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              E M P L O Y E R   N E W S L E T T E R   |  A U G U S T   2 0 2 1    
In this Issue
Careerforce offices closed but support continues
New Advanced Care and Support Programme

Hand hygiene & infection prevention resources
Life Changing Careers – how is your recruitment going?

Welcome to Careerforce's August update
Kia ora

Welcome to the August edition of Skills for Good.

I hope this email finds you and your team well as we continue the fight against COVID-19.
The essential workers of New Zealand have the admiration and thanks of all New Zealanders during these testing times and we remain dedicated to supporting you today, and into the future.

Please don’t hesitate to contact your local Careerforce Workplace Advisor  or call us on 0800 277 486.

Ngā mihi nui

Andrew Saunders
General Manager, Employer Services
Careerforce offices remain closed during COVID Levels 3 and 4, but support continues
Although our offices will remain closed during level 3 and 4 lockdowns, we have the infrastructure in place to support effective remote working. Your usual contacts still remain available, albeit not face to face. If there is anything we can do to support the commencement or continuance of your staff training, please let us know.
 
Tongan care worker seizes opportunities to upskill and support her community
Uinita (Nita) Tapaatoutai is a hard worker and an inspiration to others.  She balances two work roles,  her community healthcare work commitments and mentoring her peers. She is a role model for her five children, and still has a determination to grow and succeed, now taking on a Management degree. With a Level 3 New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing under her belt, the Oamaru Hospital worker will soon complete a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Community Facilitation with support from Careerforce.
The Tongan Health Care Assistant is passionate about learning and is keen to take advantage of the opportunities.

“It was sometimes a struggle to fit in all the study, last year,” says Nita. “During COVID, I often worked overtime, as staff were away, during lockdown.  It was a big challenge at times. But I do enjoy the learning, so I kept pushing myself."

When Nita’s manager suggested a few of the staff were having problems with their apprenticeship modules, and would she like to help them, it was natural to offer to help.  
 
“I had one or two ladies, who were doing the community facilitation apprenticeship, who faced the same challenges that I had last year. One apprentice had only completed seven modules, and was ready to give up. I told her my story, and I managed to encourage her to keep going.”

As she approaches the finish line with her own apprenticeship, Nita has already begun another programme of study. One of ten successful candidates to be selected from more than twenty applicants, Nita has now enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Management through Capable NZ at Otago Polytechnic and started in early August 2021.
You can win a morning tea worth $100 for your team! Congratulations to Suzanne Russell, at Presbyterian Support Central - Enliven who won a morning tea from the last issue.

Simply complete three questions correctly to be in the draw to win a morning tea for your team. The quiz closes on 14 September 2021. To enter, follow the link below:

New Advanced Care and Support (Level 4) programme launched
 
We're excited to launch the new Advanced Care and Support Level 4 programme for support workers, healthcare assistants and team leaders.

This new programme was developed in very close consultation with the sector who wanted to better prepare their staff for the changing needs of the people being supported. The programme provides trainees with the skills to work at the top of their scope under the direction and delegation of a registered health professional.

  • The programme is for experienced workers who want to enhance their leadership capabilities and develop competencies relevant to their role under the direction and delegation of a registered health professional.
  • This is a great pathway for those who may want to progress to team leadership and/or continue degree studies.
  • 120-130 credits to be completed in 18-24 months.
  • Learning and assessment resources are only available online via Aka Toi initially.
  • The programme leads to the New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Advanced Care and Support) (Level 4) qualification.
  • Normally $630, enrolments in this programme are currently fully funded by the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship fund (TTAF).

The online learning gives trainees access to videos, interactive activities, and scenario-based learning. The learning is enhanced by guided online research to expand trainee knowledge.

We are now accepting enrolments.  For more information, download the brochure or visit the website here.

Please note that this new 120 credit programme replaces the current 70 credit programme which remains open to enrolments through to the end of this year.

Employer Survey feedback reveals the need for greater direct trainee supports and communication
 
One of the consistent themes emerging from the annual Careerforce employer surveys was a need for greater direct trainee support and communication. As a result, we continue to make headway with a number of initiatives to address these concerns. To address trainee support and communications, we are currently planning the following activities:
  • Increasing use of Wananga/study groups.
  • Training Needs Analysis process has recently been improved to ensure a better understanding of the supports each learner needs.
  • Trainee engagement project continues to rollout, with a number of new trainee touchpoints to commence from 25 August 2021. This will include regular progress reports, and gentle encouragement where necessary (see more below).
  • We are currently investigating direct trainee access to i-portal, so that trainees can check their own progress at any time, via self-service.
Supporting trainees to be proactive, engaged and successful
 
We know that trainee motivation can be a key barrier to their training activity and completion success.  Since one of the key themes emerging from the recent Careerforce Employer Survey was a need for greater direct trainee support and communication, the following is planned:

Careerforce will shortly commence a series of new trainee touchpoints, that will be rolled out over a couple of phases.

Trainees and apprentices with no activity will receive email notifications to nudge them to make progress with their training. These notifications will let learners know ahead of time that they could be placed on-hold or withdrawn from their programme after a long period of no activity.

We will also send quarterly emails which will include regular progress reports, and gentle encouragement where necessary. Trainees who are active will be encouraged and motivated to keep going.

