Volunteering Australia 10 th National Conference on Volunteering Volunteering ~ evolution, devolution or revolution?

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1 Volunteering Australia 10 th National Conference on Volunteering Volunteering ~ evolution, devolution or revolution? The Credit Matrix Building Learning Bridges Felicity Dunn, Victorian Qualifications Authority Abstract The Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA) is currently working on a credit-based framework the credit matrix that would be designed to apply across all the postcompulsory qualifications currently available in Victoria. Designed to work with, and enhance the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), the VQA believes that such a system could provide the basis for improving linkages between qualifications in the school, vocational and Higher Education sectors and importantly, help make it easier for learning that has been achieved in a range of different contexts, formal and informal, to be counted towards a formal qualification. Such a system could help support learning achieved through voluntary work to be credited towards a formal qualification, thus encouraging participation. Introduction The benefits that flow to state and community from a strong voluntary sector are widely acknowledged by governments around the globe, resulting in policy research directed towards strengthening participation in voluntary activity. Although volunteering is mostly celebrated for its contribution to communities, it can also very often provide learning opportunities for volunteers, whether by developing their work-related skills or assisting in personal development. Unfortunately, very often the learning which is achieved in voluntary work is not formally recognised. Therefore, one way in which governments can support and encourage individuals to participate in voluntary work is to provide, for those who desire it, recognition for the learning achieved while serving community needs. This paper explores how the credit matrix could contribute to recognising the learning volunteers achieve, and whether it could therefore better meet the needs of volunteers and encourage individuals to participate in voluntary work. It provides background on what the credit matrix is, and how it may help meet the learning and qualification needs of volunteers. It also outlines a number of policy initiatives in Australia and Victoria which may further assist in providing formal recognition for the learning achieved through voluntary activity. Background to the credit matrix The credit matrix is a new way of describing qualifications and recording achievement in them. It is an initiative of the Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA) and aims to provide a common means for describing learning, regardless of whether that learning occurs within a school, TAFE, Adult and Community Education 1

2 Centre, university, or through the learning achieved in the workplace or community. Designed to work with, and enhance the operation of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) in Victoria, it would work by allocating a level (for complexity of learning) and points (for amount of learning) to all the units or modules available in the post-compulsory education sector. By having a common means to describe and compare learning, the credit matrix aims to build better linkages between qualifications, and to make it easier for credit to be granted for learning previously achieved. So far, the VQA has completed a statewide consultation on the concept of the credit matrix, with the findings indicating strong and broad-based support. The VQA is currently working on the development of a detailed model, and is testing that model through a series of modelling projects. These modelling projects are designed to provide on the ground advice to inform the development of the model, and are set up in a number of contexts, such as the post-compulsory education sector within a specific region or within an industry. The VQA initiated the credit matrix as part of a strategy to meet its legislated objectives to: ensure and support appropriate linkages between qualifications facilitate procedures which make it easier for people to re-enter education and training and acquire qualifications throughout their lives. At the very broad level, the need for a common means of describing learning achieved, that works across education sectors, and which measures learning at the unit or module level rather than at the qualification level, emerged from shifts in students patterns of learning. For example, student movement is increasingly cross-sectoral, with more students obtaining qualifications or parts of qualifications from a range of different education sectors. The movement of students from Higher Education to Vocational Education and Training (VET) and vice-versa is a case in point and has increased over the past decade. For example, the proportion of year olds who are degree qualified with a VET qualification grew from 4.7 per cent in 1993 to 11.4 per cent in 2001, and those VET qualified with a degree grew from 2.7 per cent to 7 per cent over the same period. In fact, all age groups showed an increase in the proportion of people with qualifications from several education sectors over this period (Karmel and Nguyen, 2003). VET qualifications or modules are increasingly being combined with senior secondary school study, with more students choosing to either study VET subjects as part of their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), or to undertake the new Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) which incorporates curriculum that can be drawn from a number of areas. For example, the number of students who chose to study one or more VET subjects as part of their VCE grew by 230 per cent from 1996 to 1999 (Polesel et al 1999) and overall, 37 per cent of year 11 and 12 students in 1999 participated in VET in school (Wheelahan et al 2003: p. 16). The new VCAL has also enjoyed a growth in student uptake, from 5300 students enrolled in 2003 to over 8000 in The success of programs like the VCAL, which enable students to receive credit towards their study for the learning they experience by participating in community- 2

