Industry Examples of Integrating WELL with Industry Skills Training
The following are three industry examples:
1. Boral Timber saw the value in this approach when it implemented a large WELL program in its NSW sawmills several years ago to train timber graders. By the end of the program, over 200 workers had been issued with grader’s tickets, and the mills reported improvements in their grade recovery and productivity.
2. Harris Daishowa also used a WELL program to assist its workers to write up safe operating procedures and other workplace documents. These were then incorporated into the OHS management system, which not only satisfied the company’s obligation to ‘consult’ with workers on OHS matters, but also provided a solid foundation for the on-the-job training of new workers.
3. Weyerhaeuser and TAFE NSW Riverina Institute. In 2007 Weyerhaeuser’s Tumut Mill and TAFE NSW Riverina Institute together delivered a workplace literacy program that aimed to develop employee’s literacy skills. For more information please go here.
Why integrate WELL programs?
The most effective learning generally occurs when people can see the direct relevance of what they’re learning, and get concrete results for their efforts.
The learner can achieve both accreditation or licences such as forklift operation, dogging, and mobile crane operation and literacy and numeracy assistance at the same time.
By the end of a training program, the workers should have significantly improved their global literacy and numeracy skills plus be able to make sense of the instruction manuals, complete the workplace forms, carry out the calculations, and above all, pass the assessment tasks required to gain the accreditations they need to further their workplace skills and work towards realising their full potential.
How do integrated programs work?
The literacy and numeracy components of the training program are blended into the overall program and forms a natural part of the learning process.
Workers don’t even see the literacy and numeracy assistance as a ‘special add-on’ to the industry skills training they are receiving due to the blending.
Usually the WELL trainer and the industry skills trainer work closely together throughout the delivery of the program, or when appropriate, or the same trainer may undertake both roles simultaneously.
For example! A training program designed to provide a licence requires the participants to learn a range of formulas and apply them to various calculations involving weights and load limits. The participants therefore gained both the licence and the basic literacy requirements at the same time
Tell us about your WELL programs!
We would be pleased to receive additional industry examples to place on our website.
Please email details of successful programs that have included WELL training to forestworks@forestworks.com.au or phone 03 9321 3500.
