by Ben O'Neal, Dynamic Brand Architect of My Colour Box | 12th March 2012

Image is the combination of perceived emotional, rational, and social impressions which your business makes on potential customers.

Everything you own, everything you produce, and everything you do will have an impact on the impressions you are making. The image you portray can be managed and developed with careful consideration, or generated organically without your awareness. Either way, your RTO has an image whether you like it or not, and either way, your image can make or break your RTO.

Psychologically, we are built to size each other up quickly. Our brains are social judgment making machines, and as far as our brains are concerned, your business is as much a person as you are. We can love certain companies, or hate them; be loyal to them, or abandon them; find a sense of community in identifying with them, or find a sense of community in rallying against them. The impressions we form of businesses, much as those we form of other people, are formed rapidly and are highly resistant to change. Even when presented with loads of evidence to the contrary, we remain attached to our initial impressions of both people and businesses.

It is essential to be not only aware of the impressions you are making, but to actively direct and manage every aspect of your business to form desirable, positive impressions, which will ultimately define your corporate image.

You have a matter of seconds to make a first impression. In simple terms, our brain consists of three separate brains: the sensory brain (reptile brain), the emotional brain (limbic system), and the rational brain (neocortex: a recent addition in evolutionary terms). Our sensory brain, which gathers information like what we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell, only talks to the emotional brain, which then processes that information and passes its own conclusions up to the rational brain, which must then process that information and pass its own conclusions back down to the emotional brain, which makes the decisions about what to do, before passing this back down to the sensory brain to carry out.

Put simply: our rational brain is at best, a lobbyist, whilst our emotional brain signs the cheques.

Emotional reactions are 80% faster than rational reactions. Our emotional brain sends 10 times more data to our rational brain that it receives in return. Our rational brain has no direct connections to our sensory brain, which enacts all physical actions.

In short: emotion is the single most powerful driver of our motivations and decision-making processes. If you can't promote a favourable emotional reaction immediately, you'll never get a chance to win them over with any amount of rational information.

In truth, the truism that "image is everything" is an understatement.

The way your clients see you

Is your business seen as warm and caring? Cold and impassionate? Driven and progressive? Conservative and old-fashioned? Creative and exciting? Unapproachable and hostile? Competent and leading-edge? Struggling and unreliable?

Do you know how your business is seen? Are you doing anything to actively manage how your clients see you? How would you even go about influencing your image?

Brand

The first place you should start is your brand. Your brand collectively encapsulates the elements which contribute towards your corporate image which are within your ability to directly control. By developing your brand you are creating the personality with which your business will be known. It is how you wish to be perceived.

Developing your brand includes creating your business' identity, which is the collection of all visual aspects which form and inform the overall brand. Your logo will often be the first step here, but your logo is simply an icon which refers to your brand. An effective identity includes a recognisable logo, corporate colours and fonts, graphic elements/patterns/designs which are consistently associated with your brand, stationery, marketing collateral, products and packaging, uniforms and merchandise, signage, and messages. Your logo should be the perfect reference to your identity, and your identity should enforce the core ideals of your brand.

However, your brand doesn't stop at your identity.

Social media

Engaging with your audience through online social media is rapidly becoming a powerful method for building your brand and managing your corporate image. The added advantage of social media is that you can extend your reach beyond your brand, and through word-of-mouth (or click-of-button), start influencing impressions and perceptions beyond your immediate reach. However, social media can be a double-edged sword for your corporate image, and should not be taken lightly.

Website

Your website is no longer (and arguably, never has been) a simple online business card or electronic flyer. Your clients are aware of your competition; they have a wealth of information at their fingertips, and can fact-check anything you say with three clicks. They are goal-driven and have refined and informed expectations from your website. Your website can be a powerful contributor towards a positive corporate image, but it must be undertaken with research and careful consideration with a view to engaging with your clients meaningfully.

Search Engine Optimisation

'Social Proof' is a term which refers to the fact that we trust the experience and opinions of others where we have no frame of reference or experience of our own. For any new client, who has previously never encountered your business, you will be relying on both the emotional effectiveness of your brand, and any implied or explicit social proof. A huge number of people are now initially encountering businesses through online search. Having a search result that ranks highly carries with it the implied social proof that your business is successful and relevant to their goals. Search Engine Optimisation is the best way to gain this social proof, and form a positive first impression.

Beyond the brand

Once your clients have taken the first step to engage with your business, you have your next big chance to manage your image. The way you and your staff interact with your clients will make a huge impact on everything your clients then think and say about your business. This may seem obvious, but the experience your client receives extends beyond whether your receptionist is rude or polite to their face.

Clients can now communicate with previous clients through online reviews, community websites, and smartphone apps. If any of your staff have online profiles, it's a matter of seconds to find them, and if they have posted comments regarding your business or clients, this has the potential to have a powerful impact in damaging or building your corporate image.

Your corporate image is hard to build and easy to destroy. Managing your image can be a time-consuming, confusing, and challenging uphill battle. But by being aware of your corporate image, engaging in ongoing research, consulting experts in varying fields, and educating yourself and your staff, you can stand to gain enormously. If image is everything, then building a successful image is building everything that matters to your business' success.

by Tobias Black and Mark Goudie, Directors of Brandhaus | 12th March 2012

The creation of a brand is more than just development of a logo, it's the birth of a new idea, the first moment of a brand's evolution.

Developing a new brand is a creative process that requires research, creative thinking, stepping outside of your comfort zone and discovering new ideas, evaluating results and analysing perceptions.

In a traditional farming sense, a brand can be defined as an identifying mark burned onto livestock. The mark represents ownership of this particular product (livestock), but by evaluating this brand in its environment the viewer can get a good sense of the company behind it.

Is the cattle yard large or small? Does the farm look well organised? How new is the farm machinery around the place and does it appear to be in good working order? Does the feed look to be of high quality?

These questions help the viewer form their own perception of the brand and the company, and will become the solid foundation for how they talk about this company, to their friends and family.

Branding in a business sense has the same basic principals. The brand enables a consumer to easily identify the offerings of a company and its products. It forges an opinion that is moulded and developed over time through the deployment of consistent marketing messages, which position the brand in its chosen market and highlight its brand position.

We believe that branding is the all-encompassing perception of a company, product and / or service. It defines the way a company would like to be perceived. The term 'brand' includes not only physical appearance of the logo or brand mark, but also the services the company performs, right down to the way they answer the phone.

In this essence, when it comes time to defining a brand you need to be able to break it down to its core values. This is a set of authentic values that the brand is built around and all big decisions are measured against to ensure the brand's integrity is maintained.

This process must be streamlined and without emotion to quickly identify and evaluate real aspects of a business' core. It is an essential part in the process of defining a brand that will be embraced, accepted, trusted and remembered in the public eye because it will form a set of core values that are a true reflection of the brand which the audience can relate to.

Having pre-defined core values makes it much easier to evaluate future marketing decisions. The brand you create and the marketing strategies that you roll-out must be able to move with the times, grow and develop as you do, knowing that every decision you make along the way can affect your brand and the public's perception of it.

"A brand is a living entity - it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time...The product of a thousand small gestures." Michael Eisner (former Disney CEO)

Loosening the reins

To its creator a brand is very personal. It is the result of many hours of labour, decisions made, stress overcome, planning and investment. This personal attachment to the brand can be a great strength in helping to define its core values but it can also be a hindrance if its creator doesn't have an open mind to creative possibilities or their perception is limited to what others are doing. That is where it is paramount to put personal feelings and preconceptions about the brand aside and to trust the experts when it comes to visualising your brand and developing creative marketing strategies. After all, you don't want to just fit in with the crowd… do you?

All of the largest and most successful brands in the market today started with a single idea. Then the idea was entrusted to a branding professional to develop their brand and its marketing strategies. If you can put aside personal attachment and trust in your chosen creative professionals, you will create a professional brand that will prosper and continue to be perceived in alignment with your brand position well into the future.

In saying that, this can be one of the hardest things to do. All ground-breaking ideas are born from such great challenges. In today's competitive market it is more important than ever to develop a brand that is unique and to promote this brand in unique ways that will inspire and engage the target market. The only way to do this is to be open to creative ideas and developing a brand strategy that is different to what others are doing. This can be very exciting because the creative outcome is allowed to be unique and ultimately more impactful and memorable.

Defining your brand

Establishing a clear set of core values will help you define your company so that you are able to develop marketing strategies that will position your brand correctly. No matter what your product or service is, you will need to define a unique selling point in order for your brand to be perceived as in demand. You will achieve this through positioning.

A simple definition of positioning is "identifying a market niche for a brand, product or service utilising traditional marketing placement strategies (i.e. price, promotion, distribution, packaging and competition)." Wikipedia 2012.

It's important to find a unique identifier for your brand so that the consumer is able to make a clear choice for your product or service over your competitors. For example your brand is the cheapest, highest quality, most expensive etc. That doesn't mean that your product has to be unique in order to sell.

Let's look at Coke vs Pepsi. Both brands have evolved over time but they always kept their brand in-line with the core values they defined in the beginning with the creation of the logo. They create separation from each other positioning themselves using creative marketing strategies, targeted at specific segments in the cola market. These strategies must always support and reflect their core values of the company.

As part of their positioning tool kit each brand creates their own unique positioning statements which sum up the brand offering in words. The positioning statement helps to remind the customers why they chose this product because it portrays the brand in a way that the consumer can relate to.

If you look at the Coca-Cola logo you can see it has a very traditional style that has remained intact over many years. This traditional style extends the brand in a much more profound way than just being a bit of graphic flair. Coca-Cola have always positioned themselves as the leader in their industry and their marketing strategies have always incorporated a traditional approach to being number one without actually saying it. They utilise slogans like "The real thing" in order for the consumer to relate to the brand. They suggest that there is no substitute and encourage the consumer to remember that Coca-Cola has been around for a long time.

Pepsi however have taken a very different approach since their change of hands in the 1960's. If you look at the Pepsi logo (post 1962) its hard edged typeface and circle symbol represent a more modern stand point. Pepsi's marketing strategies are all about being edgy, up with the times and youthful. They move with the times, adding new elements and aligning themselves with artistic styles and musicians of the time in order to grab the attention of a younger 'me' focused market. In 1962 Pepsi created an adaptable symbol and text logo that has been smashed, extruded, warped and even transformed into a robot-style animated 'dancing-can' in the movie "The Golden Child". The brand evolves with the times but maintains consistency through the use of colour and messaging with positioning statements that extend the brand strategy into the now. A classic example is from Pepsi's famous 1984 US campaign which saw Michael Jackson dancing in the streets of New York with a cast of young 'new generation' Michaels, singing a bespoke version of his hit song 'Billie Jean' adapted to feature lyrics about Pepsi and the 'Pepsi generation'.

These two brands have both positioned themselves at the top of the cola market. This is the hardest place to be because there is no obvious product benefit.

That is why it is so important for their core values to drive their positioning as it is solely based on brand perception. They create unique brand experiences that enhance this perception in order to win customers and create loyalty.

This doesn't mean that those who drink Coke will always drink Coke or vice versa. This is why both brands are continually battling it out with new marketing strategies and creative campaigns to reinforce the brand's perception and create differentiation from the other.

When we are approached by a new company, small or large, we work with them to discover the unique features of their brand and define their target audience. If there are no unique features we will create a unique brand strategy, which will correctly position the brand, building a perception that is focused on the target audience and will grow stronger over time through various creative strategies.

Once we agree and clearly understand what it is that defines the brand, we can then begin creating a logo and brand identity that will promote the brand to the world in the appropriate way.

