The 2023 Conference provided both a broad and deep opportunity to discuss and engage with “what matters most” to community education and VET students, including the following topics:
Foundation skills – Language, literacy, numeracy, employability and digital skills, in light of major policy and program developments happening on national and state levels. We will explore how the ACE sector plays a fundamental role in opening life and work possibilities for people from all walks of life. How can we improve pathways for foundation skills learners and increase the foundation skills workforce to meet community need?
Digital literacy, digital inclusion and digital skills – The COVID period has pushed more things online, but what does that mean for training and post-secondary education? How do vulnerable and disadvantaged learners fare? Digital literacy is not possible without proper digital access (inclusion), so what do governments, providers and educators need to do to implement proper digital equity policies? Almost every job needs digital skills, but how do we ensure those skills are available?
Young people – The community sector engages young people very well because of our flexibility and personal attention to learners. But “young people will struggle with the side effects of the COVID-19 recession on the jobs market for years despite the nation’s rapid fall in unemployment,” because “young workers were less likely to transition to employment during COVID-19, partly due to the closure of sectors such as hospitality, the arts and recreational services.” How can Australia’s ACE providers work to address the special challenges which young people face now?
First Nations Australians, training providers and communities, given worse literacy outcomes and the continued inability of Australia to “close the gap” on Indigenous education, employment and health disadvantage. How can Australia’s for-purpose community education sector respond? CCA welcomes two new First Nations training organisations to its membership, and looks forward to a vigorous dialogue with communities, education and training providers, governments and leaders as to priorities, focussed on the question “What can we do to close the gap?”
Re-engagement of learners in training – Frequent natural disasters have combined with the “long tail” of COVID to impact the ability and willingness of disadvantaged vulnerable learners and groups to engage in training. How do we implement outreach programs and support these learners?
Governing the not-for-profit community-based organisation – Conference workshops will provide participants with new skills in strategic planning, new business models, leading high-performance teams, coaching and mentoring and strategic finance, as well as responding to adversity, managing risk and change management. New skills are needed to assist ACE organisations that face unprecedented levels of “disruption, rising volatility and ensuing chaos [that] is the new reality … board directors and executive leaders … need to demonstrate patience and the ability to tolerate the frustration, tension, paradox and anxiety associated with uncertainty.”
Recognition of community development as an important part of training and skills is ingrained in the mission of for-purpose community providers: the needs of the “community” are not equivalent to those of the “economy” and employers and cannot be separated. While place-based learning constitutes the core business of ACE providers, their activities extend well beyond the classroom. How can best practice community and regional development point the way to training that works for communities and learners?
Aged care, disability care and childcare workforce training – ACE providers “punch above their weight” to deliver care training, so the Conference will concentrate on building this capacity, focussing on innovation and sharing of insights from industry researchers and service providers, trainer recruitment and mentoring, with practical strategies that add depth and breadth to the aged care, disability and childcare workforces.
