Industry sectors, in partnership with a registered training organisation (RTO), can now apply for Industry Integration of E-learning funding of either $50,000 or $75,000 to embed e-learning.

The one-off funding, from the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), will support approximately three new industry sectors to integrate e-learning into workforce development between November 2010 and June 2011. This follows last week’s announcement that the Framework has received the go ahead for its activities until the end of June 2011*.

This funding is different to the current ten industry sectors receiving ongoing Framework support to embed e-learning over two to four years. Read more about the continuing industry sectors

Applications can be submitted by:

• employers in partnerships with other employers
• industry and professional associations that are representative of an industry sector with a named and committed employer/s.

Successful industry sectors must demonstrate strong employer engagement and have an established relationship with an RTO which will provide guidance on good e-learning design and ensure that training meets national standards and uses e-learning infrastructure.

Project teams incorporate RTOs to ensure growth of training provider and business partnerships in VET and alignment to the national training system.

In order to meet national priorities, preference will be given to applications which clearly demonstrate how the embedding activity is likely to lead to more people with qualifications at Certificate III level or above. 

For more information, including selection criteria, download the 2010-2011 Industry Guidelines from the E-learning for Industry website: http://industry.flexiblelearning.net.au

In deciding which level of funding to apply for, applicants should consider the relative complexity of the project, the size of the industry, and the ability to meet deadlines. Co-investment by industry is required.

E-learning Innovations funding is also available in each state and territory to support business-training provider partnerships. If you are an employer seeking an innovative e-learning solution to better meet the training needs of your business, then partnering with an RTO for this state/territory based funding is recommended. For more information contact your local Innovations Coordinator.

If you have any questions regarding the application process after reviewing the guidelines, please contact: Kerry Manikis, A/g Business Manager Industry Integration of E-learning, on (02) 6207 3267 or kerry.manikis@cit.act.edu.au.  

Business cases must be received by COB Monday 18 October 2010.

*The six month allocation, to end of June 2011, will bring the Framework funding cycle in line with other funding arrangements under the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), which are based on a financial calendar year.

The Tasmanian Innovation Strategy document was released this week by Premier David Bartlett.

From an ICT perspective it includes the following, some of which you may notice makes significant use of the NBN.

Digital economy

• $5.85 million over two years for the sector to increase awareness of
the opportunities provided by the digital economy, including:
• a $1 million industry awareness initiative, NBN4Business, to educate
peak Tasmanian industry groups on the benefits and opportunities that
businesses will be able to gain and exploit in the digital economy as
a result of the National Broadband Network (NBN) roll-out.
• $600 000 on a number of strategies to grow awareness levels,
including establishing a hands-on digital coaching pilot and a digital
tool kit for small businesses
• $250 000 on research into the impact of the NBN deployment on
business engagement in the digital economy and the effectiveness of
government programs
• $400 000 to migrate key business websites to the Government 2.0
model for online information sharing and service delivery
• $3.6 million for a Digital Futures Capital Fund, to fund the
development and delivery of digital content, applications and services
that add value to businesses and the community engaging in the
Tasmanian digital economy
• a Digital Futures Advisory Council to bring together world-class
expertise to ensure Tasmania capitalises on its digital opportunities
• collaborating with industry and TasICT to develop a Digital Economy
Industry Strategy (DEIS).

In launching the strategy the Premier stated
“… promoting and encouraging innovation is a key focus of this
government, and will drive our next decade of growth. We also need
Government to innovate in how we do business. As part of the
Innovation Strategy, we’ll be using technology to provide better and
more efficient government services to business and the community. And
we’ll help close the gap between rural and urban areas with services
like eHealth and eEducation.”

Registered training organisations (RTOs) in Tasmania can now apply for a share in $144,400 in E-learning Innovations funding and support to implement innovative e-learning solutions for businesses and individuals, tailored to local priorities.

E-learning Innovations funding timelines, information, guidelines and application processes vary in every state and territory.

Read the TAS 2011 E-learning Innovations Guidelines for Applicants for information on how to apply for funding in Tasmania.

Applications can be made from 24 August 2010 using the Expression of Interest application form.

