualications

held, was reported to have resulted in a signicant

market or this course. Many students enrolled in the

Cert IV held existing higher education qualications.

One dual sector university oered the Cert IV (AOD)

as an option or nal year social work students to

enable them to meet that states minimum AODqualication requirement or the Cert IV (AOD)

irrespective o other qualications held, including

higher education.

Some services require a Cert IV (AOD) as the

minimum qualication or practice in particular

states and thereore we have people with higher

qualications undertaking the Cert IV (AOD) in

these states and we nd there is some confict or

these people about the level at which the course is

set. (R49)

Delivery o the Cert IV (AOD) ranged rom ace-to-ace

(78%), RPL/RCC (59%), online (19%), to distance

(38%). RPL availability varied. Most organisations

(79%) reported that less than 25% o their students

achieved some or all o the Cert IV by RPL/RCC (see

Table 3). Some organisations oered no RPL; reasons

included its entry-level qualication status (making

it unlikely students would have prior experience)

and that most students and/or employers wanted

the qualication delivered ace-to-ace rather than

awarded by RPL. The cost o oering RPL was also

cited as a disincentive. Students who transerredrom other courses, or had prior qualications, usually

received partial RPL, ranging rom one or two to a

signicant number o units. Students mostly received

RPL or general, not AOD-specic, units. One

organisation reported delivering the Cert IV (AOD) to

higher education qualied students in a jurisdiction

that required it as a minimum qualication, and in

that instance candidates undertook the qualication

completely by RPL.

Dual Qualications

Provision o training in dual qualications was

commonly noted. Students who enrolled in a dual

qualication could circumvent unding restrictions that

made it expensive to gain a second Cert IV in some

states. A number o respondents indicated that where

employers wanted their workorce to have both AOD

and MH qualications, they delivered the Cert IV

(AOD) as a dual qualication in conjunction with the

Cert IV (MH).

Driven by the dual diagnosis initiative in Victoria,

people are wanting dual capabilities. (R48)

Two organisations delivered the Cert IV (AOD) in

conjunction with a Cert IV (Youth Work). A number

o providers also delivered the Cert IV (AOD) in

combination with a generalist Cert IV in Community

Service Work. Provision o the latter training was

especially noted in Victoria where this generalist

qualication attracted government unding.

Units and Electives

As noted, the Cert IV (AOD) comprised 16 units,

including seven core and nine elective units (see

Appendix 2). Many respondents indicated that they

did not provide students with choices in regard to

electives, as some providers packaged delivery o

the Cert IV (AOD) with other qualications (e.g., Cert

IV Mental Health, Youth Work, or Aged Care). Where

dual qualications were delivered, a students choice

o electives was limited. Some respondents indicatedthat electives were determined in consultation

with local service providers/employers, which also

limited student choice. A high level o interest in

mental health related units was noted, and this was

perceived to be driven by employer demand or

workers with skills in both AOD and mental health.

Most respondents reported that they required

students to complete some mental health electives.

This refected a growing emphasis on comorbidity,

particularly in jurisdictions such as Victoria. Most

respondents also maintained that mental health units

should be included as core units in the Cert IV (AOD).


32/88


Respondents noted that while the Cert IV (MH)

contained a mandatory AOD unit, the Cert IV (AOD)

did not have a commensurate mental health unit.

Respondents were asked to identiy the electives

oered. The most commonly oered Cert IV (AOD)electives (cited by three or more respondents) are

shown in Table 6. This list is indicative not denitive

as some respondents were not able to provide detail

o all units oered by their organisation. The units

Course Code Course Name N*

HLTHIR403C Work eectively with culturally diverse clients and co-workers 17

CHCMH401A Work eectively in mental health settings 12

HLTHIR404D Work eectively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 12

CHCAOD406D Work with clients who are intoxicated 10

CHCMH408B Provide interventions to meet the needs o consumers with mental

health and AOD issues

10

CHCCS422A Respond holistically to client issues and reer appropriately 7

CHCCS514A Recognise and respond to individuals at risk 7

CHCMH402A Apply understanding o mental health issues and recovery processes 7

HLTFA301C Apply rst aid 6

CHCCS403B Provide brie intervention 5

CHCORG405C Maintain an eective work environment 5

CHCAOD407D Provide needle and syringe services 4

CHCAOD409D Provide alcohol and/or other drug withdrawal services 4

CHCCS401B Facilitate responsible behaviour 4

CHCCS504A Provide services to clients with complex needs 4

CHCICS406A Support client sel management 4

CHCMH404A Conduct assessment and planning as part o the recovery process 4

CHCCS521A Assess and respond to individuals at risk o suicide 3

* N = number o times this elective was cited by respondents

Table 6. Cert IV (AOD) Electives Most Commonly Oered by RTOs

addressing cultural diversity and cultural competence,

ollowed by mental health and clinical skills, were the

units most requently nominated. In addition, a large

number o respondents mentioned mental health

competencies, but did not cite them by specic unit

name/code (thereore they are not shown in Table 6).

