Work in Progress
Workplace training practices in the residential aged care sector
Summary
- Item:
- 10237
- Title:
- Workplace training practices in the residential aged care sector
- Type:
- Managed research project
- Project no:
- NR3019
- Status:
- Finished
- Date commenced:
- 25 August 2003
- Contact:
- Robin Booth
- phone: +61 2 9448 4558
- email: robin.booth@det.nsw.edu.au
Purpose
The research will investigate current practice in recognition and workplace training for workers in the aged care sector of the Community Services industry. It will identify barriers to the recognition of workers' skills and knowledge and the delivery of workplace training in this sector. It will also outline features of good practice that could be applied to other sectors within the Community Services industry or to other industry areas with similar worker profiles: mature workers from diverse backgrounds with few formal qualifications but a wide range of life skills.
Approach
Survey and data analysis
Research questions
1. Why do we need to train existing workers in the Aged Care sector of the Community Services industry and what type of training is needed?
2. What are the barriers to cost effective recognition of skills and delivery of training to existing workers in the Aged Care sector?
3. How are the barriers being overcome?
4. What are the features of good practice in recognition and structured training for existing workers in this sector?
Methodology
* Environmental scan including worker and organization profiles, legislation and other factors impacting on training, identified training and assessment needs and current training outcomes (research question 1)
* Eight workplaces across NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT where training and assessment against units of the aged care strand of the Community Services Training Package has occurred within the last 12 months and identification of informants within these workplaces, will be included as interview sites.
* The relevance of the strategies and models of good practice developed will be validated and evaluated by two industry representative focus groups. The models will also be posted on a project web page so that industry RTOs, assessors and workplace staff can provide feedback.
Organisations
This research will be jointly undertaken by the Vocational Education and Assessment Centre, Centre Undertaking Research in Vocational Education (CURVE) and the Ballarat Assessment Centre.
The Vocational Education and Assessment Centre, part of TAFE NSW, undertakes applied research and development in workplace learning and assessment, provides consultancy advice and produces learning and other resources for a range of users, including policy makers, VET managers, teachers and assessors. VEAC develops support materials in delivery and assessment and provides information and advice to assessors on the development of assessment, recognition and assessor support systems in workplaces. VEAC staff have a depth of experience and skills covering educational and technical content, educational research, project development, management and Training Package resource development, strategic planning, and quality assurance.
The Centre Undertaking Research in Vocational Education (CURVE) was established at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) in 1999. CURVE concentrates on research into training delivery, with special emphasis on practice and practitioners. CURVE's research team consists of practitioners who, in addition to having well developed research and evaluation skills, have direct experience of issues impacting upon all aspects of vocational education and training. Key areas of research have included assessment, program evaluation, client satisfaction, flexible delivery, quality, partnerships, Training Packages and the VET professional.
The Ballarat Assessment Centre has successfully trialed operation as an assessment-only RTO and continues to operate as a significant adviser on assessment at a state and national level. The Ballarat Assessment Centre operates as a research and project centre and provides consultancy services for assessment, training and assessment systems and pathways issues. The Ballarat Assessment Centre's project team consists of training and assessment practitioners who have both project and program management experience as well as the management of training and assessment of VET programs in enterprises.
