Edition 66, April 2009

Funding for e-learning Toolboxes in critical industries

The Australian Flexible Learning Framework, the national training system�s e-learning strategy, has awarded $1,070,000 for the development of six new Flexible Learning Toolboxes (Toolboxes).

The Series 12 Toolboxes will support the delivery of nationally endorsed training packages in critical industries and will be developed by registered training organisations (RTOs) in consultation with Industry Skills Councils and Industry Training Advisory Boards.

The Toolboxes will provide flexible and high quality support for learning on the job, in the classroom or in remote locations.

Toolboxes are high quality, cost effective, interactive e-learning and assessment resources that can be installed on a server or used on a stand-alone computer.

This year, Series 12 Toolboxes will be developed for the following industry areas:

Forestry industry

Timber will cover five core competencies from the Forest and Forest Products Training Package and support a wide range of Certificate II and Certificate III qualifications including sawmilling, merchandising, and manufactured products. Timber will look at generic communication and occupational health and safety skills, as well as technical skills including preparing and interpreting sketches and timber grading. Timber will deliver crucial e-learning resources for workers in an industry that has traditionally relied overwhelmingly on face-to-face training.

Retail industry

Retailer 2 will extend the Series 10 Retailer Toolbox by covering the core units of the Certificate II in Retail, as well as five selling, merchandising and marketing electives. Rather than taking a traditional unit-by-unit approach, learners will complete activities guided by a range of customer-focused scenarios and case studies, which will be mapped back to core units. A skills recognition pathway will be available for new and existing resources.

Community services industry

Spiritual Wellbeing will cover five units from the Certificate III and Certificate IV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care. It will provide training for health care workers in Indigenous communities, focusing on supporting and assessing clients with mental health, alcohol and other drug issues. Learners will complete a range of learning activities in simulated rural, remote and urban health care clinics, with an emphasis on promoting illness prevention strategies and healthy lifestyle choices.

Electrotechnology industry

ElectroTech will support five core units from the Certificate III in Electrotechnology (Electrician). Learners will complete hands-on activities and challenges to develop problem solving skills while learning about basic electrical concepts, electrical occupational health and safety, fabricating electrical components, and using drawings, diagrams, schedules and manuals.

Plumbing industry

Licensed to Plumb will address a shortage of e-learning materials for the plumbing industry, providing an engaging, media-rich, interactive learning experience to support five units of the Certificate IV in Plumbing and Service. It will focus on core skills and knowledge for licensed plumbers, including drainage, water, gas, plan sizing, and layout of plumbing systems.

Spatial information services industry

Satellite City is designed to support four units from the Certificate IV in Spatial Information Services, and the Certificate IV in Surveying. It will guide learners through the processes involved in reading and interpreting spatial data, conducting a field survey, managing and storing data and developing a presentation of the data, in line with industry practices.

Series 12 Toolboxes will be developed throughout the year and released in early 2010. They will add to a collection of more than 100 existing Toolboxes across a diverse range of educational and industry areas, helping deliver over 170 qualifications and supporting approximately 930 units of competency.

Toolbox resources can be downloaded freely as self-contained �learning objects� through LORN, or purchased on CD-ROM as a program covering several units of competency.

Toolbox Champions are employed in every state and territory to provide advice and support on Toolbox use, implementation and customisation. To contact your Toolbox Champion, visit http://flexiblelearning.net.au/toolbox/champions

For more information contact the Australian Flexible Learning Framework on 07 3307 4700, enquiries@flexiblelearning.net.au or visit www.flexiblelearning.net.au

This page was generated on 26 August, 2009