Training: - The TAFE Approach

By Les Johnson Abstract

The following paper has been written in an effort to clarify some of the confusion that still exists within the foundry industry in relation to the use of National Training Packages and industry training. The paper will discuss past initiatives that have led to training developments, current training activities in TAFE Queensland and finally a look where vocational training may be heading in the future.

Introduction
Technical and Further Education, or TAFE (as it has come to be known) has provided a solid theoretical and practical grounding for traditional apprenticeships, forming the basis for formalised training within our foundry industry. Lets look at what I call the three evolutionary steps of training. Firstly, how has training developed and where have we been? Secondly, where is training now? Thirdly, where do we see training developing and heading in the future?

The development of training (from the early days)

From the distant past, training of apprentices was formalised through a Technical College, where in Queensland the Department responsible, was the Queensland Education Department (QED). A structured syllabus was broken down into a curriculum through the Curriculum Branch, developing resources for the delivery in Technical Colleges. In those days the development of curriculum centered more on the needs of the Technical College, rather than the needs of the students or industry requirements themselves. However, apprentices who were almost always school leavers, were taught a vest range of skills based on a holistic approach to the foundry/engineering industry.

This turned out apprentices with a more rounded skill base, as employers of the day, generally took on any work that came their way. Training took a similar approach, with colleges using a variety of strategies including those resources borrowed from other fields in the engineering industry. There was, as it seemed, little standardisation of training throughout the country. The demand for tradespeople with high quality hand skills was high, so training generally focused on this aspect. The theoretical component was broadly divided into Trade Drawing, Trade Theory and Science. The five year apprenticeship, where apprentices did night study was replaced by a four year system with employers releasing apprentices for the day time study. This was seen as a major change to the delivery of traditional training, leading to mixed reactions among employer groups. Some groups supported the idea, while others did not. In Queensland it produced a split between delivery strategies as regional apprentices could not travel oneday-a week to college. Courses for these students had to be delivered through correspondence, which was slow and cumbersome. The block release system was later introduced to provide apprentice training over an eight week period. This meant that all training delivery for the year could be completed in one session or block. However, if you have had dealings with the training of apprentices you will know how hard it is to keep apprentices focused daily, let alone for eight weeks!! Employers didnt like losing their apprentices for such a long period, particularly in peak periods and a fair percentage of apprentices were from small workshops. Changes had to be made and the introduction of two four week blocks came about. Somewhere in all this, the Technical Colleges became TAFE Institutes. With the industrial upheaval of the eighties, training began to take a different approach. Moves were afoot to develop the TAFE Metal & Engineering National Curriculum, where for the first time, attempts were made to standardise training throughout the country. TAFE Institutes began to unite in developing curriculum that met the needs of industry. Both student and teaching resources were developed to provide a standardised quality outcome process. This development also brought sweeping changes to the delivery system. In Queensland the CN100 course (that included Moulders and Patternmakers) saw apprentices having to complete a total of 24 modules over the four year apprenticeship period. For the first time, the course was set out in a three tiered approach with compulsory, specialisation and elective modules being offered. This style of delivery caused upheaval between many in the teaching fraternity, as some were disgusted at being told how to go about teaching. Never the less the system was implemented and was used for almost ten years in training apprentices, prior to the introduction of the National Training Packages. In the eighties, the government of the day revised its Industrial Relations Policy and introduced the accords where all parties had to bargain productivity off-sets in order to receive pay increases. How can we ever forget those times of industrial upheaval and unrest. As the process evolved and individual enterprises began to specialise, one thing became clear. There was a massive skill shortage looming. The Federal Government recognised Australia needed to stay competitive in the export market, there would be a demand for skilled workers.

