Training for life… in two worlds
Training for life… in two worlds Conference Paper
AVETRA 13th Annual Conference
- Author(s): Guenther, J, Gurruwiwi, G, Donohoe, A
- Published: 2010
Abstract: For a number of years, Nungalinya College, based in Darwin, has provided accredited training for Yolu from Arnhem Land. One course called Bilingual Family and Community Studies, partly funded by Caritas Australia, has been developed over almost 10 years to assist Yolu, who speak English as another language make the transition into mainstream employment. Caritas’ funding has enabled Nungalinya to employ a Yolu facilitator, enabling a bilingual approach to be taken. This paper is based on an evaluation of the program. Apart from the bilingual aspect, an important feature of this program is that it unpacks western worldview values and assumptions before delivering the content of the training package, a Certificate I in Access to Employment and Further Study. This process identifies aspects of western culture while at the same time supporting English language, literacy and numeracy skills. The Nungalinya program is designed to address these worldview concerns. The paper presents an overview of the course and the evaluation’s findings. It suggests that the learnings from Nungalinya’s experience are applicable to training delivered in remote Indigenous communities, where ‘turbulent times’ are represented in the form of various ‘interventions’, policy changes, and a range of local community challenges. The paper raises questions about the capacity of training providers to effectively respond to the needs of learners and suggests that funding for training programs for people from remote communities needs to take these issues into account.
- Urls: http://www.covaluator.net/docs/S3.1_training_for_life_two_worlds.pdf
- Publisher Location: Holiday Inn, Gold Coast