FW: Virtual business company fills gap in market, rolling out new e-learning programs with NBN to reduce skill shortage

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                  12 SEPTEMBER 2012

For immediate release

COLLABORATION ON NEW INNOVATIVE E-LEARNING APPROACH REDUCES SKILLS SHORTAGE

Collaboration between award winning specialised RTO training and virtual business – Transformed – and the National Broadband Network (NBN) e-learning program is filling the gap in skills shortage with specialised online applications to increase skills and learning for the building and construction industries.

Called the Construction Safety Training Simulator “Building Site Safety Game’ and the Construction M-Leaning capability for ‘iPads for learning and assessment - the e-learning collaboration for NBN’s broadband based education and training, has become the most successful and innovative application for all industries. See www.transformed.com.au/elearning.

The two online initiatives developed by Transformed in conjunction with leading software developers, were designed for flexibility of study and a purpose to help reduce the national skills shortage in the building and construction industry and target other industry needs.

Speaking at Transformed’s 2012 ACT Training in Excellence Award win at the Department of Education and Training Awards night, Managing Director, Michael Young said the potential to help address the national skills shortage in building and construction, cater for a wide range of learning and e-learning styles and provide further opportunities for regional and remote learners is so important to industry. 

“Our industry collaboration demonstrates that the NBN can deliver engaging and interactive e-learning that otherwise would not be possible,” said Young.

“While these provide on the site education for the building and construction industry, they can be aligned to other industries.

“Building and construction and other industries, including mining, engineering, infrastructure, IT and Government are experiencing skills shortages across the board.

“This simulation ‘game’ allows learners and assessors to undertake mandatory occupational health and safety training without the potential for injury.

“The safety simulation generates a number of risks at commencement, so that risks are different each ‘play through’. As learners navigate the 3D world with a keyboard and mouse, they identify risks, undertake a risk assessment and report their results to their manager.

The simulation is aligned to a nationally recognised unit of competency in the Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) and received funding under the National VET E-learning Strategy

It allows both learners and assessors undertaking mandatory OHS and site induction to experience a high-risk construction site without the potential for injury. 

“As site safety is traditionally taught in a classroom, learners may get to apply safety principles through work placements, but they are often not sufficiently experienced in translating the theory learned into practice.” said Young.

‍

About:

This initiative is an NBN E-Learning Program output developed by Transformed with seed funding from the National VET E-learning Strategy. Transformed partly funded and project managed the initiative and work in conjunction with the University of Canberra and Holopoint Interactive (an interactive software developer based in Adelaide).

NBN E-learning Programs focus on the delivery of training programs using broadband-based information technology to improve training access and outcomes for learners.

This technology has been developed for use within and to benefit the industry and not just for Transformed.

Transformed has been recognised for exemplary skills development collaboration at the DET ACT Training Excellence Awards 2012.   The Industry Collaboration Award was achieved for NBN E-Learning Program initiatives developed by Transformed.  The initiatives consisted of the 'Building Site Safety Game' and the 'IPads for learning and assessment' projects.

http://www.transformed.com.au/training/Elearning.html

Further information contact:

Pip Orr

PIPCOMM

0411 137 201