Glossary of Terms and Acronyms
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AAPA : Australian Asphalt Pavement Association |
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Access Course : a preparatory, prevocational or bridging course which prepares a student |
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ACCI : Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry |
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Accredited Course : a structured sequence of vocational education and training that leads to an Australian Qualifications Framework qualification or Statement of Attainment. |
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ACTU : Australian Council of Trade Unions |
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Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) : an education and settlement program funded by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs for new immigrants and refugees providing English language teaching, counselling and support services. |
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Advanced Standing : (also called status or credit recognition granted to a student on the basis of previous study (credit transfer) and / or experience (recognition of prior learning), exempting the student from a particular course, subject or module. |
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AEPMA : Australian Environmental
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AIB : Australian Institute of Building |
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AIBS : Australian Institute of Building Surveyors |
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AIG : Australian Industry Group |
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AISC : Australian Institute of Steel Construction |
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AMCAA Air-conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association of |
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AMWU : Australian Manufacturing Workers
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ANTA : Australian National Training Authority, is a Commonwealth statutory authority providing a national focus for vocational education and training. |
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APESMA : Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, |
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API : Australian Property Institute |
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Apprentice : a person undertaking training under an apprenticeship. See also New Apprenticeships trainee. |
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Apprenticeship : a system of training regulated by law or custom which combines on-the-job training and work experience while in paid employment with formal off-the-job training. The apprentice enters into a contract of training or training agreement with an employer, which imposes mutual obligations on both parties. Traditionally, apprenticeships were in trade occupations (declared vocations) and were of four years' duration. See also New Apprenticeships. |
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AQF : Australian Qualifications Framework. The AQF provides a comprehensive, nationally consistent yet flexible framework for all qualifications in post-compulsory education and training. The Framework was introduced Australia wide on 1 January 1995 and will have full implementation by 2000.The following table outlines the Qualifications contained in the AQF: |
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ASIAL : Australian Security Industry Association |
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Assessment : the process of gathering and judging evidence in order to decide whether a person has achieved a standard or objective. See also competency-based assessment. |
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Assessment Guidelines : an endorsed component of a Training Package which underpins assessment and which sets out the industry approach to valid, reliable, flexible and fair assessment. Assessment guidelines include information concerning: assessment system overview, assessor requirements, designing assessment resources, conducting assessment, sources of information on assessment. |
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Assessment materials : optional component of Training Packages that complement endorsed industry assessment guidelines and could take the form of assessment exemplars or specific assessment tasks and instructions. |
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Assessor : a person qualified to carry out assessment. |
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ATSI Aboriginal and
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Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA) : a written agreement between an employer and an employee about the employee's wages and conditions of employment. AWAs may be negotiated collectively between an employer and a group of employees, as long as they are signed by each employee who wishes to be a party to the agreement. |
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Austudy : an Australian federal government scheme offering means-tested financial assistance to mature-age full-time students; commenced in 1986. |
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Award : Industrial relations agreement outlining conditions of work, including pay. |
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Award Restructuring : the changing of industrial awards, including the removal of obsolete classifications, a reduction in the number of classifications, and the redefinition of a range of jobs under single classifications, in order to improve workplace productivity and the efficiency and flexibility of workers. |
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BCITC : Building and Construction Industry Training Council. The State ITAB for construction in WA. |
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Best Practice : management practices and work processes that lead to outstanding or top-class performance and provide examples for others. |
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Block Release : the release of an employee from the workplace for periods of time, usually of a week or more, in order to undertake related training in an educational institution. The term applies particularly to apprentices and trainees. Compare day release. |
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Bridging Course : a course designed to equip students to take up a new subject or course by covering the gaps between the students' existing knowledge and skills and the subject or course prerequisites and assumed knowledge. |
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BSCAA : Building Service Contractors Association |
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Cadetship : an employment arrangement in which an employer undertakes to subsidise an employee's formal training leading to certain qualifications, and in which the employee is usually required to remain with the employer for a specified period after completion of training. |
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CAI : computer-aided (or computer-assisted) instruction; see computer-based training. |
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Career Counselling : (also called vocational counselling) the process of assisting and guiding people in their career choices. |
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Casual Employee an employee who generally has no entitlement to paid holiday or sick leave and who lacks the security of ongoing employment, with each job constituting a separate contract of employment. Under some awards casual employees are entitled to either holiday leave or sick leave. |
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CBA : see Competency Based Assessment |
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CBT : see Competency Based Training |
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CCF : Civil Contractors Federation |
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Centrelink : a statutory authority providing information and assistance relating to a range of Commonwealth Government programs, including all services formerly provided by the Department of Social Security, as well as childcare and student assistance payments and services, registration of all new applicants for income support and employment assistance, self-help job search facilities, referrals for employment assistance, and specialist labour market assistance services for disadvantaged groups. |
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CEPU : Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of |
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Certificates I-IV : a set of qualifications awarded in the vocational education and training sector and recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The four levels of certificate recognise increasing levels of skill. Certificate III is generally recognised as being trade level in the building and construction industry. |