Qualified tradespeople were in short supply. Unfortunately many existing workers did not have formalised qualifications necessary to receive higher increments of pay. The notion of National Training Packages where employees were to be paid for skills they used onthe-job in their daily activities, gained momentum. These industry designed training packages, were to be the first attempts to consolidate non-qualified employees into recognition for their current skill status. Formalised groups consisting of representatives from State and Federal Governments, Industry groups, National Training Authorities, Unions and other interested parties met to devise a method that could provide recognition for employees current skill levels and also provide guidance in the assessment process. The Metals, Engineering and Related Services package was released in 1996 after much debate. Our foundry industry was to say the least, only briefly represented. Despite the experts trying to convince us how we could use the training packages, as the stood at the time, to qualify tradespeople in the foundry, we were still largely unconverted or convinced. Although the next version of the training package, MEM30398 was upgraded and released in 2001, I still firmly believe that it is a tool of assessment only, not a training package as the name would imply.

The next steps to the current system

So where did this lead us? Well, we were generally thrown headlong into the system that few of us really understood or wanted. Most of us hoped it was just another crazy notion that would go away and we could continue on with business as normal. But it didnt go away and in fact it gained momentum in the training system. After all, it had to, as it was seen as the way forward to greater productivity and prosperity in the now fledgling global economy. Transition courses were developed to link the old CN100 course into what was now called competency standards. With the introduction of the CNMAN003 course the modules/competencies were now linked, using a mapping system to convert modules completed by the apprentice, to competencies on the training plan.

The next steps in a new system

As the foundry industry went through a severe down turn about this time and economic hardship bit in, apprentice numbers, already low, began to fall even more sharply around the country. Foundry Industry sectors such as the Smelters and Automotive producers began to down size at an alarming rate. The public sectors as well as being down-sized were being privatised, including many State Rail organisations who were traditionally employers of large numbers of apprentices. This decrease in apprentices led to falling numbers in TAFE Institutes around the country. With Government budgets becoming more restrictive, rationalisation of courses was taking place. Those courses with small numbers were put under the microscope and as we all know, foundry course numbers were at an all time low. During all this turmoil the foundry industry paid little attention to the competency standards. Not understanding the new system, TAFE Institutes complained about the low standard of competence required in the outcomes of the training package and once again refused to be told how to train apprentices. This type of stand off has probably been the demise of many TAFE Institutes around the country, as training packages were seen to be the way forward.

Faced with the prospect of TAFE closure and what was seen in the Federal sector as a shift to full on-the-job delivery, the South Australian Government of the day commissioned the South Australian Centre for Manufacture to produce training resources for the approaching on-the-job delivery system. This undertaking was truly a mammoth task for those concerned and the work carried out by a small band of dedicated professionals was commendable. Although the work began in the modular system of delivery, sadly the work was terminated before resources for the competency standards could be addressed. However, it was a very significant and worthwhile project needed to fill the gaping void in resources at the time. The conversion from modules to competency standard units was now a major stumbling block. TAFE Institutes had downsized and in some cases dropped foundry training all together. With the remaining staff reduced to a bare minimum, production of new resources to address the outcomes of the competency standards was impossible. In Queensland we faced the massive task of conversion, after the Department of Employment and Training (DET), the Department now controlling TAFE in Queensland, declared it would no longer fund training subjects not converted to competency units. So the long and arduous task began to convert and deliver vocational training in competency standard units. A further requirement of the training package, necessitates all apprentices must have workplace assessment to ensure the theoretical component of the competency standard units have been transferred to on-the-job practical experience. It is time consuming and a costly exercise, coupled with the fact that no matter how the theoretical component of training is delivered (either on or off-the-job) assessment must be carried out on-the-job. In 2000 Yeronga Institute of TAFE (Brisbane) employed the first full-time workplace assessor in the foundry industry, specifically to carry out workplace assessment and associated functions.

Where are we now?

