Effective learning pathways provide people with the skills and knowledge needed to gain employment and manage their careers . The Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector has been set ambitious targets to increase the number of working aged Australians who have a formal qualification. 

The second round of funding is for the Higher Qualification Pathways Project which offers opportunities, through targeted funding, to develop e-learning approaches to support learner pathway programs which lead to higher level qualifications and/or improved employment outcomes. The funding will provide support for learners to gain higher level VET qualifications, recognition for higher skill sets and/or entry into higher education and enable workforce development initiatives for individuals seeking to upgrade their skills. 

The Higher Qualification Pathways Projects seeks expressions of interest for funding of up to $30,000 to develop innovative technology-based delivery/support models which allow individuals to gain higher VET qualifications, skills sets and/or entry into higher education. 
Delivery or support models may include:

• the co-delivery of Diploma level qualifications and/or above which involve both VET and Higher Education (HE) learners

• to support learners transition from VET to HE through articulation or credit transfer pathways

• for supporting recognition of prior learning (RPL) at a Diploma level and higher VET qualification(s) or skills sets

• for enabling workforce development programs at Diploma level and higher VET qualification(s) or skills sets

• to help disadvantaged/non-traditional learners or learners with a disability progress to a Diploma level or higher VET qualification(s) and/or skills sets which support learners with a Certificate IV to progress towards a Diploma level or higher VET qualification(s) or skills set(s)

The National VET E-learning Strategy (which replaces the Australian Flexible Learning Framework) will seek co-investment to promote the growth in broadband-based training; support the adoption of industry-wide e-learning programs; develop e-literacy; and improve access to training.

Interest in the initial round of funding opportunities for the National VET E-learning Strategy for the first six months of 2012 has been high. 

Information about the Higher Qualifications Pathways Project can be found at www.flexiblelearning.net.au/content/NVELS-funding-opportunities-jan-jun+2012.

The E-standards for Training website has been redesigned and now features improved navigation, simpler categorisation of material, and a fresh and clean site layout.

The new website makes it simple for users to understand that the project is concerned with undertaking research on and creating e-standards, and providing any necessary implementation support.

The project’s outputs can now be found in one of 3 new menus;

•  a research menu that contains all reports and background information gathered in e-standards’ research projects
• a technology standards menu that contains all of the ratified vocational education and training e-standards
• an implementation menu that contains user guides and tools for implementing e-standards.

To visit the new site and for more information: e-standards.flexiblelearning.net.au

Produced by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), Practices that sustain e-learning training solutions is now available online.

The resource outlines the results of Framework commissioned research looking at Sustaining e-learning innovations, which identifies what Australian organisations are doing to build e-learning into how they deliver training now and in the future.

The booklet focuses on:

• evidence for the uptake of e-learning in the delivery of training
• benefits of e-learning for employees, employers and training organisations
• practices that sustain the use of e-learning in training
• guidelines around e-learning good practice.

http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/content/practices-sustain-e-learning-training-solutions

A new brochure provides a snapshot of how the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework) is helping training organisations to adopt and use e-learning.

The brochure is a practical resource featuring: 

• summaries of key Framework products, resources, publications and support networks, as well as pointers to further information
• real life case studies showing how training organisations across Australia are using Framework resources to improve how they deliver training through e-learning.

read more online

A summary of news from the Australian Flexible Learning Framework – the nation’s vocational education and training sector’s national e-learning strategy.
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Three new trials have been awarded a total of $45,000 to explore key emerging technologies for vocational education and training.

The three 2011 emerging technology trials are:

Holmesglen Institute of TAFE, Victoria – Converting Flash to HTML5
This trial will explore the capability and potential of HTML5 for creating interactive e-learning activities. It will accomplish this by taking an e-learning activity developed in Adobe Flash and attempting to redevelop it in HTML5.

HTML5 has the potential to benefit the VET system by providing wider interoperability by reducing reliance on plug-ins for delivering rich media.

Learning Network Queensland, Queensland – Smart pens and pencasting
This trial will use smart pens and pencasting to digitise hand-written paper based instruction. The trial will also explore how pencasting can digitise class notes which contain images and symbols.

TAFE NSW New England Institute, New South Wales – Touch screen devices and open source applications
This trial will develop multi-touch e-learning activities for learners with a disability using touch screen devices and open source applications. The trial will also report on how touch screen devices can achieve Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) requirements for making web content accessible (primarily to people with a disability).

The 2011 emerging technology trials will conclude in June 2011.
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An updated set of standards for creating accessible and reusable e-learning content has been published for the vocational education and training (VET) sector.

Developed by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), the 2011 VET E-standards are essential for planning, developing and managing e-learning resources for VET.

As part of the e-standards, the Framework has also released the newly updated 2011 M-learning standards and M-learning teacher guide, which aim to support and encourage the use of mobile devices in VET.

For more information please click here:

http://flexenews.flexiblelearning.net.au/pub/pubType/EL/pubID/zzzz4d50906ea4324853/nc/zzzz4d509b72971a3828/interface.html

The E-learning toolbox repository continues to grow with more learning objects  being added to the Australian Flexible Learning Framework’s Toolbox Repository. Series 13 Toolboxes are expected to be available from late 2010, either for purchase on CD-ROM through TVET Australia (http://www.tvetaustralia.com.au/) or as  free, downloadable learning objects from the Toolbox Repository.  …read more

Developed by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), the Toolkit sets out the minimum web and desktop functionality requirements that teachers need to support the effective use of e-learning strategies, including:

• online and digital teaching and training resources

• social, collaborative and content creation applications

• virtual classrooms and communication tools

• audio and video players.

http://flexenews.flexiblelearning.net.au/pub/pubType/EL/pubID/zzzz4ceb0f8815564331/nc/zzzz4ceb1111cfdf8142/interface.html

The E-learning toolbox repository continues to grow with more learning objects  being added to the Australian Flexible Learning Framework’s Toolbox Repository.

Series 13 Toolboxes are expected to be available from late 2010, either for purchase on CD-ROM through TVET Australia (http://www.tvetaustralia.com.au/) or as  free, downloadable learning objects from the Toolbox Repository.
…read more