Background: People with aphasia are vulnerable recipients of healthcare. The nature of the communicative environment and the communication disability can adversely impact access to timely and quality healthcare. Student healthcare professionals are often underprepared to interact successfully with people with aphasia and may benefit from…

Background: Training conversation partners of people with aphasia who use facilitative communication strategies is one method that can improve access to healthcare for people with aphasia. However, the efficacy of communication partner training (CPT) has been investigated almost exclusively in the context of face-to-face (F2F) delivery. Online…

Classroom training sessions for new home care workers (HCWs) are often brief and ad hoc, varying in format and content. Yet the application of this training may be central to worker and client safety. A qualitative approach was adopted for this inquiry, comprising two separate but related practical studies. In the first, exploratory study,…

A number of factors influence the motivations of employers to train their workforce and the ways in which they engage with the training system. This study combines a national survey and interviews with Australian employers and registered training organisations (RTOs) to provide a comprehensive picture of the way in which employers navigate the…

This study sought to identify the most effective elements required in online professional development to enable teachers to improve their use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in their classrooms. Four schools in Queensland were involved, with twelve classroom teachers participating in a year-long online professional development…

The training and licencing of aircraft maintenance engineers fulfils a crucial protective function since it is they who perform and supervise aircraft maintenance and certify that planes are safe afterwards. In Australia, prior to training reform, a trades-based system of aircraft maintenance engineer training existed in an orderly relation with…

This research investigates the oft-criticised segment of the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia--private, for-profit registered training organisations (RTOs)--with the aim of gaining a clearer understanding of the approaches they adopt in training 15 to 19-year-olds who have left school early. Through a nationwide survey…

Aims: Flexible-learning first aid courses are increasingly common due to reduced classroom contact time. This study compared retention of first aid knowledge and basic life support (BLS) skills three months after a two-day, classroom-based first aid course (STD) to one utilizing on-line theory learning at home followed by one day of classroom…

This paper explores aspects of professional development for teachers of science and mathematics in schools in rural Australia. The study identified a range of issues including tensions between government, school and individual professional learning priorities and their respective responsibilities; the shaping of professional development by…

This paper focuses on the education and training of business coaches, specifically at the Masters/graduate level. The paper first reviews the knowledge and skills required of business coaches, comparing the recommendations of professional associations and the literature. Next the paper reviews the approaches to education which are best suited to…

This booklet, which is intended for vocational educators/trainers in Australia, explains the principles and techniques of competency-based training (CBT). The following topics are discussed in the first 10 sections: the decision to adopt CBT in Australia; the meaning of competency; teaching and learning to become competent (competency standards as…

A study examined educational and pedagogical strategies industry trainers use for trainee learning and their methods of delivery, focusing on pedagogical practices using literacy and numeracy competencies in implementing training on the work site. It drew on case studies from five vocational education and training sites, looking at the industry,…

A study researched the role of literacy, language, and numeracy as vehicles for learning in training packages delivered at South Australia industry sites. Data were gathered through onsite interviews or focus groups with trainees, workplace trainers, resource and training support persons, and managerial and supervisory persons, of their opinion of…

This guide is designed to help workplace trainers in Australia's coal industry improve coal miners' operator and general communication skills through a curriculum that integrates training in language, literacy, and numeracy. The following topics are discussed in the guide's seven sections: the changing workplace (changing work environment;…

The changing nature of the demand for training in Australian enterprises adopting new management practices and the implications of those changes for training providers were examined. More than 3,400 private sector enterprises were surveyed by mail, after which follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with 80 human resource practitioners from…