Transition of 'arranging training' consultation - thank you for your feedback
Thank you to those of you that have engaged in our consultation over the last month on the transition of the ‘arranging training’ function. We are now collating all this feedback, together with the survey responses, and this will be a key component within our transition plan that we are required to submit to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) by the end of September. This transition plan requires the approval of the TEC Board, and we will share outcomes from this as soon as they are known.
Free learning resources provide reminders about hand hygiene & infection prevention
 
With the latest COVID-19 cases in New Zealand, here's a reminder that we have some useful learning resources about hand hygiene, infection prevention and deep cleaning.  These free resources will help to heighten your awareness about things you can do to be safer. Think about how your staff can apply these basic hygiene principles and let others in your life know about them. Please feel free to share this web page with others.
Unit standard 27460 now available on
Aka Toi

 
In response to requests, an Aka Toi module has been developed for Unit Standard 27460 - Describe a person's nutritional requirements and feeding issues in a health or wellbeing setting. This is an elective in the Health Assistance, and Support Work strands of the New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 3).

The module has four learning resources Nutrition, Nutritional needs and dietary requirements, Food preparation and assistance with eating, and Eating and feeding issues and two online question assessment tasks.

For trainees already enrolled on Aka Toi who have the unit as part of their training plan, but have not yet completed it, the 27460 module has automatically been added to their dashboard.

Transition of the standard setting function to WDCs
The transition of the standard setting function remains on track to take effect on 4 October 2021. For a majority of Careerforce’s current coverage, this will be to the Community, Health, Education and Social Services Workforce Development Council (CHESS, Toitu te Waiora). In the case of our cleaning coverage, standard setting responsibilities will transition to the new Services WDC.

To allow the WDCs to assume their responsibilities, we will be transferring various data and materials to the WDCs, and we have earlier sought legal advice to ensure we comply with privacy requirements. Where you have previously participated in qualification related reviews with Careerforce, your contact details may be shared with a WDC, and they may contact you for future similar activities. If you have any concerns, please discuss with your regular Careerforce contact.

For more information, please click here.

Come and see Careerforce at CleanNZ
 
From 15 to 16 September, Careerforce staff will be on hand to discuss the cleaning qualifications and learning resources, and the updates following a comprehensive review of the programmes at CleanNZ.

Learn about free enrolments in the cleaning programmes and find out how the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) will impact the cleaning sector. Visit Careerforce on stand 6 at CleanNZ. To register, visit:
https://www.cleannzexpo.co.nz/

Life Changing Careers – how is your recruitment going?
We are into the third and final flight of the TEC funded campaign activity, and now need to seek new funding to keep this campaign alive beyond this initial launch, and to build upon the momentum created. To support this, we really need to hear stories or anecdotes from you, ideally of where you’re now receiving more diverse applications for your vacancies (and ideally stories of actual job placements).
For example, have you been getting more interest from younger people, from males, and maybe from people looking to change careers as a result of
Covid-19?

These stories will highlight that the campaign is proving successful, and will greatly support our campaign extension funding requests and proposals. Please send to marcomms@careerforce.org.nz.
 
SpeedMeet 2021 - off to a great start, but pausing for now...
We've had a great start to SpeedMeet 2021 and would like to give a huge thanks to the employers and schools who have participated so far.  It has been awesome seeing students learn more about working in the sectors and get inspired about future career pathways. Students have had the opportunity to explore career options, and potentially even secure an offer of full-time employment.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 alert Level changes have meant a call has had to be made to cancel SpeedMeets scheduled for the coming weeks:

Gisborne – Tuesday 24 August
Hastings – Thursday 26 August
Wellington – Tuesday 31 August
New Plymouth – Thursday 2 September
West Auckland – Wednesday 8 September
These as well as last week's planned Christchurch event may be rescheduled later in the year, or early next year.  Watch this space for details!  Please contact marcomms@careerforce.org.nz if you have any queries.
Literacy and numeracy update!
Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark

This month we highlight the work of Ako Aotearoa in their development of a New Zealand Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark (DFQM)
This is a project funded by the Tertiary Education Commission and based on a successful programme in the UK. It supports organisations to develop systems and processes to be aware, inclusive and supportive of neurodiverse clients, staff and students.
The pilot programme has just completed it’s trial phase which included working with a tertiary organisation, UCOL Levin Campus, and a youth services organisation, Kapiti Youth Support (KYS) https://kys.co.nz/.

Spokesperson for KYS, Jordan Hunt, recognised the value of the DFQM from the perspective of an organisation such as KYS. In his words it was “a no-brainer”. He described the process as not difficult and easy to follow.  Jordan spoke of the everyday challenges of supporting neurodiverse youth such as completing WINZ forms and highlighted the importance of considering the needs of neurodiverse people when developing forms. 

If you would like to know more about what’s involved in the DFQM please contact Annette van Lamoen – Annette.vanlamoen@ako.ac.nz.  Also, Jordan is happy to talk to anyone in similar organisations who would like to investigate this further. KYS 04 90 59594.

Feel free to contact Careerforce's Literacy and Numeracy Advisor, Cushla Wilson via cushla.wilson@careerforce.org.nz, if you have any queries.

Jobs for Good – list your vacancies now
The Workforce Diversity Campaign has been running for over three months and is continuing to drive people looking for care and support work to our Jobs for Good site.  We encourage you to ensure you have your vacancies listed on this website, and leverage the eyeballs that the campaign is creating.

Remember, Jobs for Good is free, it’s easy to list vacancies, and it’s super-targeted.

Popular links
Find out more about:
  • Careerforce Qualification Programmes >> More
  • Gateway and Vocational Pathways >>More
  • How to contact your local Careerforce Workplace Advisor >>More
 
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