Working from our strengths: Indigenous community engagement through enterprise development and training

Working from our strengths: Indigenous community engagement through enterprise development and training Journal Article

Learning Communities: International Journal of Learning in Social Contexts

• Author(s): Wallace, Ruth, Manado, Mark, Agar, Richard, Curry, Cathy
• Published: 2009

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Abstract: Community engagement is predicated on partnerships that respect and recognise all stakeholders’ knowledge, strengths and needs. Effective approaches to training and workforce development in remote and regional communities use a range of tools to negotiate each stage of its implementation. The focus on improving engagement is connected to having the flexibility to imagine alternative ways of working with people. The community engagement and training approaches need to be as diverse as the Indigenous communities and participants involved. Approaches must also be connected to Indigenous enterprise contexts and through actual projects or enterprises. With Indigenous communities, training may involve not only training people but also supporting the development of the workplace that will potentially employ learners. Training, then, needs to incorporate existing knowledge and contextualise all learning for that particular situation. Enterprise development training is an approach to Vocational Education and Training (VET) policy, design and delivery for Australian Indigenous communities that can incorporate the key features of best practice in designing and implementing learning and business partnerships. The role that VET can play in developing enterprise and providing employment outcomes, particularly in remote areas, has been recently explored through several projects. This paper considers the key learnings through these projects and the implications for effective community engagement negotiated through enterprise development and training with Indigenous enterprise owners and community members, industry partners and registered training organisations.

• Urls: https://espace.cdu.edu.au/eserv/cdu:8711/Wallace_8711.pdf