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CFMEU : Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy
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CITAB : Construction Industry Training Advisory Board. The State ITAB for construction in NSW. |
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CITB : Construction Industry Training Board. The State ITAB for construction in SA. |
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Class Contact Hours : the number of hours in any given period for which a teacher is programmed to be in contact with classes of students. |
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Competency : (also competence) the ability to perform tasks and duties to the standard expected in employment. |
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Competency Standard : an industry-determined specification of performance which sets out the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to operate effectively in employment. Competency standards are made up of units of competency, which are themselves made up of elements of competency, together with performance criteria, a range of variables, and an evidence guide. Competency standards are an endorsed component of a training package. |
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Competency-Based Assessment : (or CBA) the gathering and judging of evidence in order to decide whether a person has achieved a standard of competence. |
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Competency-Based Training : (or CBT) training which develops the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to achieve competency standards. |
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Contextualisation : the addition of industry or enterprise specific information to a unit of competency to improve the standards relevance to industry. |
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Contract of Training : (also called training agreement) a legal agreement between an employer and an apprentice or trainee, which defines the rights and responsibilities of each party. These include the employer guaranteeing to train the apprentice or trainee in the agreed occupation or training area, and to allow time off work to attend any required off-the-job training; and the apprentice or trainee agreeing to learn all aspects of the occupation or training area, and to work for the employer for a specified period. Contracts of training supersede indentures. |
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Core Competencies : identifies units of competency within a competency standard that an industry has agreed are essential to be achieved if a person is to be accepted as competent at a particular level. All units may be core, but in many cases competency at a level will involve core units plus optional or specialisation units of competency. Core competencies are normally those central to work in a particular industry. |
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Course : a structured and integrated program of education or training, usually consisting of a number of modules (subjects) or shorter programs, and leading to the award of a qualification. |
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Credit : (also called status or advanced standing) the acknowledgment that a person has satisfied the requirements of a module (subject) or unit of competency either through previous study (credit transfer) or through work or life experience (recognition of prior learning). The granting of credit exempts the student from that part of the course. |
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CTA : Construction Training Australia, the national industry training advisory body for the construction industry. |
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CTQ Construction Training Queensland, the State ITAB for construction in Qld. |
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Curriculum : the specifications for a course or subject (module) which describe all the learning experiences a student undergoes, generally including objectives, content, intended learning outcomes, teaching methodology, recommended or prescribed assessment tasks, assessment exemplars, etc. |
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Customisation : tailoring to individual requirements; (in vocational education and training) the process of tailoring a program to meet the specific needs of clients. Customised qualifications are devised by Registered Training Organisations, created through combining competency standards drawn from two or more different endorsed Training Packages to create a new qualification outcome. Such qualifications must meet the requirements of the Australian Qualifications Framework, the Customisation Policy of the National Training Quality Council and the customisation advice of the relevant Training Packages. |
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Day Release : the release of an employee from the workplace, usually for one day per week, in order to undertake related training in an educational institution. The term applies particularly to apprentices and trainees. Compare block release. |
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Declared Vocation : a trade occupation specified in legislation, regulations or an industrial award for which the entrance requirement is successful completion of an apprenticeship. With the implementation of New Apprenticeships, declared vocations have been abolished in most States and Territories. |
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DEST : Department of Education, Science and Training. The Commonwealth Department responsible for public and private schools and school systems, higher education institutions and research, vocational education and training, student and youth affairs, school to work transition programs, indigenous employment and education, and internationalisation of Australia's education and training systems. Formerly, the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA),and before that the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA) and earlier the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET). |
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DEWRSB : Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business |
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Diploma : a qualification in the vocational education and training and higher education sectors. See also Australian Qualifications Framework. |
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Education : (1) the process of imparting knowledge or developing skills, understanding, attitudes, character or behaviours. (2) the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, understanding, attitudes, etc. (3) the knowledge, skills, understanding, attitudes, etc. acquired. (4) the field of study concerned with teaching and learning. |
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EEO : equal employment opportunity. |
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Employee : The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines employee in the following way: An employee is a person who works for a public or private employer and receives remuneration in wages, salary, a retainer fee by their employer while working on a commission basis, tips, piece-rates or payment in kind, or a person who operates his or her own incorporated enterprise with or without hiring employees. |
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Employer : The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines employer as: An employer is a person who operates his or her own unincorporated economic enterprise or engages independently in a profession or trade, and hires one or more employees. |
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Endorsed Component : the central part of a training package, endorsed by the National Training Framework Committee, comprising competency standards, assessment guidelines and qualifications. Compare non-endorsed component. |
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Entry Requirements : the qualifications, knowledge, skills or experience required for entry to an education or training program. |
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Entry-Level Skill : a skill required to commence employment in an organisation or more generally, to gain entry into the workforce. |
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Entry-Level Training : (or ELT) training undertaken to gain entry into the workforce or further vocational education and training. |
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Equity : fairness, social justice. In vocational education and training, equity policy incorporates measures to improve access to, participation in, and outcomes of vocational education and training for those who may be disadvantaged or have traditionally been under-represented, especially indigenous Australians, people with a disability, women, people in remote and rural communities, and people from a non-English-speaking background. |