3 based projects, have led to the identification of a need to make it easier to recognise learning which occurs in informal settings, such as in a work-place or community. The credit matrix, by virtue of it being able to describe learning across the whole postcompulsory education and training system in common way, has many broad applications and aims to be of use to many involved in the post-compulsory education and training system. The paper now focuses, however, on how it might be of value in meeting the education and training needs of volunteers and managers of volunteers. The Credit Matrix - Meeting the learning and qualification needs of the voluntary sector A National Agenda on Volunteering: Beyond the International Year of Volunteers (2001) was developed by the International Year of the Volunteer (IYV) National Community Council of Advice, and provides a framework for the future of volunteering in Australia. This document outlines a number of issues facing the voluntary sector and corresponding goals to deal with them, some of which relate to education and training. The credit matrix will not, in isolation, be able to address all of the goals relating to education and training, however its capacity to describe learning in a common way will provide a good starting point. Firstly, the agenda outlines the need to remove the duplication and repetition of training that some volunteers must undertake when they volunteer in a number of different organisations. The agenda suggests a skills register to ensure recognition of previous training and skills. (IYV National Community Council of Advice, 2001: p. 8) Indeed, records of the very specific sets of knowledge which individuals acquire throughout their lives are not always easily accessed: individuals may complete some whole qualifications, and/or units or modules from any number of different institutions in a number of different fields, making it difficult to keep track of achievements. Focus groups commissioned by ANTA found that employers and individuals alike share a desire for some central way of recognizing and recording skills and experience. (National Strategy for VET : p. 3) The credit matrix could address this, through its potential to support a Record of Learning, which would record all the learning an individual achieved at the unit level, within one central register, regardless the location or context in which that learning occurred. This would help ensure previously acquired learning and skills would be recognised. Indeed, the ability to record the parts of qualifications achieved in one place, through a Record of Learning, could be valuable to volunteer and volunteer manager alike, particularly given that there has been in an increase in the education and training options available for the volunteer industry. Mark Creyton observes that over the past ten years more education courses for volunteers have begun to be accredited. (1999: p. 33) These courses include those which teach volunteer rights and responsibilities, telephone counselling and how to run management committees. A record of these accredited units could be of use to volunteers who wish to use their voluntary work experience as evidence of their skills when applying for paid employment. It could also help volunteer managers identify training gaps within their volunteer workforce. Second, the agenda points to a need for more flexible training options, such as portable training to reduce unnecessary repetition and duplication for volunteers. 3

4 (IYV National Community Council of Advice, 2001: p. 8) Volunteers are often required to undertake training for certain technical outcomes related to their role as volunteers. For instance, they may have to complete some study in Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S), customer service, first aid, event and activity management (ANTA, 2001: p. 4) or units required for voluntary emergency services. By having a common means of describing learning at the unit level, the credit matrix aims to maximise the portability of units of study, reducing the need for people to study things already achieved. Indeed, duplication is costly, particularly given that many volunteer organisations do invest a great deal in training their volunteers. A survey conducted in the UK shows that the extent of training provision for volunteers is widespread. For instance, a survey of volunteers in 1998 found that in the UK, most volunteer-involving agencies provide training both on the job (87%) and through training courses (66%). Further, almost a half of organisations (47%) offer their volunteers some form of accreditation or certification for their work or training accomplished (Institute for Volunteering Research, 1998). In many instances, this training must be accredited, to ensure volunteers are competent to undertake the tasks, such as fire-fighting in the CFA, undertaking emergency work with the SES or even coaching a sports team. Although data on the extent of training provision of volunteers in Australia is not currently available, the UK data does suggest that some means to ensure volunteers do not have to complete learning already achieved could save much time and expense to both volunteer and voluntary organisation. Thirdly, the agenda pushes for increasing the education and training options currently available to meet the needs of the volunteer industry including better trained managers of volunteers, training packages for managers of volunteers, as well as tertiary courses, for example, in social work, sport, recreation and youth work to include working with volunteers as an elective subject. Further, the agenda argues for competency standards for volunteer management training, to ensure a level of competence and a career path for managers of volunteers. (IYV National Community Council of Advice, 2001: p. 8) In Vocational Education and Training (VET), there are modules available which cover aspects concerned with management of volunteers, such as apply the principles and issues of volunteering and recruit and co-ordinate volunteers. (see There is currently no training package dedicated exclusively towards volunteer management. Nevertheless, the credit matrix may be able to assist in the development of qualifications that meet the needs of volunteers and managers of volunteers. One key aim of the credit matrix is to allow for the design of more flexible qualifications that could include new and different kinds and combinations of knowledge and skills. (VQA, 2003: p. 10) By providing a common means of describing learning, in any context, the credit matrix should provide a starting point for qualification designers to build new, more flexible qualifications to meet changing industry needs. Finally, although not mentioned in the agenda, there is great potential value in making it easier to recognise the learning individuals achieve informally, through undertaking voluntary work. Voluntary work can provide a raft of informal learning opportunities, enabling individuals to develop a range of employment related skills. For instance, some people develop skills in customer service through their role as a volunteer. 4