Reflecting the right image based on a branding strategy and subconsciously creating a brand perception that builds trust in the consumer and creates excitement around the offering.

During the process of building your brand it is always important to consider:
• how your brand will flow beyond the logo, the corporate stationery and the website
• consider signage, animation, advertising campaign ideas, and finally how your brand will evolve into the digital arena.

Remember that developing a new brand, even for an existing company or product is a creative process. It requires a lot of research, creative thinking, stepping outside of your comfort zone and discovering new ideas, evaluating results and analysing perceptions.

The creation of a brand is more than just development of a logo, it's the birth of a new idea, the first moment of a brand's evolution.

It is an extremely exciting time in a brand's life so trust the advice of experts, let go of your preconceived ideas and be open to being amazed!

by Ben O'Neal, Dynamic Brand Architect of My Colour Box | 12th March 2012

Analogue industries are facing the choice to either adapt or perish.

Everything is moving online. Our children are growing up in a world where traditional storefront businesses and paperback books are as relevant as steam engines.

I'm going to throw some facts and figures at you.

There are approximately 23 million people in Australia. Over 85% of these downloaded 275 petabytes (275 million gigabytes) of data last year through 10 million broadband subscriptions. Of these, 9.7 million downloaded an additional 14.5 petabytes (14.5 million gigabytes) of data last year through their mobile phones.

There are over 180 million active websites online, and around 2 million of those are .au domains.

Internet advertising and e-commerce revenue increases around 15% every year, and is measured in the trillions of dollars.

Now, more than ever, it is vital for every business to have an online presence as an integral part of their business model. The trick is to ensure it's not just an expensive flyer but a valuable tool to help your business achieve its goals.

5 Ways to ensure your website fails

1. Don't Worry about having a clear purpose

Let's build a website!
Why?
Because, every business needs a website!

Too many businesses build websites that read like prospectuses, trying to dump as much information about the company as they can into as many pages as possible. Homepages are headed with several generic stock images of smiling workers and handshakes blended together, followed by lengthy but hollow paragraphs of marketing spiel, while the only item in the 'Latest News' sidebar reads "Welcome to our new website!", dated 2006.

Why would a customer go to this website? Which of the customer's needs does this website fulfil? What will customers actually do when they get to this website?

Websites are not passive marketing. Visitors are not volunteering to be advertised to simply by navigating to your site. They are goal-driven with a clear purpose in mind, which they expect your website will help them achieve. If you don't understand what their purpose is, or if your website does not immediately and clearly fulfil that purpose, you risk losing a customer.

2. Assume people care about you and your website

Nobody cares about your website except you. Well, maybe the designer who made it, but mostly you.

Your customers care about their own goals, and will only visit and engage with your website if it fulfils those goals. There are only four main goals:

1. Information [e.g. Wikipedia, Google]
2. Purchasing products or services [e.g. Ebay, Amazon]
3. Entertainment [e.g. Youtube, Reddit]
4. Community involvement / social networking [e.g. Facebook, Pinterest]

If the only purpose of your website is to present information about yourself, then the only people whose goals it meets are those who very specifically care about you.

It is essential to first know the goals of your visitors, and then build your website around fulfilling these. It's entirely possible (and even likely) that your visitors will have more than one goal. The simplest example is Amazon, where visitors can find information about products, be involved with the reviewing community, and purchase products. The more successful you are at delivering on this, the more successful your website will be at directing business to you.

A second, increasingly common manifestation of this mistake is for businesses to have Facebook and Twitter pages, clearly trying to jump on the social media bandwagon. If you're asking visitors to "Like" your 'About Us' page, you risk distancing yourself from your customers and coming across as being out-of-touch.

3. Believe that you are the target audience

Are you going to be the only person using your website? No? Then you are not your target audience.

This applies to your family, your staff and colleagues, and your friends. They are not your target audience either. Your target audience are very likely much younger than you, have different relationships with technology and their peers than you have, and have greater expectations of what they should be able to accomplish online than you do. Their preferences for aesthetics and functionality will have been shaped by vastly different trends, cultures, and fashions. What might be offensive to you might appeal to them, and vice versa. If your target audience were "people like you", you'd probably be out of business for focusing on such a tiny niche.

Despite all this, nine times out of ten, business managers and CEOs try to have their websites designed to appeal to their own aesthetics, interests, and expectations, and those of their close peers. If you do this, you risk completely missing your actual target audience.

4. Hire an expert, then ignore them

The customer is not always right, even when you are the customer.

You know your business. You've worked hard, sunk many hours into it, made mistakes and learned many lessons getting to where you are today. You have a wealth of industry and business knowledge, having done it the hard way. You are successful because you are selling your skills and experience, and they have a market value. Now if a customer hires you for your expertise, and then goes ahead and disagrees with everything you say and everything that you know is best for their situation, are you going to be able to deliver the best solution for them?

In the last decade, how many hours have you invested into learning web design and development. Web developers have thousands of hours of experience in building and delivering effective design solutions. Effective websites require a high degree of skill in a variety of technical disciplines, and the wisdom to be able to implement them creatively which takes years to develop.

If you hire an expert, and then override their expertise with your own preferences, you risk wasting money paying for years of experience that isn't represented in the final result.

5. Sit back and let your website promote itself

A website is not a marketing strategy. A website is part of a marketing strategy.

An un-marketed website exists in a void of loneliness. Without promotion, nobody will ever know it exists, except maybe by accident. Placing your website url with the contact details on all your printed collateral is a start, but it's not enough. For starters, only a relatively small number of potential customers even see that printed material, but more importantly, in this day and age, simply having a website without promoting it is a major mistake.

When it comes to marketing your website, it helps a great deal if your website actually has something to offer (see mistake number 2).

One method of promoting your website is through 'Search Engine Optimisation'. However SEO must be approached carefully to ensure you receive a quality service. Fortunately, if you've hired a competent web developer, most of the groundwork will have already been done for you.

To really make the most of your website, you need to promote it through a range of advertising avenues as a solution to your customer's problems and ensure it is regularly updated with relevant content. You can go one step further by expanding your online presence through e-newsletters, branding company emails, contributing to industry editorials and discussions, and so on. Essentially, all the things you're used to doing in the real world to promote awareness of your business can translate to the online world.

10 tips to building an effective online presence

1. Build Trust

The single most important factor for any business to be successful is consumer trust. A lack of trust will corrode the best of your marketing efforts and repel future customers. Conversely, trust is so powerful that it alone can sustain and grow a business even in the absence of active marketing.

To build trust, you must demonstrate that you understand your customers by fulfilling and exceeding their needs, going above and beyond to make amends for any shortcomings, and present a consistent and meaningful message through every interaction.

Your website can help be a part of how your business builds trust, by conveying your brand's message through visual and emotive cues and providing the functionality to enable effective interactions.

2. Present a unified brand

Your logo is your company's face. Your marketing is your company's voice. Imagine a 6'6" tall male world-champion wrestler, with a voice like a six year-old girl's. The juxtaposition would make it very difficult to take him seriously. Do you really want to use the font Comic Sans MS for your website?

Even something as elementary as colours will pre-dispose people to certain expectations. The IBM logo wouldn't work in pink. Microsoft doesn't resonate well on orange. McDonald's wouldn't do themselves any favours if they switched their 'golden archers' to blue archers.

Your website is very likely to be one of the primary ways your customers initially engage with your company. If you don't have a strong brand, that should be your first concern. Once you do, your website should build on it, not depart from it. The design layout, presentation of information, photography, fonts, colours, functionality... everything should reinforce the core message of your brand.

A great website will take advantage of the medium to enhance your brand's message in engaging and interactive ways that would be impossible in print or video.

3. Tailor your message to your target audience

The easiest way to demonstrate that you understand your audience is to speak to their goals. This will first require a degree of research into your audience and what they want. It's fair to assume that since they are coming to you, then what you offer must be their goal, right? Wrong. You are offering a means, not an end. Simply saying "Hey, I've got this thing you need", isn't sufficient. Your competition has that same thing, why should a customer choose you?

People will choose you over your competition when you can do more to progress them towards their goals for the investment they are capable of making. The cost of your services maybe a factor, but winning out on price may ultimately lead to economic disaster and that is a race you don't want to win. It's far more effective to focus your message on the functional and qualitative impact you will have on their ability to reach their goals.

This is where a website can be a powerful tool in delivering that message. Much more than a simple brochure or 20 second advertisement, your website can expound on your message with informative text, photography, testimonials from industry and customer reviews, promotion of discussion between prospective and existing customers, case studies and examples of success stories, frequently asked questions (FAQs) to allay concerns and build confidence in decisions, and so on. Understand your audience, know their goals, speak to their goals.

4. Focus on the customer

In the last few years there has been a long-overdue move away from websites which are structured and function in a way that is logical for the business, towards websites that focus on the experience of the customer. Every hierarchy throughout the website should reflect the priorities of the user. The first links in the navigation should be those most important for the customer, and the last links should be the converse, such as 'About Us' or 'Staff Profiles' sections. Content that is most useful and relevant to their goals should be placed near the top of the page, and the content itself should be worded and structured in such a way as to front-load and emphasise information the user needs. Use natural, personable language, and avoid industry jargon and superfluously magniloquent elucidations.

In addition to the content, the presentation and accessibility of the content must be considered.

Mobile devices currently account for over 10% of all site visits, and most websites are difficult or impossible to read and navigate on such a small screen. "Responsive" design is the latest buzz-word for building websites that are accessible for users through the mediums they use to access them. The last thing you want to do is spend time, effort, and money, building and promoting a website which can't be used by a significant portion of customers during the times they are most likely to be browsing for personal use.

5. Front-load purpose, value, and points of difference

When a customer reaches your site, you have four seconds to convince them you are worth their time. You can't rely on lengthy paragraphs, detailed explanations, cost / benefit comparisons, or complicated diagrams.

You must convey confidence, competence, value, differentiation, and most importantly, that you are the best way for the customer to reach their goals. Your biggest and most important impressions come from the strength of your brand, the quality of your graphics, the impact of a prominent, succinct statement, and the clarity of your calls-to-action. It is here that the value of experienced web designers can make the biggest impact, and it is imperative that you are able to provide them with a clear purpose and singular vision for the website, and ensure that your feedback focuses on maximising these crucial first impressions.

6. If it can be done online, do it online

In this day and age there really is no excuse to require your customers to take unnecessary and archaic steps when interacting with your business. With the exception of documents that legally require written signatures, almost any form can, and should, be integrated seamlessly online. Choosing to save a few dollars in the beginning by requiring visitors to break the flow of their engagement with you online will cost you far more in the long run in lost business.

The advantages of doing so extend beyond easing the barrier of entry for your customers. By taking information electronically from the first point of contact, you can have this information automatically stored and integrated into your company databases and management systems without wasting time and money on data-entry. Personal follow-ups can be triggered via automated alerts, to maintain the human element and reinforce your relationship with the customer.

7. Don't waste your visitor's time

Nothing ruins an opportunity to gain business faster than wasting your customer's time. If the effort required for your visitor to find a competing website is less than the effort required to successfully engage with you, you will be losing most of your customers.

Don't use "splash" screens. Any page which only exists to prompt users to click through to another page is a cardinal sin. Break down any process which your customers will be required to go through, and cut as many steps out as possible by stripping it down to the bare essentials. As a rule of thumb, three pages is your upper limit, and one is ideal. Don't ask users to enter information which is not obviously and directly related to the process, and don't make any information essential when it is not absolutely essential.

