The Eighth International Literacy & Education Research Network Conference on

SPETSES, GREECE
4-8 July 2001

Georgina Mountford
Program Coordinator, Department of Social and Community Services,
Faculty of Education, language and Community Services, RMIT University (TAFE SECTOR), Victoria, Australia

Christine Robertson
Department of Social and Community Services, Faculty of Education, Language and Community Services,
RMIT University, Victoria, Australia

Head, Hand and Heart - Creating New Learning Experiences in workplace Settings

Abstract

In the new world of workplace training and assessment, the transition from classroom based theoretical learning to practical skills development for workers, has provided a major challenge for educators in vocational education and training in the Australian context.

Through the development of a range of industry partnerships, the presenters of this workshop have utilised industry endorsed competency standards in the Community Services Industry as the basis for the design of workplace based training programs. A feature of this approach has been the emphasis on ensuring that contextual theory continues to be integral to the learning process for workers.

This workshop will explore the themes of the conference through actual case studies from workplaces in Melbourne. Potential for collaborative, empowering relationships between learners, partner organisations and training facilitators will be demonstrated. A strong focus will be the new learning experiences created for workers in Aged Care, Disability and Youth Services. Creating ways in which contextual knowledge can be applied to work skills in order to meet future industry and client needs, one of the major challenges in the vocational education and training environment, will be a focus of the workshop.

Bionote

Georgina Mountford is the Program Coordinator for Aged and Disability Work for the RMIT Department of Social and Community Services. For the last three years she has been involved in implementing a new training system in the Victorian vocational education and training system. As a practitioner, she has a strong interest in the emerging workplace based pedagogy and the development of learning resources.

Christine Robertson is the Program Manager in the RMIT Department of Social and Community Services and has overseen the transformation of classroom based curriculum courses in Community Services into an integrated suite of competency based qualifications. She has a strong commitment to training and critical, reflective practice in the Community Services sector.

Presentation Type
60 min. Workshop

Presentation Equipment and Other Requests
Data Projector for lap top presentation
Overhead Projector

Speaking Date/Time Restrictions

Country
Australia