Questions have been submitted by visitors to the NCETA website and compiled from issues raised at seminars, workshops, symposia etc. FAQs are organised into the categories below. Select the category that best reflects your inquiry.
- Understanding Workforce Development
- Guidelines for Workforce Development
- Policy
- Alcohol and Other Drugs
- Education and Training
- NCETA
- Submit a Question
1. Understanding Workforce Development
What is workforce development?
Visit the What is workforce development? section of this site
Who are the facilitators of workforce development?
Visit the Who is the AOD workforce? section of this site
What is the difference between workforce development and workplace training?
Workplace training is one of a broad range of workforce development strategies. It refers to training that occurs in the workplace. In contrast, workforce development encompasses a broad range of additional strategies, including policy, resource allocation, structural and systemic change, mentoring, education and training.
Isn't workforce development just another word for education and training or staff development?
No. The focus of education, training and staff development is much narrower than that of workforce development. Education, training and staff development focus on factors that impact on the individual worker, which addresses only a fraction of applicable factors. Workforce development is still concerned with innovative and effective ways to improve efficacy of education and training. Education, training and staff development are necessary, but not sufficient, to achieve behaviour and organisational change. Workforce development has a broad focus. It starts at the highest level of the systems surrounding the workforce. Workforce development incorporates policies, systems and structures which create and sustain the work environment.
2. Guidelines for Workforce Development
How can I identify the workforce needs of my organisation?
- identify/measure (future) goals and activities
- within an organisation, determine what information, priority or program
changes generate demand for AOD services
- describe the organisational competencies required to achieve the goals
and implement action
- describe the competency set required by the workforce of the future.
Social needs, rather than staff as providers, are at the heart of this approach. This entails:
- defining the services the public need
- determining the skills and competencies needed to deliver these services
- deriving both the numbers and types of staff required to satisfy competencies
to deliver services at the organisational/program level
- matching actual positions with competencies and identifying gaps
- link to training and education policies
(Ridoutt et al, 2002).
3. Policy
Where can I find information about Australia's National Drug Strategies?
National Drug
Strategy
National Drugs Campaign
National Alcohol Campaign
Where can I find information about drug policies?
Australia
Australian Drug Council of Australia
http://www.adca.org.au
Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing
http://www.health.gov.au/
Drug Strategies, including National Drug Strategy, National Alcohol
Campaign, National Illicit Drug Campaign,
National Tobacco Campaign
http://www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/strateg/drugs/index.htm
http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au
Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (1998) National Drug Strategic
Framework 1998-99 to 2002-03:
Building Partnerships, Canberra: Australian
Government Publishing Service. Available at:
http://www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/publicat/document/ndsf.pdf (403KB)
NSW Office of Drug Policy
http://www.druginfo.nsw.gov.au/
NHMRC (2001) Australian Alcohol Guidelines: health risks and benefits, Canberra:
Commonwealth of Australia. Available at:
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/
Patterns of drug use, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:
http://www.aihw.gov.au/
New Zealand
National Drug Policy Website
http://www.ndp.govt.nz/
Northern American
Drug Policy Alliance
http://www.lindesmith.org/
4. Alcohol and Other Drugs
Who is the AOD workforce?
Visit the Who is the AOD workforce section of this site
Where can I get information about the drugs, such as physical properties, effects, legal implications etc?
Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia
(ADCA)
Australian Drug Information Network
(ADIN)
Drug and Alcohol Services Council
of South Australia (DASC)
Australian Drug Foundation (ADF)
Where can I get information about the nature of addiction?
Refer to websites such as that of Stanton
Peele
Works of reputable authors such as Alan
Leshner
(formerly of the National Institute Drug Abuse) or Jim
Orford
What is the difference between Harm Reduction and Harm Minimisation?
Harm reduction is one component of harm minimisation, the other two are supply reduction and demand reduction.
Harm Minimisation
According to Australia's National Drug Strategic Framework, "Harm minimisation refers to policies and programs designed to reduce drug-related harm. Harm minimisation aims to improve health, social and economic outcomes for both the community and the individual and encompasses a wide range of approaches". Harm minimisation is the basis upon which Australia's National Drug Strategy has been designed, and describes policies or programs that have been designed to reduce actual, or prevent anticipated drug-related harms. It is a comprehensive approach involving supply reduction, demand reduction, and problem prevention resulting from the use of alcohol and other drugs.
Refer to the National Drug Strategic Plan 1993-1997, p4
Harm Reduction
Harm reduction strategies are designed to prevent or limit specific harms
arising from the use of drugs. These strategies involve encouraging people
to modify their patterns of drug use (eg sharing needles, smoking in public
places, drink driving), and are specifically targeted (injecting drug
users, smokers, motorists).
(Carmichael, 2001)
The aim of a harm reduction approach is to avoid exacerbating harm caused by misuse of drugs. In contrast, harm minimisation fits more comfortably with non drug use as a goal since it is consistent with reducing problems to their smallest or lowest possible level. As such, abstinence is a goal of harm minimisation since this is the lowest possible level of use.
Further information:
Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (1998) National Drug Strategic
Framework 1998-99 to 2002-03:
Building partnerships. Canberra: Australian
Government
Publishing Service. Available at:
www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/publicat/document/ndsf.pdf (403.09 KB)
Australian
Drug Foundation Website
Roche, A., Evans, K. (2000). Harm Reduction. In G. Stokes, P. Chalk,
K. Gillen
(Eds) Drugs and Democracy: In Search of New Directions,
p149-162.
5. Education and Training
Where can I find out about training options in the addictions / drug and alcohol field?
Please refer to Drug and Alcohol Services Council of South Australia (DASC)
What is an Accredited Course?
An Accredited Course is a course aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). This means that successful achievement of Units of Competency and/or Modules in the course leads to a Qualification at any one of the six AQF Qualification levels ranging from Certificate I to Advanced Diploma.
State and territory training authorities are responsible for course accreditation. To be eligible for accreditation, courses must comply with the National Accreditation Principles set out in the Australian Recognition Framework Arrangements.
Why are courses developed for accreditation?
If a training need is not able to be met through a Training Package or an existing Accredited Course, a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) may seek to develop a new course for accreditation. Such courses must be relevant to industry or community needs and based on competency standards. If no national competency standards exist, appropriate competency standards must be developed. Other requirements are contained in the National Accreditation Principles set out in the Australian Recognition Framework Arrangements.
Who do I contact to get a course accredited?
Information regarding accreditation by State:
Australian Capital Territory
Training ACT
New South Wales
NSW Board of Vocational Education
and Training
Northern Territory
NT Employment and Training Authority
Queensland
Department of Employment and
Training
South Australia
Department of Education Training
and Employment
Tasmania
Office of Post Compulsory Education
and Training
Victoria
Office of Training and Further Education
(OTFE)
Western Australia
Department of Training
Vocational Education and Training Across Australia
National Training Information Service
Where can I obtain further information about education and training in Australia?
Australian National Training Authority
(ANTA)
National Centre for Vocational
Education Research (NCVER)
National Training Information Service
(NTIS)
Technical and Further
Education (TAFE)
Australian Courses
and Careers Database (OZJAC)
6. NCETA
What does NCETA do?
Visit the About NCETA page
How can I find out more about NCETA projects?
Visit the Publications and Projects page
7. Submit a Qusetion
Please complete the form below to submit a general question about workforce development. Please note, we may be unable to answer specific questions.
