Learning for life and livelihoods: Demandresponsive education and training services for desert Abori

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Learning for life and livelihoods
Demand-responsive education and training services
for desert Aboriginal people

• Alicia Boyle
• Education Coordinator
• Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre
• IPAA National Conference
• Perth
• Thursday 20th September 2007
• www.desertknowledgecrc.com.au

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What is the DKCRC?

• The Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre
  is a research and brokerage institution
• Links researchers with 28 partners, which include
  14 universities, 6 governments and government
  departments, 7 Aboriginal organisations and 2
  industry partners
• A Board of 8, plus the chair, which includes 3
  Aboriginal members

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DKCRC footprint
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First, a story.
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What are the education and training outcomes
Indigenous Australians aspire to?

• Personal outcomes
• Enhanced self-confidence and self-esteem
• Improved communication skills
• Feelings of being respected by others within the
  community
• Educational outcomes
• Improved subject/unit and course/qualification
  completions
• Movement to further study at higher levels of VET
  and/or university that are more likely to result
  in direct employment
• Employment outcomes
• Paid work especially in government and
  Indigenous organisations
• Community development participation in CDEP
• Indigenous enterprise for stronger communities
  and economic independence
• Sounces Miller, C (2005). Aspects of training
  that meet Indigenous Australians aspirations A
  systematic review of research, NCVER, Adelaide.
• NCVER (2005). Australian
  Education and Training Statistics Indigenous
  Australians training experiences 2004 - First
  findings NCVER, Adelaide.

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And, we already know that

• There is a systemic need for English literacy and
  numeracy training
• There is a need for computer literacy and
  technology training
• There is a need for training support for
  community self-determination
• Although there are community-based jobs in
  schools and other community centres, retail
  outlets, womens and mens centres, art and craft
  centres, clinics, community offices and community
  maintenance, most positions are held by
  non-Indigenous people

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Soif these are the desired outcomes, and, in
fact none of the issues are new, how can VET and
ACE policies and programs really make a
difference..
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Factors required to achieve positive outcomes
Community ownership and involvement
Course design and contentFlexibility in
systemsand policy Training delivery
Two way
Two way
Indigenous identities, cultures, knowledge and
values
Flexibility in systemsand policy
Fundingand sustainability
Truepartnerships
Student support services
Quality staff and committed advocacy

Two way
Two way
Sounce Adapted from, Miller, C (2005). Aspects
of training that meet Indigenous Australians
aspirations A systematic review of research,
NCVER, Adelaide.
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Formal and non-formal training in the desert

• Much of the learning that happens in the desert
  region among Indigenous people is a mixture of
  both formal and non-formal training.
• Evidence that adult and community education
  contributes significantly to the lives of
  individuals and communities and that ACE
  contributes, albeit indirectly, to the economic
  life of regions by providing foundational skills
  such as language, literacy and numeracy skills,
  information technology, first aid and emergency
  services.
• A plethora of this non-reported, ad hoc, once
  off, non-formal learning activity exists and
  represents the underbelly of education efforts
  across the desert

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Innovative education and training stories from
desert Australia
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Anmatyerr trainee researchers - training pathways
for Indigenous livelihoods

• A NGO training package - a pathway to the
  starting line of formal training programs
  consisting of Resource Management, Multi-Media
  and Interpreting skills and knowledge development
• Key factors for success
• Local aboriginal mentor/cultural supervisor
• Authority and ownership
• Flexible and locally-based training
• Diversity of training
• Meaningful work on country
• Community Development Employment Program (CDEP)
• Training embedded in research utilising
  Indigenist Research methodologies
• Key Outcomes
• Communication for cultural awareness and
  maintenance Inter-generational education
  Personal achievement Cross-cultural interaction
  Improved relationships Increased social capital

Source Rea, N., Messner, J. and Gipey, C. 2007
The character of training pathways to Indigenous
Employment, DKCRC Occasional Paper
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Newmont Australias Indigenous training and
employment program

• Four factors for success
• Local communities are involved with the mining
  company
• Strength of local partnerships
• Company support
• Celebrates trainees success

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Waltja Tutankgu Palyapayi - Training
Nintiringtjaku a job creation initiative

• Seeks to create employment of local skilled
  people to
• Broker community-demanded training provision
• Interpreting
• Assist with the alignment of training to the
  nature of work roles in communities across
  cultural interfaces
• Supporting learners and providing feedback to
  RTOs, communities and government