8. Use meaningful graphics

As tempting as it may be to stick with safe and cheap stock photography, by doing so, you reduce the relevance of your website and become another generic faceless business trying to be everything to everyone. The biggest impact will be made when you use professional photography of your actual customers or industry peers, preferably engaged in the activities of your customer's goals. Every graphic should tell your story.

If custom professional photography is not within your budget, it becomes even more important to find stock photography that is extremely meaningful and directly relevant to the core message of your website, and which obviously and clearly relates to the goals of your customers.

An alternative may be to include custom illustrated graphics, potentially from local artists or your customers themselves. In many cases, the opportunity to have their work displayed and affiliated with a company they can respect will offset any additional costs, and the effect such artwork would have on the impressions formed by local customers may pay off rapidly.

9. Simplify

Whilst it may be true for radio advertising, that "seven is the magic number" of times people need to hear your message, online, when people are actively engaging with your website, any repetition or redundancy only brings confusion and disengagement.

Do not repeat links to the same pages in different levels of navigation. Don't repeat ideas or sales pitches across multiple articles or content. Don't re-use graphics across different pages, unless those graphics appear the same on every page (such as your header and navigation). Group related content, and where possible, condense similar content into one page.

Finally, avoid using Flash. This is both an accessibility issue (Flash is not supported on Apple's mobile devices), a future-proofing issue (Flash is no longer being developed by Adobe), and a usability issue (Flash prevents users from interacting with web elements in ways they are accustomed to). Most importantly though, nine times out of ten, the use of Flash is superfluous and adds nothing to the message at the cost of complicating the visual and interactive elements of the site.

10. Get what you pay for

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. On the other hand, you aren't working with an unlimited budget, but you still want an effective website with a strong return on investment. Like any investment though, if you only invest pocket change, you can't expect much in return.

In the design world (and the rest of the world, too), the adage that 'past performance is the best indicator of future potential' holds particularly true. The first thing you should do is look at potential designers' portfolios. Talk to them about your needs, and ask them to show examples of how they have approached clients with similar needs in the past.

Now obviously, the designers with the most experience and greatest return on your investment will be the most expensive, and in general, the least experienced will be the cheapest, with the risk of not seeing a return on investment. So how do you find that 'sweet spot'?

Here's the trick: in most cases, the latest design will always be the best design a designer has done. This means that you can count on having a website that is better than what you have seen of their portfolio, but it also means that you can find a design team who are just hitting their stride, just at that sweet spot where their experience and skill are taking off. By shopping around the small and medium studios, it shouldn't take long to find the right team, who can deliver what you and your customers need for a price you can afford.

by Anup Batra, CEO of Arrow Internet Marketing | 12th March 2012

The way RTOs market themselves has changed significantly over the past ten years. Gone are the days where we relied on Yellow Pages, mailing out a prospectus and street signage.

RTOs need to change their approach to marketing to suit the way their market searches for products and services. In the past few years, there has been a great deal of hype in relation to social media marketing and maybe its time to jump on the bandwagon.

So what is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is the use of interactive media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for promotion and communication. There are many advantages of using social media marketing which include raising brand awareness, informing prospective clients / students, communicating with current students, right through to customer service and even making sales.

For RTOs it's becoming an increasingly popular method of engaging audiences, including both prospective and current students and also creates multiple channels of communication.

The challenge for many RTOs includes:
• learning how to use social media marketing methods
• providing a marketing budget to embrace social media marketing
• changing the culture within the workplace to allow employees to use social media… and be trusted.

Using an agency

While the industry is full of unscrupulous operators, some agencies have stood out by the distinctive work they are doing.

So what questions should you ask an agency to find out whether it is likely to be the 'real deal' with regard to our social media objectives? Do they just offer a social media presence (like a Facebook Page) or a comprehensive strategy?

Ask yourself:
• Do they seem passionate to work with me?
• Do they understand our business?
• How customised does their strategy feel?
• Do they take time to answer our questions and explain the reasons for doing what they do?
• What does this company's reputation appear to be in the community?
• Are they practicing what they preach and tracking/responding to their own mentions?
• Do I trust the people behind this company? Do they seem to care about my brand?

If a social media agency promises you a large number of 'fans' or 'followers' without any reference to how engaged they will be, it is better to stay away from them.

Key Elements of a Social Media campaign

Effective social media marketing campaigns are results based and measure performance based on relevant website traffic, number of people from the target audience asking questions / giving ideas and in certain cases, leads and sales.

For those who look at social media marketing as a method of generating leads, they should look at it not only at the top of the sales funnel but also as a method of keeping people informed about new things, making special offers to them etc in an effort to increase their involvement with the company/brand.

So what are the key elements of a social media strategy? What methods have been used by highly effective social media marketers so far?

• Community: Who is your target market? What age groups, gender, or geographic locations do they represent? Do they have any specific interests or aspirations which attract them to your company/brand?
• Content: What content does your community find interesting? For example, if you are in the education sector, your students may be interested in job placement and career advancement opportunities.
• Communication: How is this content presented to the community? Relevant image and video sharing are becoming increasingly popular as a method of boosting brand affinity.
• Collaboration: What methods do you use to encourage the community to interact with you? Do you listen to their opinions and respond to them?

Implementing Social Media Marketing

Once you come up with a compelling strategy, the next challenge is in the implementation.

Social Media Marketing can be a time consuming exercise and at this stage, it is imperative to take stock of the inventory of skills and time available with different people in the company. Whether it is writing meaningful content or generating videos, a small business may find itself constrained in terms of resources available. This is where it may be useful to come up with a social media plan which outlines what will be done, when, and by whom. For example, if your team can generate useful content for the community, but does not have the skills or time to keep the 'buzz' going, it may be a good idea to hire a social media agency that can increase audience participation.

Social Media Monitoring:

While doing all this, it is imperative to monitor the conversations about your company or brand on different social media channels. A number of tools are available for this purpose. These include Social Mentions, Bloglines, Technorati and Twitter Search. It may also be a good idea to monitor 'mentions' related to the industry and competition.

Social Media Mistakes:

While a targeted campaign on social media can result in a significant increase in brand awareness and sales, it is important to avoid certain pitfalls which can damage the reputation of your company:

• Jumping in without clearly defined objectives: A number of businesses start a social media campaign purely to 'keep up'. This sort of approach often results in wasted effort as the business just starts putting in updates, text and photos to keep something going. This results in diluting the positioning of the brand.
• Sharing too often in a repetitive way: Some businesses share far too often about similar things which may be annoying for their community. There is a social media information overload and it is important to making every share meaningful or interesting.
• Making every post an effort to 'sell': Making every post an effort to direct traffic to the company website makes your social media channels repulsive in the long run.
• Linking up all your social media channels: It is easy to link up your various social media channels so that one post travels across all of them, but think about it, how wise would it be to deliver the same message to your community through five different channels?
• Measuring your success by how many fans you have: You could have ten thousand fans on Facebook with little interaction or two thousand fans that are constantly interacting with you. There are a number of cheap tools selling fans on Facebook and followers from all over the world but what will this sort of following benefit your business and its brand.

Social Media Review

Most businesses are doing some form of social media marketing these days. Many are disillusioned that the time and effort being spent is not yielding any tangible results. If that is the situation, it is a good idea to review the social media marketing strategy and come up with a fresh plan with clearly defined milestones for achieving desired end results.

by Marc Ratcliffe, CEO of MRWED Training and Assessment | 18th December 2012

Gathering appropriate evidence Assures Success! If you continue to follow the six simple steps of assessment tool design, then your assessment practice will be more effective, you will gather better evidence, there will be more consistent outcomes for the workplace application and you will be cooking with gas as an assessor!

When approached to write this article, I was asked to discuss how to 'develop assessment tools that even an auditor would be proud of'. Now, it is great that an auditor loves your work, but ultimately the true test of a successful assessment tool is whether it is a good fit for the benchmark standards, the candidate/s and the workplace the competency is to be applied. Moreover, just because it looks good and ticks all the auditor's boxes, this doesn't necessarily make it right for all occasions.

According to the TAE10 Training Package v2.0 (p. 101) "There is no set format or process for the design, production or development of assessment tools"; however there are key elements successful ones share. This article therefore seeks to identify some of the best practice features that support the development of robust assessment tools.

Essentially, there are six steps in the assessment design process:

• Step 1: Familiarise yourself with benchmark standards
• Step 2: Identify evidence requirements
• Step 3: Select appropriate assessment methods
• Step 4: Develop assessment tool/s
• Step 5: Collect evidence
• Step 6: Trial and refine tools

Traditional assessment was focused on the testing part, rather than the learning part. In this way we were trying to catch the student failing, rather than capturing them in moments of success. However, these days we concentrate much more on verifying success (competence) than confirming failure and as such, it is critical that we develop evidence-gathering tools that help us to best support a candidate's claim for competence.

Like all professionals, assessors need to understand the capacity of the tools they use, and be able to adapt them to meet the particular requirements of the task and expectations of that task in a workplace setting.

Rather than simply regurgitating the old mantra of 'we have always done it this way', assessors should be continuously striving to enhance the tools to meet the changing needs of their unique settings.

STEP 1: Familiarise yourself with the benchmark standards

Before determining whether someone is competent, you will first need to identify the set of criteria or benchmark standards to compare their performance against. In the VET sector, this usually stems from national competency standards found in Units of Competency. However, it could also include assessment criteria found in accredited courses or other performance requirements from organisation-specific, non-accredited courses.

STEP 2: Identify evidence requirements

Within a Unit of Competency, the evidence requirements can be found in the Evidence Guide. This should be read in combination with other components of the Unit with intended industry outcomes in mind. i.e. What would a competent worker look like in the workplace? Visualising competence therefore becomes central to the unpacking of a Unit of Competency. Kind of like a jigsaw puzzle, where one piece is not enough to see the full picture, we need to see how all the pieces fit together to determine a true picture of competency.

STEP 3: Select appropriate assessment methods

An assessment method is the broad description of how the evidence will be gathered and can be divided into the following four categories:

• Observation of Actual Performance
• Answers to Questions or Problems
• Production of Items/Portfolios
• Observation of Performance in a Simulation

Depending on the evidence requirements outlined in the standard, some methods will be more appropriate than others. For instance, if knowledge is the outcome, the assessor is more likely to use some form of questioning, whereas evidence of skills would be more commonly captured through observation (either real or simulated). Finally, if a combination of knowledge and skill were necessary, a production of an item may be the best alternative.

STEP 4: Develop assessment tool/s

Assessment tools are the actual materials used to gather evidence via the chosen assessment method. Furthermore, they are comprised of two parts; the instrument (the specific activity or questions we use to assess competence) and the procedures (the instructions given to the candidate and the assessor about how the assessment is to be conducted and recorded).

Assessment tools generally make provision for the following practical requirements:

• Name of assessment tool
• Unit/cluster title
• Version control
• Candidate's name
• Assessor's name
• Date of assessment
• Result - competence achieved/outcomes of the assessment
• Candidate feedback
• Candidate signature/date
• Assessor signature/date
• Instructions to candidate and assessor
• Resource requirements of the assessment

Each assessment tool must have clear instructions on how it is to be used, how judgements of competence will be made and what reasonable adjustments are allowed to address issues of access and equity. Further to this, marking guides (or similar) should be created to support assessors in determining the ideal responses/performances expected from candidates and any variations that are appropriate. Guidance around the amount of evidence that should be collected or how often it should be collected could be included in this guide.

