The professional development requirements of Workplace English Language and Literacy Programme practitioners

This study explores the changing nature of the training services provided through the Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) Programme in response to the changing needs of industry and vocational education and training (VET) sector reforms. It examines the current and emerging professional development needs of WELL practitioners and proposes strategies to ensure that the professional development needs of both new and existing practitioners are met.

• Induction support for entry-level WELL practitioners is haphazard, and many practitioners believed they were not adequately prepared for the multitude of responsibilities required of them. An appropriate entry-level qualification is needed to enable design and delivery of language, literacy and numeracy in the workplace.

• Current opportunities for accessing ongoing professional development (in addition to entrylevel/ baseline qualifications) are limited and need to be improved; many practitioners had not received any professional development over the past two years. This includes both formal and informal opportunities to observe practice in the workplace and to gain project management skills.

• The provision of relevant and appropriate professional development for both new and experienced practitioners needs to be embedded within and supported by the VET system.

• Potential shortages of appropriately qualified WELL practitioners emphasise the need for the adoption of a national minimum education standard, such as the Advanced Diploma of Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice in VET.

The Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) Programme is a Commonwealth initiative, created as a result of the 1991 Australian Language and Literacy Policy and funded by the Department of Education, Science and Training. The main aim of the program is to support the provision of language and literacy training integrated with vocational training to enable workers to meet the demands of their current and future employment and training needs.

The WELL Programme is managed in Canberra and administered through state-based WELL Programme Secretariats. Registered training organisations and employers work in partnership to access WELL Programmes, which are then delivered by specific WELL practitioners.

Practitioners, in line with other vocational education and training (VET) teachers, have faced continuous change in their work environments, a situation which is likely to continue. The ability to adapt teaching practice depends in the first instance on knowing about these changes; and secondly, having the opportunity to reflect upon and explore the implications of these changes for practice. The opportunity to access professional development is significant in supporting practitioners to meet these challenges.

This research aimed to address the following questions.

• What is the extent and nature of professional development activities offered to and/or undertaken by WELL practitioners currently?
• What changes in the nature of WELL training services and the changing needs of industry are impacting, or are likely to impact, on the competencies that WELL practitioners are expected to demonstrate?
• What competencies are WELL practitioners expected to demonstrate now and in the next five years?
• What competencies do WELL practitioners have now?
• What are the priority areas for the professional development of WELL practitioners now and in the next five years?

A literature review and three data-gathering techniques were used for this study. The data were gathered through email surveys, telephone/face-to-face interviews and workshops.

Managers from registered training organisations known to be accessing the WELL Programme were the initial point of contact. They were requested to forward the email survey to all WELL practitioners employed by them. Across Australia 106 registered training organisations identified themselves as accessing the program, and contact was made with 75 of these. A total of 42 responses from WELL practitioners were received; some of these were from the same registered training organisation and most were from staff employed on a permanent basis. This response rate represents a small sample of the current WELL practitioner population.

Following analysis of the responses to the email survey, follow-up contact was made with 17 WELL practitioners, 11 of whom participated in a more detailed face-to-face or telephone interview. Interviews were also conducted with 11 managers from registered training organisations responsible for managing the program.

The following are the key findings from the data gathered from respondents.

• Practitioners are predominantly female (71%) and mature-aged (81% over 40 years of age and 0% under 30 years of age).
• Practitioners have two or more qualifications; most of them (79%) had an undergraduateteaching qualification.
• 48% of respondents came to the WELL Programme after some other form of primary or secondary school teaching.
• There is a plethora of state-based undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications available in the teaching English as a second language and adult literacy fields, but there is currently no agreed minimum national benchmark for entry as a WELL practitioner.
• The apparently low number of young new practitioners was evidenced by the age range of current practitioners. In the absence of a recognised qualifications pathway, new entrants are being severely limited by an entry pathway based on experience.

Practitioners and managers identified a number of key skills and attributes required by a WELL practitioner over and above language, literacy and numeracy qualifications.

These included:

• experience working with adults
• understanding of workplace culture
• flexibility
• integrity
• empathy
• ability to work independently
• ability to deal with a range of stakeholder needs
• good communication skills.

WELL practitioners are required to use these skills and attributes in a number of roles in:

• face-to-face delivery
• the provision of advice to non-WELL practitioners and industry personnel
• the development of learning and assessment resources
• negotiation
• writing WELL Programme reports and submissions
• the capacity of a representative of the registered training organisation.

Practitioners commented that there were few professional development opportunities available to them, either as entry-level practitioners or accessible on an ongoing basis, noting that they were largely responsible for their own learning and development.

Key issues relating to the provision of current professional development activities included:

• decreasing opportunities to achieve adult literacy qualifications through the higher education sector
• lack of consistent induction training for entry-level WELL practitioners
• lack of opportunities for collegiate networking
• lack of opportunities to share experiences and resources
• inconsistent nature of current professional development for WELL practitioners
• lack of professional development specific to language literacy and numeracy. The most common forms of professional development were VET-related workshops, such as occupational health and safety (38%)
• lack of ongoing professional development; 36% had undertaken no professional development over the past two years.

When questioned about the possible changes to roles of WELL practitioners in the next five years and the professional development implications, respondents noted the following issues:

• It is likely that there will be a continuation of the multiplicity of changes that have occurred over the past five years, such as integration of language, literacy and numeracy and vocational training, and the broadening of the language, literacy and numeracy skills covered by the WELL Programme.
• There is growing emphasis on the need for flexible delivery.
• There is increased focus on team teaching, that is, using a vocational content specialist and a WELL practitioner.

• There is an increased need to access and use information and communication technologies.

In the final section of the report, a number of suggestions are made, targeted at three main areas:

• establishing pre-entry qualifications through the Advanced Diploma in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice in VET
• facilitating professional development for entry-level WELL practitioners, including assistance in areas such as shadowing, mentoring, using the National Reporting System (a framework for reporting the language, literacy and numeracy outcomes of students) and resource development
• professional development for current WELL practitioners across a variety of issues, including assistance in areas such as the workplace environment, program management and language, literacy and numeracy practice.

Additional information relating to this research is available in The professional development requirements of Workplace English Language and Literacy Programme practitioners: Support document. It can be accessed from NCVER’s website http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1682.html