Information for Trainers
A PDF document summarising the information below is available for download here. Trainers: please note that AERTP has relocated from the address shown on these documents. See the Contact page for details.
On this page:
Why worry about the training package?
What's in the training package?
INDUSTRY TRAINING PACKAGES: endorsed component
National competency standards
National qualification framework
Assessment Guidelines
What is a unit of competence?
Key competencies
What's in a competency standard?
Scope of the Film, Television, Radio and Multimedia Industry Training Package
STANDARDS: What are the main changes as a result of all this?
Assessment
For the trainer
Assessment policy
Reporting policy
Appeals policy
Confidentiality
Code of practice
The aligned AERTP program
Qualifications
The AERTP model
The Australian Ethnic Radio Training Project has recently aligned all its teaching and learning resources to the National Training Package, that covers the radio sector of The Film, Television, Radio and Multimedia Training Package.
What this means, in practice, is that the content of the AERTP training program is little changed; what is different is that whereas in the past the emphasis was on learning outcomes the training now is focussed on developing and assessing specific competencies. These competencies describe the skills and knowledge a person must demonstrate for the areas of work covered by the training package.
The competency standards provide industry benchmarks for training and assessment. They:
• describe the skills and knowledge needed to perform a particular area of work
• specify the ways in which those skills and knowledge should be assessed and the resources needed for assessment
In addition there are changes to the qualifications offered - previously AERTP offered a nationally recognised Certificate II and III in Australian Community Radio Training. As a consequence of the alignment process this has changed and now, to better recognise the requirements of the training delivered the AERTP offers Certificate II, III and IV.
Why worry about the training package?
Industry training packages are a key feature of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Australia. They are part of the National Training Framework (NTF) which has established a national focus for VET. The aim of the NTF is to ensure that training and assessment arrangements are flexible, consistent, relevant and of high quality.
The film, television, radio and multimedia industry training package has been endorsed by the key training bodies and by industry as the national standards that cover skills in the sector. It provides a nationally agreed and mutually recognised framework for qualifications and details a common approach to the assessment of skills. The training package now is the one commonly agreed national standard for workplace competencies, assessment of those competencies and qualifications that come out of those competencies. It allows therefore for common understanding and recognition of people's skill levels throughout the country. A qualification acquired through one Registered Training Organisation must be recognised by another.
What's in the training package?
Industry training packages generally have two components: the endorsed component and support materials.
INDUSTRY TRAINING PACKAGES: ENDORSED COMPONENT
The endorsed component of the film, television, radio and multimedia industry training package is in three parts: national competency standards, a national qualification framework and assessment guidelines.
National competency standards
National competency standards describe the skills and knowledge a person must demonstrate for the areas of work covered by the training package. The standards provide industry benchmarks for training and assessment. They:
• describe the skills and knowledge needed to perform a particular area of work
• specify the ways in which those skills and knowledge should be assessed and the resources needed for assessment
National qualification framework
The national qualification framework sets out the rules by which competency standards may be "packaged" to form a qualification. Each qualification stipulates a minimum number of competency standards that a learner must achieve, in most cases specifying core, specialist and elective units. Where a learner achieves some, but not all of the required competency standards he or she is awarded a Statement of Attainment. All qualifications:
• are aligned directly to the Australian Qualifications Framework
• are based directly on national industry competency standards
• recognise the existing competencies of people who work in the film, television, radio and multimedia industry
• provide multiple pathways to achieving a qualification. New apprenticeships can be achieved at all qualification levels
There are 32 vocational education and training qualifications in the Film, Television, Radio and Multimedia Industry Training Package ranging from Certificate I to Advanced Diploma. Full details of all the qualifications and the framework can be found in the section titled Vocational Education and Training Qualifications in the Film, Television, Radio and Multimedia Industry.
