Going national

MEMBERS will receive further national recognition for the work they perform as part of an ADF Vocational Education and Training (VET) initiative.

A team from the Defence Education Training and Development branch have been working with ADF trade sponsors and subject matter experts to gain national recognition for members through the Defence Sector Project.

Assistant Director Training Systems Policy of the branch, Lieutenant Colonel David Mann, said “servicemen and women often consider that their skills are so specialised, they are not well recognised in wider industry”.

“One of the outcomes of the Defence Sector Project is that a much broader range of skills and knowledge held by Defence personnel will be nationally recognised and published in a national training package,” he said.

The project, developed in two stages, has involved identifying jobs and functions where existing national qualifications could be made available to members; and developing new units of competency and qualifications for national endorsement where no suitable arrangements exist.

The benefits for both individuals and the ADF as a whole include:

• attraction and retention of members, through recognition of national vocational education and training credentials based on knowledge and experience;
  
• skills mobility, involving the analysis of skills that may be brought to Defence from external sources;
  
• career transition, by providing members with nationally recognised qualifications that should lead to better job prospects on separation;
  
• improving general understanding of the national standards of delivery of commercial contracts; and
  
• the industry relations process, by providing clear evidence of the scope and complexity of ADF service in a style and format accepted by national conventions.
  

Stage one of the project addressed occupational groups including explosive ordnance, Defence chaplaincy, communication and information systems, Defence driving and field engineering, which were all incorporated into the national training framework for use by registered training organisations.

Stage two, which is currently underway, is addressing occupations including aviation life-support maintenance.
Any Defence-related employment not already covered will be addressed in stage three and any subsequent stages, due to commence later this year.

The project has attracted interest across a range of industry sectors, particularly where occupational groups have relevance outside Defence, for example, aviation and life support maintenance, and occupational health and safety competencies.

For more information, contact Lieutenant Colonel David Mann from the Defence Education Training and Development Branch by calling (02) 6266 3554 or emailing david.mann@defence.gov.au.

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