May 2018
In this issue
1. From the Co-Presidents
2. 2018 ACAL Conference - register now!
3. Education IRC updates
4. CGEA updates
5. FSAT – budget update
6. Updates on Grad DIP TAE
7. Update from the Indigenous LLN streams of the 2017 ACAL Conference
8. 'Resilience: stories of adult learning' free download
1. From the Co-Presidents
The last few months have seen some great engagement and connection with emerging issues in the LLN field. As co-presidents, we have worked with the ACAL committee and wider stakeholders to provide input and feedback on workplace English, the Foundation Skills Assessment Tool and the Industry Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work (ISFPSW).
The ACAL Conference for 2018 is in Melbourne this September and the team working to bring it together are doing a wonderful job. We are looking forward to catching up with many of you at what is shaping up to be an inspiring and enlightening event. The banks of the Yarra will be filled with inspired LLN practitioners and stakeholders.
There have been developments in the area of curriculum this month with the release of the new Certificates in General Education for Adults. This change will certainly see many of us working hard to make the changes required for the July intake.
Our State Councils have remained engaged with the issues around the Graduate Diploma in Adult LLN and ACAL continues to monitor and respond to the issue.
Daniella Mayer, Jo Medlin Co-Presidents
2. 2018 ACAL Conference - register now!
September 12-14, 2018 • Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
The program for the 2018 conference is looking exciting and can be found on our website. Registration is now open, so please jump in to catch the early bird registration deals!
Two international keynote speakers are included in the program. Dr Jenny Horsman and Dr Darlene Ciuffetelli Parker will share their knowledge and experience with us. You can find a bit more about them through the ACAL website.
Early bird discount is available and closes on July 6.
And there's further discounts for ACAL and VALBEC members.
3. Education IRC updates
ACAL has published a response to the ISFPSW draft that was released for comment last month. There was a tight turnaround, so many thanks to those that have engaged with the process. Our response can be found on the ACAL website.
Daniella Mayer (ACAL Co-President) is working with the Education IRC as the feedback is reviewed and changes made. She is also involved with the Foundation Skills Training Package working group which is leading the review of this Training Package.
4. CGEA updates
The CGEA courses have been nationally accredited for the period from 1 July 2018 – 30 June 2023.
ACAL thanks the curriculum teams for their efforts in maintaining these important training products.
Members report that these accreditation processes have highlighted the difference between accredited courses and Training Packages. Organisations have a 12 month transition period for Training Package qualifications but not for accredited courses. Once a new course is accredited, new students cannot be enrolled in the old course. Existing students have twelve months to complete their current enrolment but new enrolments are not possible.
5. FSAT – budget update
The ACAL committee were invited to provide feedback on the FSAT tool in April 2018. The committee reached out to literacy and numeracy teachers across Australia via social media and the state literacy councils. The committee were unable to find more than a few people who were using the tool. Feedback the committee provided was centred on making the tool more user friendly and accessible.
In May 2018 ACAL received notification that funding to the tool ceased. Information on FSAT closure, factsheet and FAQs through the link below.
6. Updates on Grad DIP TAE
In the May 2018 PwCs Skills for Australia Industry Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work, Education, it was noted that TAE80113 Graduate Diploma of Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice has experienced declining enrolment numbers. From a peak of 199 in 2015 it dropped to 163 in 2016. More recent statistics were not provided.
It was also noted that VET teachers and practitioners are required to meet an increasingly diverse array of learner needs. ACAL believes that the key to creating a 'future fit workforce' is to provide options for increased learning and upskilling of practitioners. The Graduate Diploma of Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice offers such an opportunity. VET practitioners and others in the adult literacy space should be provided with opportunities to undertake the qualification to develop their expertise in the areas of literacy and numeracy, and supported to do so.
7. Update from the Indigenous LLN streams of the 2017 ACAL Conference
Two publications are available from the Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. These relate to the Indigenous Advancement Strategy, comprising an Evaluation Framework and a Work Plan.
There are two references to Adult Literacy in the Work Plan:
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Group 1: Strategic Projects / Cross cutting (page 5) - Data improvement projects
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Page 10: Group 3 Future Topics - Drivers of Change
Documents are available at:
8. 'Resilience: stories of adult learning' free download
This anthology of adult learner stories is testimony to the resilience of human lives, the critical role of lifelong learning, and how adult literacies weave through our journeys, visibly and invisibly.
Some of the themes are challenging and disturbing, and will resonate strongly for adult learners you're working with. These stories could be used in class as models of personal narrative; they could also be used as potential inspiration for adult learners creating their own account of overcoming adversity, or looking for reasons to persevere with their own learning.