Applications close on 5.00pm AEST on 20 September 2010

To assist you in applying for funding, a free online information session will be held:

Date: Thursday 9 September 2010
Time: 12:30pm-1:30pm
Location: http://tinyurl.com/egems-2011innovations OR https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=675&password=M.8831B0E4AD9F2C0338DBE968E80CB0

Registration is not required. Participants must have access to internet, headphones and a microphone and have installed and configured the Elluminate web conferencing software beforehand.

For more information contact the Tasmanian Innovations Coordinator, Fiona Huskinson:
Phone: (03) 6233 2140          
Email: fiona.huskinson [at] skills.tas.gov.au

 Just to keep you up-to-date with what is happening with the application process.  As many of you will know applications closed yesterday. I’d like to thank everyone who has applied.

 I know it is a lot of work and the online application added a degree of complexity. While I’ve only had the opportunity to do a quick scan of the applications I’ve been really impressed with their range and quality.  The use of mobile technology is certainly featured with the applications this year.

We have received 17 applications across a wide range of industry areas and qualifications with a great selection from private, public and not for profit training providers.  There is also a nice balance of Empowering Learner and Business Provider applications. The next step is for the selection panel to meet on 15 March and I’ll be letting applicants know the outcome by 30 March 2010.

It is gearing up to be another successful year of embedding e-learning in Tasmania.

Fiona

E-learning Innovations Coordinator| Skills Tasmania
Phone 6233 2140|Mobile: 0448 576 200|Fax 6233 4684 | fiona.huskinson@skills.tas.gov.au

What makes a successful e-learning innovation application? 

Many of you will now be in the midst of preparing your e-learning innovation program application. There is a lot too it – and really a successful application needs a successful project to underpin it.

I thought it would be useful to remind you about two presentations from Tas-eday09: from Clint Smith and Brad Beach. Click here for their powerpoints.

Clint gave eight tips:

suss out the funding body
make sure you fit the right category
research
delivery – count e-posteriors
innovation – explain the change
design – provide an e-solution
scope your content, and
embedding – plan for growth.

His pointers are spot on … here is an example, from tip 3 research:

show you’ve done the “R&D”: explain why it will succeed
ready to go: got the skills, got the plan, and
main outcome is a successful e-learning delivery solution.

If you can’t say yes to each of these then think carefully about your readiness to apply in 2010. 

Brad’s presentation is making a project work for learners, the client and your organisation. This is something to have foremost in your mind when preparing your application. Here are his list of dos and don’ts for a good project.

Don’t

pick a technology which is too hard to deal with
pick a project based on an interest in a particular technology
pick a project and then look for the teacher
stop thinking about the students/industry

Do

have a risk strategy
have a realistic timeframe with manageable outcomes
be clear about the project outcomes for all parties

Time spent revisiting, or looking at for the first time at, these presentations would be well spent.

And finally, if you’d like to watch the excellent top ten tips, it is available at vimeo (http://vimeo.com/3157299).

Do you have a project idea, but aren’t sure how to pull together an E-learning Innovations application?

Check out the February e-Gems webconferencing session to hear about the key things your E-learning Innovations funding application needs to address, such as priority areas, funding categories, risk strategies, the project management plan, impact and sustainability, and budget.
This national session is in addition to the face-to-face and online state and territory-specific information sessions being held throughout the country in February.

E-learning Innovations funding and support, provided by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), helps registered training organisations around Australia to develop innovative e-learning solutions and better support the training needs of business and industry. For more information, visit http://flexiblelearning.net.au/innovations.

Presenter:
Sue McShane has been involved with the Framework since 2007. She worked as a senior project officer for the Industry Engagement Project in 2007-2008 and ran the national series of ‘writing a business case for e-learning workshops’ in 2008. Sue worked as the ACT Innovations Coordinator in 2008 and will be working as the ACT E-learning Coordinator in 2010. Sue also teaches tourism at the Canberra Institute of Technology. Her hands-on approach to e-learning and experience as an online and face-to-face trainer makes her hints for writing a business case for e-learning invaluable.

