Staff Professional Development Policy and Procedures

Staff Professional Development Policy Details

• Overview of PD Process and Requirements

  PD will have a range of required content areas to ensure achievement of vocational and training PD activities.

  The activities assigned will then inform updates to College training resources and subjects.

  Staff will have personal responsibility to ensure the required PD activities are undertaken and to ensure that they remain current.

  In addition, staff are required to undertake formal internal and/or external course work to ensure qualification currency. Staff completing internal qualifications will be strictly subject to standard assessment processes.

• PD Requirements for Trainers and Assessors

  Trainer and Assessor PD activities will require minimum participation in PD events in the following areas:

  • Training (where face to face training is delivered)
  • Assessment practice
  • LLLN and ACSF
  • Moderation activities
  • Industry collaboration including validation and currency activities
  • DET contract compliance (of sections that impact them)
  • Safety
  • Vocational currency

  Ongoing satisfactory job performance requires minimum PD activities to be undertaken and recorded.

• Trainer and Assessor Qualification and Specific PD Requirements

  Vocational Qualifications

  Training and Assessing staff must achieve and maintain currency in the vocational qualifications they were hired to train / assess in; plus any further qualification fields allocated to them.

  As a minimum each FT Trainer /Assessor must complete an agreed qualification each year.

  Each PT Trainer/ Assessor must complete an agreed qualification every 2 years.

  Where the selected qualification is external, the College will pay enrolment fees for up to this time frame. Where the course takes longer it is the employee’s obligation to pay additional fees.

  Trainer and Assessor Skills Currency Activities

  TAE Quizzes

  All Trainers and Assessors will undertake any PD quiz required for that month.  This will be available on Dashboard via WebClass and must be completed within that month.

  Staff PD Days

  Staff PD Days are mandatory for all staff without prior approved commitments.  Staff should arrange schedules to maximise attendance and obtain Team Manage approval for missed sessions

  At a minimum, every Staff PD day will cover a different aspect of:

  • Assessment Activities/Practices
  • LLLN and ACSF
  • Workplace Health and Safety

  Records of Attendance and Vocational Areas covered will automatically be lodged in the Staff PD Folders as part of the PD Day process.  Staff must attend at least 2 of 3 quarterly PD days.

  Validation / Moderation Activities

  As part of the College's normal Validation / Moderation Schedule, each Trainer and Assessor is required to participate in at least one session per quarter.

  This information will be stored on the applicable Module Page of the Dashboard and also entered into the Staff PD folder.

  Records of Validation and Moderation participation will be forwarded to the Director of Training and Development for recording in the Staff Training System by the Director of Training and Compliance.

  Face to Face Delivery Skills

  Trainers who conduct Face to Face training will be evaluated annually by their Team Manager or Director of Training Services.

  Trainers will be evaluated against the criteria found on the F2F Checklist in N:\College Compliance to Standards\Staff CPD

  Feedback will be provided and action plans for improvement will be developed as appropriate with the Trainer.

• Industry Currency

  Trainer and Assessor PD will include specific requirements to maintain and prove industry currency.

  Industry Topics are key subject matters agreed to with management as being current issues in the industry. 

  While all areas of industry activity and research have value, staff should focus on those areas where changes have or likely will occur, such as legislation, technology, industry best practices and other areas subject to change. Get approval for the focus of the PD activity and ensure you area aware of the equivalent current course materials content on that subject.

  Staff should remember the goal of Industry Currency is to ensure that both they and the College’s learning materials reflect current, relevant and meaningful knowledge, skill and expertise in their assigned industry.

  Therefore, staff must identify and undertake a CPD activity directly relevant to current issues that work towards that goal.

  Quarterly

  Each Trainer and Assessor is expected to:

  • Complete one industry related Webinar, Seminar, Network Event or other relevant activity
  • Complete one research topic for their industry

  with topic as agreed by the Team Leader and be relevant to current changes or subjects of relevance to the industry.

  All off site work, such as a seminar or networking event must be approved by the Team Manager before committing. 

