1. Swinburne University of Technology

2. Travelling on a Global Skills Passport
Swinburne TAFE
Travelling on a Global Skills Passport
Carolyn Grayson
Director, Centre for Development of VET Practice
Anne Fitzpatrick
Teaching and Learning Advisor
Julie Hurrell

3. Swinburne Organisational Profile
Swinburne Technical College established in 1908.
First students enrolled in carpentry, plumbing and blacksmithing.
The 1992 proclamation of the Swinburne University of Technology Act marked recognition of a distinguished history, and beginning of a new period of growth and innovation.
Swinburne is now a dual sector, multi-disciplinary, multi-campus, provider of education, training and research of national and international significance.

4. Nature and range of services
As a dual sector institution, Swinburne offers a range of programs from apprenticeships to PhDs across broad fields of environmental and applied sciences, business and enterprise, art and design, engineering, information technology, multi media, psychology and social sciences, hospitality ……

5. Centre for Development of VET Practice
Purpose: to contribute to the enhancement of the student learning experience through the provision of advice, direction and support to Swinburne TAFE staff
Providing programs, resources and services that support and encourage teachers to develop, maintain and extend good teaching and assessment practice
Providing leadership in learning, teaching and assessment
Facilitating adoption of new policy and innovative practice in learning teaching and assessment
Promoting scholarship of VET learning, teaching and assessment
Role : to assist staff with educational change and quality assurance
Aspects of student learning
Diversity of students
e-learning environment
Delivery and assessment approaches
Qualification and resource development

6. Generic /Core /Key /Essential skills
Discussion of generic skills is topical and there are constantly new developments and initiatives considering how best to teach them and create environments in which they can be learnt….
In Australia and internationally, generic skills are known by a number of terms including core skills, key skills, essential skills, basic skills and workplace know how. In some countries they are specifically employment related, while in others, greater emphasis has been placed on the social relevance of generic skills……
(Gibb & Curtin, 2004, NCVER)

7. International generic skills schemes
Country
United States
United Kingdom
Canada
DeSeCo (OCED)
Australia
Activity before 1995
SCANS
Core Skills
Essential skills
Employability Skills
Key Competencies (Mayer)
Activity since 1995
SCANS 2000
Key Skills
Employability Skills 2000+
DeSeCo (generic competencies)
Employability Skills
Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills
(Curtis, NCVER, 2004)

8. Generic skills – Common Elements
Various lists of skills share six common elements.
Basic/fundamental skills: literacy, using number, using technology
People related skills: communication, interpersonal, team work, customer service
Conceptual/thinking skills: collating organising, problem solving …
Personal skills and attributes: being responsible, resourceful, flexible, able to mange one’s own time, having self esteem
Business skills: innovation and enterprise skills
Community: civic or citizenship knowledge and skills
(Gibb& Curtin, 2004, NCVER)

9. Employability Skills (ES)
In 2002 Business Council of Australia (BCA) and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) published Employability Skills for the Future
A key finding of this report was that skills and knowledge contained in the key competencies needed to be revised and reviewed to reflect the changing nature of the workplace and the broader range of skills which employers currently require.
ES describe the non-technical skills and competencies which play a significant part in contributing to an individuals effective and successful participation in the workplace
ES are highly transferable and support the accomplishment of the task based activities central to any job role (Definitions by Brenda Micale WADET) (NQC, 2006,DEST)

10. Employability Skills and Key Competencies
Initiative and enterprise
Self –management
Learning
Communication
Teamwork
Problem solving
Planning and organising
Technology
Include further descriptors for particular occupational and industry contexts
Communicating ideas and information
Working with others in teams
Solving problems
Planning and organising activities
Using Technology
Collecting, analysing and organising information
Using mathematical techniques

11. Model for assessing Employability Skills
National Quality Council ( NQC)
Employability Skills project aims:
Establish and pilot an approach or model for assessing and reporting on employability skills in Training packages
Develop a professional development strategy and associated resources for implementing the approach
Outcome
…integrated approach …in an integrated manner with technical skill within a qualification and the corresponding units of competency…
…descriptive reporting …the information reported would relate to the qualification, not the individual… (NQC, 2006, DEST )

12. Community Colleges for International Development (CCID)
“…to provide opportunities for building global relationships that strengthen educational programs, and promote economic development.“
CCID 2008 Annual Conference Long Beach CA
Delegates from USA, France, Nth Ireland, Turkey, Denmark, Canada , Japan, Netherlands, and Oz - Box Hill, VU and RMIT
Presentation focussed on Employability Skills and The Swinburne Skills Passport in a global context
A good introduction to the Australian training environment

13. ES in the international arena
How could ES add value to the student learning experience?
Such as cultural approaches to learning, and vocational relevance to Australian context
What are the challenges for staff?
What are the challenges for students?
What does this mean for your organisation?
Consider systems, support and evaluation necessary

14. Further information and resources
Carolyn Grayson Anne Fitzpatrick Julie Hurrell

15. The Swinburne Skills Passport
The Passport was initially developed in 2004 and is currently being used as a way of recording employability skills
The Passport assists in the gathering of evidence and examples, and articulate these to future employers is a crucial aspect of developing these skills.

16. The Swinburne Skills Passport
The passport can be used in conjunction with a resume and references to assist in an interview situation.
It can also be used to provide examples of previous participation in particular activities and demonstration of certain skills.
An important part of developing generic or employability skills is the ability to reflect on strengths and areas of competence.

17. Australian Key competencies
The Mayer Committee Report in marked the beginning of the establishment of what was known as key competencies in Australia education.
Essential to preparation for employment
Generic to kinds of work and work organisations
Equipping individuals to participate effectively in a wide range of social settings including workplaces and adult life more generally
Involving the applications of knowledge and skill
Being able to learn
Being amenable to credible assessment (definitions by Brenda Micale WADET ) (NQC, 2006,DEST)