/ VET Access and Equity
Advisory Committee

2011 Access and Equity Grants ProgramGuidelines for Project Funding

1. Invitation to submit an Expression of Interest

The Victorian Skills Commission (VSC) Vocational Education and Training (VET) Access and Equity Advisory Committee is seeking Expressions of Interest for projects that will develop and implement innovative service delivery models to engage ‘hard to reach’ learner groups in VET.

Hard to reach learners can be described as those who have disengaged from learning (and often employment), have low levels of qualifications, and face barriers to re-entering education and employment. They can include Indigenous Australians, people with disabilities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, low skilled groups, disengaged young people, and individuals with multiple needs.

Funding is available for partnerships between Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), including TAFEs, and community service organisations to develop models that link social supports with VET to support sustainable training and employment pathways for these groups.

Priority will be given to projects that focus on engaging hard to reach learners who are disengaged from training and employment, and include a focus on one or more of the following groups:

  • Indigenous Australians
  • Young people in- or post- Out of Home Care
  • Disengaged young people (15-24 years) with multiple and complex needs
  • People with a disability
  • Refugees and asylum seekers
  • People at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Project funding will provide successful agencies with the opportunity to develop and test innovative approaches to engaging hard to reach learner groups in training that leads to the creation and strengthening of training and employment pathways. All projects will be externally evaluated and findings will be widely disseminated to support best practice approaches to delivering education, training and employment outcomes for these groups.

2. Background

Maintaining access to Victoria’s high quality vocational education and training system is a key priority for the Victorian Government. The Victorian Training Guarantee, a guaranteed entitlement to government subsidised training, aims to provide more training opportunities for eligible Victorians, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Victorian Training Guarantee provides support for young people, Indigenous Australians, Health Care Card holders and apprentices, as well as unlimited access to Foundation level training for all Victorians.

Skills Victoria is seeking to build on these initiatives by developing a deeper understanding of the most effective models to support significantly disadvantaged learners to successfully participate in training that provides pathways into employment. A considerable body of evidence already exists in this area, including the Adult and Community Further Education (ACFE) publication ‘Hard to reach learners: What works in reaching and keeping them?’. Further relevant material is at Attachment A.

By piloting a partnered approach to innovative service delivery models within a comprehensive evaluation framework, the grants program will strengthen this evidence base, and thereby contribute to more effective policy settings for hard to reach learners in VET.

3. Project Deliverables

The aim of the grants program is to develop and test innovative models of service delivery that will effectively engage hard to reach learner groups in VET and lead to sustainable training and employment pathways. It is anticipated that each project will support a minimum of ten hard to reach learners over a twelve month period.

Expected outcomes of each project include:

  • Development and testing of a service delivery model that:
  • links training provision with social supports relevant to the target group
  • provides pathways into further learning and/or employment
  • A framework document incorporating principles of effective engagement with the relevant leaner group
  • A practice guide outlining processes to support the implementation of the model
  • Training and support materials
  • Referral tools where appropriate
  • Progress and final report
  • Summary document of outcomes including case studies for publication and presentation.

In addition, the successful applicant/s will participate in an external evaluation of the project that will further develop the evidence base for effective service delivery models for hard to reach learners. This includes contributing to the development of the evaluation framework with the relevant agency.

4. Who is eligible to apply for funding?

RTOs contracted by Skills Victoria to deliver the Victorian Training Guarantee, in partnership with community service organisations supporting hard to reach learners, are eligible to apply for funding. A lead agency (either a RTO or community service organisation) must be nominated and will be the party contracted by Skills Victoria to deliver the project.

5. How much funding is available and for what period?

The grants program will fund a minimum of six projects up to the value of $100,000 per project to develop and implement innovative service delivery models to engage hard to reach learners in VET.

Funding will be provided for a 12 month period (June 2011 to June 2012), but initiatives may operate for a longer period of time. As such, the project funding may ‘seed’ the development and commencement of innovative service delivery models that become self sufficient in the longer term.

6. What activities will be funded?

Funding through this program is to support the development and implementation of service delivery models over and above what is funded through the Victorian Training Guarantee. This may include the appointment of project-related staff and expenditure related to the project deliverables outlined above.

The following activities will not be funded through the grants program:

  • Training delivery - this will be sourced through the Victorian Training Guarantee.
  • Costs associated with the normal operation of the agencies - this includes salaries, rent, consumables, materials and equipment.
  • Evaluation – projects will be independently evaluated at no cost to the agencies.

7. What are the assessment criteria for the project proposal?

The project proposal will be assessed against the following general criteria:

  • Relevance of project to the following priority hard to reach learner groups:
  • Indigenous Australians
  • Young people in- or post- Out of Home Care
  • Disengaged young people (15-24 years) with multiple and complex needs
  • People with a disability
  • Refugees and asylum seekers
  • People at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
  • Inclusion of an evidence base for the focus on the particular learner group, and the proposed service delivery model.
  • Outline of an innovative and/or new methodology for engaging hard to reach learner groups in training through a partnership between RTOs and community sector organisations
  • Evidence that partner organisations are committed to the project and that the role of each partner is clearly defined (consortia arrangements are encouraged).
  • Demonstrated capacity to form effective partnerships between RTOs and community service organisations.
  • Outline of a project plan which identifies activities, methodology, milestones and proposed outcomes (to be refined in collaboration with the evaluator).
  • A comprehensive project budget that is accurately costed and provides value for money.
  • Willingness to contribute to an external evaluation of the project and to share project findings.

