A little history

1. Working with RTOsCaringa Enterprises and Essentraa strong and positive service /RTO partnershipJanet OchollaAmanda Calwell-Smith

2. A little history • Our partnership started about 5 years ago when Caringa Enterprises was searching for an RTO to deliver OH&S consultation training for both staff and supported employees. • A strategic “fit”. Caringa had commenced viewing training as a primary part of quality service delivery at this time and were looking for a RTO who could deliver

3. A bit about us…. Caringa Enterprises Inc is a regional service which has been operating in Grafton (North Coast NSW) for 55 years our services include: • Business Services – Metal pressing, survey indicators & stake production, confidential document destruction office services & lawn maintenance service • Respite services • Transition to Work and Community Participation Programs • Day Services • Short Term living Skills Programs • Out of Home Care Services • Accommodation and Outreach Services

4. A bit about us… Essentra Learning is an RTO (registered training organisation) with a background in disability services as it is the training arm of Essential Personnel – a well established (22years)disability service provider providing: • Disability employment network (DEN) services • Transition to Work • Community Participation • Special training programs for jobseekers with disabilities.

5. What Caringa Needed: • RTO to provide training to staff, supported employees and program participants • An RTO flexible enough to meet the varied needs of the organisation • An RTO with the ability to contextualise and customise the training to specific work areas • Nationally accredited training for our staff, supported employees and transitional program participants. • An RTO with which we could trust enough to form a solid enduring relationship

6. What Essentra offered • Training resources specifically designed for supported employees and transitional program participants • Nationally accredited Training in disability work (Cert III and Cert IV) • Industry experience • Short courses to complement national units of competency • Experienced trainers • Collaborative arrangements

7. The Partnership • Commenced with the engagement of Essentra to deliver the OH&S safety consultation for both supported employees and staff – using a ‘buddy’ mentoring system for the supported employees • Consulted extensively with each other to identify Caringa’s further training needs and how they could be delivered by Essentra.

8. The Partnership • Caringa purchased a licence from Essentra to deliver Certificate I Employability Skills to our transitional program participants and supported employees – to be delivered by Caringa’s internal trainers. • Engaged Essentra to deliver Certificate III & IV in Disability Work • The development of this partnership has enabled us to meet the trainees’ individual needs but also our organisational needs

9. Complementary Training to Certificate I in Employability Skills • Caringa has found that the Certificate I in Employability Skills provides a sound foundation ensuring enhanced relevance to the training we have been providing in-house house for our employees/participants such as: - advocacy - complaints procedures - policy and procedures - disability service standards - fire safety - individual task training - committee training - mentoring training - manual handling

10. Modules that complement a business service environment • The team and you • Personal presentation and development • Workers’ rights and responsibilities • OHS induction • Workplace communication and personal effectiveness • Managing as a worker

11. Outcomes for the supported employees • A sense of achievement and pride in obtaining a recognised certificate • Awareness of the benefits of training as they apply what they have learnt • The knowledge and skills gained eg enhanced team skills, improved appearance and hygiene, assertiveness skills, safety skills, better understanding of workplace rights and responsibilities, enhanced communication, improved time management

12. Delivery styles to suit • Training may occur on-site or in setting chosen by the employer to suit • Relevant training – learning the skills where they are going to apply them • Comfortable training in a known environment – staff trainers know the supported employees which enables better understanding of the training needs of each individual

13. Delivery styles to suit • Flexible training at times suitable to production and workflow • Learning practised and appraised in the real work setting in real work conditions • Ability to modify the training relevant to the individual’s learning ability • Ability to cluster appropriate modules to suit the needs of the organisation and the workers

14. Support from the RTO Although our in-house trainers deliver the training in Employability Skills, we have the ability to contact Essentra at any time for: • Alternate delivery options advice • Modified assessments • Additional resources • Trainer support and mentoring • Modification of training to individual needs • Supply of certificates and administrative support • Cert. IV in Training and Assessment

15. Other partnership benefits Staff Training • Caringa requires all Support Workers to have or undertake Certificate III in Disability Work across the whole organisation • We therefore required an RTO that could deliver this nationally accredited training • We needed the training contexualised to our varied organisational needs

16. Contextualisation involves…. • modification of a Training Program to make it meaningful to the “enterprise” or employer - ie the workplace and its individual learner AND • looking at the use of workplace specific language, practices and culture and factoring this into the content and delivery Note: The core information from the competency standard remains but the discussions and practical examples are based around specific work tasks and workplace arrangements of the organisation

17. Other partnership benefits Customisation • We wanted to choose the elective units that we wanted - relevant to each area of service and the related job roles eg working with older people with disabilities (pwd), young pwd, people with mental health issues, people needing behaviour support etc

18. INDUSTRY Employer or Enterprise Needs skills…. To a Standard Industry or Enterprise Identify and choose competenciesrequired EMPLOYEE(S) LEARNERS Identify “GAPS” between current performance and what is required Identify “Training Needs” • Do not know how (Knowledge) • Skills lacking • Knowledge and skills but can’t apply this knowledge to the standard required (Attitude) Review Competency Based Training Review Develop content and a Delivery Plan Identify Learning Outcomes Training Methods eg on-site, theory, self-paced, classroom-based Session Plan for each delivery event • Task • Analyse steps Deliver Training Assess “Competency” Learning Outcome(s) Achieved    Section 3 - 7

