Careerforce eChat - What's available from 1 July
- Great news - Variation of Conditions
- Revised Foundation Skills
- Literacy and learning support
- Free professional development workshops
- New unit standards
- New online Dementia resource
- Enhanced learning and assessment resources
- Access to additional unit standards
Great news - Variation of Conditions
This eChat is also an opportunity to inform employers that from 25 July 2011 work visa holders will no longer need to obtain a variation of conditions to undertake training authorised by their employer as part of their job. Click here for more.
Revised Foundation Skills
From 1 July all new Foundation Skills trainees will enrol in version three of the National Certificate in Health, Disability and Aged Support (Foundation Skills) (Level 2).
The main changes in version 3 are:
- There has been a reduction in the number of compulsory units from nine to four.
- There is now a range of elective unit standards that employers can choose from, including the opportunity to complete one level 3 unit standard.
- The number of elective unit standards available will continue to grow as more unit standards are developed to meet the changing needs of the sector.
- The content supports contract and standard requirements, including the Age Related Residential Care Services Agreement.
- The qualification contains all of the current unit standards. This means employers and trainees who like the current content of Foundation Skills will not need to change their existing training plans
The qualification fee for Foundation Skills version 3 is $200 (GST inclusive). Included in this fee is a framed certificate and badge for trainees who complete. The fee excludes learning and assessment resources (see below).
Please note that a new training agreement has been developed for version 3 of Foundation Skills. Copies of the updated training agreement can now be ordered at www.careerforce.org.nz/training-agreements
For more information on this qualification and the package of supports that accompany it, click here
Literacy and learning support
A comprehensive package to support employers meet their trainees’ literacy and learning needs will be available from 1 July. Eligible employers will be able to access:
- Funding: $270 for every trainee undertaking online literacy assessments.
- Free professional development: participation in a workshop that will enhance your training team’s knowledge of adult education.
- Free educator resources: access to tools that help link the training to the practices of your workplace.
- Networking support: meet people from other workplaces who are taking up this opportunity.
To be eligible employers must have trainees undertaking either the Foundation Skills (Level 2) or Core Competencies (Level 3) qualifications, and sign an Employer Agreement that outlines the commitment being made.
Free professional development workshops
A key element of Careerforce’s Literacy and Learning Support package is the availability of free professional development workshops. The two-day workshops will help workplace training teams design and deliver more effective on-site training. The workshops will cover:
- Professional development for educators including how to support and develop trainee literacy and learning skills.
- Introduction on how to support trainees completing the on-line literacy assessment.
- Introduction to the Learning Progressions.
- Introduction to the revised Level 2 resources.
For more information, including information on workshops in your area, click here
New unit standards
Six new unit standards become available on 1 July 2011 as part of the revised Foundation Skills qualification. These are:
- Describe communication with people with a communication disability in an aged care, health or disability context, level 2. (26982)
- Support a person to eat and drink in an aged care, health or disability context, level 2. (26978)
- Provide key comfort cares and report changes in the condition of a person at the end of his or her life, level 2. (26980)
- Describe the immediate response to the death of a person in a home, community or residential setting, level 2. (26979)
- Describe the use of enablers, restraints and safe restraint practice in an aged care, health or disability context, level 2. (26976)
- Describe dementia, interaction with, and support for people with dementia in an aged care, health or disability context, level 3. (26974)
In August more unit standards will become available.
New online Dementia resource
Careerforce has worked with Alzheimers New Zealand to develop a new dementia elearning tool.
The resource, which is a mixture of interactive activities, presentations and videos, will be available from 1 July. It will equip trainees with the skills and knowledge they need to achieve new level 3 dementia unit standard 26974 (Describe interaction, supports and reporting for people with dementia in an aged care, health, or disability context).
This unit standard will be an elective option in the new and improved versions of Foundation Skills and Core Competencies.
Enhanced learning and assessment resources
Learning resources
Careerforce has developed new and improved workbooks for the four compulsory unit standards in the revised version of Foundation Skills national certificate, and for the infection control unit standard. These resources now have enhanced literacy features, including language that is easier to understand and sample answers that help guide trainees as to what is expected. Over time all new Foundation Skills unit standards will have these features.
From 1 July 2011 Foundation Skills learning resources such as workbooks will not be included as part of the qualification fee. Instead, employers will need to purchase the learning resources they require online at shop.careerforce.org.nz (website live from 1 July). The price of workbooks will range from $10-$20 each (excluding GST and freight).
Assessment resources
We have also renamed, re-written and re-designed the workplace assessment portfolios (WAPs) and trainee assessment portfolios (TAPs) for the new and significantly changed unit standards within Foundation Skills. They will now be called 'assessor's guides' and 'trainee's assessments' and have simpler language, sample answers, and make greater use of colour coding to guide people through different sections.
From 1 July new trainee’s assessments will be available as free PDFs on the Careerforce website. Printed copies will be able to be ordered online for $5 each (excluding GST and freight).
Access to additional unit standards
From 1 July trainees can choose up to three additional unit standards from any Careerforce qualifications (to a maximum of 12 credits).This will be a great benefit to workplaces that specialise in a specific area not covered by the trainee’s qualification.
The cost of this for trainees with existing Training Agreements is $30 (GST inclusive).The cost for those without a current Training Agreement is $85 (GST inclusive).
