Partnering for Access:

1. Partnering for Access: Vulnerable learners, training and employment pathways

2. Context • Partnering for Access: • Capacity and Innovation Fund grant to BNNC – 18 months to September 2016; • Objectives to explore: • Sustainability for all BNNC members to offer or refer to training and education pathways for community members; • Increased access to quality pre-accredited training for vulnerable learners across the region; • Opportunities to enhance the quality and flexibility of delivery models to engage vulnerable learners; • Improvements to education pathways for vulnerable learners; and • Opportunities to communicate education pathways information through all BNNC members, whether in receipt of Learn Local funding or not. NHC Conference

3. Methodology Activities within an action learning methodology have included: • Interviews or liaison with: • The Project Steering Group; • Each Coordinator/Manager against the project objectives; • DET and DHHS managers; • The ACFE Regional Board Chair and GRLLEN EO; • Neighbourhood Houses Victoria CEO and officers; • G21/GWYL GROW project; and • Deakin University. • Review of key documents. • Alignment with BNNC activities to avoid duplication. NHC Conference

4. Project learning: vulnerable learners • Vulnerable learners were defined by Coordinators as having one or more of the following characteristics: • Life stage challenges; • Living in rural or isolated locations; • Low income, often unemployed and on Centrelink benefits; • Gambling affected; • Culturally and linguistically diverse; • Aboriginal; • With disabilities; • With mental health issues; and • Family violence. NHC Conference

5. Project learning: barriers to training Vulnerable learner characteristics: • Anxiety or depression; • Low self-esteem; • Lack of trust; • Literacy/numeracy/ESL; • Having the space in their (sometimes chaotic) lives to think about options; • Impact of drugs and alcohol; • Cost of training (fees, clothes, medical, dental); • Transport; • Reliability of internet connections; and • Childcare access and affordability. NHC Conference

6. Project learning: Training delivery models Flexibility and quality: • Venues close to where people live; • Free public access computers; • Small classes; • Diverse delivery times and modes; • Creation of homework groups; • Building volunteers into the delivery model to support course work completion; and • Guarding against rogue training providers. NHC Conference

7. What makes an effective ‘pathway’ ‘Pathway’ is a construct that is not tangible for most vulnerable learners who need: • Support to become ‘training ready’; • Orientation to the training and employment system; • Career counselling; • A clear link from training to employment; • Access to courses that are labour market driven; • Reduced fragmentation of pathways across the region – ie: individual houses can’t control the link between pre-vocational and vocational training and apparent pathways can collapse; and • Thin labour markets in rural areas require stronger labour market linkages and consideration of micro-small business training to compliment skills training. NHC Conference

8. Options for a BNNC 3 year Strategic Plan • Actions for inclusion in the 3 year Strategic Plan include: • Sustainability • Use the redeveloped network website to host the policies and procedures templates, A Frames, tutor bank and share course information each term in a searchable data base; • Establish a mentoring model to support Coordinator PD; • Document models of shared governance in other settings and Neighbourhood House clusters for future consideration; and • Identify actions that support committee of management recruitment and retention within the Good Practice Guide framework. NHC Conference

9. Options for a BNNC 3 year Strategic Plan • Actions for inclusion in the 3 year Strategic Plan include: • Vulnerable learner barriers to training • Schedule forums between BNNC members and the training and employment sectors to share trends and identify opportunities to strengthen and promote training pathways; • Increase contact between BNNC members and health, community and mental health services to plan assertive outreach and partnerships to support vulnerable learner participation in Houses and then in learning pathways; • Develop an A Frame that links life skills and career counselling; • Develop tips and traps sheets for vulnerable learners choosing courses to avoid being taken advantage of by rogue training providers; and • Advocate to ensure the appropriate resources are in place to support vulnerable learner access to training. NHC Conference

10. Options for a BNNC 3 year Strategic Plan • Actions for inclusion in the 3 year Strategic Plan include: • Training delivery models • Document and share good practice case studies; • Document and share case studies of things worth avoiding; and • Initiate BNNC negotiations with training and employment sectors and key health, community and mental health services to identify regional partnerships to offer consistent information and action. NHC Conference

11. Options for a BNNC 3 year Strategic Plan • Actions for inclusion in the 3 year Strategic Plan include: • Stronger pathways • Conduct an annual BBNC planning forum with training and employment sectors and key health, community and mental health services to inform ACFE course hours and linking pre vocational and vocational training to labour market trends; • Link to the G21 Region Opportunities for Work (GROW) project and identify options to promote micro and small to medium business development; and • Explore New Enterprise Initiative Training as an option for vulnerable learners in thin labour markets or options to extend current social enterprises being delivered through Neighbourhood Houses. NHC Conference

12. Options for a BNNC 3 year Strategic Plan • Actions for inclusion in the 3 year Strategic Plan include: • Communication of education pathways • Implement the BNNC strategic communication plan; • Create a searchable list of term courses for the BNNC website; and • Develop case studies of vulnerable learners who have successfully found pathways and experienced positives outcomes. NHC Conference