19. Certificate III in Disability Work Packaging Rules 14 units must be selected for this qualification including: 8 compulsory units 8 compulsoryunits & 6 elective units Compulsory • CHCADMIN5C Work within the administration protocols of the organisation • CHCCOM2B Communicate appropriately with clients and colleagues • CHCDIS1C Orientation to disability work • CHCDIS2C Maintain an environment designed to empower people with disabilities • CHCDIS5C Contribute to positive learning • CHCOHS302A Participate in safety procedures for direct care work • CHCORG3B Participate in the work environment • And one of the following units: • HLTHIR3A Work effectively with culturally diverse patients, clients, customers and co-workersOR • CHCCS405A Work effectively with culturally diverse clients and co-workers

20. Electives - examples • Provide behaviour support • Support people with disabilities as worker • Leisure & health programming • Develop leisure & health programs for clients with special needs • Provide care & protection for young people • Work effectively in a cross cultural context with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people & organisations

21. Other partnership benefits • Caringa uses Essentra PLUS a number of other specialist trainers to provide non-accredited training which complements the nationally accredited training delivered by Essentra This includes training in: cultural awareness, P.A.R.T. (professional assault response training), nutrition and swallowing, stomal care, art therapy, epilepsy management, dementia care • Essentra works in with Caringa and these specialist providers for coherency of training

22. What to expect from an RTO for a strong partnership ….. • Consultation – prior to and during training • Flexibility • Responsiveness to the organisation’s needs • Responsiveness to individual learners’ needs • An agreed Learning or Training program …

23. Outlines the processes of learning and assessment Provides the basis for a cohesive and integrated learning process Can form part of a bigger delivery and assessment strategy Is developed to suit the organisation not the RTO! A Learning Program …

24. A Learning Program should identify: • Purpose for the training • The target group who will be trained • Outcomes to be achieved, eg national competency standards (which may lead to qualifications) • or perhaps other “enterprise” standards • Agreed learning resources and assessment activities • Requiredresources

25. Development Stages of a Learning Program Step 1 Define the parameters of the learning program with the client Step 6 Implement the learning program Step 2 Generate options for the design of the learning program Step 3 Develop the learning program content Step 5 Review the learning program Step 4 Design the structure of the learning program

26. DevelopmentStages of a Learning Program Step 1 Define the parameters of the learning program with the client Step 6 Implement the learning program Step 2 Generate options for the design of the learning program Step 3 Develop the learning program content Step 5 Review the learning program Step 4 Design the structure of the learning program

27. Development Stages of a Learning Program Step 1 Define the parameters of the learning program with the client Step 6 Implement the learning program Step 2 Generate options for the design of the learning program Step 3 Develop the learning program content Step 5 Review the learning program Step 4 Design the structure of the learning program

28. Development Stages of a Learning Program Step 1 Define the parameters of the learning program with the client Step 6 Implement the learning program Step 2 Generate options for the design of the learning program Step 3 Develop the learning program content Step 5 Review the learning program Step 4 Design the structure of the learning program

29. Development Stages of a Learning Program Step 1 Define the parameters of the learning program with the client Step 6 Implement the learning program Step 2 Generate options for the design of the learning program Step 3 Develop the learning program content Step 5 Review the learning program Step 4 Design the structure of the learning program

30. Development Stages of a Learning Program Step 1 Define the parameters of the learning program with the client Step 6 Implement the learning program Step 2 Generate options for the design of the learning program Step 3 Develop the learning program content Step 5 Review the learning program Step 4 Design the structure of the learning program

31. Training of staff and supported employees is essential…. • Training to relieve workforce shortages • Career pathways eg new AQF levels, clearer articulation to higher education, move away from current siloed approach to accommodate industry more • OHS incidence and frequency – rate of workplace injuries higher than all industry average • Employer duty of care to clients and employees • Productivity improvement • Technological advancement and change • Increasing regulatory compliance - a strong driver of training in community services • Employee awareness and understanding of ethical issues

32. Training of staff and supported employees is essential…. • Skills clusters versus whole qualifications for particular reasons eg ”top-up” skills for staff with high level pre-requisite skills, volunteers, adding to existing skills, specialised skills eg providing assistance with medication, behaviour management • Funding control through increased government legislation and standards around industry’s ability to respond to consumer demands • Skills for continued quality service delivery including case management

33. Training of support staff is essential…. Now, more than ever, competence is needed to meet a changing industry’s needs: • new services and delivery modes need new knowledge and skills eg growing interface between health care and community care including more flexible pathways across specialised community services and health sectors • specific workplace competence (eg carers, dementia) • more consumer-focused, person centred workers (eg for addressing changing consumer preferences, de-institutionalised settings) • crossover in roles, skills and knowledge eg aged/disability, youth/disability, mental health/employment

34. In concluding… • Workplace Training must meet industry (organisational) directives and consumer needs • Your Partner/RTO’s role is to facilitate this

35. Good Partnerships are powerful organisational tools.