Integrated approaches to teaching adult literacy in Australia: a snapshot of practice in community services
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ImplicationsFurther researchThis research piloted a methodology for observing and documenting teaching practice in a vocational context. Unfortunately, only limited access to sites within a single industry was managed. It would be useful for this research to be replicated in other industries to build up a picture of integrated approaches across the VET system in Australia. Professional developmentThe outcomes of this research have many potential implications for the professional development of VET professionals. There is great flexibility in the choices available to registered training organisations to deliver training to meet the needs of their clients. Program facilitators may need a range of skill sets to carry out these functions or to work in multi-disciplinary teams. This project demonstrates that an understanding of the role of language, literacy and numeracy in enabling learners to perform competently in the workplace and to prepare for lifelong learning is not only an equity issue, but also critical to the success of all training and indeed, to the workplace itself. The issue of the skill sets required by VET practitioners needs to be thoroughly re-examined in any scoping of workforce development by the Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council, and in conjunction with further research on how generic skills, such as language, literacy and numeracy, are handled in the context of the high-level review of training packages undertaken by ANTA. The facilitators in our study were chosen randomly within the nominated site categories. As evidenced by the research, all had broad and deep skills. The well-developed skill sets of facilitators were an amalgam of industry knowledge, pedagogy, and language, literacy and numeracy awareness and strategies, and the individual facilitators had acquired these skills in very different ways. The numbers and opportunities for developing these skill sets need to be expanded in the future if we are to maintain and increase the skills of all VET practitioners. It is vital that all facilitators teaching in industry areas have a sound knowledge of the requirements of that particular industry. If a language, literacy and numeracy specialist is to work in an industry role, the training organisation needs to provide professional development for the facilitator in relevant workplaces. A Reframing the Future professional development project supported VET practitioners at Site 3 and assisted in developing strategies for planning and integrating language, literacy and numeracy into delivery. This demonstrates another means by which the skill sets of VET practitioners can be expanded. It is vital that these professional development programs continue, and continue to prioritise language, literacy and numeracy integration into workplace training. There has been much criticism that workplace trainer and assessor training does not prepare VET practitioners adequately for supporting integrated delivery of language, literacy and numeracy (McGuirk 1999). Many of the issues raised in this research were evaluated as part of the review phase of the Certificate IV Assessor and Workplace Trainer. Skills required by VET practitioners for integrating language, literacy and numeracy into planning, delivery, assessment and evaluation of courses have been included within the core units of the Training and Assessment Training Package, the possession of which, from 2005, will be a requirement for those entering the VET sector, and for those delivering workplace trainer and assessor training. These include:
Funding issuesOur research sites were situated in Victoria where, it would appear, there is no additional systemic funding over and above ‘nominal hours funding’ made available to support learners enrolled in VET courses who may require language, literacy and numeracy support to enable them to succeed in their course of study. This means that registered training organisations must make a ‘commercial’ decision about how much support a learner will require, and whether this can be provided within the resources available. At Site 3, training support was tailored to accommodate learners’ needs, and flexibility was provided for learning options and in the time allowed for completion of the qualification. Some registered training organisations may be able to provide support by utilising resources available in other areas of the organisations (Sites 1 and 2), but this support is not necessarily tailored to the needs of the learner in relation to the course. Other registered training organisations seek additional funding from other sources, for example, WELL funding. However, those undertaking VET as part of a traineeship are ineligible for WELL funding. Places in the courses we examined were highly competitive. Given these resourcing issues, registered training organisations are more likely to adopt a ‘basic skills’ model, and exclude learners who do not have the basic skills necessary to succeed. Language, literacy and numeracy skills were used to select participants in all three of the sites. The language, literacy and numeracy skills which are taught are those required in the workplace and identified within the qualification. The extent to which the underpinning (prerequisite) language, literacy and numeracy skills are taught will depend on these resourcing issues. Other states do have funding mechanisms to support learners to develop prerequisite language, literacy and numeracy skills. Future research in those states where additional funding is available may reveal whether the basic skills approach is as prevalent as it is in the sites examined in the research. The sites in this study did not include on-the-job WELL delivery in which to explore the extent to which underpinning language, literacy and numeracy are directly taught and assessed. We are not able to draw conclusions about the extent to which students would be assisted with basic language, literacy and numeracy skills, should they be enrolled in courses such as these.
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