Overall, mental health topics were identied as the

units or electives most commonly oered. Students

interest in child protection (CHCCHILD401A) and

youth work units was also noted by providers.


33/88



Respondents were also asked to nominate the units

most in demand by students. Table 7 displays the

Cert IV electives most in demand, and lists only those

courses specically cited by respondents. Two o

the ve units most in demand (i.e., HLTHIR403C and

HLTHIR404D) were Group C electives. The Cert IV

(AOD) Packaging Rules recommended that students

select at least one o these two units. CHCMH401A

and CHCCS521A, were both drawn rom the Work

with People with Mental Health Issues electives

group, while CHCAOD406D and CHCAOD407D were

both drawn rom the Client Needs group which were

generic electives units.

In addition to the inormation detailed in Table 7, 11

respondents also highlighted a number o mental

health units that were popular among students, butdid not speciy their specic unit code.

* Indicates the number o times this unit was mentioned by RTO respondents as in demand by students.

Table 7. Cert IV (AOD) Electives Most in Demand by Students

A number o respondents indicated that they did not

structure their Cert IV (AOD) training around units o

competency but rather used subject based delivery. In

these instances, the qualications were delivered as a

number o subjects (usually our or ve) that together

covered all o the required core and elective units. This

made it dicult or those RTOs to identiy students

preerred units. Subject based delivery limited students

choice o electives, as students were enrolled in

electives determined by the training provider.

Least popular units were reported to be the introductory

AOD and MH units and working within a legal and

ethical ramework. Lack o appeal was attributed to the

large size and/or dryness o these units.

Unit Code Unit Title Specifc

mentions *

CHCAOD406D Work with clients who are intoxicated 4

HLTHIR403C Work eectively with culturally diverse clients and

co-workers

4

CHCAOD407D Provide needle and syringe services 4

CHCMH401A Work eectively in mental health settings 3

HLTHIR404D Work eectively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

people

3

CHCCS521A Assess and respond to individuals at risk o suicide 3


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Future Delivery

Eighty seven percent o RTOs (N=36) planned to

oer the Cert IV (AOD) in the next 12 months: 85%

intended to oer it ace-to-ace, 32% by distance,

29% online and 66% by RPL/RCC. Most RTOsindicated that in the oreseeable uture they would

continue to deliver the same electives that they

had oered previously. Several RTOs indicated that

determination o electives oered in the uture would

be subject to the outcomes o discussions with

industry and/or employers.

A number o respondents, including several rom rural

areas, noted growing demand or the Cert IV (AOD)

and attributed this to increased alcohol and other drug

use, as well as a concomitant growth in AOD services.

... there is a very high [demand] indeed to have

this qualication delivered here because o the

signicant drug and alcohol use issues we have

locally. (R1)

In contrast, two respondents planned to remove the

Cert IV (AOD) qualication rom their scope due to

lack o unding or demand.

Emerging Demand for the Cert IV

One enterprise-based RTO, located within an aged

care service, reported recent delivery o the Cert IV

(AOD) to students who primarily worked in aged care.

They had identied a need or AOD training as they

were seeing many more residents coming into aged

care with alcohol and drug issues.

Student Cohort Issues

A substantial proportion o pre-service students were

reported to have entered training, having been clients

o the AOD treatment system.

Most o the current Cert IV participants are users,or in recovery, with no prior qualications. (R19)

Respondents indicated that many Cert IV (AOD)

students, and/or their amily members, had personal

issues related to alcohol and other drug use, or

came rom communities with signicant AOD

problems. High attrition rates were noted among

these students. It was suggested that attrition may

have been due to training content bringing up dicult

issues, or the student having resolved their personal

AOD use issues, or alternatively having relapsed

whilst undertaking training.

Most o these people are pre-employment,

some have partners with a dependency and

others are ex-users. (R17)

Respondents noted that some o these students had

strong views about alcohol and other drugs that were

inormed by their personal use and these views were

oten resistant to the evidence presented in training.

Other Issues

A number o respondents noted that the Cert IV (AOD)

was a large qualication, and some suggested that it

had become less relevant since its recent revision (i.e.,

the change rom CHC02 to CHC08) and incorporation

o a number o generic units.

The new qualication (Cert IV (AOD)) in the

revised training package has diminished the

qualication, it has become more generalised

and irrelevant units have been introduced.

A good example is that the revised Cert IV has

incorporated the unit o competency on manualhandling, however very ew AOD workers work in

situations where they would regularly lit patients/

clients and so this is not relevant. (R48)

Others argued that in trying to meet the requirements

o various stakeholders, the Cert IV (AOD) had

become too large to be eectively delivered at this

qualication level. It was urther suggested that the

Cert IV was not suciently explicit in terms o what

was required in relation to specic knowledge about

alcohol and drugs, including cannabis.