Well, as Ive discussed before, we have seen many institutes used to train foundry apprentices, and the vocational training courses, disappear altogether. For a short time private providers sprang up to go head-to-head with the public institutes. Many found just how tough the going was and in some cases the standard of delivery and quality of the learning outcomes were just not there. To say the least employers of apprentices were very disillusioned with the system and in particular the Training Packages. Many employers refused to engage apprentices because of what they believed to be a poor standard of training. Another annoying factor of the training package was the abolition of the graded system of assessment. We can no longer see the apprentices academic achievement as they are either competent or not. So here we are in Queensland with a massive shortage of tradespeople and a bigger shortage of school leavers wanting trades. It would seem young people think its uncool to be a tradesperson. Some schools see the trades as a job for the underachievers and a university degree is the only way to maintain a successful career. It would seem some young people have the IT philosophy. Start at middle management, black BMW, big office, secretary etc, etc. In TAFE, we see it time and again school leavers wanting a job and not a skilful career. Employers become locked into hiring young people who really dont want to be there. Queensland is currently going through a boom period with some producers of castings finding niche markets in the export area, while the mining growth is keeping casting suppliers busy producing expendable mining castings. The Beatie Government has used its Smart State slogan to advantage in the manufacturing sector by encouraging growth in areas where skill shortages are being experienced.

Identifying many problems faced by Queensland manufacturing, the State Government commissioned a study into both the educational and the vocational training systems in an effort to place young people into the work force. The Queensland Government has made it perfectly clear that their goal is to see all young people out of the social security system into full time employment. The policy of the Queensland Government is being focused around the earning or learning strategy. All young Queenslanders are to be in full time schooling, at TAFE, University, in full time employment, or a combination of any of these strategies by 2006. What this policy has developed is a seamless and more flexible approach to education and training in preparation for entry into the workforce. Initiatives such as school based apprenticeships and traineeships are rapidly being accepted by employers, as they too can see the benefits of letting young people into the workforce while still attending school. At Yeronga Institute of TAFE we have our first patternmaking school based apprentice, with another two more apprenticeships in the foundry industry being negotiated with employers before the end of the year (2004).

How do school-based apprenticeships work?

School based apprenticeships are set up in exactly the same way you would a conventional apprenticeship. The two main differences are in the training contract, and hinge around the duration of the nominal term, which is increased to eight years and employment category, which is part time instead of the traditional full-time period. This training contract can be amended and rolled into a standard apprenticeship when the student completes schooling. Negotiation with the school is carried out in order to ascertain the best way of delivering the vocational TAFE based training. In broad terms the student does three days per week at school, one day with the employer and one day at TAFE. Our current student completes the vocational training by doing one week of study after the school examinations and one week of study during school holidays. Of course there are many combinations that can also be negotiated with the school, parents, apprentice, TAFE Institute and the employer.

What other ways are there of employing apprentices?

We all know how difficult it is to find qualified tradespeople to fill vacant positions. One solution that is being successfully used by many companies in Queensland is the signing up of existing employees as apprentices. In a lot of cases, these are mature aged people that have been employed with the company for some time. This becomes a win/win situation as the employer already knows the employees capabilities and the employee has a career pathway with a qualification at the end of the process. I would estimate that over 50% of the moulding apprentices in Queensland are mature aged people. Traineeships are another area that is expanding in the foundry with Certificate I and II being offered. Some employers believe that these traineeships clarify the level of commitment an employee will demonstrate. If the employee gives the commitment (and the bulk of them do) the employer can roll the traineeship into a full time apprenticeship. These traineeships can also contain specialised into a certain field with the foundry, for example as a machine moulder or a furnace operator. The combination of competency of standard units taken can be identified by the MERS ITAB pathway selection guide used to develop the training plan. We are seeing employers turning more towards this option particularly in the training of shop-floor personnel.

A recent training session at a Tasmanian foundry saw trainees and new start employees sharing training together. The company management saw this as an ideal opportunity for employees to share knowledge and information while the employees saw the benefits of learning underpinning knowledge associated with day to day foundry operations.