Assessment Guidelines
The assessment guidelines provide a framework for accurate and reliable assessment of the competency standards in the package. The guidelines, which aim to ensure that assessment is thorough, consistent and valid, specify the requirements that must be met by all those involved in assessing competence. They include information on the principles that underpin the assessment system, pathways to qualifications, recording and reporting requirements, appeal processes and assessor qualifications. The guidelines are an important part of the quality assurance processes for issuing qualifications.
Industry Training Packages: Endorsed Component
Training package support materials are developed by registered training organisations, government bodies and industry training advisory bodies to support the implementation of industry training packages. They may include learning strategies and resources, assessment materials and professional development materials. Approved support materials can be listed on the National Training Information Service located at www.ntis.gov.au
What is a Unit of Competence?
At the heart of the training package are the many units of competence which go to make up the skills involved in production and broadcasting. These describe what a person can do at work and include the ability to:
• carry out a particular task
• manage several different tasks within a job
• handle irregularities in a routine and respond appropriately to the unexpected
• deal with the responsibilities of the workplace, including work with others
The standards focus on what is expected of an employee in the workplace rather than on the learning process. They are thus expressed as outcomes and they embody the ability to transfer and apply skills and knowledge to new situations and environments. The competency standards also provide guidance on assessment. Providing national benchmarks for training and assessment, competency standards are the keys to ensuring that all training and assessment meets the needs of industry. However, they can also be used for much more than this: they can form the basis of an integrated human resource system. The standards can be used to:
• compile job descriptions
• identify and address the training needs of individuals and organisations
• develop training programs and resources, and
• assist career path planning and development
Competency standards can be used to build qualifications or to develop skills and knowledge in specific areas. Thus, the competency standards are a useful tool for ongoing training and development, as well as for formal study.
Key Competencies
The seven key competencies are incorporated within competency standards in all industries. They are generic competencies that apply to work broadly, rather than to specific occupations or industries. The Mayer Committee in Putting Education prepared them to Work: The Key Competencies report (Mayer 1992).
The key competencies apply at three broad levels of performance as follows:
• Level 1 is concerned with the level of competence needed to undertake tasks effectively
• Level 2 with the ability to manage tasks, and
• Level 3 with concepts of evaluation and reshaping tasks
The seven key competencies are:
1. Collecting ideas and information: The capacity to locate, sift and sort information in order to select what is required and to present it in a useful way, and evaluate both the information itself and the sources and methods used to collect it.
2. Communicating ideas and information: The capacity to communicate effectively with others using the range of spoken, written, graphic and other non-verbal means of expression.
3. Planning and organising activities: The capacity to plan and organise one's own work activities, including making good use of time and resources, sorting out priorities and monitoring one's performance.
4. Working with others and in teams: The capacity to interact effectively with other people both on a one-to-one basis and in groups, including understanding and responding to the needs of a client and working effectively as a member of a team to achieve a shared goal.
5. Solving problems: The capacity to apply problem-solving strategies in purposeful ways, both in situations where the problem and the solution are clearly evident and in situations requiring creative thinking and a creative approach to achieve a desired outcome.
6. Using mathematical ideas and techniques: The capacity to use mathematical ideas, such as number and space, and techniques such as estimation and approximation, for practical purposes.
7. Using technology: The capacity to apply technology, combining the physical and sensory skills needed to operate equipment with the understanding of scientific and technological principles needed to explore and adapt systems.
What's in a competency standard?
Each Competency Standard has a:
1. Unit Code: The unit number
2. Unit title: Describes the broad area covered by the unit
3. Descriptor: Expands on the title to reflect the purpose of the unit
4. Element: Describe the building blocks that make up the unit
5. Performance criteria: Specify activities and their level of performance required
6. Range of variables: Describes the different situations that may be encountered when
applying the competency
7. Critical aspects of evidence: Aspects of competence that are essential to effective performance
8. Links to other units: Describes units where consecutive or concurrent assessment is
recommended
9. Knowledge and skills: Essential knowledge and skills to perform to required standard
10. Key competencies: Show the key competencies and their performance levels
11. Resource requirements: Resources needed to conduct valid and reliable assessment.
12. Context of assessment: Describes the environment in which assessment should take place.
Scope of the Film, Television, Radio and Multimedia Industry Training Package
The Film, Television, Radio and Multimedia Industry Training Package sets out the competencies required for many different careers across the industry, which apply at Vocational Education and Training level. The package does not cover those areas for which the Higher Education sector provides training.