STEP 5: Collect Evidence

Most Training Packages will recommend the workplace as a preferred setting. However, when one is not available or appropriate, a practice setting which strongly resembles that of real-world setting is desirable. Other considerations when collecting evidence may include the size of the participant group, their physical location and access to equipment or facilities. Further to this, the timing of your evidence-gathering activities must take into account enterprise needs, and also the needs of your candidates.

STEP 6: Trial and refine tools

The final step in the process is the continuous improvement element of trialling and refining the tools. You may think you have the world's greatest and most appropriate evidence-gathering technique, but you don't really know until you have tested it with real people. To ensure your assessment resources are consistent with the requirements of the Training Package and they maintain their currency, sufficiency and effectiveness, it is important your tools are reviewed by other assessors and trialled prior to use with people representative of your target audience. Casting the net wide to include all the key stakeholders (colleagues, candidates, and industry representatives) should confirm that the tools facilitate the effective collection of evidence, are relevant for the needs of employers and that the level of difficulty is appropriate to the qualification.

The final words…

So how does it all fit together? The relationship between the six steps in the process may look something like the table pictured below. (Taken from the SFL10 Unit of Competency SFLDEC201A Assemble floristry products).

So what is the G.A.S. all about? Put simply, Gathering appropriate evidence Assures Success! If you continue to follow the six simple steps of assessment tool design, then your assessment practice will be more effective, you will gather better evidence, there will be more consistent outcomes for the workplace application and you will be cooking with gas as an assessor!

Assessment Terminology
Benchmark	The Standards against which a candidate is assessed. e.g. Assemble hand tied flower and plant materials.
Evidence Requirements	The information that when matched to the benchmarks, show that a candidate is competent. e.g. Ability to construct multiple and diverse fundamental floristry products.
Assessment Methods	Techniques used to gather different types of evidence. e.g. Observation of Actual Performance, Production of Items.
Assessment Tools	The instruments and instructions for gathering and interpreting evidence. e.g. Observation checklist and review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.
Evidence Produced	The information on which the assessment judgement is made. e.g. Demonstration of multiple hand tied flower arrangements.
Trialling and Refining	Checking fitness for purpose and seeking improvement options. e.g. Trialling your tools before they are used formally with candidates could enable more user- friendliness in the format and clarity in the instructions.

by Marilyn Harvey, Principal Consultant of VelocityWorx | 18th December 2012

There is often a perception that using the online environment for assessment is in some way different to any other type of assessment. It is not. Once the strategic decision to use the online environment to support or enable assessment is made, assessment design follows the usual parameters.

All assessment in the VET sector, whether it takes place in a classroom, in a workplace, online or on the moon, must meet the principles of assessment and the rules of evidence and be to workplace standards.

Despite the fact that over forty per-cent (40%) of registered training organisations, and more than sixty per-cent (60%) of teachers and trainers, say they are using some form of e-assessment (Stowell and Lamshed:2011) there are some persistent urban myths about assessment when it is deployed using the online environment.

Myth: Online assessment isn't as good as face-to-face

Face-to-face is an excellent way to conduct assessment, however, it does not suit all contexts or all units of competency. The online environment offers designers the opportunity to develop rich assessment tasks that target the candidate's own work role and workplace context. This is known in academic literature as authentic assessment, as the candidate is able to show what they really know and can do. Evidence can be gathered via projects, reports, work documents, journal entries, even third party verification, which is submitted to the assessor online. This makes the decision about whether to keep the work of all candidates a non-issue because this happens automatically with the technology and it also provides an excellent audit trail.

Myth: Online assessment is not up to the same standard as offline assessment

Callan & Clayton (2010) found that the online quiz is the most frequently used type of e-assessment. The most damaging aspect of online quizzes is that many of them are poorly constructed with limited validity and reliability. Many designers have little understanding of how to write good multiple choice items, whether they are for the online or offline environment. An example of an instructional design imperative for a multiple choice: If the item is structured to have a single answer, then there must be one clearly correct answer. This seems elementary but is frequently not followed, which results in sloppy and confusing options. Unfortunately, there is a perception that anyone can set knowledge questions and the writer is aware of numerous instances where an administrator has been given the learning material and told to create a test because everyone else is too busy!

A well-constructed online knowledge test can actually have more rigor than a paper-based version. A printed test usually asks the same ordered set of questions of every candidate and the same test is used for many years. This raises issues about both security and currency. Online knowledge questions can be randomly selected from an item bank, updated within a matter of minutes and also easily contextualized for a specific client group. In addition, if the candidate's first attempt is unsatisfactory, they may not get the same questions on their second attempt. Again, record keeping happens automatically.

If an RTO's online assessment is not up to the same standard as the offline assessment, then the responsibility lies with the RTO to change this situation. Once online assessment tasks have been developed, they must be validated just like all other assessment tasks, to ensure they meet the requirements of the Training Package and workplace standards. They must also be included in moderation processes.

Myth: It's not possible to tell if it's the candidate who has completed the assessment

This comment has been uttered, with a slightly hysterical waver in the voice, by professionals across the VET sector for at least the past decade. There is a kernel of truth that has given rise to this myth. Online knowledge tests, which are the most common form of online assessment, are often completed at a distance and automatically marked.

Cheating is a possibility in any assessment scenario and especially in high stakes situations. The opportunities for cheating can be reduced by both good assessment design and vigilance on the part of the assessor.

If an online knowledge test is the only task used to assess competence, then it can be open to abuse. In this situation designers must be particular about embedding checks and balances to ensure the nominated candidate has submitted the responses. Some RTOs include personalised questions throughout the test, others ask for a signed statutory declaration, while others contact a work supervisor and that person ensures the candidate is taking the test solo. At the very least, there needs to be a short online agreement where the candidate acknowledges they are the person taking the test by clicking on a radio button. This relieves some of the liability from the RTO and is now widely accepted as a legal 'document'.

However, very few units of competency can be assessed using only a knowledge test. Most units require practical tasks as well. Assessors have usually worked with their candidates as learners, or visited them in the workplace, so they have a personal relationship and are aware of the person's capacity. Short answers, journal entries, work reports and essays reflect the voice of the writer and a vigilant assessor who knows their clientele is able to judge if it is the candidate's work. This is the case whether the work is submitted online, posted to the RTO or dropped into a box at the reception desk.

An assessment result is based on the professional judgement of the assessor. The key is a good assessment tool that will provide the assessor with enough valid, reliable and current evidence to make a judgement call no matter what strategy is used to gather the evidence.

Online Assessment Options

Documentary evidence

A person's work role may require them to complete documents such as memos, reports or performance appraisals. The evidence requirements can be available online and the candidate's documentation can be uploaded into a drop-box as they collect or complete the evidence. This is an excellent way to support the RPL process.

Work projects, reports or essays

Templates for practical workplace activities can be uploaded into the requirements section so that candidates can download them when they are ready and complete them at their own pace. Well-designed templates provide clear guidelines for both the candidate and the assessor, so they help with rigour and consistency. The completed documents can be uploaded into a drop-box so that the assessor can access them. This is especially useful for qualifications at supervisor level and above.

Third party verification

Sometimes there is a need to gain feedback from a workplace supervisor. The candidate can download the template, take it to the supervisor and the completed document can be scanned and uploaded into a drop-box so that the assessor can access it. The assessor may choose to contact this person by email or telephone if there is a specific query or an issue around authenticity.

Short answers

Questions that require short written answers of a few sentences are completed online and submitted immediately. The answers are stored ready for online viewing and the response of the assessor.

Automatically marked

The different conditions that can be set for multiple choice questions allow a good designer to tailor a knowledge test to the client group. The assessment may be done under time pressure, open or closed book, with or without a pass mark and the result and feedback can be given to the candidate immediately. This is an excellent way to test the knowledge component of a unit of competency as, once good questions are set and validated, it ensures validity, reliability, currency and consistency.

Journal entries

Some online software has a special notepad that can be used for answers to questions of a reflective nature. It is similar to keeping a log or diary. The assessor is able to add comments or probing responses. This method is especially suitable for Diploma level and above.

by Dr Russell Docking, Director of Russell Docking Skill Resource Management Systems | 18th December 2012

Competency-based assessment (CBA) has always been defined as the gathering of evidence to be used to make a judgement about the achievement (or otherwise) of a unit of competency.

Clearly assessment consists of two distinct processes: the long drawn-out process of gathering evidence that is then used in the second quick process of making an assessment judgement.

For many years the process of gathering evidence was the only focus of resources in CBA, including the first version of the trainer and assessor standards as such the critical issues relating to making a judgement were not addressed until much later.

Evidence-gathering seen in isolation had no reference to keep it in perspective. This dislocation of the two processes resulted in excessive evidence-gathering (much more that was required to make good judgements) or insufficient evidence being too little to make a safe judgement.

There are many reasons for getting the balance right, too much evidence wastes both RTO and learner time and resources, detracts from the learning time, overburdens volunteer third-part observers and discourages recognition through RPL. Too little evidence renders assessment judgements unsafe. Not only unsafe from the perspective of the credibility of the certificates issued by the RTO, but also unsafe by the release into the workforce of employees certified as competent when they are not. Incompetent (or not yet competent) but confident employees who could harm themselves, others, clients, the business and even the community.

So how do we ensure that we gather enough evidence … but not too much?

Key principles to consider and questions you need to answer:

Ensure that you have correctly identified the mandatory requirements of a unit of competency; those qualities that distinguish between 'competent' and 'not yet competent'. Ask yourself 'What does this unit say a person must do to show me that they are competent?' In general terms this includes the elements of competency (not the performance criteria, see later), each of the required skills, and each item of required knowledge. It may include some additional knowledge and some additional skills found in the 'critical aspects of evidence', some pre-requisite or co-requisite units of competency, and perhaps some 'must include' requirements in the range statement.

Ensure that you use the correct form of evidence for each unit requirement so you can trust the veracity of the evidence. Ask yourself 'What are the appropriate ways of observing a person doing those things?' You can't get evidence of skills from a knowledge test, and you can't get evidence of knowledge from the observation of skills. There are many who have the know-how but can't do what they know, and as many who have the skills but not the knowledge of the processes that underpin them. The latter group finds transfer over time, location, equipment or enterprise very difficult because they perform without thought. You gather evidence of elements and skills through observation of performance (observation by you or a trusted/monitored third-party), and you gather evidence of knowledge by question and answer (either written or spoken, in a classroom or a workshop). The observation of performance is a particular challenge for online assessment where the temptation is to use key strokes as a surrogate for actual performance. The evidence you need for pre-requisites and co-requisites will be from official documentation.

Recognise that some unit requirements need multiple examples of evidence, others require only a single demonstration.

Ask yourself, 'How many times will I need to see the person do these things for me to be able to say beyond reasonable doubt that they can really do these things to the level required in their industry?' When we are looking at elements of competency we usually need many exemplars of the performance to be confident of persistent performance over time and location. We can get good ideas about the variations we can introduce from the unit's range statement. Sometimes were are told in the unit how many observations are needed, but when this information is missing it is a good rule of thumb to set a minimum of two observations. The first tells us if the element or skill can be performed with the second confirming it can be maintained, transferred, reapplied and retained. It also confirms if the first observation was reliable. There is great value in the second observation, but then the returns from further observations begin to diminish quickly, although this may vary in different industries. While it is good practice to observe elements and skills more than once, each item of required knowledge only has to be noted once (although it might take a few questions to be confident that the person does possess the item of knowledge).

