Knowledge management and team building in a small RTO

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Knowledge management and team building in a small
RTO

• Leanne FitzGerald
• Team Leader
• Coonara Community House
• P.O. Box 7041 Upper Ferntree Gully 3156
• Phone [phone]
• Email coonarahouse_at_optusnet.com.au

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Project overview

• Project goal
• Using a knowledge management approach
• To develop staff capabilities to continuously
  improve the quality of competency based training
  and assessment by changing their focus from one
  of more traditional (mostly written) assessment
  to one of gathering a wide range of evidence of
  competency.

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The Challenge

• Whilst we have a real need for a KM system it
  would have to be one that could work within the
  ACE context. To be really effective and to gain
  support for its implementation it has to
• Decrease staff workloads not increase them
• Reduce documentation not increase it.
• Provide staff with practical and usable resources
  for working smarter.
• Preferably bring value and professional support
  to people who are usually fairly isolated in the
  way they work.
• Build on the good will in the sector without
  abusing it.

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Project outcome

• Development of a knowledge management system
  that meets the needs of a small RTO
• Knowledge management role built into job
  description of course co-ordinators
• Knowledge management processes included in every
  activity undertaken by training teams
• Wikispace previously used for communication
  between sessional staff now includes repository
  for knowledge management. This site allows for
  interactive and collaborative knowledge
  management

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Associated outcomes

• Development of a team approach to assessment
• Reduction of isolation experienced by sessional
  staff
• Much broader range of evidence gathering for
  proof of competency (including gaining confidence
  with RPL)
• Moving towards effective incorporation of
  employability skills into assessment tools