Sr coming to a screen near you

Julie WhiteTocal College

Skills Recognition for the rural sector-coming to a screen near you…

Well right here, today

Agricultural College2 Campuses-Hunter And Riverina Hunter campus is a large

commercial farm

Our clients: agricultural & land management sectors across Australia

➠ Full time residential students-youth market➠ Trainees➠ External students-online➠ Short courses➠ Skills recognitionApprox 450 graduates per year4000 short course participants

Enter Skills Recognition or recognition of prior learning

High level of skills and knowledge acquired on the job.

Agriculture in Australia does not have a strong culture of training

Lack of qualifications are not a barrier to entry

We have been doing skills recognition through an interview process since 1996.

This comes from the view that adults are not “empty vessels” (Freire, 1996).

Our approach:Skills recognition is done for the candidate by college staff

We go to the candidate & have conversational interview.

It is viewed as the starting point for most adult education.

➠Pre interview work➠ On site interview at place of work➠ Post interview

Our approach is to support the client

through the process with active case management

We have embraced different technology to improve the interview process

Gradually moved from paper based to digital presented in an e-portfolio.

The e-portfolio case is stored on a shared, password protected drive accessible by the validators and principal.

No more hard copy

files

In the beginning, interviews were entirely paper based.

Evidence was collected, taken back to the office to copy, originals returned in the mail.

So lets go back in time…

Then we got a portable photocopier.

Farmers were impressed!!

Written notes were taken

A digital camera was used to take a photo of the candidate

Some bright spark suggested a scanner instead of the copier.

Farmers were even more impressed!!

Notes were taken on a laptop

Along camevoice to text.

Farmers were stunned!!

We started to use the digital camera to take photos of evidence.

No more copier OR scanner

Start of the digital age

Life was never the same again

Computer got more high tech.

Mini laptop with wireless key board.

Notes recorded on the go and digital photos added post interview

Then came the iPad.

Bye bye camera.

The farmers were speechless

This is where we are today

Paper case

Digital case

Both are time consuming to collate.

The digital case takes more time in the interview as photos are labeled as they go using iPad apps.

Candidates photoSummary infoCV & qualsEnrolment form

DeclarationsFarm descriptionPhoto IDUnit information & evidence in each folder

Sample e-portfolio

The e-portfolio process

The e-portfolio created by College staff NOT the candidate

iPad Photos tagged during the interview & added to the case

PDF forms are used during the interview & added to the case

Case is completed & e-portfolio is created using Adobe Acrobat Professional X

It is put on a common drive (on a server) and is password protected

Validators are notified that the case is ready

Validators use a digital signature to approve & principal is notified

Principal reviews & approves with digital signature

Why e-portfolios?

• Collecting everything digitally & then printing it!

• E-portfolios was the logical next step

• It can move between assessors from their desktop

• We can give the candidate a copy of the completed case

Pros & Cons

Pros• No printing & storage• Ease of movement

between validators• Candidate receives a copy• Ability to use other forms

of evidence-video & audio

Cons• Significant investment in

new technology & staff development

• Workplace interview takes longer

• Risk of losing data

Experience so far

• Everyone still learning & getting used to the idea

• No major tech failures • Jury’s out on whether it saves time

Skills Recognition for the rural sector-coming to a screen near you…

Thank you