Photograph No.2 Together with traditional apprentice training, our Yeronga Institute of TAFE has developed a series of workplace delivery strategies tailored to individual foundry organisations needs. Some organisations are using a combination of on and off-the-job delivery strategies for apprentices/trainees and shop-floor employees. The delivery is developed to produce flexible solutions to vocational education and training needs.

What funding is available?

Individual states will have their own systems in place. However, training courses in Queensland can be funded in three main ways. They are user choice, Direct grant and Fee-for-service funding systems. In the user choice system, providers of vocational training are given a contract from the department (DET) to provide resources and deliver vocational training, with a small percentage of the cost paid for by the student. Employers of apprentices are eligible for both State and Federal incentive payments. The user choice system is specifically for apprentices and trainees. With the direct grant funding, an employer can apply to the TAFE Institute to skill up existing employees, in a funded costing arrangement similar to the user choice system. The Institute is funded by the department (DET) for an arranged number of hours per year. However, where there is no restriction on how many apprentices you can train, in the direct grant system, minimum numbers are required. The fee for service system, as the name suggests, the costs are negotiated between the employer and the Institute. Alot of employers are finding the fee for service option to be a very practical option, as the can develop a variety outcomes to suit their individual requirements.

Where to from here?

Yeronga Institute of TAFE has re-located its foundry training facility to the Queensland Rail Foundry at Redbank on the outskirts of Brisbane. A significant financial commitment from the Department of Employment and Training has led to the installation of new foundry equipment and the refurbishment of older equipment. New theory rooms have been installed and fitted out with computers for the students the use up-to-date methods simulation packages. It can be said that a partnership between two Government departments has been formed for the continued delivery of quality foundry training in Queensland. The delivery strategies to apprentice moulders has also taken a face lift. While keeping the standard of delivery high, foundry competencies have been broken into a series of projects. These projects run for a week at a time sharing both underpinning theory and knowledge with a practical component. Training is usually set down in four week blocks, but students can attend in two weekly blocks if necessary. Judging from the feedback from employers and students alike, the system (in its first year) seems to working well. Full marks go to the moulding teacher (Mike McCabe) for his efforts and dedication in getting this programme up and running. There is a vast distance between some of our regional students in Queensland and students can travel as much as 1600 kilometres to attend Yeronga Institute TAFE classes. In more recent times, interstate students and apprentices have been attending classes in an off-the-job mode of delivery also. Flexible delivery has been a buzz word for many years, however the true meaning of flexibility is difficult to achieve, as the needs of all employment situations is an impossible task to solve. Around the state of Queensland alone there is a vast and varied selection of production techniques and processes. There are local and regional companies producing both jobbing and production castings, in chemically bonded sands, green sands, investment and shell moulding mediums. Both ferrous and non-ferrous castings are produced in a variety of grades and engineering requirements. We are now seeing greater specialisation requirements in vocational training. The Australian foundry Institutes Queensland division has set up a working committee to develop courses (in conjunction with Yeronga Institute of TAFE) which are targeting the gap between apprenticeship courses and University degrees in Metallurgy. These courses are seen as an expansion of industry pathways for school leavers or existing tradespeople wishing to further their careers. There are virtually no advanced trade courses available where further engagement of learning can be carried out.

Other industry training

Other similar industries, for example the plastics industry are becoming heavily involved in enterprise training. An industry partnership is currently being developed to assist in the vocational training of school leavers and current shop floor workers. Yeronga Institute of TAFE is at present working in partnership with a Brisbane based producer of automotive components, in an effort to formalise vocational training within the organisations own training school. It is envisaged that a formalised structure of apprenticeship outcomes can be linked to the companys own production requirements. A programme of assessment involving the recognition of prior learning for existing workers, where skill gaps can be identified, is also being developed. This will lead to a more highly skilled workforce able to produce quality tooling in quicker time frames. Training will be ongoing and seen as an integral component of the companys quality system, providing industry pathways throughout the organisation.