Ensure your evidence-gathering tools are precisely targeted to reflect those requirements of the unit of competency. Ask yourself 'Do my assessment tools cover all the requirements, and have any extra (invalid) requirements slipped in?' Some sort of mapping is usually useful in making sure that every requirement is addressed the required number of times taken across the suite of evidence-gathering tools. We need to map 'both ways' to ensure that our evidence gathering tools do not include spurious requirements that are not required by the unit. These can be removed (reducing the assessment load) or quarantined from the judgement to ensure its validity.

Everyday traps in evidence-gathering.

Treating performance criteria as separate assessable entities (that really blows up evidence gathering!) A performance criterion is like an ingredient in a cake… pretty tasteless and boring on its own, but when combined with others in a united performance the composite is delicious. Likewise, the performance criteria of an element only have meaning working together in combination within the element of competency. The performance criteria must always be seen together when we are observing an element, so we need only plan to element level. We are assessing elements, and using the performance criteria to ensure that all observers are attending to the same set of ingredients. We judge the cake, not the ingredients but if the cake fails we may reflect on the fact that the ingredients were wrong ('you used salt instead of sugar'). Performance criteria are needed on the observation tools for observer reliability and validity but what the observer is looking for is the performance of the element.

Relying on the 'errors average out' myth to use excessive miss-directed evidence-gathering in the hope that vast amounts of cheap imprecise evidence somehow adds up to good evidence. We saw that illusion in much RPL practice where we said 'we can't trust hearsay evidence from the past … so get more of it!' RPL assessment evidence from the past suffers from significant doubts about currency, authenticity, validity and reliability (all the rules of evidence) and more such doubtful evidence will not solve the problem. All you need is some authentic, current, valid and reliable evidence ('show me now') and that can corroborate the evidence from the past, turning it from trash to treasure, so that the evidence becomes a blend of past and current evidence that meets the rules.

Decomposing the unit requirements into a meaningless sludge of unrelated criteria to save time when gathering evidence for a cluster of units. There needs to remain the 'look and feel' of each unit within the mix even though they are being assessed together and we must never make a cluster judgement. The judgement must be made unit by unit even when the evidence was gathered holistically.

So there it is, there are traps for the unwary, myths for the enthusiast and escapes for the overloaded. But the question of 'how much' is answered by the units of competency themselves, by the rules of evidence and by the principles of assessment. Get as much evidence for each candidate as you need to make a safe judgement. A judgement you can have confidence in… and no more.

South Australia

ASQA's Adelaide office opened on 26 March 2012.

ASQA sent South Australian providers an email and fact sheet explaining the transition process and how it is likely to affect them. If you are the primary contact on training.gov.au for a South Australian provider and did not receive this email, please notify enquiries@asqa.gov.au.

Information on the transition process for South Australian providers is now available on ASQA's website.

Tasmania

ASQA's Tasmanian office commenced operations on 1 March 2012.

ASQA sent Tasmanian providers an email and fact sheet explaining the transition process and how it is likely to affect them. If you are the primary contact on training.gov.au for a Tasmanian provider and did not receive this email, please notify enquiries@asqa.gov.au.

Queensland

Following the recent state election, more information about the anticipated passage of state referral legislation will become available in the coming weeks. ASQA will continue to keep providers in Queensland informed.

Queensland RTOs—and new applicants wishing to become RTOs—should continue to work with their state regulator (if, for example, renewing their registration or requesting a change to their scope of registration) until further notice. Course owners should continue to work through ASQA, as accreditation delegate for the state regulator.

Units of competency transition

Clarification of information in the March 2012 ASQA Update

If an individual unit of competency is upgraded to a new version (e.g. from A to B) in its parent training package, an RTO with either a qualification which allows the unit's inclusion, or the superseded unit itself, on its scope is not required to apply to ASQA for the change to be made to its scope of registration.

ASQA will assume the RTO's awareness of the change and capacity to transition its own operations to deliver the new coded unit (and issue competency transcripts where relevant), without amending its scope of registration on training.gov.au.

If an RTO with the unit explicitly referenced on its scope specifically requires that its scope on training.gov.au is updated to reflect the new version of the unit, the RTO must formally apply for the change and pay the applicable transition fee. This is a change in process for handling these transitions and was effective as of 15 March 2012.

Providers should refer to the Fact sheet—Revised training packages for more information

NVR Charges Bill

The Economics Legislation Committee has sought submissions relating to the cost recovery of audits undertaken by ASQA under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Charges) Bill 2012 (NVR Charges Bill).

The main method by which ASQA monitors compliance is by conducting compliance audits. ASQA also investigates complaints it receives about the performance of training providers. This bill will enable ASQA to recover reasonable costs and expenses associated with these additional monitoring activities, in line with Australian Government cost recovery policy, and as part of the regulator's move to full cost recovery by 2014–15.

Further information can be read on the Committee webpage.

Source: ASQA Update - Issue 10, April 2012

The National VET E-learning Strategy (Strategy), an initiative aimed at strengthening the Australian training sector's use of new learning technologies to improve workforce skill levels, launched their new website in late March.

The Strategy's website http://flexiblelearning.net.au is an online resource for the three year (2012-2015) program of action that will play a key role in stimulating innovative approaches to increasing participation in training and employment, and use of the National Broadband Network (NBN) for training delivery.

The National VET E-learning Strategy (which replaces the Australian Flexible Learning Framework) is the responsibility of the Flexible Learning Advisory Group (FLAG), a key policy advisory group on national directions and priorities for information and communication technologies in the VET sector.

"Through this Strategy, we are supporting the development of e-learning programs that maximise the opportunities associated with the rollout of the NBN," says FLAG Chair Raymond Garrand, Chief Executive of the South Australian Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology.

"In addition to capitalising on the NBN, we are supporting large-scale workforce development in industry, as well as extending participation and access for individuals through e-learning programs that deliver foundation skills and e-literacy.

Programs have been funded across these business areas in all states and territories, through public and private training providers, industry associations and enterprises. The Strategy's projects have been developed across a diverse range of sectors, from trades, manufacturing and mining to agriculture, communities and aged care.

"This new website features information on key business activities from programs funded under the Strategy, with contact details for projects across all states and territories, links to e-learning support content and resources for industry.

"Used strategically, the new technological environment will provide unprecedented access to improved training and learning opportunities," says Garrand.

For more information on the National VET E-learning Strategy, visit: http://flexiblelearning.net.au.

For more information on the Flexible Learning Advisory Group, visit: http://www.flag.natese.gov.au/.

www.skills.sa.gov.au

Source: Flex e-News - April 2012

To increase the uptake of existing pathways from vocational education and training (VET) to higher education, students are piloting a program to improve their academic self-esteem through an online course available in the Canberra Institute of Technology online environment called eLearn.

The Academic Self-Esteem course in eLearn combines digital literacy hints and support, online librarian assistance with counselling hints, and assistance in both fact sheets and via an online contact.

Academic self-esteem involves the development of academic skills, digital and information literacy, together with personal skills such as study skills, time management, dealing with stress and motivation skills.

These skills are vital for students transitioning to a higher qualification, particularly those from disadvantaged groups.

This pilot project is aimed at students moving from Diploma into the Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management at the Canberra Institute of Technology, which articulates into the third year of the Bachelor of Social Work at the Australian Catholic University.

The e-learning model from this pilot project will provide an exemplar for delivering effective academic support that facilitates successful outcomes for students progressing through to higher education.

The project has been made possible through funding received from the National VET E-learning Strategy (Strategy), and is being conducted over six months from January to June 2012 as part of the Higher Qualification Pathways Project, which aims to produce resources to improve learner pathways between VET and higher education in the workplace.

www.skills.sa.gov.au

Source: Flex e-News - April 2012

On 13 February DFEEST launched the new Skills for All website. This website replaces the existing website.

Skills for All is a South Australian government initiative that will change the way vocational education and training is funded in South Australia.

The South Australian government has committed $194 million additional funding to help support an additional 100,000 training places from July 2010/11. It will give South Australians the opportunity to gain more qualifications, many at low or no cost, through the training provider of their choice. Eligible individuals will be able to access subsidised training from July 2012.

An individual will need to meet course entry requirements and verify their eligibility with the approved training provider of their choice before being enrolled in government subsidised training.

Qualifications at Certificate level I and II will be fully subsidised which means there are no course fees. Qualifications at Certificate III level and above will be partially government-subsidised and students will be expected to pay a course fee as well as any relevant incidental fees.

The Subsidised Training List will list those courses that will be available to eligible South Australians. You will need to check with an approved Skills for All training provider about what courses are available through them. You can enrol in more than one course with more than one provider at the same time.

Skills for All training providers will only be allowed to charge a course fee (Cert III and above) within the set minimum and maximum range, for any given course. This means that different training providers may charge a different course fee for the same course. Skills for All training providers are required to publish their course fees.

www.skills.sa.gov.au

Source: Quality, Tertiary Education, Science and Research Directorate e-news (Issue 120)

The Premier Campbell Newman has announced the new Department of Education, Training and Employment and new Minister John-Paul Langbroek.

Mr Langbroek is the Minister for Education, Training and Employment. He will be assisted by Ms Saxon Rice, Assistant Minister for Technical and Further Education.

The addition of Employment to the department will bring about greater alignment in the three vital areas of education, training and employment.

Following the outcome of the election, the Department of Education,Training and Employment has commenced planning the implementation of the Government's election commitments.

The department is committed to ensuring Queenslanders have the education and skills they need to contribute to the economic and social development of Queensland.

The department delivers world-class education and training services for people at every stage of their personal and professional development. We are also committed to ensuring our education and training systems are aligned to the state's employment, skills and economic priorities.

With the addition of employment to our portfolio, the department is now more than ever committed to ensuring Queenslanders gain the education and skills they need — from kindergarten through school to vocational education, university and lifelong learning — to contribute to the community and share in the state's economic prosperity.

Source: Qld Skills Update

Velg Training has released the 2012 VET Summit this week. The 2012 VET Summit is designed especially for RTO Managers / Coordinators. The Summit will explore key issues and challenges that RTO Managers face when managing a Registered Training Organisation. This one day event will be held on the 9 July at the Kedron Wavell Services Club in Queensland. The Summit includes 6 experts, 10 sessions over 1 day. The full day program is available on line.

Source: Velg Training

The Australian Government has announced a new brand for promoting Australian education internationally – Future Unlimited.

Future Unlimited highlights the global relevance and quality of our institutions, along with their focus on the innovation and creativity. Future Unlimited also reassures students and their parents that their investment in an Australian education will deliver pathways to personal and professional success that will last a lifetime. With world-ranked institutions and internationally recognised qualifications, an Australian education delivers a Future Unlimited.

Australia is home to many education providers. Each institution has its own philosophy, logo and way of doing things. Future Unlimited brings all these messages together to raise the profile and preference for Australian education. Choosing to study internationally is a big decision, so it is important that we consistently communicate the benefits of an Australian education. By collaborating as a sector, we can achieve greater awareness and impact, and ensure that Australia continues to be both a leading study destination and highly regarded supplier of education services internationally.

The Future Unlimited brand has been created for organisations whose core business is Australian education and training or its marketing and promotion internationally.

There are two categories of brand licence:

Category A: CRICOS-registered institutions, Australian education sector peak bodies, state or federal government department or agencies, and state-based education marketing bodies.

Category B: Registered providers of Australian qualifications operating offshore, English language proficiency test providers operating in Australia, education agents or education agent associations representing Australian institutions, non-education Australian industry bodies, Australian providers of support services to international students, and other related organisations.

For more information or visit the website.

Source: ACPET National Monday Update - Edition 455

Does your registered training organisation (RTO) deliver training to international students? Can your RTO demonstrate outstanding achievements in all aspects of the delivery of vocational education and training to full–fee paying international students?

