Vocational Learning for Students with Disabilities

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Vocational Learning for Students with
Disabilities
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Introduction

• Over 3 million people in Australia today
• have a disability. While 80 of the general
• population are participating in the workforce
• only 53 of people with a disability do.
• This means that more than half a million people
• with a disability are not participating in the
  labour market
• The positive relationship between access to
  vocational learning
• and employment are well known. If people with a
  disability
• are not accessing vocational education and
  training then they are
• less likely to become employed.
• Bridging Pathways -
• ANTA Disability Forum 2000

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The Challenge..

• Recent changes to the NSW HSC and
  guidelines and procedures for students
  with disabilities accessing accredited
  Vocational courses means that there has never
  been a better time to grasp the opportunities
  available for our students.
• Vocational learning can be the difference that
  shapes a students future by ensuring a career
  pathway that is both meaningful and rewarding.
• Simply, without this option many students may not
  progress beyond unemployment or basic entry level
  employment in their lives.

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Leaving School Early

• In a labour market with increasingly intense
  competition leaving school early (before Year 12)
  compounds issues of decreasing job availability
  and access to accredited training. There is a
  distinct lack of pathways available to early
  school leavers.
• The completion of Year 12 substantially effects
  the incidence of employment. The likelihood of
  employment is independent of school achievement.
  Therefore encouraging school students to stay at
  school to finish Year 12 is a significant single
  factor in improving their future job prospects.
• The provision of vocational learning
  opportunities in Stages4, 5 6 is proven to
  improve retention and articulation into
  recognised Vocational courses for students.
• NCVER Research 1999

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Disability or Handicap?

• A disability is generally a condition either
  caused by accident, trauma, genetics, or disease
  that may restrict a person's mental processes,
  senses, or mobility.
• A disability should not be confused with a
  handicap. By definition, a Handicap is a physical
  or attitudinal constraint imposed on a person
  regardless of whether or not that person has a
  disability.
• Example A person with a spinal cord disability
  may use a wheelchair Stairs, cobblestones, or
  narrow doors are handicaps.

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Vocational learning for people with a disability
The Cost ?

• Analysts have estimated the under - utilisation
  of people with a disability in the workforce is
  Australias greatest social problem, costing the
• community 18.8 billion
• (5000 for each taxpayer)
• ANTA Disability Forum 2000

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Vocational Learning for people with a disability
- The reality!

• The proportion of the Australian population with
  a disability aged between 15 and 64 who currently
  participate in vocational education and training
  is estimated at less than 2.5yet the
  proportion of all Australians aged between 15 and
  64 who currently participate in Vocational
  learning was 11 in 1998 and is estimated to rise
  to 12 by 2005.
• The shortfall in the participation rate of people
  
• with a disability in vocational learning was
• nearly 178,500 people in year 1998 and without
• changes to the system will reach more than
• 215,000 people by year 2005 ANTA Disability Forum
  2000

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Equity?

• To achieve equitable outcomes for people with a
  disability there needs to be an extra 178,534
  people with a disability participating in
  vocational education and training.
• Bridging Pathways 2000

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The type of vocational access for people with a
disability?

• students with a disability are 100 more likely
  to be enrolled in vocational multi-field programs
  (pre-employment, pre-vocational, language and
  literacy) than all students

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Is Vocational Learning a realistic option?

• People with a disability often make better
• employees than the regular workforce..
• A 1999 survey of employers indicated-
• 98 of staff with a disability rate average or
  better in work safety.
• 90 of people with disabilities rated average or
  better on job performance
• 86 of people with disabilities rated average or
  better on attendance.
• 90 of employers had no change in their insurance
  costs to employ people with a disability.
• Staff retention is 72 higher, saving millions of
  dollars each year in recruitment and training
  costs
• There is a distinct, positive effect on staff
  morale.
• Diversity_at_Work - 2000

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The Vocational Learning Vision

• to create a vocational education
• and training system that leads
• worlds best practice in achieving
• equitable outcomes for people
• with a disability.
• This vision will be achieved when
• people with a disability can choose their
  preferred training options, know they can
  participate and succeed in their individual
  vocational goals.

