Taking care of school
training business 

How a registered training organisation has become the prime mover in the field it now dominates surely has lessons for other RTOs.

But there are no marketing secrets behind the success of My Other Mum Childcare of Woree in Cairns, which partners with schools to offer school-based childcare training.

My Other Mum Childcare first started working with schools in 2004 and now works with 60 public and private secondary schools, from Thursday Island to Emerald and the Gold Coast. The company does not in fact own or run childcare centres and is solely a training organisation.

“It is really all down to word of mouth, basically,” says chief executive Dianne Payne. “We fax off a promotional letter to schools at the start of the school year, but I can’t recall it doing us any good.”

The credentials of the company, which helped pioneer school-based childcare training four years ago, were burnished recently with its success in the 2008 Queensland Training Awards’ VET in schools category, the Skilling for the Future Award.

For year 11 and 12 students currently taking up the opportunity to gain a Certificate III in Children’s Services, a job after graduation has never been more likely considering present industry skill shortages.

The recent announcement by the Queensland Government to create an additional 240 kindergarten services by 2014 as part of its Toward Q2 strategy will further increase demand for workers in the childcare industry.

Through My Other Mum Childcare, the 1950 students now enrolled at schools across the state enjoy a program that is particularly flexible and offers well established support mechanisms. Students can combine it with OP subjects; work placements are arranged at times to suit them; and a degree of self-paced learning is possible using the trainer’s inter-active website.

Ms Payne says the support given schools has been key to the program’s success, along with mutually beneficial relationships with childcare operators.

Teachers have the support of experienced company mentors. The RTO monitors the program and conducts mandatory moderation sessions twice a year which also offer professional development opportunities. Schools are encouraged to contribute to all aspects of the program including goals, tasks and systems.

This collaborative approach extends to childcare operators who provide job placements.
Operators must be flexible in fitting in with students’ availability and are required to provide both written and verbal feedback on their skills development.

Ms Payne says the program also generates strong community support in smaller towns. For example, at Dysart the program is funded by a BMA Coal subsidiary and the community is “dedicated” in helping students achieve a qualification, according to high school principal David Friis. They gain jobs “all over the central highlands”.

In congratulating My Other Mum Childcare on its success in the Queensland Training Awards, Education and Training Minister Rod Welford said the company exemplified skilling excellence.

'Trade School' grows
 with success

The state’s specialist school trade training program SchoolTech, will offer new courses in non-traditional trade areas from next year. This follows a successful first year for the Cairns program run at Woree State High School.

Next year will see a trebling of SchoolTech’s intake to around 150 students.

Since the start of this year, 50 students at Woree have been tackling traditional trade school-based apprenticeships and traineeships in four areas: diesel fitting, construction, metal fabrication and electrical trades.

Next year around 150 students are expected to be enrolled in an enlarged program. Responding to calls from local industry, new courses will be offered in cookery, childcare, Indigenous health, nursing and marine.

SchoolTech breaks new ground in Queensland. Through the program year 11 and 12 students are taught both by Education Queensland and TAFE teachers, with classes based at the Cairns campus of the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE. Students gain TAFE qualifications and a Queensland Certificate of Education. Cairns Regional Group Training then helps to place them with local employers.

Students have a chance to participate in work placement within industry to equip them for the modern day workforce. With all their teachers on the one campus they receive support throughout every stage of the apprenticeship.

Business course taught 'boardroom' style

Sunshine Coast TAFE will next year offer a highly regarded business management diploma, noted for being delivered through boardroom-style facilitated workshops rather than standard lectures.

The Institute will be the only one in the state offering the nationally recognised Advanced Diploma of Business Management, which was developed by the University of Ballarat, Victoria.

Normally a two-year program, it will be delivered in a ‘fast-tracked’ format over six months. Institute Director Ross Hepworth said the program had attracted interest mainly from corporate clients – from Brisbane as well as locally – since it was announced in early October.

“It is aimed at business managers with at least five years’ operational experience who don’t necessarily have formal academic qualifications, as well as qualified managers who wish to upgrade their existing skills,” Mr Hepworth said.

“We are able to fast-track it because of the experience and knowledge of those who participate.

“The program will be of value to anyone who is managing people or businesses, and would like to fast track their learning, become more qualified or learn more structured approaches.

“The learnings can be adapted to any profession or industry type with sessions covering areas of human resources, management, finance and marketing.”

Mr Hepworth said participants will learn how to manage personal work priorities and business operations, contribute to strategic direction, provide leadership and manage innovation. They will also learn how to contribute to the development and implementation of strategic plans, manage change and manage the marketing process.

With only 10-15 participants in each course, the program will also provide an environment where participants learn from each other by discussing their respective businesses and processes, and sharing experiences and information.

As well as its career benefits, the program carries accreditation towards further study such as an MBA.

The Advanced Diploma of Business Management will be offered from the Mooloolaba Campus for one full day every two weeks for six months, commencing in February 2009.

For more information about the course and enrolment enquiries contact the manager of the Centre for Leadership Strategies at Sunshine Coast TAFE, Lynne Stephens, on 0439 876 901 or email lynne.stephens@deta.qld.gov.au