Support Materials
What are support materials?
‘Support materials’ is the general term for the tools that support training delivery and assessment from training packages.
Training packages do not include actual resource materials for teaching and learning. Training packages define the outcome of a teaching/learning process but don't provide the actual teaching and assessment tools.
Support materials are separate products which are not part of the training package. Support materials are designed to support learning, assessment, or professional development of trainers and assessors.
They are an aid to registered training organisations, but are not intended to provide a single 'off-the-shelf' solution for trainers and assessors in all situations. Each registered training organisation may customise existing materials or design, adapt and develop their own to support the varying requirements of their clients and learners.
Service Skills Australia develops and distributes a range of support materials and resources for the training packages it manages.
Availability of support materials
It is the responsibility of registered training organisations to source or develop the support materials that they will use as part of their program. Under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF), RTOs are required to have appropriate resources for delivery and assessment, but there is no formal requirement to use particular support materials.
Trainers and assessors are able to utilise resources from a range of sources - they may develop their own, purchase them, or use company-specific materials as appropriate.
Support materials are not available for all training packages
Where there are no national support materials available for a specific training package, RTOs are required to source or develop their own materials.
Formats and use of support materials
Support materials are created in a range of formats, and may include print-based, multimedia and online resources for RTO trainers, assessors, learners and workplace coaches/supervisors of learners.
Other materials, such as textbooks, videos, product manuals and websites, can also be used to enhance and enrich the delivery of training and learning. These are generally not designed to meet training package requirements, and are not classed as 'support materials.' The identification of these materials is entirely the responsibility of the registered training organisation.
Training package reviews and support materials
When a training package is reviewed, the support materials will generally require some updating to align to the reviewed training package.
There is generally a delay between the release of the reviewed training package and the updated support materials. The training package and support materials are separate products, and purchase of a reviewed training package will not include updated support materials.
As part of its advice on the release of any reviewed training package, Service Skills provides information on the processes we are following to update any related support materials.
Quality assurance of support materials
Since support materials are not part of the training package they cannot be endorsed. However, there is a formal quality assurance process in place for support materials to provide independent verification that the particular support material meets Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) quality requirements.
The process involves formal evaluation of the materials by a DEEWR-approved evaluator, against a set of quality standards. Materials that are successful are then submitted to the National Quality Council for 'noting'. Materials that are successfully noted are entitled to display the noted 'tick' logo, which verifies that they have been noted as meeting the national quality standards for support materials. This process is open to any developer, including private organisations. It can provide a valuable tool for:
- Internal quality assurance
- Promoting your programs to prospective clients
- Making your materials commercially available to other registered training organisations
This process is optional. Under normal circumstances, registered training organisations are not required to submit their assessment and training materials for noting.
For more information on this process, see the NQC website.
Sources of support material
National
The Service Skills Australia Online Shop sells a range of materials to support its training packages, the majority of which have been developed through national projects. They also sell a range of other high-quality materials, including textbooks, videos and DVDs, which have been developed by other organisations and which are relevant to these training packages.
www.aesharenet.com.au
AEShareNet provides a central online point of access for locating more than 6000 resources available through a range of organisations, and provides the capacity for licences to be transacted online. Trainers and assessors can enter into a licence agreement with the developer of the material, which allows them to adapt it for use in different situations. Purchases of the actual resources are usually made directly from the material supplier. In June 2006, AEShareNet was merged into TVET Australia.
www.edna.edu.au/vet
EdNA Online is an Australia-wide education and training information service. edna is an online information service supporting all education and training sectors in Australia. It provides free news, resources, networks and online tools for educators. It allows users to participate in online groups, join email discussion lists and receive newsletters. It also has shared resources from Australian and international collections and comprehensive listings of national and international events.
www.resourcegenerator.gov.au
The Resource Generator is an online library of resources to assist trainers and assessors with the implementation of Training Packages. Resources are available at no cost and can be personalised by each individual user.
www.flexiblelearning.net.au/resourcecentre
The Australian Flexible Learning Framework provides vocational education and training professionals with access to a diverse range of e-learning products and resources including Flexible Learning Toolboxes. Most of the resources available are free.
www.tvetaustralia.com.au
TVET Australia publishes and distributes endorsed training packages and training package support materials, and is the national clearinghouse for publicly funded materials developed for vocational education and training.
State-based
Centre for Training Materials (Queensland Department of Education,Training and the Arts)
www.trainandemploy.qld.gov.au/ctm
Open Training and Education Network (OTEN) (TAFE New South Wales)
www.oten.edu.au/learningware
TAFE New South Wales Learning Gateway
www.lg.tafensw.edu.au
TAFE SA Training Resource Register
https://products.tafesa.edu.au/LOR/Home.aspx
TAFE VC
www.tafevc.com.au/vc/catalogue/Study_AreasListCT.asp?code=Resource
Training Support Network Victoria
http://trainingsupport.otte.vic.gov.au/default.cfm
WestOne (Western Australian Department of Education and Training)
www.westone.wa.gov.au
Other RTOs and commercial publishers
A range of other businesses may also sell support materials or related resources, and these may not be listed on the AESharenet database.