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Murdi Paaki Training for healthier housing in
remote New South Wales

• Key outcomes
• Increased trainee self-confidence and self-esteem
• Improved organisational efficiency and
  responsiveness
• Improved community living conditions and social
  capital
• Apparent increase in housing stock longevity
• Program sustainability is linked to
• Skills and knowledge embedded within the
  communities
• Higher costs of importing these skills
• Increased sense of ownership by residents
• Improved relationships between the Murdi Paaki
  Regional Housing Corporation and the communities,
  achieved through the Healthy Housing Workers

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Desart Training needs of the Aboriginal Art
industry for Business Development

• Research identified 5 key areas related to
  technical, cultural, community, entrepreneurial
  and management needs of art workers and centres
  a list of competencies that could be mapped
  against 9 training packages.
• Identified key issues and barriers for access to
  and delivery of effective training
• English literacy and numeracy skills
• Cross cultural negotiation and mediation skills
• Training content and delivery models
• Need for flexible assessment and recognition of
  current competency approaches
• Importance of informal or on-the-job training
• Need for Indigenous people to have pathways into
  Art Centre work as well as professional
  development as artists

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Growing the desert Educational pathways for
remote Indigenous peoples

• Key messages
• VET participation is NOT providing Indigenous
  desert peoples pathways through learning to work
• There is a significant misalignment between the
  content and delivery models of VET and the prior
  skills, educational demands and aspirations of
  desert Indigenous peoples
• Distinct cultural, demographic and geographic
  landscapes depict Australias desert regions as
  do systemic socio-economic and health
  disadvantage.
• Educational interventions that offer strategies
  responsive to the unique and pressing needs of
  Indigenous desert peoples and their communities,
  combine a suite of formal and informal learning
  opportunities, brokered through strategic and
  often innovative partnership arrangements and
  linked with real work and economic development
  opportunities offer the best means of making a
  difference

Source Guenther, J., Young, M. and Boyle, A.
(forthcoming) Growing the desert Educational
pathways for remote Indigenous peoples, NCVER,
Adelaide
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People aspire to a both-ways model of
community capacity that ensures cultural control
in the short term and in the long term leads to
the development of skilled literate adults who
have also maintained their Indigenous law and
culture and are able to manage change and sustain
community development

• Gelade, S and Stehlik, T 2004 Exploring locality
  The impact of context on Indigenous vocational
  education and training aspirations and outcomes,
  NCVER

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So, what can we do.

• Strengthen Indigenous voices in decision making
• Increase the number of Indigenous staff
  particularly teachers and mentors, and support
  them with PD and their own support networks
• Act on the research outcomes, very little is new
  AND engage more Indigenous people in future
  research
• Make VETis available to younger students and
  increase the accountability of schools
• Provide improved career guidance and support with
  appropriate information about education, training
  and work pathways
• Non-academic supports are important mentoring
  and childcare
• Tutoring support one-on-one especially for
  language, literacy and numeracy
• English literacy and numeracy, technological and
  other functional literacies are required to be
  able to utilise e-learning innovations
• Improve access to technological infrastructure,
  and support an appropriate maintenance/support
  system

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More we can do.

• Funding models need to provide certainty,
  continuity and a offer a less fragmented approach
  constant reliance on Indigenous or targeted
  funding is problematic as are the multiple
  accountabilities that place a huge burden on
  organisations and communities
• Maintain and back successful programs rather than
  continue to fund new pilots
• Community-based and personal development and
  achievement outcomes need to be recognised and
  legitimately recorded
• Flexible funding models need to be developed that
  reflect local needs
• Cross-cultural training is critical to be able to
  promote two-way learning
• Communities should be able to take a lead in
  training
• Build relationships learner centred that
  emphasise the process rather than the product
• Flexible learning and assessment methods
• Provision of job placement support and closer,
  clearer and more open lines of communication
  between VET providers and DEWR
• Recognition of community-based jobs and community
  based livelihoods
• Development of partnerships that are clearly
  defined and are sustainable

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Learning for life and livelihoods
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Centre Partners
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Associate Partners
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Affiliate Partners
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For more information contact

• Alicia Boyle
• Education Coordinator DKCRC
• alicia.boyle_at_cdu.edu.au