The Crux of the Matter - Training Queensland - Queensland ...

Case study
A training provider has been contracted to deliver a range of vocational competencies in community health
and justice to Indigenous learners in a regional community setting. The provider is concerned about the
literacy and numeracy levels of the learners and wants to get a clear picture of their skill level to pitch the
training correctly for the group.
The RTO has some screening ‘tools’ which have been used in previous training situations. However these are
written tests and community representatives have some concerns about how the process will be received by
the learners.
Given the cultural sensitivities this group has to ‘tests’, a written LLN screening process would be entirely
inappropriate. The elders have told the RTO that to ask learners to sit a written test prior to training would
most likely result in ‘shaming’ and put the entire program at risk.
The RTO decides to collect the information required in another way. They hold small informal meetings with
elders, local health workers and representatives from the local school to gather information. They find that
the elders have concerns about literacy levels in the community but feel learners will cope with the numeracy
demands of the course. Health workers report that they help many community members with understanding
the medical texts, records and referral letters associated with their health and welfare. The school
representative reports that a large percentage of this community succeeded in schooling beyond year 9 in
the 10 years he has been teaching in the community. This is documented as part of identifying learner needs.
From this investigation the RTO decides that a significant proportion of the group is likely to be underconfident
in the reading and writing tasks associated with the training. They carefully examine their
materials for any excessive demands, refocus the training to include more practical sessions, and redesign
assessment tasks around locally appropriate scenarios, practical demonstration, and more culturally
appropriate methods of collecting evidence through formative and informal observation assessment.
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