A toolkit initially developed to document a successful program is now paving the way forward for other Learn Local organisations across Victoria.
Gippsland Learn Local launched its Strengthening Pathways for Adult Learners in Gippsland (SPALG) toolkit at the SPALG Conference in Traralgon last night.
The toolkit will be used by Learn Locals across the state to increase access to pre-accredited training for the under and unemployed.
All of the 23 Gippsland Learn Locals have benefited from the range of strategies and resources developed as part of the SPALG toolkit and Adult Community Further Education (ACFE) Regional Council Gippsland Chair, Glenda McPhee, said it was only natural to want to share this valuable resource.
“The SPALG toolkit was designed to support the Learn Local sector with information, resources and engagement strategies that can be used when delivering place-based initiatives,” Ms McPhee explained.
“The SPALG project has operated in Gippsland for the past three years; we’ve learnt a lot in that time, like what works and what doesn’t, and while the toolkit will help Learn Locals run successful programs, our main aim was to inject and ensure continued momentum that directly benefits those looking to upskill and gain employment.”
The ACFE Board (ACFEB) funded the SPALG project between 2016 and 2019 in response to identified entry level skills shortages in Gippsland.
Noweyung Ltd and Buchan Neighbourhood House were contracted to oversee the SPALG project between 2016 and 2018. The Warragul Community House managed the project in its final year from 2018 to 2019, with support from South East Victorian Regional staff from the Department of Education and Training (DET).
The strategies of the SPALG were developed to address historically low participation in quality training and to reduce the relatively high levels of disadvantage in Gippsland; the effects of a dispersed Learn Local provider network comprised of many small isolated providers; and a lack of clarity for pre-accredited training programs in relation to the status and pathways provided in the Victorian education system.
“These lessons and strategies can be replicated in both metropolitan and rural regions facing similar challenges and I hope the toolkit connects and inspires providers into the future,” Ms McPhee said.
The SPALG toolkit is available online or can be downloaded and printed by going to www.gippslandlearnlocal.community/spalg-toolkit.