5 Customer service and interaction, like many other skills, is a competency found within the Training Packages and other qualifications. Individuals should be able to gain formal recognition towards these qualifications, or part of these qualifications, with relative ease. Admittedly, not all people who volunteer do so with the intention to develop skills or gain work experience, and not all are interested in gaining formal recognition for the learning they do achieve. They may not even develop any new skills, but rather use their existing skills to assist the community, with 47 per cent of volunteers saying they volunteer to be of service to the community and 43 per cent doing so for personal satisfaction. (ABS, 2001) Nevertheless, although altruistic reasons are certainly a major motivation for volunteering, a significant number of volunteers do so to improve their skills and job prospects as well. For instance, one study of volunteers in regional Victoria found that 31 per cent of volunteers said they volunteered to develop skills, and 8 per cent said they did so to help get paid work. (Bailey et al, 2002: p. 8) This is particularly the case for young people, who, as Paddy Bowen observes, are increasingly tending to volunteer in order to gain work-related skills. (Bowen, 2002: p. 17) Furthermore, much voluntary work does teach volunteers work-related skills, whether that was the main motivation for volunteering or not. For example, a study of voluntary organisations in the UK found that 57 per cent of volunteers interviewed experienced learning which contributed directly to occupational tasks or generic skills or attitudes which could be demonstrated to assist in work-related activities. (Creyton, 1999: p. 31) Yet at the moment, the opportunities for this learning to be recognised through the form of credit towards formal qualifications are limited. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process which enables students to use skills, knowledge or competence gained informally as a basis for admission or to gain credit into a formal qualification. However, RPL is virtually non-existent in non-accredited, general and preparatory VET programs, including those that might be offered through volunteer organisations (Bowman et al, 2003: p. 7). In 2001, just 5 per cent of people enrolled in Higher Education and 8 per cent in VET received RPL (Wheelahan et al, 2003: p. 4). Rob Stowell observes that RPL is costly to establish and difficult to administer, so that in too many cases learners are either deterred or discouraged by the processes involved and do not proceed with the recognition process. (2003) By having a common means for describing learning, the credit matrix aims to provide a starting point for recognising all types of learning, including informal learning, thus making the RPL process easier to administer. Other developments The credit matrix could play a role in supporting some of the other initiatives which aim to recognise broader forms and mixtures of learning. Some of these initiatives are discussed below. 5

6 Firstly, as mentioned earlier, the VQA s new certificate for Year 11 and 12, the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is one way in which voluntary work can count towards the achievement of a formal qualification. The VCAL enables students to study accredited curriculum from a number of education sectors and in a number of contexts, including the option to participate in a community project, developed at either the local level or through a more formal program, such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award program. The more flexible curriculum of the VCAL has also played a part in school retention, with 33 per cent of [VCAL enrolled] students surveyed saying they would have left school if VCAL were not available to them. (Education Times, 2003). However, the design of VCAL programs has been made difficult by the very different ways in which units and modules from different education sectors are defined and measured. The AQF provides no means of comparison between Year 12 certificates and the stratified system of VET qualifications. The credit matrix would, however, provide this basis for comparison. Second, the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) has been working on a project called Due Credit which aims to recognise the skills achieved by young people who participate in youth development programs. Much of this work has focused on examining the types of learning which individuals undertake when they participate in a youth program. It was found that the skills developed by young people who participate in youth development programs can be understood as fitting within three categories: generic skills, technical outcomes and specific skills. (ANTA, 2001: p. 4) Generic skills include the key competencies, as well as other active skills like leadership, managing risk and using initiative. Technical outcomes refer to areas such as first aid, customer service and event management. Specific skills relate to those skills that apply to particular programs such as business planning or land restoration. Although targeted specifically at young people participating in voluntary work, the Due Credit project has so far identified the many types of learning which voluntary work can offer, and the project has the potential to provide insight into how to better recognise learning achieved in community programs. Third, the VQA is working on a project on recognising informal learning the sort of learning which is achieved through active participation in work and the community, engaging in activities and interests, or undertaking non recognised but planned programs, such as short courses (Stowell, 2003). This project has particular relevance to the voluntary sector, given that much of the learning which occurs in voluntary organisations is informal. While, as mentioned earlier, many people do not wish to seek recognition for their informal learning, the VQA contends that for many others, informal learning can represent the first step towards a qualification, thereby providing a useful bridge towards further study and employment. These policy initiatives could help make it easier for learning which is accomplished informally, in the voluntary sector, to be counted towards formal qualifications. The credit matrix, through its capacity to provide a common means for describing learning, should provide the overarching framework in which to measure learning achieved informally and compare it with formal units of study. Conclusion 6