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Vocational HSC courses for students with
disabilities in NSW

• From 2000, Year 11 students with disabilities can
  meet the requirements for the Higher School
  Certificate by accessing the
• Stage 6 Special Program of Study (SPS).
• The Special Program of Study is for students with
  disabilities in 1. special schools (SSPs),
• 2.support classes or
• 3. enrolled in regular
  classes.

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Vocational HSC courses for students with
disabilities in NSW

• Students with disabilities entered for a Special
  Program of Study (SPSs) can meet the
  requirements for the HSC using a combination of
• a. Board Developed courses (regular syllabuses)
• b. Board Developed Life Skills courses (SPS
  syllabuses)
• c. Board Endorsed courses (including
  content-endorsed courses)

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Special Program of Study courses

• Students with disabilities who meet the
  eligibility requirements for undertaking a
  Special Program of Study may access

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Life Skills Courses

• Eight Life Skills courses have been approved for
  development by the NSW Board of Studies.
• These are English Mathematics Science
  Personal Development, Health Physical
  Education Citizenship and Society Creative
  Arts Technological and Applied Studies and
  Workplace and Community-Based Learning.
• Each Life Skills course is a 2 Unit
• Preliminary and 2 Unit HSC course.

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Industry Curriculum Frameworks ICFs

• Students with disabilities may access any courses
  within the industry curriculum frameworks.
• Students may access
• all courses within the curriculum frameworks
  under regular course arrangements or
•     units of competency selected through the
  individual transition-planning process from a 240
  hour Industry Curriculum Framework course known
  as an Access Program

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Industry Curriculum Framework Access Program
Courses

• In an industry curriculum framework access
  program course the units of competency delivered
  to a student are selected through the individual
  transition-planning process from a 240 hour
  Industry Curriculum Framework course

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Industry Curriculum Framework Access Program
Courses

• This option recognises that students with
  disabilities may require additional time to
  achieve competence.
• The selection of units of competency should lead
  towards the achievement of an AQF Certificate I
  or II and any industry specific requirements.

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Eligibility for Special Program of Study

• The eligibility requirements for the SPS are
  that
• generally students will have completed at least 4
  Life Skills courses for the School Certificate
• planning must have been undertaken through an
  individual transition planning process.
• Decisions about whether to enrol students in
  Special Program of Study courses for Stage 6 will
  be made by the school

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Course Options

• HSC Vocational Courses can be delivered as
• 1. In-school delivered ICF or CEC courses
• or
• 2. TAFE delivered Vocational Education Training
  (TDVET) Framework or non-framework courses

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Assumptions

• Students with disabilities need to have
• an HSC accredited Vocational course determined
  by their Individual Transition Plan (ITP)
• undertaken vocational workplace learning in Stage
  5
• the capacity to benefit from completing a
  Vocational course with or without additional
  support.
• See O/Head 1

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Structured Workplace Learning
All industry curriculum framework courses have a
mandatory work placement component. Students
with disabilities are likely to require
additional support in the workplace.
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Structured Workplace Learning

• Organising work placements must be a
  collaborative effort between schools, workplace
  co-ordinators and employers.
• The teacher will need to recommend the units of
  competency to be undertaken
• by the student during the placement.

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Structured Workplace Learning

• Students with disabilities may require additional
  time and additional support in the workplace to
  develop competency to industry standard.
• See BOS ICF Course Support Document

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ASTF Lighthouse Project Work-Out

• The Central Coast Region has been selected by the
  Australian Student Traineeship Foundation Inc.
  (ASTF) as one of three projects nationally
  designed to develop strategies to improve access
  to structured workplace learning opportunities
  for young people with disabilities.
• The project began in August 2000 and will be
  completed by April 2001 and is managed by Central
  Coast Business Education Network Inc.

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ASTF Lighthouse Project Work-Out aims to

• increase access to accredited vocational
  education training courses for Year 11 students
  with disabilities in 2000 and 2001
• co-ordinate the provision of appropriate support
  services funding to assist students and staff
  involved in their vocational studies
• involve all Central Coast students with
  disabilities in Year 11 VET studies.
• develop formal partnerships with key local
  employers interested in developing structured
  workplace training programs for students with
  disabilities