We specialise in partnering with organisations of any size to deliver customised workplace training solutions. Our collaborative approach reflects actual workplace requirements by being holistic and contextually relevant. The steps involved include the joint conduct of a training needs analysis, development of a dynamic training management plan, and the partnered delivery of interdependent training and assessment.
Training Needs Analysis
The first step in the partnership is a Training Needs Analysis.
It is amazing how many companies dive straight into a training program without ever understanding their real training needs. These same companies certainly wouldn’t start a new business venture without fully understanding the issues, how to get from where they are today to where they want to go and the costs and risks in doing that.
Training Needs Analysis can be made to sound very complex with lots of HR speak, but fundamentally it is a simple process to qualify why you need to do the training, what business benefits are expected, and what the costs and ROI will be of the program. We recommend a process that answers the following questions:
- Business Case – what is the business reason for the training?
- Gap Analysis – what do we want to have after the training that we don’t have now? What competencies and behaviours can we change to close the gap?
- Employee Assessment – analysis of their current skills, knowledge, competencies and behaviours.
- Reality Check – can training really fix these issues, or are there other business or organizational issues to fix?
- Agree training outcomes – what are the objectives and outcomes of the training? How will we measure success?
- Choose the appropriate delivery method(s) – develop outline training plan by module and cost the training.
- Budget approval/Sign off – report back to the business and get approval to go ahead
- Are you eligible for your staff training to be fully funded by the government?
The scale and complexity of each step varies depending on the size of the change expected and associated costs. But we believe even in the most straight forward cases, a small amount of time spent doing this sort of due diligence is time very well spent.
Training Plan
Following the training needs analysis, academy3 will agree with the identified trainees and their employer the most suitable level and domain of study, and consider whether trainees should be assessed for recognition of prior learning (RPL) and/or recognition of current competencies (RCC).
In the event that RPL or RCC might be available, academy3 trainers will systematically assess each trainee’s unique competence. Particular attention will be paid to the strategic fit of unit competencies with the holistic intentions of the qualification, including employability skills. Evidence of complete or partial competence may include any combination of:
- Practical demonstrations
- Multi-media portfolios of work product, including:
- Detailed position descriptions and performance appraisals
- Previous training records
- Supervisor / third party verification
- References and/or client testimonials
- Workplace or industry awards
Decisions about course structure are then made by academy3 (as constrained by the Training Package), but reflect the views and solutions negotiated and agreed with each learner and their employer. The training plan will set out details of how, when and by whom the training and assessment will be conducted.
The training plan will specify:
- the qualification to be issued on completion of the training plan
- all skills required by the apprentice or trainee to perform the job competently
- the training / tasks to be delivered by the employer
- the training to be delivered by academy3 and where and when that training will occur
- the end date of the traineeship
- units of competency that the trainee must achieve together with the expected completion date for each
- any units of competency that the trainee has already completed that are of relevance (recognition of prior learning)
- learning resources that will be provided to the trainee
- any additional support the trainee may require if there are identified barriers to learning, for example poor literacy and numeracy skills
- how and when academy3 plans to monitor and assess the trainee’s progress
- arrangements academy3 will use to report back to the employer and trainee on progress with the training
If academy3 requires the employer to provide resources or maintain records of the trainee’s on-the-job training or skills development in the workplace, this will also be specified in the training plan.
The training plan will be reviewed regularly by the workplace mentor, trainee and academy3 and adjusted where necessary.
Training Delivery
Following acceptance of the training plan, training will be conducted online (by academy3) and facilitated in the workplace (by a workplace mentor).
Online training – knowledge
This is a self‐paced mode of learning, where participants are provided all learning and many of the assessment resources via an online learning portal. Students will receive a unique log-in and password, which will give them access to the learning resources for each unit they are enrolled in. These include:
- Interactive tutorials
- Downloadable content
- Integrated links
Online knowledge development is an interactive experience, as students are encouraged to submit drafts and work-in-progress to their tutor on the path to final assessment. The trainer/ assessor will consider each project in the context of the student’s specific industry sector and/or organisation and make adjustments or contextualise as necessary.
Participants learn at their own pace and have access to and support from trainers via telephone, email and face-to-face. Support enquiries will also be systematically reviewed and acted upon as part of our own process of continuous improvement. Students who are inactive in the online environment for a period of four weeks will be contacted by the trainer and offered direct support.
Workplace training – skills
Where possible, each learner will be assigned a workplace mentor (or mentors) by their employer. This person will assist the learner in applying their knowledge in a variety of real and simulated workplace scenarios. The workplace mentor will also provide feedback on the learner’s progress to the trainer, and may – if suitably qualified – assist in the assessment of competency.
In this event, academy3 will first ensure that the workplace mentor understands that they are confirming they have observed the learner performing the tasks associated with the elements, performance criteria, critical aspects for assessment and required skills in an efficient manner consistently and over a period of time. They also need to record the context in which the learner was observed and detail any evidence that has been provided.
Assessment
The broad concept of industry competency concerns the ability to perform particular tasks and duties to the standard of performance expected in the workplace. Competency requires the application of specified skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant to effective participation in an industry, industry sector or enterprise.
Competency covers all aspects of workplace performance and involves performing individual tasks; managing a range of different tasks; responding to contingencies or breakdowns; and dealing with the responsibilities of the workplace, including working with others. Workplace competency requires the ability to apply relevant skills, knowledge and attitudes consistently over time and in the required workplace situations and environments. In line with this concept of competency, Training Packages focus on what is expected of a competent individual in the workplace as an outcome of learning, rather than focusing on the learning process itself.
To be assessed as competent, learners must therefore, under the guidance of qualified trainers and assessors, provide evidence which demonstrates that they can perform to the necessary standard. In judging competence, the assessor will ensure that the evidence is:
- authentic (the candidate’s own work)
- valid (directly related to the current version of the relevant endorsed unit of competency)
- reliable (shows that the candidate consistently meets the endorsed unit of competency)
- current (reflects the candidate’s current capacity to perform the aspect of the work covered by the endorsed unit of competency), and
- sufficient (covers the full range of elements in the relevant unit of competency and addresses the four dimensions of competency, namely; task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills, and job/ role environment skills)
The assessment activities are part of a formative assessment. academy3 and its trainers/ assessors have processes in place to provide feedback and reinforcement to learners as they progress though the activities and assessment processes. For valid and reliable assessment, evidence shall be gathered through a range of methods and over a period of time to indicate consistent performance. These methods shall include:
Written assignment
Tests knowledge and skills through
- Multiple choice questions
- Short answer questions
- Case studies
- Research / workplace projects
Interview
Tests knowledge and skills through
- Questions
- Scenarios
- (Third party) testimonials
Workplace assessment
Tests application of skills through
- Observation
- Work samples
- Role-play
RPL / RCC
Note that the process of RPL / RCC is usually completed prior to a student’s enrolment in a unit of competency or qualification. Nevertheless, this process may be revisited at any time through the training program at the request of the trainee or their employer.
Our integrated approach to assessment also brings together a number of units of competency that reflect actual workplace requirements, and involves designing integrated assessment activities to collect evidence for a number of units together.
Some units include suggested units which can be grouped together for integrated assessment. However all units that relate to a job function can be combined into an integrated assessment.