STANDARDS
What are the main changes as a result of all of this?
The major difference in terms of delivering training is that a common approach to assessment is very important indeed to the delivery of training under the package. To assist this Assessment tools have been developed to provide a means of collecting the evidence that assessors use in making judgements about whether candidates have achieved competency.
Assessment
Assessment is a process of collecting evidence and making judgements on progress towards satisfying the performance criteria set out in the standard, or learning outcome. At the appropriate point judgement is made as to whether competency has been achieved or not.
Assessment, within competency-based training is criterion referenced. What this means is that it considers the individual's performance against defined outcomes rather than against the performance of others.
The steps involved in assessing performance can be described as follows:
In planning and conducting an assessment the first step is:
1. Identify and Explain the Criteria against which the Assessment will be made by:
• Discussing the context and purpose of the assessment with the person being assessed and ensure that it is understood
• Obtain and explain to the assessee the relevant performance measures applying to the assessment. The instructions need to be verified by the person(s) being assessed.
• Explain and obtain agreement for the assessment procedure
• Identify and explain any ethical or legal responsibilities associated with assessment to the person being assessed
• Check to see whether the person being assessed requires the allowable adjustments in the assessment procedure applying to those with special needs.
2. Plan Evidence Gathering
• Identify opportunities to gather evidence of competency - opportunities which occur as part of workplace or training activities
• Identify the need to gather additional evidence which may not occur as part of the workplace or training activity
• Plan and schedule all evidence gathering activity in accordance with assessment procedures
• Ensure that the planning approach to gathering evidence will provide sufficient, reliable, valid and fair evidence of competency
• Ensure that the planned approach to gathering evidence will cover the four key dimensions of competency - task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills, job/role environment skills
3. Organise Assessment
• Obtain and arrange the resources specified in the assessment procedure
• Inform the relevant people of assessment plans
• Check that the assessment environment is safe and accessible
• Explain the assessment arrangements and requirements simply and clearly to the person(s) being assessed
• Obtain agreement regarding assessment arrangements with person(s) being assessed
4. Gather Evidence
• Put the person(s) being assessed at ease
• Gather all the evidence specified in the assessment procedure, using assessment methods and tools specified
• Gather evidence for those with special needs, in accordance with specified allowable adjustments to the assessment method(s)
• Document the evidence gathered in accordance with the assessment procedure
5. Make the Assessment
• Evaluate the evidence gathered in terms of it's validity, authenticity, sufficiency and currency consistent with the achievement of specified standard
• Make the assessment decision in accordance with the criteria specified in the assessment procedure
• Seek guidance, if in doubt, from a more experienced assessor(s) nominated in the assessment procedure
6. Record assessment results
• Record assessment results promptly and in accordance with specified assessment procedure
• Record assessment results promptly and in accordance with specified record keeping requirements
• Provide access to assessment records only to authorised personnel
• Maintain confidentiality of assessment outcome
7. Provide feedback to person(s)
• Discuss and confirm performance with the person being assessed
• Give clear and constructive feedback to the persons being assessed
• Explore with the person being assessed any gaps in their competency revealed by assessment
• Advise and confirm with person(s) being assessed reassessment opportunities and/or review appeal mechanisms available where the assessment decision is challenged.
8. Report on the conduct of the assessee
• Report on positive and negative features experienced in conduct assessment to those responsible for the assessment procedure.
• Record and report promptly any assessment decision disputed by the person(s)being assessed to those nominated in the assessment procedure.
• Make suggestions for improving any aspect of the assessment process to those responsible for the assessment procedure.
