Metals, Manufacturing

1
Metals, Manufacturing Services Industry
Training Council Inc.Divergence of theory and
practise with assessor networks in a climate of
skills shortages.

• Executive Officer - Brian Chanter
• Telephone [phone]
• Mb 0412 447 765
• Email merswa_at_ozemail.com.au

2
What did we set out to do?

• Establish a network of trades assessors to
  support the Trades Recognition service
  established by the Metals ITC
• Provide professional development and monitoring
  of assessors in the network
• Encourage ownership of the network
• Encourage and support sustainability of the
  network
• Assist Department of Education and Training with
  new initiatives in skills assessment

3
What did we do?

• All of the above plus
• Work in conjunction with a pilot program set up
  for skills recognition
• Re-evaluate all the ways we did business
• Reassess the make up of the network
• Highlighted deficiencies in the way skills
  recognition is conducted
• Set up mechanisms to address inefficiencies and
  identified issues

4
Bumps in the road

• Overloaded TAFE system
• Excessive workload of assessors
• Skills shortages lecturers being poached
• No accommodation in Pilbara
• Different colleges having different skills
  recognition practices
• Shortage of experienced and flexible assessors
• AQTF audit system
• Lack of consistent and reliable assessment tools
• Etc?

5
key messages

• Having to develop innovative strategies to
  overcome difficulty in maintaining skilled
  assessors due to the high workload and shortage
  of experienced TAFE lecturers who could fill the
  gap when assessors are not available.
• The administration systems of the TAFE colleges
  in sending us results of the assessments have
  been a major issue

6
key messages

• AQTF compliance issues, particularly Standard 9.2
  regarding the validation of assessment
  strategies this has been one of the major
  challenges where AQTF auditors are insisting on a
  very clear set of procedures for assessment which
  does not allow flexibility and professional
  judgement in the assessment process.

7
We have great systems and processes, only the
people stuff them up!!
8
But we can train them!