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ESL : English as a second language. |
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Evidence Guide : the part of a competency standard which provides a guide to the interpretation and assessment of the unit of competency, including the aspects which need to be emphasised in assessment, relationships to other units, and the required evidence of competency. |
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Fee-For-Service Training : training for which most or all of the cost is borne by the student or a person or organisation on behalf of the student. |
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Flexible Delivery : a range of approaches to providing education and training, giving learners greater choice of when, where and how they learn. Flexible delivery may involve distance education, mixed-mode delivery, online education, self-paced learning, self- directed learning, etc. |
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Flexible Learning : the provision of a range of learning modes or methods, giving learners greater choice of when, where and how they learn. See also flexible delivery. |
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FMA : Facility Management Association of |
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FPAA : Fire Protection Association of |
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Full-Time Student : a student who has a full-time study load. For AUSTUDY entitlement, the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs regards a normal full-time study load as 720 student contact hours in a year, and any student undertaking 540 hours or more is regarded as a full- time student. |
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Full-Time Worker : a person working all the normal working hours. The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines full-time workers as: Employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and others who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week. |
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Further Education (FE) : post-secondary education, including higher education, adult education, and vocational education and training. general adult education programs for adults undertaken for personal enrichment, personal development, general interest or recreation. General adult education programs do not have a specific vocational intent. generic competencies see key competency. |
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Group Training Company : a company which employs apprentices and trainees, and places them with one or more host employers who are usually small to medium-sized businesses. The host employers provide on-the-job training and experience, while the group training company organises off-the-job training, and handles recruitment, rotation and payroll. |
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GTA : Group Training |
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HECS : see Higher Education Contribution Scheme |
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HIA Housing Industry Association of |
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Higher Education : post-secondary education offered by a university or other recognised higher education institution, or through Open Learning Australia, leading to the award of a degree or higher level qualification. |
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Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) : a funding arrangement whereby students pay part of the cost of their higher education, and the Commonwealth government pays the rest. It can be paid up-front or as a levy on income when the graduate’s income reaches a specified level. |
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Indenture : (historically) the legal agreement between an apprentice and an employer under which the apprentice was bound to the employer for a specified period in return for the training received; superseded by contract of training or training agreement. |
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Industrial Award : see Award. |
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Industry Restructuring : a process of changing the forms of work organisation within enterprises and across industry in order to improve productivity, competitiveness, quality and flexibility. This may involve job redesign, award restructuring, new technology, and ongoing training or retraining of workers. |
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Integrated Assessment : an approach to assessment that covers multiple elements and/or units of competence from relevant competency standards. The integrated approach attempts to combine knowledge, understanding, problem solving, technical skills, attitudes and ethics into an assessment task with the aim of reducing the time spent on testing as well as making assessment more ‘authentic’. |
| ITAB : Industry Training Advisory Body. Also called industry training advisory board. An organisation, usually an incorporated association or company, recognised as representing a particular industry and providing advice to government on the vocational education and training needs of that industry. There were both national and State / Territory industry training advisory bodies, but the national bodies have been reconstituted as Skills Councils, and the term ITAB now refers to the State / Territory bodies only. |
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Job Guide : a guide produced by the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, giving information on jobs, education and training pathways. The Job Guide is available as a book, on disk and on the internet at www.jobguide.dest.gov.au |
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Job Network : a network of private, community and government organisations assisting people to find jobs. |
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Jobs Pathway Program (JPP) : a government program designed to assist students in the transition from school to work by developing links between schools, industry and the local community, and through support, guidance, education and training. |
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Jobseeker : a person looking for and available for work. |
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JPP : see Jobs Pathway Program. |
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Key Competency : any of several generic skills or competencies considered essential for people to participate effectively in the workforce. Key competencies apply to work generally, rather than being specific to work in a particular occupation or industry. The Finn Report (1991) identified six key areas of competence which were subsequently developed by the Mayer committee (1992) into seven key competencies: collecting, analysing and organising information; communicating ideas and information; planning and organising activities; working with others and in teams; using mathematical ideas and techniques; solving problems; and using technology. |
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Labour Market Program : a program designed to increase the number of people in employment or to improve the employment prospects of a target group, eg by the payment of subsidies to businesses that take on long-term unemployed people, young people, etc. |
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LAFHA : living away from home allowance. LAFHA may be accessed by apprentices who are forced to leave their home to find work. Consult Centrelink for more details. |
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Learning Pathway : a path or sequence of learning or experience that can be followed to attain competency. Learning pathways may be included as part of the non-endorsed component of a training package. |
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LHMU : Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous
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Lifelong Learning : the process of acquiring knowledge or skills throughout life via education, training, work and general life experiences. |
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LLN : language, literacy and numeracy. |
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Logbook : a record kept by a person of the knowledge, skills or competencies attained during on-or off-the-job training. |
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MBA : Master Builders Australia |
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MITAC :` Major Industries Training Advisory Council. The State ITAB for construction in NT. |
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Mixed-Mode Delivery : (also called mixed delivery) a combination of learning modes to deliver a course or module, such as distance education and face-to-face study in classes, tutorials, practical sessions or workshops. |
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Modular Course : a course composed of modules. |