Salisbury’s Learning Action Plan:

the policy and the practice

The City of Salisbury

The Policy …

• One of the first local governments in SA to develop a strategic approach to learning -Salisbury Learning Directions–Lifelong Learning Model• Organisation• Access• Delivery• Support• Promotion

Reviewing Learning Directions

• Strong economic growth alongside high unemployment

• Skilled employment opportunities alongside lower levels of qualifications

• Disengagement from formal education

• Gaps in service provision• Changing population• Diverse needs

So we consulted …

… and we researched …

• Growing literature on learning spaces• Changes to the way Lifelong Learning

is understood• The SA review of Adult Community

Education• The Northern Adelaide Skills,

Workforce and Employment Blueprint

… and we identified new directions

• While Lifelong Learning is still fundamental …

• The high need for community located skill based learning and employment focused learning became apparent

• Community settings now seen as ideal in delivering this type of learning

The Sustainable Futures Planning Framework

And then we consulted some more …

Our Vision

To ensure that all members of the community have access and opportunities to participate in a diverse range of learning activities that suit a variety of needs and aspirations and builds the social and economic capacity and sustainability of the region.

Underlying Principles

• Access and Engagement• Enhanced Delivery and Support• Recognition and Promotion

Council Roles in Learning

City of Salisbury

Roles

Delivering

Promoting

EnablingFacilitating

Advocating

Learning Goal Areas

• Lifelong Learning• Indirect Employment Focused

Learning• Employment Focussed Learning

Lifelong Learning

• Early Engagement and Family Learning

• Promotion of Learning Aspirations• Social Connection and Inclusion

Indirect Employment Focussed Learning

• Building Language, Literacy and Numeracy Skills

• Building Foundation Skills• Enhancing Supports for Learning

Direct Employment Focussed Learning

• Tailoring Learning to Populations and Industries

• Career and Learning Advisory• Building Entrepreneurial and

Business Capacity• Building the Training Capacity of the

City of Salisbury

The Practice …

• Service delivery with a focus on the Youth and Neighbourhood Services Division

• City’s primary provider of Adult Community Education

• Traditional focus on “Lifelong Learning”

• Increasingly, a shift to “Indirect Employment Learning”

About us....• 15 council staff = less than 10.5 FTEs• 200 + volunteers• 6 incorporated management

committees• 3 different management models• 9 sites – 6 local community centres, 1 co-located

centre in partnership with UniSA and DECS, 1 youth centre, 1 outreach site…

‘Fourth level of Education’• Recognition of ACE as the ‘fourth level of

education’ • Strength and success of Salisbury’s ACE

programs: – Multi-literacies, – Foundation Skills, – Transitions Programs

• Opportunities for funding, increased service delivery, stronger partnerships and participation in Northern networks…

• Have combined to move the Division forward

ACE Multi-Literacies Framework

• Salisbury has adapted the Multi-Literacies Framework from SA Works ACE Program

• The Multi-literacy skills are also referred to as basic, core, essential or generic skills

• Focuses on adult literacy for skills development for adults in their families, communities and workplaces

Community Centres SA Project Mapping to Sector Outcomes

• Individual –Social

Wellbeing–Social Capital–Human Capital–Economic

• Community –Social–Economic–Environmental

Delivery of Adult Community Education in Salisbury

• Looking through a Multi-literacies lens, the focus becomes clearer

• Mapping activities against individual and community outcomes identifies benefits

• Mapping against both framework and sector outcomes is invaluable in informing planning and delivery

Salisbury’s Multi-Literacies Framework

• We have referenced the following literacies: – Functional Literacy– Financial Literacy– Digital Literacy– Environmental Literacy– Health Literacy– Transitional Literacy

Functional Literacy

“Includes reading, writing, spelling, grammar and basic mathematics operations that underpin other learnings”– Literacy for Volunteers– Language Literacy Numeracy (CALD

Focus)– Computer Based English– Homework Help

Computer Based English

Financial Literacy“Knowing how money works including banking and finance, superannuation and other financial information throughout life”– Embedded in Foundation Skills programs to

achieve required numeracy competencies eg “Money Minded” Budgeting

– Kitchen Garden Program, Healthy Cooking

– Access to No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) and Financial Counselling

Healthy Cooking

Digital Literacy“Involves the confident and critical use of Information Technology for work, leisure and communication”–Workshops on social media and other

modern technologies– PC support groups and clubs– Basic Internet and Webmail – Laptop computing Win7 – Broadband for Seniors

PC Support Groups

Environmental Literacy“Knowledge of how everyday decisions we make can make a difference to the health of the world around us” – Community Garden Projects – Enviro Expos -Initially developer driven• Enviro friendly products eg cleaning, skin

care etc• Recycling water experts• Nurseries - mulch, water saver products,

plants • Trees for Life

Environmental Literacy cont.• Science Week - Community

Education Collaboration • Council • UniSA• SciWorld

– Science in schools• NAWMA

– – 3 Rs of Recycling• CSIRO

Health Literacy“Understanding information about how to live healthy lives, how to communicate with medical professionals and understand their written and verbal instructions”– Language and Literacy (CALD)– OPAL– Healthy Communities Initiative

OPAL

Transitional Literacy“Stages of transition that occur in everyone’s life from birth to death”– Early Childhood– Key School Life Transitions– Secondary to Further Study/Training– Secondary to Employment–Work to Retirement– Loss Management

ABC 30&3

Creating an interest in reading where there

is no reading culture in the family

ABC 30&3• Based in Research *• Factors that predict school readiness:– If a child is read to on fewer than 3 days

per week, and– if there are less than 30 children’s books in

the home– there is a stronger risk of low language

skills and school readiness, in all groups, whether there were levels of financial disadvantage or not

* The Smith Family 2008

Aged to Perfection

Aged to Perfection

• Over 600 activities and events celebrating Seniors’ Month in October

• Month long event, coordinated by the City of Salisbury

• Builds on existing programs• Promotes inclusion and interaction• Fosters active lifestyles, health and

fitness

Salisbury West Training

• ACE Foundation Skills Program aims:– Offering training in a fun and supportive

environment– Targeting those planning to return to

work or currently looking for employment

– Building confidence and self worth

Salisbury West Training cont.

• Indirect Employment Focussed Learning

• Pilot programs• Ready for Work • Morella Café • Introduction to the Office

Salisbury West Training cont.

• Outcomes–74 students participated–23 used Career Development

Centre–19 commenced volunteering–16 gained employment–4 enrolled in further training

Measuring Performance:Outputs vs Outcomes

• 250,000 visits and enquiries• Recorded 20,698 attendances in

structured learning programs and activities delivered in the centres

•  

Contact usJulie DouglasSenior Social Plannerjdouglas@salisbury.sa.gov.au

Bettina SeifertManager, Youth & Neighbourhood Servicesbseifert@salisbury.sa.gov.au