How to Contextualise Training Packages to Meet Your RTO’s Needs Leave a comment

In today’s rapidly evolving job market, vocational education and training are pivotal in equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary for successful careers. As Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) strive to deliver effective and industry-relevant training, contextualising training packages becomes increasingly evident.

Contextualisation, tailoring training materials and programs to specific industries and learners, holds the key to unlocking the true potential of vocational education. By aligning training content with real-world contexts and industry demands, RTOs can create meaningful learning experiences that enhance learner engagement, promote the practical application of skills, and meet the evolving needs of industries.

This article delves into the significance of contextualising training packages for RTOs, exploring how it benefits learners, addresses industry requirements, and contributes to the overall quality of vocational education and training.

Why contextualise training packages?

Contextualising training resources and assessment tools is essential to creating effective learning materials for any specific student or learner group. To ensure effective training, it’s crucial to tailor the program to the student’s specific needs. This includes their work environment, industry, and role. Contextualisation is essential for creating engaging, relevant, and valuable training materials that meet the user’s requirements.

To contextualise your resources and assessment tools, consider your learners and their educational needs. This requires careful thought and understanding of your audience. Make sure that you identify their unique needs – what kind of information do they already know? What topics does each group of learners need extra help with? By truly understanding your audience through research, surveys, questionnaires or interviews, you can tailor the material to address their learning needs accurately. Keep in mind that this process should be ongoing; as new generations emerge into the workforce with different attitudes toward learning, contexts inevitably change and so must our approach to tailoring training resources.

Find out what you can and cannot contextualise.

It is vital for RTOs to be aware of their rights when it comes to contextualising training packages and learning materials. While they can modify units of competency so that the outcome is in line with the organisation’s or learner’s needs, all elements and performance criteria outlined by the endorsed unit must remain untouched. They are also allowed to package units of competency into a qualification but should ensure that these elective options maintain the integrity of the competence outcomes and breadth of application.

In terms of what RTOs cannot do, they are not allowed to delete anything within the elements or performance criteria, distort or limit any competency outcomes and use, or reduce its portable nature.

Not following these rules can have far-reaching financial implications on an organisation, so it is essential they understand these guidelines before embarking on any modification process.

Contextualising For Different Modes Of Delivery

When contextualising learning materials and assessment tools for a particular training delivery, it is important to consider multiple factors. To effectively teach a group of learners, it’s crucial to first assess their learning cohort and determine the most appropriate content and tasks. This requires understanding the specific skills and knowledge they need to acquire in order to successfully complete the course. Additionally, you should also consider features such as the available time constraints, communication technology resources that your cohort has access to, and how these affect their learning experience.

Secondly, when creating contextually-relevant materials and assessments for different training delivery methods, aim to target specific instructional goals rather than a generic set of standards or content.

For example, if your goal is to teach online learners computer programming skills, focus on designing exercises and activities that emphasise dealing with complex data structures rather than providing merely surface-level overviews or tutorials. Additionally, be sure to incorporate multimedia elements such as video lessons or audio recordings which can improve engagement levels amongst those who are more visually or audibly oriented. Furthermore, depending on the type of training delivery (face-to-face vs virtual), you may need to alter certain aspects (such as presentation style) accordingly so that learners are able

Here are some tips when contextualising training for different training delivery:

• Training for classroom delivery
• Training for the workplace
• Training for online delivery

Training For Classroom Delivery

When training for classroom delivery, it is important to consult with industry experts. All learning materials will need to be current and relevant in quality, addressing the immediate needs of employees navigating their career in the workplace. To ensure that the curriculum stays up-to-date, experienced mentors and specialist figures should be invited to speak in the class imparting specialised knowledge related to their field or industry. Doing this allows learners to gain an even deeper understanding of the role, as well as what real-life experience looks like in a given sector. Furthermore, it assists them by providing insight about how best to navigate certain workplace scenarios or challenges which might arise.

In addition to having industry professionals visit your class, simply telling stories concerning their experiences can enlighten students on the everyday workings of a job. By hearing testimonies of successes and failures within a particular trade provides those in education with even more information regarding the realities of a professional lifestyle they aspire towards. This gives instructors more chances throughout their teachings to showcase various dynamic skills necessary for success and builds confidence amongst learners as they attempt more challenging feats anticipating similarly positive outcomes based on what they have heard through shared anecdotes while inside a classroom setting.

Training For The Workplace

Aligning learning activities with an organisation’s objectives and culture is crucial in workplace training. A well-mapped plan that follows employers’ goals ensures a successful outcome in the training process. It is important to take the time to ensure each step is in line with the set objectives. This effort must also consider activities and tasks that are relevant, useful and engaging in order to make sure learners do not lose interest or struggle to engage with topics.

In addition, seeking help from employers can equip learners with the skills they need quickly and easily while providing immediate value back to the business at large. This can further be supplemented by real workplace activities which provide valuable problem-solving practice. Finally, leveraging a mentor/mentee model could prove beneficial as it allows trainees to gain invaluable one-on-one experience with established professionals in their field, thus allowing them to receive timely guidance on various aspects of their training journey.

Training For Online Delivery

The use of online delivery for training and learning offers many benefits to organisations and individuals. To maximise this potential, creating an authentic simulated work environment replicating aspects of the actual workplace is important. This can include developing structured simulations with questionnaires and activities for learners to complete and providing relevant resources like presentations, booklets, and case studies.

In addition, quizzes and games can be utilised as a fun way for learners to test their knowledge on the subject matter. This helps ensure maximum knowledge retention by exposing students to various methods for learning new concepts. Moreover, webinars hosted by industry experts can provide valuable insight into current trends in the industry or even just offer practical advice from experienced professionals to increase learner engagement in online training courses.

Importance of Contextualising Training Resources

Contextualising training resources is crucial for RTOs to deliver high-quality training that meets industry standards and regulatory requirements. Failure to contextualise training resources may result in inadequate training, unprepared students, loss of clients, and non-compliance with ASQA.

At VET Resources, we understand the importance of contextualisation and have created an easy guide to contextualise assessment tools and learner resources. Our guide provides examples of contextualisation aligned with RTO policies, procedures, and assessment systems, ensuring compliance with training package requirements.

Here are the top 5 benefits of contextualising training packages for your RTO:

1. Improved Relevance

Training packages that are contextualised to learners’ needs and industry ensure relevance. This enables learners to apply their newly acquired skills and knowledge in their workplace, increasing the value and effectiveness of the training.

2. Increased Engagement

Engaging in the learning process equips learners to retain and apply information in their work. To achieve this, training packages must be contextualised, providing relevance and meaning to the learners. Real-life examples, case studies, and industry-specific scenarios can achieve this.

3. Better Retention

Relating training to the work environment enhances learner retention and application. Contextualising training packages improves understanding of training importance and application in the workplace. These factors lead to better information retention and improved workplace performance.

4. Increased Satisfaction

Learners are more satisfied with training that they feel is relevant to their needs. Contextualising training packages can meet learners’ specific needs and expectations, resulting in increased satisfaction with both the training and the RTO.

5. Improved Outcomes

Training packages that are contextualised can benefit both learners and the industry. Applying acquired skills and knowledge in work leads to better performance and industry success. Positive outcomes include increased productivity, improved work quality, and increased profitability.

Suggested Read: Easy guide to Contextualise your assessment tool and learner resources