The project must also include one of the following features:

  • Has a formal partnership with and/or are linked to a relevant Victorian Government initiative including:
  • Wurreker Strategy -
  • Victorian Renewal projects –
  • Youth Partnerships Initiative -
  • Mental Health Reform Strategy -
  • Victorian homelessness services funded to achieve reductions in homelessness.

OR

  • Is focused on facilitating training in areas where there are current or emerging employment opportunities, and/or is supporting training provision in a part of Victoria that is experiencing long term unemployment.

8. How to apply

Application for a grant is via a two stage process.

Round One – Expression of Interest

To make an Expression of Interest please complete the attached form.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss proposals with the Access and Equity Unit prior to submission.

Expressions of Interest will be submitted by email by 5.00pm, 29 April 2011 to .

Round Two – Full Application

Applicants who are successful in Round One will be invited to submit a full proposal detailing project methodology, project plan, and project budget.

An information session for Round Two applicants will be hosted by Skills Victoria as follows:

Venue: 2 Treasury Place, EastMelbourne

Time: Monday 16 May 3.00 - 4.30 pm.

Further details will be forwarded to successful applicants the week prior.

9. Important Dates

Activity / Date
Stage One / Expression of Interest open / 11 April 2011
Expression of Interest close / 29 April 2011
Notification of outcome / 13 May 2011
Stage Two / Invitation to submit a Full Application / 9 May 2011
Information session / 16 May 2011
Full Applications close / 3 June 2011
Notification of outcome / 20 June 2011
Projects commence / July 2011

10. More information

For more information about the grants program contact:

Desh Balasubramaniam

Grants Administrator

Ph: (03) 9637 2631

Email:

Web:

Attachment A - Sample of literature related to ‘hard to reach’ learners

General

  1. Hard to reach learners: What works in reaching and keeping them? Adult, Community and Further Education Board, June 2010, published at:
  1. An Environmental Scan – Disadvantaged Learner Cohorts in the Victorian VET Sector, Skills Victoria, 2010, published at:
  1. Training for work - Insights from students and trainees at the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Dina Bowman and Nicole Souery, 2010, published at:
  1. North, S, Ferrier, F and Long, M, Equitable and Inclusive VET, NVEAC, 2010, accessed at:
  1. Melbourne City Mission, The Brotherhood of St Laurence, Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service, Securing Jobs for Your Future – Skills For Victoria Implementation Review Submission 2010, 2010, accessed at:
  1. Bodsworth, E, Making work pay and making income support work, summary, Melbourne, 2010, accessed at:

Young people

  1. How Young People Are Faring 2009, Foundation for Young Australians, 2009, published at:
  1. YouTHINK: Your Say, 2009, Australian Youth Forum and the Salvation Army, published at:
  1. Learn or Earn Discussion Paper, Implications for young people in-care and post-care, 2010, published at

Indigenous Australians

  1. Aspects of training that meet Indigenous Australians’ aspirations: A systematic review of research, Cydde Miller, 2005, published at:
  1. Koorie experiences of qualifications pathways in VET: Obstacles or Opportunities? Helme, S., Polesel, J., & Nicholas, T.;2005; Melbourne: Victorian Qualifications Authority; published at:
  1. Miller, C, Aspects of training that meet indigenous Australians’ aspirations: A systematic review of research, NCVER, Adelaide, 2005, accessed at:

People with a disability

  1. Vocational education and training and people with a disability: A review of the research, Tabatha Griffin and Lisa Nechvoglod, 2008, published at:
  1. Unfinished business: student life, mental illness and disclosure, Tabatha Griffin, Work in Progress (due 2010), accessed at:
  1. Griffin, T and Nechvoglod, L, Vocational education and training and people with a disability: A review of research, NCVER, Adelaide, 2008, accessed at:

Culturally and linguistically diverse people (CALD)

  1. African Australians: A review of human rights and social inclusion issues, Australian Human Rights Commission, 2010, published at:
  1. Asylum Seeker Skills Audit:An Audit of skills amongst asylum seekers in Melbourne, Victoria, 2009, Alecia Black, unpublished report available from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
  1. Creating learning spaces for refugees: The role of multicultural organisations in Australia; Beatriz Miralles-Lombardo, Judith Miralles, Barry Golding; 2008; published at:
  1. Refugee Education Partnership Project, The Education Needs of Young Refugees in Victoria, Melbourne, 2007, accessed at:
  1. Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Response to the Victorian Government Initiative: “Securing Jobs for your Future – Skills for Victoria”, ASRC, Melbourne, 2010, report available from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
  1. Australian Human Rights Commission, 2010: In our own words: African Australians: A review of human rights and social inclusion issues, Sydney, 2010, accessed at:

Vulnerable or low skilled workers

  1. Low paid workers and VET: Increasing VET participation amongst lower paid workers over the life-cycle, Barbara Pocock, Work in Progress (due 2010), accessed at:
  1. Securing their future: Older workers and the role of VET, Chris Ryan, Work in Progress (due 2010), accessed at:
  1. National Workforce Literacy Project, Report on Employers Views on Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Skills, 2010, published at:

VSCVETAE EOI Guidelines Final.DOC Page 1 of 6