Employability skills: key messages in the articles

1.  Employability skills: key messages in the articles This work has been produced on behalf of the National Quality Council with funding provided through the Australian Government Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations and state and territory governments. Disclaimer: the views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Australian Government or state and territory governments.

3. Origin and purpose of slides These slides were produced in early 2008 by the National Quality project on employability skills. The purpose of the slides is to promote the messages contained in a set of nine articles produced in that project.

4. Audiences for slides The expected audiences for these slides are groups of VET practitioners interested in employability skills� � particularly the model for assessing and reporting employability skills developed in the NQC project

5. Content of the nine articles The articles provide concrete exemplars of how trainers/assessors are effectively responding to the inclusion of employability skills in Training Packages. In the articles, these responses are related to the model for assessing and reporting employability skills.

6. To access the model The model is contained within handout No.11 of the resource: �Level 1 workshop for implementing the model for assessing and reporting employability skills�, available at: www.employabilityskillsresources.com

7. Overview of this presentation Following are two slides on each of the nine articles: One slide introduces the RTO profiled The second slide identifies some key messages. I will elaborate on each slide and invite discussion. A concluding slide links the articles to the model.

8. Article No.1: Assisting learners to develop employability skills Profiles First Impressions Resources, a retail training provider Gwen Moroney (pictured)

9. Article No.1: Assisting learners to develop employability skills: key messages Providers such as First Impressions are assisting learners to develop employability skills through strategies such as modifying their learning materials and providing important information to learners. They are also encouraging learners to have an holistic approach to the development of their technical and employability skills.

10. Article No.2: Encouraging learners to develop a portfolio of employability skills Profiles Sunshine Coast TAFE Teressa Schmidt (pictured)

11. Article No.2: Encouraging learners to develop a portfolio of employability skills: key messages The development of a portfolio is a compelling way for learners to �develop and record examples of employability skills they acquire�, as advocated in the model. Ideally, such a collection of their work will also assist them when seeking to demonstrate their employability skills to employers.

12. Article No.3: Partnering industry to ensure job-ready graduates Profiles: MEGT, Sydney Mark Holtom (pictured)

13. Article No.3: Partnering industry to ensure job-ready graduates: key messages Training providers such as MEGT are: interviewing or consulting with industry seeking advice such as which employability skills are particularly significant in various aspects of different jobs in an enterprise ensuring that employers are clear about the critical value attached to employability skills within Training Packages.

14. Article No.4: Communicating with industry about employability skills Profiles: Arnhemland Progress Association (ALPA) Henry Harper (pictured)

15. Article No.4: Communicating with industry about employability skills: key messages ALPA provides a concrete example of how to relate to industry concerning employability skills. In the case of ALPA, the topic of employability skills has proven to be an excellent topic for opening up dialogue about employers� expectations and how training and assessing approaches can be customised to suit the individual enterprise.

16. Article No.5: Collaborating with employers to improve employability skills Profiles TAFESA Rob Denton (pictured)

17. Article No.5: Collaborating with employers to improve employability skills: key messages LINKup is one way to collaborate with industry to improve employability skills, which TAFESA has tailored to suit the local electronics industry. The model for assessing and reporting employability skills advocates that providers select from a range of collaborative strategies to link providers and industry.

18. Article No.6: Reviewing training and assessment strategies for employability skills Profiles: University of Ballarat, Irene Warfe (pictured) First Impressions Resources, Gwen Moroney IAG, Chris Butler (pictured)

19. Article No.6: Reviewing training and assessment strategies for employability skills: key messages Training organisations such as the University of Ballarat, First Impressions Resources and IAG are reviewing their existing strategies in a range of ways that suit their context, including their learners and workplaces. In each case, the training provider is developing good practice principles and practices to ensure the quality of training and assessment.

20. Article No.7: Guiding part-time trainers about employability skills Profiles AIM SA Rose Vallen (pictured)

21. Article No.7: Guiding part-time trainers about employability skills: key messages Good practice includes inducting part-time trainers and assessors into the issues arising from the embedding of employability skills in Training Packages. Good practice for AIM SA includes developing customised assessment tools which provide many benefits, including specific information for the learner and assessor about how employability skills are being assessed.

22. Article No.8: Customising professional development for employability skills Profiles: TAFE TAS, Laurie Miller (pictured) Sarina Russo Schools Australia, Bernadette Dunnett

23. Article No.8: Customising professional development for employability skills: key messages TAFE Tasmania has modified the model and developed two customised workshop programs to assist staff to develop skills and knowledge. Sarina Russo Schools Australia has also developed PD strategies which suit its staff and the contexts within which they work

24. Article No.9: Designing state-wide professional development for employability skills Profiles Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts, and a range of other VET organisations Judy Gronold (pictured)

25. Article No.9: Designing state-wide professional development for employability skills: key messages The approach taken by the Queensland group has many elements of good practice, including: the identification of a shared goal the dissemination of information the collaborative sharing of ideas the use of multiple communication strategies the testing and development of new knowledge

26. Linking our context to the model Let�s discuss Which elements of the model for assessing and reporting employability skills are most relevant to our context? Which case studies and articles are most relevant? What can we plan to do now?