Partnering for Professionalism launches on Sunshine Coast

The first workshop for the Partnering for Professionalism project will be held on the Sunshine Coast on 10 August 2005.

Representatives from TAFE Institutes, TAFE in schools and registered private training providers are encouraged to attend and participate in the collaborative activities designed to enhance the development of e-learning and flexible learning in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sector.

Other workshops will be held in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Rockhampton, and Cairns. The schedule for these workshops is shown in a prior posting.

The project is funded by Learnscope and sponsored by the Department of Employment and Training.

Network creation workshops - schedule

Start-up workshops for the Partnering for Professionalism Project have been scheduled and registration forms are available from:

Kerri Schrauf - phone: 07 3214 8384 fax: 07 3214 8425 email: kschr4@eq.edu.au
or
Ron Passfield - phone: 07 33995750 fax: 07 3899 2519 email: rpassfield@optusnet.com.au
mobile: 0409 266 582

Timing and locations for the workshops are given below.

The purpose of the workshops and related mentoring services is to share and examine flexible learning issues with a view to increasing the quality and scope of flexible learning in the VET sector and to stimulate collaboration and partnerships. A key aim of this endeavour is to build collaboration between TAFE Institutes, VET in schools and registered training providers.

Participants will be encouraged to form a Community of Practice and share resources, ideas and links and, where possible, engage in small-scale, collaborative action learning projects. It is intended that sharing will continue after the workshops through face-to-face contact, email, phone, mutual site visits and by posting to this blog.

The workshops will be highly interactive and participants will be encouraged to share their knowledge and experiences. This sharing will cover aspects such as current e-learning and flexible learning projects, change management for flexible learning, action learning, strategic planning for action learning projects and development of collaborative relationships.

The schedule for workshops is as follows:

Workshops
10 August	Sunshine Coast
12 August	Toowoomba
15 August	Brisbane
19 August	Brisbane
24 August	Cairns
26 August	Rockhampton
29 August	Gold Coast
31 August 5 September	Brisbane Townsville

For further information, contact Ron Passfield (contact details are given above).

Coordinating Team meets to set project parameters

The Coordinating Team for the Queensland LearnScope Project, Partnering for Professionalism, met on Monday 18 August 2005 to establish the project and set parameters and timelines.

Participating members were Peter Skippington (Project Manager; representing TAFE Institutions), Shane Baker (representing TAFE in Schools), Chris Sutton (representing private providers on behalf of ACPET), Jodie McCabe (Queensland Flexible Learning Framework Coordinator) and Ron Passfield (Project Facilitator/Mentor).

The Partnering for Professionalism project is sponsored by the Department of Employment and Training and funded through LearnScope.

The initial aim is to create a number of Community of Practice networks throughout Queensland - Brisbane (3), Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Cairns - involving e-learning practitioners from the three sectors - Technical and Further Education (TAFE), Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Schools and Private Training Providers.

The project objectives are to:

• develop collaboration, networking and partnerships between key players from TAFE Institutes, VET in schools and private registered training providers
• facilitate professional development to enhance the skills and understanding that underpin e-learning and e-business (with particular emphasis on the learner's perspective)
• provide an environment conducive to the development of action learning projects to support the implementation of flexible learning.

Process objectives include:

• helping participants gain a clear view of the change context associated with the introduction of flexible learning
• providing a safe forum for discussion and the development of small-scale action learning projects to support implementation of flexible learning
• creating opportunities for collaboration
• incorporating an active mentoring program to support participants in managing their own learning through the projects.

Project activities include:

• Network creation and exchange workshops
• Development of triads (teams of three engaged in mutual learning through site visits and resource sharing)
• Locally based small-scale action learning projects (including cross-sector, collaborative projects)

The project will conclude with submission of a formal project report on 31 October. It is anticipated that the Communities of Practice and associated relationships will continue to flourish and develop long after formal completion of the project. The use of locally based action learning projects will extend the level of involvement beyond the people actively engaged in the Project workshops and Community of Practice Meetings.