Date: Thursday 18 February 2010
When: 12:30pm - 1:30pm AEST
Where: http://tinyurl.com/2010-egems-fundingfrenzy

Full URL for session (copy the complete link):
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=675&password=M.A7D53AA304F8CA6C068468280E7AB

Attend one of our Information Sessions. We will answer questions such as:

• What’s this all about?
• Where does this money come from?
• Are we eligible to apply?
• What would increase our chances?
• What’s involved in running a project?
• What would be expected of us?
• How would we benefit?

And any other questions you might have. Details regarding the information sessions are as follows: Launceston, The TramshedsTuesday, 9 February (10.00am – 12.30pm) Hobart, RydgesWednesday, 10 February (10.00am – 12.30pm) 

If you have any questions please contact Fiona Huskinson on
(03) 6233 2140 or fiona.huskinson@skills.tas.gov.au or Jennifer Dunbabin on (03) 6233 8487 or email:.jennifer.dunbabin@skills.tas.gov.au

Please register using the form below.

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The Australian Government and state and territory ministers have approved $15 million to implement the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), in 2010. Business activities are set out in the 2010 Framework Business Plan, which has been developed in the broader context of the 2008–2011 Framework Strategy.

The national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), today received the green light to continue its work in driving the uptake, use and embedding of e-learning within the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system. Read more…

Hello everyone,

Listed below are the presentations from the e-learning showcase event held on the 18th November.  Video from the day will be made available and accessed via the Australian Flexible Learning Website, links will be made available when ready for viewing. Still working on Clint Smith’s presentation, it’s being naughty and not uploading!

Cathy Moore - Story Telling techniques

Clint Smith - How to prepare a winning e-learning innovation application

Frankie Forsyth - Niche marketing : how to succeed as a small RTO in a global market

Brad Beach - Making a project work

Deirdre Brown - Creating a blog as a learning resource

Roger Stack - Virtual worlds, real learning

Kim Edgar - LORN

Ian Whitehouse -  A successful project requires effort - Seven steps to success

Brad Beach - Online facilitation

Gail Wilson - ePortfolios, what is al the fuss about?

On the 18th November Skills Tasmania will be holding their end of year event, Tas-e Day09 making e-learning work for you, at the University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay Campus.

Tas-e Day09 is about you and your business. No theories, no abstractions – we are offering ideas for business improvement and the opportunity to engage with hands-on learning for both experienced e-learning practitioners and those just starting out.

The Australian Flexible Learning Framework’s (Framework) 2009 E-learning Innovations projects will also be showcasing their creations – this is a great opportunity to talk with people who ‘walk the talk’.

There are four workshop streams (the inside story on Innovation Projects, business improvement, getting started and hands on workshops) and a keynote address by renowned international guest speaker, Cathy Moore.

Other presenters include Clint Smith (Learnworks), Brad Beach (GippsTAFE) and Kim Edgar (Australian Flexible Learning Framework).

Topics include:

• how to make engaging, learner friendly resources
• developing a niche market
• how to pitch e-learning to meet the needs of your client
• assessing e-learning readiness
• online facilitation
• how to set up your own e-portfolio platform (Mahara)
• making the most of the Framework’s resources
• developing learning objects
• project funding update
• how to write a business case for e-learning.

If you are thinking about applying for Australian Flexible Learning Framework funding  come along and have a chat with the innovations coordinator who will be there to provide advice and support.

Please feel free to distribute the following flyer to your colleagues, enterprise partners or learners
TAS-e DAY09 making e-learning work for you

The cost of registration is $55.00 (incl GST).  Online registration closes Wednesday 11 November 2009. This online registration form will be submitted automatically (online payments will not take place). You will receive an automated initial acknowledgement and an official confirmation will be sent a few days later. If you do not receive this confirmation please contact the organisers below. An invoice will be sent shortly and once payment has been received and processed a receipt will be forwarded separately.

For further information please contact:

Gail Wilson, E-learning Coordinator gail.wilson@skills.tas.gov.au or call 6236 5600, or
Fiona Huskinson, Innovations Coordinator by email fiona.huskinson@skills.tas.gov.au or call 6233 2140

We will be taking photographs and filming sections of this event and we trust that your consent is given with your registration.  Should you have any questions please note them in the comments box on the registration form.

Please register to attend the Tas-e Day09 end of year event.

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