If so, your organisation could be eligible to apply for the inaugural International Training Provider of the Year Award 2012. The award will be presented at the 2012 Australian Training Awards by DIISRTE on Friday 16 November in Melbourne.

Ensure your RTO is recognised and rewarded for its excellence by nominating for the award.

For further information, entry requirements and award criteria visit the Australian Training Awards website or call (02) 6240 6848.

Nominations close on Thursday 31 May 2012.

Source: ACPET National Monday Update - Edition 455

Australian Education International (AEI) has released the PRISMS statistics for year-to-date (YTD) February 2012.

As at February 2012, there were 335,164 enrolments by full-fee international students in Australia on a student visa. This represents an 8.6% decline on the same period in 2011 and contrasts with the average YTD February growth rate for enrolments since 2002 of 7.8% per year.

For the detailed AEI monthly summary, click here

Source: ACPET National Monday Update - Edition 455

Grants are available for projects commencing on or after 1 July 2012 that increase or support opportunities for people who may be experiencing barriers to participation in vocational education and training and/or employment.

Barriers may be due to many factors of disadvantage including low income, low language and literacy levels, long-term unemployment and regional disadvantage.

Grant information and eligibility criteria, guidelines and application form will be available on the Skills Tasmania website from 14 April 2012.

Please note applications close Friday 4 May 2012.

For further enquiries contact Marion Wilcox on (03) 6233 7115.

Source: ACPET National Monday Update - Edition 455

The Financial Services Training Package (FNS10) version 3.0 – with a focus on tax practitioner requirements and life insurance – is now available for public access on training.gov.au.

Included are:
• two fully revised Life Insurance Certificate IV and Diploma qualifications, reflecting new and evolving job roles and requirements in the Life Insurance subsector
• a new suite of life insurance units
• revisions to tax practitioner requirements, including greater clarity of outcomes in relation to required knowledge, which meet the requirements of the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB)
• two additional units on commercial law, which will provide extra options for ACPET members who may wish to offer TPB-approved courses in commercial law for their tax practitioner clients, and
• a new Tax Practitioners Board Skill Set, which covers the TPB requirements for a course in taxation and a course in commercial law

Tax practitioner requirements

Minor adjustments to units concerning tax practitioners are expected to continue, as the TPB monitors areas of tax practitioner weakness that may need to be addressed through the training package.

Members should also be mindful that as well as updated training package content, if they are delivering programs that are intended to meet TPB requirements they should continue to check the TPB website to ensure that their programs comply with TPB requirements for tax practitioner registration.

Members can also find a summary of the FNS10 version 3.0 changes on the IBSA website. Full details of the changes be viewed in the training package modification history table and mapping guide, available from training.gov.au.

Source: ACPET National Monday Update - Edition 453

A series of fact sheets and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are available for RTOs which assist in clarifying aspects of the 2011-2012 APL Contract, Program Requirements and their obligations under the contract.

RTOs should check these pages regularly for new and updated fact sheets and FAQs. STS will also advise of updates via Training Matters News.

The following details new or updated information since the last release of Training Matters News:

To view all fact sheets and FAQs, please go to the Doing business through the Approved Providers List section of the STS website.

Source: Training Matter News – Issue # 80, 13 March 2012

The Vocational Training Orders (VTOs) for traineeships and apprenticeships aligned to the TLI10 Transport and Logistics training package have now been published in Commissioners Information Bulletin #530, released on 2 March 2012.

Those RTOs who have the new qualifications approved on their NSW Scope of Registration can now add the funded VTOs to their 2012-2012 Apprenticeship and Traineeship Training Program (ATTP). Further information is available on the State Training Services website details on:

• which VTOs are funded please go to the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Training Program Search.
• how to add VTOs to the ATTP please refer to Fact Sheet 2.5.

Source: Training Matter News – Issue # 80, 13 March 2012

This information is for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) who:

• have a 2011-2012 Approved Providers List (APL) Contract with the Department, or
• are still lodging data under previous APL Contracts.

The number of pending rejection lodgements submitted by RTOs is increasing. It is critical that RTOs lodge in accordance with the APL Contract reporting milestones.

All pending rejections require a justification to be provided. Where there is no justification provided or the justification is insufficient, the pending rejection will be rejected.

Increase Pending Rejection Lodgements

A large number of pending rejections has resulted in a delay in payment to RTOs due to the time taken to review the pending rejections.

STS views an increase in pending rejections as indication of poor performance and compliance with the APL Contract by RTOs, and this may be taken into consideration when assessing future tenders.

All RTOs are requested to review their lodgement practices to ensure data is lodged within the APL Contract reporting milestones.

Pending rejections you may receive are:

• Late lodgement - the data has been lodged after 28 days (2011-2012 APL Contract) or one month (2009-2010) of the reporting milestone.
• Early final lodgement – data has been lodged for the completion reporting milestone without lodging data for one or more previous reporting milestones, eg: initial and/or midway.
• Training Activity for Course Site ID (CS ID) reported earlier under different CS ID - there has been a break in the training contract and, therefore there is a need to use a different course site ID when lodging data; for example, a participant with a training contract under the 2009-2010 APL Contract withdraws from training but then re-commences under the 2011-2012 APL Contract. RTOs must check the data they are lodging to ensure that the relevant number of 'Credit Transfers' have been listed; this is done by entering the AVETMISS code 60.

The justification provided must address all reasons for the pending rejection.

Processing Pending Rejections

The review of pending rejections is on a case-by-case basis for each training participant and is reviewed the order that justifications are received. The review and payment of pending rejections by STS is a two stage process. The timeframe may vary in reviewing pending rejections. The two stages are as follows:

Stage 1: Review of pending rejections

The review of a pending rejection justification may take into account, but is not limited to, the following areas:
• Reporting milestone lodged
• Date justification was provided by the RTO
• Does the justification address the reason for the pending rejection and is it sufficient to accept the data
• Does the data support the justification, for example date training commenced/completed matches information provided in the justification, etc
• Does the data meet APL Contract requirements
• National Training Contract and/or Vocational Training Order (VTO) requirements
• Purchase Order requirements
• Training package requirements
• RTOs lodgement history, for the same or all learners
• History of justifications provided by the RTO
• Previous correspondence with an RTO related to their lodgement of data

Once the review is complete and the decision to accept or reject the data is made, RTOs will be notified via email and on Your APL Page.

Stage 2: Assessment for Payment

For pending rejections that have had their justification accepted, STS will assess for payment within 28 days from the date of the acceptance of the justification by STS.

Insufficient Pending Rejection Justifications

In reviewing the justifications provided by RTOs when lodging pending rejections, STS has seen a pattern developing. The following are some of the justifications STS has been receiving. All are considered insufficient:

• Staff leave, Organisational and Staff changes

  Please note that it is the RTO's responsibility to put contingencies in place to address issues with organisational changes, staff changes or shortages. Under the contract RTOs are required to contact the Department where there are issues that may affect compliance, including the lodgement of data. If an RTO is experiencing issues which will affect the lodgement of data they should contact State Training Services as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made in relation to the lodgement of data.

• Unaware of APL contract timeframes/milestone requirements, including 28 day timeframe and when the milestone was due

  It is the RTO's responsibility to understand the APL contract and meet the reporting requirements for all funded programs.

• Waiting for an assessment or unit of competency (UoC) outcome before lodging the commencement data

  As defined in clause 1.16 of Schedule 1, 2011-2012 APL Contract, when lodging the commencement reporting milestone, your data needs to show training has commenced in a UoC. You are not required to wait for an assessment or completion in the unit before submitting your data for this milestone.

• Unable to lodge as they were waiting on the Training Contract ID

  RTOs have 28 days from the later of commencement date of training or the approval date of the training contract to lodge the commencement data. Once a training contract is approved, RTOs can view the training contract details and the approval date through one of two Training Contract searches on Your APL Page. The use of this justification will require RTOs to provide additional information, including why the lodgement was delayed once it was approved, and where possible any further supporting documentation.

• Administration error/overlooked lodgement/backlog

  It is the RTO's responsibility to understand the APL contract and meet the reporting requirements for all funded programs.

• Training complete, please pay/ Training participant completed training early

  When providing justification for an Early Final Lodgement, RTOs need to address why they have lodged completion data for the end of training without lodging missing reporting milestones. If training completed early, some RTOs are providing information related to training delivery. While this information is useful and RTOs should continue to do so, RTOs need to explain why the milestones weren't lodged at that time. For example, if an RTO has been paid for Initial Yr 1 milestone and then lodge data for a completion Yr 2 milestone, they need to address why they did not lodge the Midway Yr1, Completion Yr1, Initial Yr 2 and Midway Yr 2.

Where possible RTOs should lodge supporting documentation to their justification, this may include emails between the RTO and STS. If there is insufficient space in the text box for the RTO to input the whole of their justification, they have the facility to attach a document or a zip file containing multiple documents.

Data Quality: UoC Start and End dates

When reviewing data, including pending rejections, it has been identified that RTOs are lodging data reporting all UoCs with the same start and end dates, and in some cases these are identical to the start and end date on the training contract. For example, this would indicate that, if 15 UoCs are report on an commencement milestone, that the RTO commenced training in all 15 UoCs on the same day. As such, the RTO must have the evidence to support participation in training in all 15 UoCs.

The start date for a reported UoC must reflect the actual date that the learner commenced training in that UoC. Similarly, the end date of the unit of competency should reflect the date that the assessment outcome is determined for that participant. Where the start or end date for a UoC is unknown then a future, indicative, date can be entered and updated when the actual start and/or end date is known.

If data is being lodged where the start and end dates are all the same, the RTO should include in their justification a brief statement about how the training is delivered.

Source: Training Matter News – Issue # 80, 13 March 2012

Some things are being moved, some things are being deleted, the format is different and everything is easier.

From May 2012 IBSA are running FREE national workshops to inform people of the changes. Do not miss this opportunity to be the first to see what these new user-friendly training packages will look like, and how they affect you.

These changes will directly impact the future delivery of training packages so be quick and register online here.

Source: IBSA News & Projects

IBSA is pleased to announce the 2012 Escan is now available it provides a detailed, evidence driven analysis of the influences on industry workforce development and skills demand for IBSA's six industries: Business Services, Cultural & Creative Industries, Financial Services, Information & Communications Technologies, Printing & Graphic Arts, and Training & Education.

Escan 2012 highlights:
• attention of industry to advancing technologies and competition
• development of technology and digital literacy skills to maximise the benefits of highspeed broadband
• demand for higher level skills in leadership and management
• support for the VET workforce to ensure confidence in Australia's national skills system

To download Escan 2012, or to register to participate in Escan 2013, please visit the IBSA website.

Source: IBSA News & Projects

IBSA would like to thank all participants for their contribution and feedback with the review of the Occupational Health and Safety qualifications and units of competency within the BSB07 Business Services Training Package.

The proposed changes to the qualifications and the updated units of competency are now available for comment and feedback. These changes have been made after extensive national consultation and evaluation of feedback.

To access the draft units and/or the draft qualifications view the IBSA current projects page.

You can either provide feedback on the qualifications or units of competency directly, or email you feedback to Eddie Hardman at eddie@ibsa.org.au by COB Wednesday 14 March 2012.

Source: IBSA News and Projects Update, 23 February 2012

A strategic checklist and set of web links has been developed to help higher education and VET institutions to develop prioritised activity around the mental health of their student populations.