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Diploma of Community Services(Alcohol and other drugs)

Twenty three percent (N=11) o respondents oered

the Diploma o Community Services (Alcohol and

other drugs) (Dip CS (AOD)). The state with the

largest proportion o RTOs oering this qualication

was Victoria (46%), ollowed by Queensland (36%),

New South Wales (27%) and South Australia (27%).

No organisations oered the Dip CS (AOD) in the

Northern Territory or Tasmania. Nine percent o

respondents were registered to deliver it nationally.

Respondents indicated approximately 360 students

were enrolled in the Dip CS (AOD) across the 11

organisations delivering it. A urther six organisations

oered the Dip CS (AOD), or had it on scope, butreported no enrolments.

O organisations delivering it, six had very small

enrolments (< 20 students). Respondents indicated

that interest in the Dip CS (AOD) had diminished due

to the introduction o the new Dip CS (AOD/MH),

which included alcohol and drugs with mental health,

and a corresponding demand rom industry or this

combined qualication:

no one wants this qualication; they all want

the joint qualication. (R45)

Delivery o the Dip CS (AOD) ranged rom RPL/RCC

(91%), ace-to-ace (64%), online (27%), to distance

(27%), and RPL was more common or the Dip

CS (AOD) than the Cert IV (AOD). Forty six percent

o RTOs indicated that less than 25% o students

achieved some or all o the Dip CS (AOD) by RPL or

RCC (see Table 3).

Students accessed RPL and gap training to achieve

the qualication in a shorter timerame. These

strategies were most oten used by in-service workers.

Where students are in-service they usually use

units they have acquired through other training

as their electives, thus completing them by RPL/

RCC or credit transer. (R41)

Respondents also noted that a number o students

used credit transers rom other qualications to

achieve partial completion o the Dip CS (AOD).

Where students undertook the Dip CS (AOD),

subsequent to completing the Cert IV (AOD) with the

same provider, credit was oten carried orward or a

number o units into the higher qualication, as thesequalications share several core units and a number

o electives in common (e.g., cultural diversity, mental

health, client needs/support and oral health units).

This enabled students, on completion o the Cert IV

(AOD), to ast track through the Diploma.

The majority o students enrolled in the Dip CS (AOD)

were employed in the AOD sector. Some respondentsindicated that they required students to be working,

and/or have signicant experience, in the AOD sector

beore completing the qualication. However, one

privately operated RTO respondent indicated that up

to 50% o their Diploma students were not working in

the AOD sector, but had previously completed a Cert

IV (AOD) with their institution and had carried orward

credit rom the Cert IV (AOD).

Dual Qualications

As an alternative to oering the new combined Dip(AOD/MH), a number o respondents had tailored

their delivery o the Dip CS (AOD) to allow students

to complete their studies with dual diplomas in both

AOD and MH. Although many respondents planned

to deliver the combined Dip CS (AOD/MH) in the

coming year, some intended to continue to oer the

dual qualications. This was seen as more fexible

and allowed credit or electives that were not included

in the new Dip CS (AOD/MH) (see Figure 3). On-going

demand or the dual qualications appeared to be

a unction o the AOD sectors preerence or a dualqualication (and the skill sets entailed therein) and

student sel-selection.

Subject to demand, most people now do the

dual qualication. (R23)

Units and Electives

The most popular electives in the Dip CS (AOD) were the

mental health units, ollowed by those addressing clinical

issues such as counselling, group work, motivational

interviewing and dealing with intoxicated clients.

Respondents indicated that i students had

transerred rom other courses, were upskilling rom

the Cert IV (AOD) or gaining a urther qualication,

credit could be awarded or units previously

completed. This made it dicult to identiy electives

most in demand.

As in the case o the Cert IV (AOD), a number o

respondents indicated that they did not structure

their training around units o competency but rather

by subjects that incorporated components rom a

number o units. In these instances, it was dicultto identiy the popular units. Students did not get to

choose electives when doing subject based delivery.


36/88


Future Delivery

Thirty ve percent o RTOs planned to oer the Dip

CS (AOD) in the coming 12 months using a range

o delivery modes; with 69% providing ace-to-ace

training, 25% oering distance delivery, 25% oeringonline delivery and 69% incorporating RPL or RCC.

Several providers rom Victoria maintained that

changes to training unding (e.g., where people with

pre-existing qualications were ineligible or unded

training) had resulted in signicant reductions in

enrolments in Diploma level qualications.

The ees or the students to skill up rom the

Cert IV (AOD) to the Diploma are approximately

$3500. This has dramatically reduced the number

o people we are getting enrolling in the diploma.(R19)

One respondent noted that changes in the Training

Package had also had a negative impact on

enrolments.

We have ound enrolment numbers h

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