  Results of the Industry Currency activity will be documented on the applicable form found in N:\College Compliance to Standards\Staff CPD\Industry and Vocational Currency Forms

  Each form must be approved by the Team Manager to determine the need / action plan for updating College Course Material and to approve the value of the Activity

  Completed forms must be given to the Director of Training and Development to update "Staff Training" PD activities and record applicable documents in staff folders. 

  Every Six Months (Based on Employment Date)

  Each Trainer and Assessor is expected to:

  • Conduct an interview with a Client /Supervisor or Student to discuss industry changes and the impact on their organisation and/or work practices

  While all areas of industry activity and research have value, staff should focus on those areas where changes have or likely will occur, such as legislation, technology, industry best practices and other areas subject to change.

  Choice of contact (ie Client/Student/Supervisor) must be approved by the Team Leader and must be in a position in terms of experience or role to be familiar with current changes or subjects of relevance to the industry.

  This contact should be done via phone, but may be done off-site if practical and approved.  All off-site visits must be approved by the Team Manager before committing. 

  Each form must be approved by the Team Manager to determine the need / action plan for updating College Course Material and to approve the value of the Activity

  Results of this Industry Currency activity will be documented on the applicable form found in N:\College Compliance to Standards\Staff CPD

  Completed forms must be given to the Director of Training and Development to update "Staff Training" PD activities and record applicable documents in staff folders. 

  The outcomes of Industry Engagement (and signature, dates and times of the host) will be captured on the applicable form found in N:\College Compliance to Standards\Staff CPD

  Each form must be approved by the Team Manager to determine the need / action plan for updating College Course Material and to approve the value of the Activity

  Completed forms must be given to Director of Training and Development to update "Staff Training" PD activities and record applicable documents in staff folders.

• Identifying PD Requirements From Industry Engagement

  PD requirements will be informed by identifying industry changes that will impact subject content and industry current procedures and practices. Examples include changes to legislation; implementation of technology; new industry standards and practices. As these are identified through industry engagement and other pro-active practices, these activities will be allocated to the relevant trainer and assessor as a PD activity. The resulting research would then identify any potential improvements and updates in course materials and assessments.

  Staff will be asked to self-identify PD activities as well as consider their managers input.

  This program will be accessed, updated and monitored within the College Dashboard.

  Also during Annual Reviews each staff members PD priorities will be identified and progress reviewed. 

  Movement in award levels is subject to satisfactory performance including achievement of the minimum required PD activities that were identified.

• Records of PD Activities

  PD Forms (with supporting documentation) will be submitted to the Director of Training and Development as they are completed.

  Each quarter the PD activities undertaken will be reviewed by the Director of Training and Development and details updated on Dashboard  "Staff Training" PD activities.

  This collection allows the PD activity to be recorded in the Database and allows a PD report to list activities completed as appropriate.

  Scans will be made of any available evidence of participation, and saved into Staff Qualifications - Staff PD Folder for each staff member.

• Staff PD Information Sharing

  Managers will request staff to report on specific PD activities at the next team meeting or staff PD day. The Manager will determine the level of communication required in the reporting process in order to gain maximum advantage and sharing of information.

  In general, staff are NOT to email "all" about specific issues until they receive approval from their manager. This stops incorrect or unclear information being shared and also if the information is correct - it will trigger that Knowledge Base or Course Materials are updated so the information is permanently available.

• Staff PD Policy Relationships

  NSW Smart and Skilled Operating Guidelines Clause 16 Professional Development and Continuous Improvement.

  Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 Standard One Clause 1.13 and 1.16

  This Policy is informed by:

  • VET Practitioner Capability Framework by developed Innovation & Business Skills Australia (IBSA)
  • NSW Smart and Skilled Teaching and Leadership Policy
  • Right Way Program developed by Service Skills Australia
  • Code for Professional Practice for Validation and Moderation (2009) National Quality Council
  • An Assessor Guide: Validation and Moderation (Dec 2010) TVET Australia

   

  Related Policies:

  Independent Validation

  Industry Engagement