Because distance is becoming a major factor contributing to the cost of delivery, webbased programs are also being considered. In the future, courses will be set up online where students can access learning and training resource material. As I see it its not too much of a change from our old Technical Correspondence School many of our regional students were trained on in years past. Industry groups such as the Australian Industry Group are proposing Technology Cadetships, which are supported by National Training Authority. These cadetships are seen as the middle level skills overlapping the constraints of Post Trade and Advance Trade Skills, Technician Skills and Para Professional Skills. (AIG Initiative).This type of approach has been long overdue and will now form the next step in specialisation pathways in the National Training Package.

The Worldskill Australia Foundation

As many of you are aware, Worldskill Australia (WSA) has provided pathways for apprentices and young tradespeople, through active competitions beginning at regional level, progressing to national level and finally to the international Skill Olympics. While there has not been an international competitor since 1998, there has been a number of our apprentices involved in the Big Brother Movement whom have attended personal development courses with Royal Navy in the U.K. Our own AFI has also been instrumental in sending moulders and patternmaking apprentices on study tours through Europe and the U.K. These study and development courses, I believe have done wonders for the personal development of our future industry leaders, and it is pleasing to see these young people beginning to take their place at higher positions in the industry. An innovative idea was put into practice at the last national WSA final held in Brisbane in May this year. Fourteen skill areas ran, in conjunction with the national competition, a Try-a-trade for school children, or in fact anybody who wanted to have a go. Our industry was well represented with apprentices demonstrating their skills in moulding, metal casting and patternmaking.

Photograph No.3 Students could have a try at a variety of tasks including using hand tools in moulding and patternmaking, mixing and pouring plastic key rings, or carving a propeller blade.

Judging by the number of questions that were being asked by children, teachers and parents, together with the crowds that were at times four and five deep, the concept was a total success. Run in conjunction with this event was the Careers Expo, where organisers hoped a total of twenty-seven thousand people would attend over the three day period of the event. In fact a figure of twenty-five thousand was achieved on the first day, with a total of forty-seven thousand people passed through the venue over the three days. Our industry couldnt buy exposure like that and Im still getting enquiries from people who attended the event.

Conclusion
Although for some years we have seen the stalling of vocational training and sadly for our industry, the removal of foundry training courses from some TAFE Institutes, I firmly believe we are only now seeing strong developments and links to the National Training Package, which whether we like it or not, are here to stay. Employers have always seen the benefits of vocational training, but are now becoming involved in development of training to suit their individual needs. The Queensland Government has launched its manufacturing Initiative strategy to assist in the up skilling of the workforce, encourage school leavers to enter manufacturing industries and to address skill shortages. It is encouraging to hear rhetoric from John Howard acknowledging skill shortages within the trades and a need for more apprentices and at the time of writing this, he is promising a further twenty-four Technical Colleges. I can only hope this move does not fragment our foundry training further, but will be a positive step for our industry. Yeronga Institute of TAFE is committed to the ongoing training of foundry apprentices, trainees and employees. The Institutes staff, is being provided with a challenge to develop and deliver stimulating solutions to a cutting edge technology market. We are seeing the largest growth in foundry apprentice numbers since the opening of the Institute in 1967. While most students were Queensland students, there are a growing number of interstate students undertaking training. It is gratifying to see not only the growth but the number of inquiries and diversification of training required by employers. I truly believe that we are continuing in the right direction to fill skill shortages and gaps in skill areas. The road has not been easy, nor will it become any easier, however if we persevere we will build a stronger foundry industry producing a world quality product that will continue to grow our economy and industrial know-how.

References
Australian Industry Group 2004 Photograph No.2 Photograph No.3 TAFE 1990 W. Alexander, A Street, 1965 Great Britain (photograph No.1) Cadetship Initiative On-the-job students in Tasmania School children at the Try-a-trade Metal & Engineering National Curriculum Metals in the service of man Pelican books: