Adults

On 3 February 2021, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training adopted an inquiry to investigate and report on LLND skills in Australia. The report, Don't take it as read: inquiry into adult literacy and its importance, presented by the Committee on 22 March 2022, notes that too many Australians leave school with LLND skills gaps that limit opportunities and life choices. The report outlines the benefits of investing in LLND skills; examines evidence of, and the factors that contribute to, LLND skills gaps in the Australian population; and investigates the range of Australian, state and territory government and community-based adult LLND education programs and providers that are currently available, and their capacity to meet the demand and diverse needs of the community.

In April, Jobs and Skills Australia released the JSA foundation skills study: discussion paper, the purpose of which is to determine the intent and desired outputs of the national study on adult literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills - the Foundation Skills Study. The study consists of three elements: a survey of Australian adults to assess their current skills levels; a feasibility study into how best to assess the literacy, numeracy and digital literacy levels of First Nations people; and an analysis of Commonwealth administrative and other data to 'drill down' into the results for priority groups. The next step for the study is consultation and development of a national survey, to be conducted in 2024, intended to measure adult foundation skills levels in literacy, numeracy and digital skills. It also intends to gather information and data on how adults use their skills at home, at work and in the wider community.

In 2022, the Reading Writing Hotline released the report Insights from the classroom: a survey of adult literacy providers, which provides a summary of outcomes from a national survey of adult literacy and numeracy teachers, trainers, private tutors, volunteer tutors and managers offering adult literacy, numeracy and digital literacy (LND) programs and services around Australia. The aim of the survey was to build a picture of the current delivery of LND programs, the need identified for LND programs, and the barriers experienced by both providers and learners.

From September 2021 to July 2022 the Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL) ran a survey to collect information about the public interest in adult literacy in Australia. Titled 'Tell us about your interest in adult literacy', the survey consisted of eight multiple choice questions and optional comments. The following conclusions drawn from the survey are outlined in the survey report:

• over two thirds of people know someone with unmet literacy needs
• television is a good way to raise awareness
• people from a range of backgrounds are interested in adult literacy
• a combination of statistics and case studies about real people are useful for conveying a message
• the Reading Writing Hotline is an important central body for adult literacy
• advocacy work of the council stimulates interest in adult literacy issues
• people want to volunteer as tutors for adult literacy learners
• there is an interest in professional qualifications for adult literacy teachers but there is no clear career pathway.

Adult and community education (ACE) organisations are not for profit providers of accessible learning opportunities for adults. There are three main program focusses for ACE: personal enrichment; foundation; and vocational. All ACE providers deliver enrichment programs. Most offer adult basic education in language, literacy, numeracy, digital and other foundation skills. An increasingly diminishing number, around 220, also offer formal vocational education and training (VET). The Australian adult community education environmental scan 2022 profiles the ACE sector in terms of its programs, features, provider types, participants, outcomes and supporting policy areas.

More on this...

• Discussion paper: delivery of the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program 2023
• Lifting literacy, lifting Tasmania: final consultation report for the development of Tasmania's Community-wide Framework
• Literacy face to face: a resource for volunteer adult literacy tutors: second edition
• Review of the Australian Core Skills Framework and Digital Literacy Skills Framework and relevant assessment tools: final report
• Shame: an avoidable barrier to adult literacy learning

Remote and First Nations people

In their report Vocational education and training in regional, rural and remote Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia found that VET students in regional Australia are more likely to be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students or from a lower socioeconomic background than students from major cities. The report explains that the states and territories determine eligibility for government-funded VET based on their specific priorities, including foundation skills. The National Skills Agreement, is a five-year agreement between the Commonwealth, state and territory governments that will replace the National Agreement on Skills and Workforce Development on 1 January 2024. One of the reforms in the agreement is the 'Ensuring access to foundation skills training' initiative, to support people who have left school to access the foundation skills training they need. The initiative also has a commitment by the jurisdictions to develop a 10-year national foundation skills strategy by the end of 2024 to identify critical actions to strengthen the foundation skills sector, which may include a national suite of activities to better reach cohorts with diverse and complex needs.

Through the Future delivery of foundation skills training in remote Australia: discussion paper: December 2022, the Australian government invited feedback on how to recognise and build on the strengths of learners, increase access, ensure cultural safety, address barriers to participation, and support community-controlled organisations and training specialists. The key feedback in Future delivery of foundation skills training in remote Australia: discussion paper: response summary and analysis emphasises that each remote community is unique and foundation skills projects need to be designed at the community level. The community-led component is critical for remote and First Nations communities as programs are often designed without consideration of the existing skills and knowledge of First Nations people, and training that is not aligned to individual or community goals is rarely successful. Some of the respondents requested the use of tested literacy campaigns such as 'Yes I Can' and 26TEN.

In Mass literacy campaigns: a way back to the future?, the history of Yo, si puedo (Yes I can) is one of the campaigns briefly explored in the article, along with the projects undertaken with campaigns which used this model in Timor-Leste between 2005 and 2012 and in First Nations communities in Australia between 2012 and 2020. The trial of the ‘Yes I can’ model in Australia began in Wilcannia, New South Wales, and ran for two years. The First Nations campaign leadership established a national organisation and grants were secured from the government for short-term campaigns in 12 communities in Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. A new project, explained in the research brief The 'Yes, I Can!' Aboriginal adult literacy campaign in remote EAL/D communities, has commenced in the Northern Territory to determine if the campaign will have similar impacts in communities where English is an additional language or dialect.

More on this...

• 'A life-changing experience': how adult literacy programs can keep First Nations people out of the criminal justice system
• 'A strong belief in the possibility of a better life': the pedagogy of contingency and the ethic of solidarity in the Yes, I Can! Aboriginal adult literacy campaign
• Commonwealth Closing the Gap Implementation Plan 2023
• 'I can speak on this here': empowerment within an Aboriginal adult literacy campaign
• Impact of a community-controlled adult literacy campaign on crime and justice outcomes in remote Australian Aboriginal communities
• Maestras: exploring dialectical relationships in an Aboriginal literacy campaign
• Measuring adult English literacy improvements in First Nations communities in Australia
• Quantifying low English literacy in Australian Aboriginal communities: a correlational study
• The relationship between low adult literacy levels and Aboriginal family and community engagement in educational decision making

Non-English speaking migrants and refugees

UNESCO's Leveraging innovative technology in literacy and education programmes for refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons presents a collection of case studies from around the globe highlighting the innovative and effective use of technology to support education. Information and communication technologies such as phone apps, artificial intelligence and online learning can help overcome barriers and widen opportunities for migrants and refugees to develop language and literacy skills. The publication showcases the Australian 'Connected: Adult Language Learning through Drama' program which uses performance and the arts to build English language learning. With the advent of COVID-19, the workshops moved online, which enabled the participation of learners who previously couldn't attend the in-person sessions. The program uses storytelling, role play, and group discussions to help students practice English in a fun and intuitive way. The students also valued the social benefits of the program such as building connections and increasing their confidence.

The impact of COVID-19 is also examined in COVID-19 online learning landscapes and CALDMR students: opportunities and challenges. The report details the significant impact of the pandemic on higher education, not only for students, but for educators and support staff. With the rapid switch to online learning due to COVID-19, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Migrant and/or Refugee (CALDMR) students were found to be disproportionately impacted by external factors such as access to computers, and their living and financial situations. The report notes that online or remote learning created new 'educational and social vulnerabilities' for CALDMR learners. The research studied the equity-related challenges for disadvantaged learners and how universities addressed the specific needs of CALDMR students. The report presents policy and practice related recommendations to better support CALDMR students, including employing CALDMR liaison staff and providing support to educators to ensure teaching 'considers diverse learner experiences'.

While language and literacy are important foundation skills for migrants and refugees, for those who come from non-English speaking backgrounds, digital literacy is also a key aspect of being able to successfully integrate into society. Supporting the digital inclusion of new migrants and refugees looks at the 'digital divide' migrants and refugees in Australia experience, both in access to and use of digital technology. Barriers to digital inclusion can include both language proficiency and technology literacy. Not only does digital inclusion enable participation in online learning, but it improves independence and social and community engagement, and can lead to participation in the labour market. The report's recommendations include making in-language digital resources available, embedding digital mentoring within current settlement services, and providing multiple approaches for migrants and refugees to develop digital skills.

More on this...

• Capital as vocational currency in refugee migrant education: intersection of language training, work experience and vocational qualifications
• 'It's a black hole...': exploring teachers' narratives and practices for digital literacies in the adult EAL context
• Learning language and gaining employment: problems for refugee migrants in Australia
• People from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds: an open access annotated bibliography
• Stigma, stereotypes and support: the 3S in navigating complex journeys from Intensive English Centres to higher education for students from refugee backgrounds in Australia
• Teaching language and literacy through the arts

News items and opinion pieces

• Finding new ways to help people overcome the digital barriers
  (Source: SBS, October 2023)
• Migrant pilot program helps women in regional Australia develop essential business skills
  (Source: ABC News, October 2023)
• Better access to literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills crucial for Indigenous Australians
  (Source: Minister for Skills and Training, July 2023)
• Empowering migrant and refugee women in the digital landscape
  (Source: Department of Social services, June 2023)
• The secret shame stopping 3 million Australians from doing their jobs properly
  (Source: Sydney Morning Herald, April 2023)
• Burmese migrant steps in as digital literacy gap leaves people exposed to disadvantage
  (Source: ABC News, September 2022)

Published: October 2023