7 While, as mentioned earlier, recognition of voluntary work in the form of credit towards formal study may not be desirable to all volunteers, it certainly could be for those people who volunteer with the intention of building on their skills and improving their employability. Indeed, incentives are important for attracting young people to voluntary work. Most prominent is the incentive of tangible outcomes such as a reference or a qualification, to validate their experience and demonstrate their achievement to employers and others. (Institute for Volunteering Research, 1998) Further, as the UN Expert Working Group on Volunteering (1999) observed, Volunteering for young people offers opportunities for self-development and provides a valuable grounding in the practice of citizenship. and Volunteering has a role to play in promoting full employment by enhancing the employability of unemployed people. For those in search of paid employment, volunteering can boost self-confidence, provide access to workplace networks and an opportunity for the development of specific marketable skills. Importantly, much of the learning which students undertake while volunteering can be among the most engaging and meaningful learning they ever undertake. A course in the US which requires students to work with local non-profit organisations and government agencies working with public housing as part of their assessment, leads some students to comment that they ve never been in a course that required them to think as hard. (Perry, 2001) Given the importance of voluntary work as a means to help individuals learn and build skills, as well as contribute to communities, it is important that governments encourage participation, and they can do this by developing effective systems to recognize and accredit learning achieved while undertaking voluntary work. The credit matrix, through its capacity to describe and record different types of learning in a common way, regardless of where that learning occurred, can make an important step towards attaining this goal. 7

8 Bibliography Australian Bureau of Statistics, (2001) Voluntary Work, Australia Summary of Findings [online] C5 Accessed 8 April 2004 Australian National Training Authority, (2001) Due Credit, ANTA, Melbourne Susan Bailey, Sally Salvage and Bev O Connell, (2002) Volunteering and Social Capital in Regional Victoria Australian Journal on Volunteering, Vol. 7, No 1, Volunteering Australia, Melbourne Paddy Bowen, (2002) Top Ten Trends in Volunteering Australian Journal on Volunteering, Vol. 7, No 2, Volunteering Australia, Melbourne K. Bowman, B. Clayton, A. Bateman, B. Knight, P Thomson, J. Hargreaves, K. Blom and M Enders (2003) Recognition of Prior Learning in the VET Sector, NCVER, Adelaide Mark Creyton, (1999) Volunteering and Learning: Opportunities for individual and organisational transformation in Australian Journal on Volunteering, Vol. 4, No. 2, Volunteering Australia, Melbourne Education Times, VCAL leads path to success October 9, 2003, Vol 11 No. 16, Department of Education and Training, Melbourne p. 1 Institute for volunteering research, (1998) Issues in volunteer management - A report of a Survey, [online] Accessed 8 April 2004 Tom Karmel and Nhi Nguyen, (2003) Australia s tertiary education sector: paper presented to the Centre for Economics of Education and Training 7 th National Conference National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Adelaide Sandra Kerkel, (2003) Volunteer Development, Practice Application Brief No. 26, Educational Resources Information Centre, Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education Joelleen Perry, (2001) Volunteering for Credit [online] Accessed 15 April 2004 John Polesel, Richard Teese, Kate O Brien, (1999) Destinations of VET in Schools Programs in 1998 Department of Education, Employment and Training, Victoria, [online] p. 7 Accessed 29 January 2004 Quay Connection, Research Forum and Albany Consulting for ANTA, (2002) National Strategy for VET : Report on Focus Group Research p. 3 8

9 Rob Stowell, (2003) Recognition of Informal Learning Issues and Options Paper, VQA, unpublished. United Nations Volunteers Expert Working Group Meeting on Volunteering and Social Development, New York, November 29-30, 1999 [online] Accessed 6 April 2004 Victorian Qualifications Authority, (2003) The Credit Matrix - A Consultation Paper, Department of Education and Training, East Melbourne Leesa Wheelahan, Ned Dennis, John Firth, Dr Peter Miller, Diane Newton, Susan Pascoe & Peter Veenker (2003) A Report on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy and Practice in Australia in 2002, including National Principles and Operational Guidelines for RPL in Post-Compulsory Education and Training, Southern Cross University, Sydney 9