When setting up your RTO your know you need to complete a training and assessment strategy -TAS for each training product.
Today I am going to try to explain clearly what the amount of training is, so that you can write it clearly in your TAS. This information assumes you are conducting a learning and assessment pathway, rather than an assessment only.
Considering your learner cohort in making a decision on the amount of training
One of the first things when designing your training program is to determine who your students will be. This enables you to understand their needs as far as the training is concerned. To determine the needs of learners within a target group you should consider the following questions and document your approaches:
- What is their experience in the field you are training?
- Do they have workplace experience that can be transferred across to the new industry?
- Are special needs a consideration e.g. physical or intellectual disability?
- Are they workers, school leavers, mature learners or other?
- Do they have related skills and knowledge they can bring from work experience?
- Do they have any workplace experience?
- What is their current language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) level?
- Are the learners new to the industry or to a workplace?
- Are the learners new to Australia and our legislation?
When you have determined the needs of your clients, and spoken to industry, you should have a better idea of the sorts of training that will suit them. This way you can structure your training program accordingly.
What training is needed?
To be “trained” each learner will:
- be trained in each skill and knowledge area,
- have the opportunity to practice and apply these skills and
- apply the knowledge requirements.
An important part of the process is that you give each learner the opportunity to:
- fully absorb the required knowledge,
- practice the skills
- develop the skills over time in the different contexts – just as they would experience in the workplace.
The length of time you take to do this with each student is reflected upon the amount of exiting knowledge and skills they bring to the training.
The following diagram shows a typical student who comes to a course:
If, for instance, you plan to deliver to students who comes with skills, knowledge and workplace experience appropriate to the industry you are training in, then you would choose a smaller amount of training.
The following diagram shows how this looks, showing larger amount of existing knowledge and skills and the course being shorter:
Remember in both instances you need to ensure that each learner has fully absorbed the required knowledge and has developed the skills required in a range of different contexts.
In this case the skilled/experienced learner may be able to complete ‘gap-training’ or accelerated learning reflective of the learner’s existing competencies.
Also refer to the ASQA / TAC Users Guide – more information is found there.
If your RTO intends to deliver to learners who are new to the industry area and/or who do not have any workplace experience, the amount of training required that is described in the training and assessment strategy would closely match the timeframe listed with the AQF volume of learning.
Getting it down in your TAS
Your strategies represent the action plan for delivering and assessing a particular training product. They tell your story. Your story on how, when, why and with whom you will train and assess.
Make them yours –
say what really is going to happen in your RTO.
You need to work out what you’re actually going to be doing.
When writing your TAS the time frame takes into account all the structured learning:
- Classroom
- Self-paced
- Online
- On-the-job
Also the unstructured learning (of which you need to describe in your TAS):
- On-the-job
- Further reading / research
- Homework to practice skills / knowledge
Clearly outline the delivery hours and modes of learner engagement into their supervised and non-supervised components.If they are new to the industry then you need to consider the hours you have come up with. Then, refer to all the factors which you can validly point to as reducing the expected volume of learning.
Write into your TAS why you came up with the hours. Make sure to provide sufficient detail in your TAS that explains the rationale for your expected duration and any time savings.
Remember to include how you might support them if they are struggling with the shortened course.
All the best.