The student mental health checklist was formulated by delegates of the recent inaugural National Summit on the Mental Health of Tertiary Students in Melbourne, which brought together high-profile delegates from education, government and mental health peak bodies across Australia and New Zealand to highlight the urgency of addressing mental health issues in tertiary education and initiating coordinated action.

In Australia, there has been increasing government and community recognition of the existence, impact and scale of mental health as a widescale social issue. This is reflected in public policy, budget initiatives, high-level public discussion and debate in high profile organisations seeking to demystify and destigmatise mental health as an area of community and public health importance.

Key reasons that tertiary students in particular may be vulnerable to mental ill health include:
• the pressure of constantly assessed performance
• the process of developing an adult identity in the context of pursuing studies and work
• the complicated, often difficult processes of engaging with other students, staff, and with large, often impersonal institutions
• adjusting to a move away from home, family, school or work, and from country and familiar socio-linguistic environments
• managing practical life matters such as finances and accommodation, and
• uncertainty about life and career pathways.

The recent and explosive expansion of tertiary education in Australia has coincided with increased recognition of the increasing degree and severity of mental health illness among tertiary students.

University-based mental health practitioners and other professionals recognise that tertiary students increasingly need access to more and better mental health services so they can achieve and maintain mental health or manage the academic consequences of mental ill-health.

But it is less clear what the responsibilities are of institutions to deal with them.

The summit, held in Melbourne in August 2011, aimed to identify concrete standards and goals for the mental health of tertiary students and which would provide a platform to guide institutional policies, programs and practices in Australia over the next five years. Representatives from higher education and VET, mental health and government peak bodies came together for a focussed set of discussions on mental health in tertiary education and develop the guidelines as a strategic starting point for addressing mental health.

Source: ACPET National Monday Update, edition 449, 27 February 2012

Applications are now open for the Accelerated Australian Apprenticeships Program and the Australian Apprenticeships Mentoring Program.

Nearly $100 million has been allocated for the Accelerated Australian Apprenticeships initiative, which was announced by the Australian Government as part of the Apprenticeships Reform element of the Building Australia's Future Workforce package.

Details of the programs and application guidelines and forms can be found here.

Source: ACPET National Monday Update, edition 449, 27 February 2012

Over the last 12-18 months a number of different agencies and jurisdictions have been scoping, planning and developing resources for Energy Efficiency training and skills development.

These resources are now available for wider use and VET practitioners are encouraged to take up and use these resources.

The Federal Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism has a range of material on their website relating to energy programs, security, markets, efficiency, sustainability and climate change (click here).

The NSW Office of Environment & Heritage has developed some resources for energy efficiency training, specifically for the VET sector(click here).

Manufacturing Skills Australia is also running a Sustainability Skills Resource Project which will develop resources to help RTOs deliver the Sustainable Operations qualifications (click here).

The project is funded under the Australian Government's Green Skills Agreement.

The resources will be aligned to the eleven core units of competency from the MSS11 Sustainable Operations qualifications. They will include:

• Explanations of key concepts and practices in the units
• Examples of tools and checklists
• Guideline assessment tools
• Contextualisation advice for six manufacturing sectors.

Source: DFEEST Notification, Monday, 27 February 2012

The ASQA February update is now available, with the latest developments in Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia on the transition from state vocational education and training (VET) regulators to ASQA.

The update also includes the latest information on RTOs' annual reporting requirements and CRICOS registration requirements:

ASQA information sessions for RTOs and course owners

ASQA will hold information sessions across Australia for VET providers and course owners in the first half of 2012. This will be a valuable opportunity to hear from the ASQA commissioners about:

• ASQA's regulatory approach
• essential ASQA processes
• transition arrangements, and
• local VET issues.

Interested members will find further details about session times and registration on the ASQA website.

Transition to the National Regulator

Queensland

VET regulatory powers in Queensland are expected to be transferred from DETA to ASQA in mid 2012. At present, the parliamentary process for the referral of these powers to the national regulator is continuing. Until further notice, Queensland RTOs and new applicants wishing to become RTOs should continue to work with DETA. ASQA and DETA will contact RTOs with more information about the transition process in the coming months.

Tasmania

All Tasmanian Qualifications Authority (TQA) VET regulatory responsibilities were transferred to ASQA on 15 February 2012. ASQA is now also the designated authority for VET and ELICOS delivery by Tasmanian providers. RTOs and course owners will shortly receive a letter from ASQA explaining the transition process and how it is likely to affect them. Currently registered RTO and course owners are not required to do anything to transfer their registration or accreditation to ASQA. Further details are available on pages 2-3 of the ASQA February update.

South Australia

RTOs and new applicants who wish to register as RTOs in South Australia should continue to work with their state until further notice.

CRICOS registration for NSW RTOs is now under the auspices of ASQA. The previous arrangement, in which registration took place with the National ELT Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) under a delegated authority arrangement with VETAB, no longer exists.

NSW RTOs or ELICOS providers who wish to renew or amend their CRICOS registration must now apply directly to ASQA, which has contracted NEAS to provide ASQA with audit services.

Further information on CRICOS registration can be found on the ASQA website.

Training.gov.au

As Australia's official national register and principal database on VET information, Training.gov.au includes details on training packages, qualifications, courses, units of competency, accredited courses and RTOs.

Given the continual evolving of competencies and changes to participants in the VET sector, ACPET members are encouraged to stay on top of the latest developments. This can be done by:

• visiting training.gov.au and registering for a user account
• using the search function to locate relevant information, or
• selecting the 'Notify me of changes' option to receive email advice on changes to nationally recognised training products and RTO information.

RTO annual reporting requirements

RTOs that operate under ASQA regulations may be required to provide information to ASQA at any time in accordance with the legislation underlying the VET Quality Framework. ASQA will inform RTOs when necessary of information required.

RTOs must submit to ASQA their 2011–12 Quality Indicator data reports (competency completion, employer satisfaction, learner engagement) by 30 June 2012. More information on ASQA's reporting requirements may be found on the ASQA website.

Source: ACPET National Monday Update - edition 448, Monday 20 February 2012

Individual or business collectives, professional associations, industry bodies, chambers of commerce etc are invited to lodge applications through Service Skills Australia to access a pool of up to $5m National Workforce funding dedicated to the sectors of tourism undergoing structural adjustment and reform.

Applications to Service Skills are required to address the following key points:
• What is the identified business / enterprise / sector need?
• How will the proposed training response address the identified need?
• How will the enterprise measure the effectiveness / impact in their business?

Per existing national workforce guidelines, employers are required to co-contribute to the agreed cost of training as follows: Enterprises engaging 1-99 staff contribute 33%; Enterprises engaging 100-199 employees contribute 50%; Enterprises engaging >200 staff are required to contribute 67%.

Whilst applications require a price be nominated for the provision of services, it should be noted all applications will also be reviewed against 'Value for Money' considerations

Whilst applications will generally request full qualifications, candidates with an existing Certificate 3 qualification may access a 'skill set'. Skill sets are not available in the Tourism, Hospitality or Retail training packages. However skill sets are available in a range of business qualifications that may be applicable (Refer to Attachment 1 for sample listing).

Through the active support of training providers, enterprise specific workforce plans are required to be completed as an outcome of the training and assessment engagement. Attachment 2 provides a sample Workforce Plan courtesy of the SA Department of Trade and Economic Development 2009.

Enquiries

It is recommended for parties considering accessing this opportunity to contact Service Skills to discuss proposals in advance of lodgement. Enquires can be directed to Bernard Moore at bmoore@serviceskills.com.au or M: 0433 244 638 / S: 02 8243 1200.

Key dates

As there is no provision for rollover of uncommitted funds into the next financial year, projects are required to enrol and commence training prior to the end of April wherever possible and no later than May 2012. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to prepare applications for lodgement in the coming weeks.

Applications / Guidelines

Interested parties can access guidelines or apply online through the department's site: NWDF guideliness and TED online application Link . Alternately, parties are strongly encouraged to request an application by emailing mblakeley@serviceskills.com.au listing the trading name, ABN and contact person.

Source: Service Skills Australia E-Newsletter, February 2012

Service Skills Australia is seeking the help of RTOs with an important project on the destinations of VET graduates.

The project is a survey of students who have successfully completed qualifications in the hospitality and retail industries over the last 3 years. One of the key aims of this Destinations Survey is to develop a greater understanding of the work and study pathways people take after completing a VET qualification.

The data produced by the Destinations Survey will provide greater knowledge of students work and study outcomes and assist RTOs in tailoring their programs in a more targeted fashion. SSA anticipates that the results will assist in demonstrating the relevance and raising the profile of VET qualifications in the service industries and provide RTOs with important information about the role and outcomes of the training they deliver.

If you are able to assist with this survey or have any queries about the research, please contact Esther Doecke from the University of Melbourne's Centre for Research on Education Systems on 03 8344 8564 or via email at doeckee@unimelb.edu.au

Source: Service Skills Australia E-Newsletter, February 2012

The Australian Government's National Broadband Network-Enabled Education & Skills Services (NBN-EESS) initiative will support the development and trialling of innovative online education and skills services that take advantage of the high speed broadband connections being made available through the NBN.

Applications for funding through the NBN-EESS program are now open. Further information is available at the NBN-EESS program website. Click here to apply.

The call for proposals will close on Friday 3 February 2012 at 5:00 pm (AEST).

Source: ACPET National Monday Update, edition 445, 30 January 2012

While TAFE institutes and other registered training organisations are interested in developing 'encore career' programs and services, they are unable to do so within the current funding arrangements.

Published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Reskilling for encore careers for (what were once) retirement years, by Jane Figgis introduces the idea of encore careers as a way of encouraging people to stay connected with the workforce past the age of 65.

With rising numbers of people in Australia now expected to reach 90 years of age, a whole new stage of life has evolved in our lives and finding meaningful ways to fill these years is of value to both the individual and society.

Well-established in the United States as 'work in the second half of life that has social impact', encore careers have the potential to be equally affective in Australia.

"Encore careers provide an alternative to the standard rhetoric of keeping older workers in their current jobs longer, as has been the intention of many recent initiatives," says Ms Francesca Beddie, General Manager Research, NCVER.

"Instead they may take the person in fresh directions, building on their skills and experience, while also offering new opportunities for personal growth," she says.

Encore careers also present new opportunities for training providers through the provision of informal and formal learning.

While there are many programs and services available to help school-leavers make a successful transition from school to employment, older workers often have to 'go it alone' in working out how to continue to enjoy productive lives after retirement. Those who have created encore careers usually have had the energy and personal resources to do so themselves.

"Given that retirement could last for 20 or even 30 years, it makes sense to harness the life experiences and intellectual capital of older Australians and help keep them connected with the workforce beyond the age of 65," Ms Beddie says.

Copies of Reskilling for encore careers for (what were once) retirement years are available from the NCVER website.

Source: NCVER Email alert, 19 January 2012

Ensuring the quality of aged care training has been made a priority by the new national regulator of the vocational education and training sector, reports Natasha Egan.

From January, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) will scrutinise registered training organisations (RTOs) when they apply to register, renew or amend courses that include aged care qualifications.

ASQA confirmed it is already investigating one RTO and is gathering further information to determine if a sector-wide audit is required.

"ASQA will treat the aged care qualifications as potentially high risk from January 1, 2012," a spokesperson told INsite.

This means all organisations applying for initial aged care training registration will be site audited at the time of registration and again a year later. All RTOs that offer aged care qualifications will be audited when applying to renew their registration.

If an RTO requests to add aged care qualifications to their schedule, they will need to provide training and assessment criteria plus training materials.

