Employability Skills Update

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Employability Skills Update

• VET Planning and Research Network
• Forum 2/2005, July 22, 2005
• New Ways of Knowing and Learning

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Employability Skills Update Origins

• Key Competencies
• Competency Standards
• BCA/ACCI report Employability Skills for the
  Future
• Advice to Training Package Developers

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Employability Skills UpdateKey Competencies 1

• Young peoples participation in post-compulsory
  education and training (Finn Review)
• Established by AEC in 1990 with particular
  reference to young people who have left school
  and are not participating in formal education and
  training
• Review defined key areas of competence

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Employability Skills UpdateKey Competencies 2

• Mayer Committee followed Finn (1991/92) and
  proposed seven key competencies
• Each competency had three performance levels
• Mayer recommended that assessment and reporting
  of the key competencies be nationally consistent

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Employability Skills UpdateCompetency Standards 1

• What people need to know and be able to do to
  work at a specified level of performance
• The National Training Board was established in
  1990 to define and develop national competency
  standards for industry
• ANTA developed Training Packages in 1996 as
  instruments for the delivery and assessment of
  competency standards

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Employability Skills UpdateCompetency Standards 2

• Key competencies were incorporated in Training
  Packages in units of competency or at the
  qualification level
• Initially not well done bolted on rather than
  built in
• Confusion over how performance levels related to
  the AQF

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Employability Skills UpdateEmployability Skills
Report 1

• Defined as the skills required not only to gain
  employment, but also to progress within an
  enterprise so as to achieve ones potential and
  contribute successfully to enterprise strategic
  directions. (page 3)
• The study was based upon a literature review by
  ACER, case study research large firms and focus
  groups/interviews with small and medium firms
• The report developed an Employability Skills
  Framework consisting of personal attributes,
  skills and elements

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Employability Skills UpdateEmployability Skills
Report 2

• Skills which contribute to the enterprise
• -communication
• - teamwork
• - problem solving
• - initiative and enterprise
• - planning and organising
• - self-management
• - learning
• - technology

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Employability Skills Update Where are we now?

• ANTAs National Training Quality Committee has
  ratified advice developed by consultant David
  Rumsey on how to incorporate employability skills
  in Training Packages
• ANTA has provided funds to Industry Skills
  Councils to begin the incorporation process
• The Council has agreed to establish a
  Employability Skills panel to assist in this
  process
• Incorporation to be completed by the end of 2006

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Employability Skills UpdateWhat is the future?

• Successful incorporation will take competency
  standards to a new and higher level of quality
  better design
• Successful delivery and assessment of better
  standards will improve outcomes in preparing
  people for work a key objective of the Finn
  review