Job+Ready+for+Mining

=Job Ready for Mining Western Australia 2008=

Background
The goals of this project were to: • develop an eLearning experience for Indigenous people to gain the required knowledge and skills required for them to gain employment in the Mining Industry and meet the current skill shortage needs. • embed the culture of eLearning in the Resource team of the SWRC and its Industry Partners.

The Framework connection
In engaging in this project the stakeholders needed to draw large amounts of information from the Flexible Learning Framework []

These sites include : • Flexible Learning Framework Resource site [] • Flexible Learning Framework Designing and Implementing eLearning site [] • Flexible Learning Framework Social eLearning site [] • Flexible Learning Framework Innovate and Integrate []

What was done
The Industry need is to develop e-learning procedures for trainees on site which will assist workplace trainers; to ensuring compatibility of systems between RTO’s and clients. The project was broken into three separate sections and they were as follows:
 * TAFE** Conduct three consultative meetings with other TAFE e-learning representatives; ensure compatibility of systems with clients and trainees; review latest e-learning technology & designs; put in place a system (procedures) to deal with e-learning.
 * CLIENT** Develop e-learning procedures for clients and RTO; providing support for process, ensuring compatibility of systems to access e-learning from the RTO. Introduce new technology and support for trainers. Ensure that they have the necessary IT system, supporting staff, up-skilling of current staff, coaches, mentors.
 * TRAINEE** supported by the clients in that they will receive mentoring, coaching, be instructed in use of e-learning tools. Trainees will be operating within the e-learning process and will be invited to comment on each stage of the process.

Benefits experienced by Client and the SWRC TAFE
Embedding the procedures/guidelines within our client’s company was partially successful as PEEDAC supported the eLearning process whilst NRW (due to management issues) could not progress on with the project and had to withdraw their support. PEEDAC has constantly supported and encouraged their students to continue with the eLearning format as they found that their students seemed to be quite comfortable in using the current technology and the students worked at their own pace to complete their qualification. The students were able to acquire their qualification using resources from SkillsDMC and achieving their qualification from SWRC. Students have acquired a greater understanding of the use of technology and eLearning fundamentals. Embedding eLearning at TAFE has been the development and launching of the Wiki site. This is a way for TAFE to slowly introduce all staff to the technologies we can use to engage our students and spread our reach as a training provider. All members of the public are invited to join the Wiki site and contribute to the site by adding their own pages. As a result of the increased attention to e-Learning because of this project we have approached Executive of the College with a proposal to put the Staff and Student Inductions on line this will again aid in the embedding of e-learning in the college by making the first experience that any new staff member or student has within the college will be an E-learning experience.

Lessons learnt
At the beginning of the project everyone appeared to be enthusiastic and committed to the e-learning experience. However, the unexpected outcomes were: systems that were incompatible; withdrawal from the project because of internal management reviews and priorities; and lack of consistent technical support by resource developers.

The Results
Due to this project the College has funded a position for a person to manage e-learning in the organisation. This person mentors any interested staff in various modes of e-learning and provides a visible link to people trying to develop e-learning and the support that is available through the Flexible Training Network. The project has also helped to formulate a group whose main focus is working through issues relating to using a standard approach with e-learning. Therefore, a site called eLearning@swrc has been created its URL is eswrc@wikidot.com The Wiki site houses links to various important eLearning sites including the Flexible Learning Framework and specifically targets the sites that would facilitate a new lecturer taking up eLearning in their chosen field, as well as Tutorials and captivate files that show how to create courses in Moodle and to deliver via Elluminate to deliver. A set of paper based recourses has also been developed to show how to use various eLearning technologies such as Spy Glasses, Moodle and Elluminate. The college also upgraded its hosting agreement with Pukunui (the host of the college Moodle sites) due to the increasing demand for Moodle space within the College The results have been an embedded e-learning framework for Clients and RTO’s.

Acknowledgement
This is a Western Australian E-learning Innovations project output, developed by South West Regional College of TAFE, PEEDAC (Perth Employment and Enterprise Development Aboriginal Corporation) and NRW Holdings Limited, with seed funding from the national training system's e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

For more information
Lloyd Tucker Trainer & Assessor in MNM South West Regional TAFE Phone: (08) 9780 7393 Email: Llyod.tucker@swrc.wa.edu.au

Phone: (07) 3307 4700 Email: enquiries@flexiblelearning.net.au Website: [|flexiblelearning.net.au]
 * For more information on the Australian Flexible Learning Framework:**