Minister for Ageing Mark Butler has said on a number of occasions since the release of the Productivity Commission's report that training issues could likely be addressed ahead of broader sector reform.

The highly variable quality of Certificates III and IV training was raised repeatedly during the commission's public hearings, with the issue canvassed extensively in its final report.

Butler told INsite that the government requested ASQA give priority to examining issues in aged care training prior to a full response to the PC's report. "A full review of aged care training providers will be considered as part of the government's formal response to the PC's recommendations," he said.

As part of its prioritisation, ASQA is contacting all its RTOs that offer aged care qualifications. It is seeking all course-related information including enrolment and completion data for this year and projected numbers for next year.

"This information will provide background and scope of a possible strategic audit of the sector," the spokesperson told INsite.

Further, ASQA said it was in talks with DoHA to work together and share information to improve aged care training delivery. "ASQA will also contact the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency to develop a similar approach to examining the quality in the sector," it said.

On the issue of complaints, the spokesperson said ASQA would continue its "risk-focused approach" to aged care training provision and monitoring of standards.

"ASQA responds rigorously to issues and complaints that are made about the aged care sector and is currently undertaking a major audit of a national aged care RTO."

Elsewhere, the CEO of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET), Claire Field, said her organisation was aware and supportive of the government and ASQA's focus on aged care training.

"We have been actively involved in discussions with the federal government and ASQA on ways to strengthen quality in aged care training," Field told INsite.

This is despite there being no concerns raised by regulators, students or institutions regarding quality in aged care training amongst ACPET's membership, Field said.

On ensuring a high quality of training, Field said ACPET introduced a new benchmark for quality amongst its members earlier this year. That includes tougher membership standards and codes of practice and risk assessments to all new and renewal applications, she said.

However, the CEO of Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council (CS&HISC), Rod Cooke, said ensuring quality and consistency of training in aged care was a shared responsibility.

Cooke said a collaborative approach involving all stakeholders was needed to guarantee enough qualified workers to meet the increasing demand for aged care.

"While poor training is a problem for VET regulation and must be addressed in itself, the way employers engage recognised training and provide an environment for skill development must also be addressed as part of improving careers and retention," Cooke said.

Further, he said CS&HISC had a role to play in raising quality through continuous review of competency standards, such as making work placement a mandatory part of the assessment criteria. He said this would require industry support and greater involvement from employers and workplace supervisors.

"With industry clearly stating their concerns through the Productivity Commission's report and our own 2011 environmental scan identifying the fast-tracking as an industry concern, it would seem that there is significant support for such changes," Cooke said.

ASQA took over national regulating duties of the VET sector on July 1. The authority is charged with ensuring nationally approved quality standards of courses and RTOs are met.

States and territories changed their legislation to hand regulatory powers to ASQA, with the exception of Victoria and Western Australia.

Source: Community Services and Health Industries Skills Council, 1 January, 2012

Greens NSW MP, John Kaye, has once again shown his lack of understanding of the reality of the NSW vocational education and training (VET) sector with his inaccurate attack on Australia's private training providers.

ACPET CEO, Claire Field, said Mr Kaye's description of the Victorian VET reforms as "throw(ing) TAFE into competition with low cost, low quality private providers" was utterly incorrect and a slur on high quality independent training providers.

"Mr Kaye should check his facts before making such wild claims and consider all of the evidence available. If he did he'd see the evidence clearly shows the success of the Victorian student entitlement model.

"The fact is that since the funding reforms were introduced in Victoria, the State's training market has grown by 35%, delivering more than 200,000 additional nationally accredited qualifications in 2010 than were awarded before the changes."

"Training reforms are underpinning Victoria's response to skills shortages. In the last 12 months, Victoria has seen a 23% growth in government-funded training enrolments related to industries experiencing shortages,including health, social services and construction," Ms Field said.

"Importantly the reforms are also offering significant new opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake training."

"The Victorian reforms have seen substantial increases in enrolments by students from language backgrounds other than English (enrolments up 26%), particularly in areas of high unemployment such as Greater Dandenong and Hume; increased enrolments by students with a disability (up 22%); a 16% increase in enrolments by Indigenous students, more young people enrolling in training who have not previously completed Year 12 (24% increase); and increased enrolments in foundation courses (basic language,literacy/numeracy) are up 67%."

Ms Field said "the reality of the Victorian experience is that in today's world not all students want to study at TAFE. When offered a choice many students opted for a private or not-for-profit provider to meet their needs."

"Make no mistake, ACPET is not calling for the abolition of TAFE but reform of the NSW VET sector cannot and should not be avoided because it might lead students or employers to choose a non-TAFE provider. The challenge for government is to define a clear role for TAFE NSW, to allow the TAFE Institutes to compete with independent providers, and then allow students and employers real choice in their training provider."

"ACPET has taken numerous steps in the past eighteen month to lift the quality bar for VET delivery. The time is right for the NSW government to show its commitment to expanding the provision of high quality VET to increase access to training and increase productivity in New South Wales."

Source: ACPET Media Release, 9 January 2012

A 'general direction' may be given by ASQA, as the National VET Regulator, on the way in which the VET Quality Framework and other conditions defined in the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (the Act) are to be complied with.

The 'General direction—transition and teach out' is a general direction made under section 28(1) of the Act. It is a condition of registration that an ASQA RTO must comply with any such general directions.

The purpose of this general direction is to guide ASQA RTOs in managing the transition from superseded Training Packages and accredited courses. It also guides RTOs in managing the transition from superseded units of competency, deleted Training Package qualifications and expired accredited courses.

This general direction also describes arrangements to 'teach out' students enrolled in superseded or deleted qualifications, or superseded or expired accredited courses.

Find out more information at asqa.gov.au

Source: Training Packages @ Work, December 2011

More than $90 million has been committed through the Skills Queensland Strategic Investment Fund for industry-led training programs to skill Queenslanders for jobs in key industries and regions across Queensland.

Skills Queensland Chairman Greg Kempton said the projects funded will help tackle skills shortages and lift labour productivity.

"Skills Queensland is partnering with over 90 Queensland companies and industry groups in sectors including resources, construction, and health care and social services, to deliver targeted skilling programs," Mr Kempton said.

"Through the fund we expect in excess of 15,000 Queenslanders to get the training and qualifications needed to improve their careers with their current employer or to secure themselves skilled jobs in a growth industry.

"We are funding projects to skill people for a diverse range of jobs from drillers, welders and underground coal operators, through to child care and mental health workers, small business managers, and diary producers.

"The first Skills Queensland Strategic Investment Fund projects will commence in coming weeks to help ensure Queensland businesses have the skilled workers they need now and into the future."

Mr Kempton said the Queensland Government has committed over $60 million along with its industry partners who are committing an estimated $30 million.

For more information visit skills.qld.gov.au

Source: Training Packages at Work, December 2011

IBSA is very pleased to advise that the CUL11 Library, Information and Cultural Services Training Package is now available on the Training.gov.au website.

The Training Package was endorsed by the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) on 26 October 2011 and includes four qualifications:
• Certificate II in Information and Cultural Services
• Certificate III in Information and Cultural Services
• Certificate IV in Library, Information and Cultural Services
• Diploma of Library and Information Services

The CUL11 Library, Information and Cultural Services Training Package is also available for download from the IBSA Feedback Hub.

Source: IBSA Newsletter, December 2011

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is calling for applications for the 2011 round of the VET Outbound Mobility Program.

The program offers VET providers the opportunity to provide their students and staff wide-ranging international learning experiences that encompass work experience, internships, volunteering, short language or other courses across a range of vocational fields and qualification levels.

For providers, outbound mobility programs are an opportunity to establish working arrangements with offshore partners, which may in turn lead to student exchanges that attract international students, as well as other marketing opportunities.

For students and staff who aspire to broaden their experience and globalise their skills, outbound mobility opportunities enhance their study experience, lead to potential future professional contacts and add employability value.

Eligible applicants

RTOs (public and private) only are eligible for funding. Applications may be made in partnership with another Australian organisation such as peak bodies, government agencies or Industry Skills Councils. The activity must relate to the participants' industry sector or profession.

Funding projects

The Australian Government will fund recipient institutions to subsidise Australian students who participate in program projects that can last up to six months. Activities undertaken must be for some form of credit at the students' home institution.

Student subsidies of $2,000 and staff visit subsidies of $1,500 are available.

Funding is expected to be used by recipient VET providers for:
• economy airfares for students, administrators and trainers
• funding for staff replacement
• outbound mobility program development.

Eligible destinations

Eligible destinations include the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, the Americas, Europe and Oceania.

Closing date.

30 December 2011

Further details of the funding program are provided in the program guidelines.

Source: ACPET National Monday Update, 19 December 2011

Community Services & Health Industry Skills Council is seeking your feedback on first aid units.

CS&HISC is making changes to the first aid units as part of the continuous improvement of the Health Training Package:

• HLTFA201C Provide basic emergency life support
• HLTCPR201C Perform CPR
• HLTFA301D Apply first aid
• HLTFA402D Apply advanced first aid.

These changes will affect the competency outcome of some endorsed components.

The consultation period is open from 8 December 2011 to 16 January 2012.

Source: ACPET National Monday Update – edition 442, 12 December 2011

Applications open soon, so get prepared now and don't miss out. Through Australian Government Skills Connect, eligible businesses and industry organisations will be able to apply for funding from the following programs:

National Workforce Development Fund

Workplace English Language and Literacy Program

Accelerated Australian Apprenticeship initiative

Australian Apprenticeships Mentoring Program

Experience+ Training

Source: ACPET National Monday Update – edition 442, 12 December 2011

Version 6 of the BSB07 Business Services Training Package was endorsed by the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) on October 26th and is now available on Training .gov.au.

CS&HISC is making changes to the first aid units as part of the continuous improvement of the Health Training Package:

The major changes include the revised Customer Contact units of competency and qualifications.

• Certificate II in Customer Contact (BSB20211)
• Certificate III in Customer Contact (BSB30211)
• Certificate IV in Customer Contact (BSB40311)
• Diploma of Customer Contact (BSB50311)

The qualifications have been reviewed to better address the dynamics of the industry including multi-channel communication, data interrogation, compliance requirements, achieving KPIs, scheduling requirements, and inbound and outbound customer contact.

Greater flexibility has been provided in the qualifications by reducing the number of core units and providing a larger choice of elective units. One of the major changes is the removal of the Advanced Diploma of Customer Contact which was due to the lack of industry demand and uptake of the qualification.

Source: IBSA News, Monday, 12 December 2011

More teenage girls than boys head off to university, where as more teenage boys than girls choose vocational education and training (VET).

Published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Young people in education and training 2010 provides a picture of how many and where young people (aged 15 to 19 years) study.

Nationally, the data show that of the young people at university, 57% were female and 43% were male, and of those in training, 56% were male and 44% were female. In comparison, the gender divide at school is just about equal, in line with population figures.

"Beyond school, factors such as advice from parents and career aspirations, influence young people's study choices", said Ms Sandra Pattison, General Manager, Statistics.

Of all young people in Australia, 80% of all teenage girls and 78% of all teenage boys were enrolled in school, vocational training or university in August 2010.

Compared with 2009, the number of young people studying increased, with a 2.4% rise in school students, a 4.8% growth in university students, and a 3.3% increase in VET students.

"The states raising the school leaving age combined with the soft labour market for young people have contributed to the numbers going up", said Ms Pattison.

Young people in education and training draws together data collected by NCVER, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Copies of Australian vocational education and training statistics: young people in education and training 2010 are available from ncver.edu.au

Source: NCVER, Monday, 12 December 2011