To comply with the requirements of the training package the assessment methods are to provide sufficient valid and reliable information to be gathered so a genuine assessment decision can be made. The process must also be flexible, fair and cost effective.
To facilitate the assessment process and to meet these requirements assessment tools have been developed for each of the training modules delivered through AERTP. These modules or topics contain one or more Unit of Competence and the assessment tools provide common assessment tasks and checklists to ensure that each performance criteria is addressed and met by the candidate.
These tools include assessment tasks, checklists and guides to assessing performance of the assessment task, assessment policies and procedures. These assessment tasks are clearly explained at the beginning of each topic and the assessment tools are the second last document within the topic information. The performance criteria for each element of each unit of competence are at the end of the Topic description.
In general the training programs have been designed to have a production outcome and so that the material undertaken for assessment within each Topic will feed into this production outcome (with the exception of those Topics which are more theoretical in nature - such as Broadcast Law and Standards).
For the Trainer
This means that individual assessment using common assessment procedures is central to your role as trainer. The learner MUST be informed of the assessment procedure at the start of the training and know what the expectations are. It is the responsibility of the trainer to brief students adequately, well before the due date for any assessed work. You are to make the deadlines clear and will (most probably) be responsible for the assessment of the finished work.
A learner MUST successfully demonstrate competence in order to be credited with attaining the unit/s of competence within a topic / training program. The way this happens is that they have to demonstrate their competence against each and every performance criteria that makes up the unit/s of competence within the module. To assist this process AERTP has developed assessment tools that are designed to enable you to gauge the competence of a learner against each performance criteria.
Assessment Policy
The assessment procedure (a clear explanation of the assessment task, tools and performance criteria) and the assessment policy are clearly documented for each Unit of Competence/ training Topic.
The trainer is to clearly explain the assessment process, outlining the performance criteria, the assessment tasks and assessment policy
The AERTP policies in relation to assessment and student records are:
Reporting Policy
1. The Assessee will be awarded a rating of 'Competent' or 'Not Yet Competent'.
2. The assessee will be given feedback within one week of completion of the project.
3. The assessee needs to fulfil all criteria within the assessment tools to be awarded a rating of competent ie. For each of the items observed a 'Yes' answer is required by the assessor.
1. Review with assessor
2. If consensus cannot be reached - review with the AERTP Coordinator
3. If consensus cannot be reached - matter is raised with the CEO of the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council
All results will be kept in a file and provided to NEMBC. NEMBC, through the Australian Ethnic Radio Training Project will keep all results on file and they will only be made available for auditing purposes.
Code of Practice
A copy of the AERTP Code of Practice will be provided to students in their orientation session, as well as to trainers and stations. Our Code of Practice outlines our responsibilities as a training provider and guarantees the quality of training delivery.
The Aligned AERTP Training Program
For close to a decade the Australian Ethnic Radio Training Project has been delivering high quality radio training to ethnic broadcasters across Australia. In that time it has developed a training program, with delivery strategies, training resources and a team of trainers, which has set standards of excellence in vocational training. This program is now aligned to the National Training Package for radio, ensuring that it remains the benchmark in radio training.
Qualifications
The AERTP is accredited to deliver the following qualifications under the National Training Package:
Certificate II in Broadcasting (radio) CUF20401
Certificate III in Broadcasting (radio) CUF30301
Certificate IV in Broadcasting (radio) CUF40601
The existing AERTP training program has been aligned to the National Training Package and whilst there are some changes in the qualifications that can be attained through AERTP there is actually very little change in the content.
Through the alignment process it became clear that the existing qualifications needed to be upgraded to better reflect the level of skill and knowledge required of a broadcaster independently producing programs on a regular basis. In addition we have introduced two shorter introductory courses - Foundations of Broadcasting and News and Current Affairs, both as Certificate II courses under the new training package.
See the Qualifications page for more detail.
The AERTP Model
See the training program for more detail.
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