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Adult LLN :

The current elective unit TAELLN411 Address adult language, literacy and numeracy skills may become a core unit in the TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

To work as a trainer in the VET sector a trainer must hold, as a minimum, the TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from the TAE10 Training and Education Training Package or be able to demonstrate equivalent competency. Many trainers will soon need to hold or demonstrate equivalent competency for, the unit TAELLN411 Address adult language, literacy, and numeracy skills - Supersedes TAELLN401A.

Contact Qualify Me & Register for TAELLN411 - Address adult language literacy and numeracy skills course

Here's a sweet snapshot of the course: Language can be said to cover all the modes and skills involved in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It involves words, phrases, and sentences, the grammatical structures, whether spoken or written, including the use of idioms, slang, or jargon. Language is the primary way we communicate with each other. Whether a group or individual uses a lot of slang or has a teasing, joking culture, or relies on more polite and formal communications is all part of a particular language culture of their profession, trade, industry, community, or social.

Languages are constantly evolving with our desire to communicate effectively. We are all constantly and often unconsciously learning new words and ways of communicating with different groups of people throughout our lives. Literacy is essentially language in use. It is about reading and writing as well as the skills of speaking and listening including awareness of the types of tone and connotations associated with communicating in different work, social or cultural contexts. Like language, literacy is constantly changing over time as we develop new ways to communicate and debate or explain information. The ‘new’ literacies involved in technological communications whether by email or text messages mentioned above or the skills involved in accessing, applying, and using information or services offered on the internet highlight the changing nature of the literacy skills we need to operate in a technological world. We all need to be extending and developing our literacy skills in order to adapt to new situations in a rapidly changing world.

‘Numeracy’ refers to the application of mathematical skills in real situations related to a person’s life, work, and participation in their community. It involves interpreting mathematically related concepts and language, such as the graphs used in newspapers, or on TV during an election broadcast. It also includes the ability to keep up with new demands in the workplace. For example, the skills involved with calculating GST in the trades and in business rely on understanding the meaning of ‘%’ and the ability to calculate a simple percentage in the head. According to Australian research, this is beyond over 50% of our adult population.

Numeracy also incorporates spatial skills, including reading and interpreting two-dimensional plans and relating them to three-dimensional reality. It includes reading street directories and grid references; weighing and measuring; interpreting tables and standards; calculating and interpreting rates; recording data; calculating in the head; using calculators or other computational technologies. Numeracy includes the ability to make reasonable estimations and a feeling for ‘way out’ results when measuring or calculating.

It also incorporates using formulae (particularly those related to your workplace) and in some cases even the ability to transpose formulae. Confidence and ‘ownership’ of the mathematical skills are an important part of being numerate. This is one respect in which school mathematics education has let down many potential VET learners.

LLN in VET

Whether we are aware of it or not, LLN skills development is important for all study, formal and informal, at all levels including traineeships and apprenticeships, certificate and diploma programs, degree and postgraduate programs. How teachers and their students develop these skills is an important factor in determining the quality of any vocational program.

Get in touch with Qualify Me & Register for this course now

LLN in the workplace : Skills training supports workers in increasing efficiency and addressing lots of issues in the workplace but training doesn't solve everything. Workers who have low-level foundation skills can be assisted by their very own workplaces.

Think about the documents that are used in your workplace, are they straightforward and be easy to understand? Take some time to look at them and think about whether they could be made clearer. sometimes appalling written heading on a form can impede a worker's progress.

A quick correction can save time and money and improve the workplace as the understanding of common documents.

LLN Documents for Workplace

What sorts of documents do people need to read at your workplace?

Legislation, standard operating procedures, instructions, forms… With a bit of thought, the document can be presented with graphics to illustrate the text in a format that’s easier to access and understand.

Do the documents in your workplace use plain English?

Plain English focuses on a message and communicates that message simply and clearly, it's not about dumbing down documents or being overly simplistic, rather even complex documents can be written in a way that's clear straightforward, and uncluttered. Documents written in plain English should develop from a reader's point of view. Look over your workplace forms and think about whether they are written with the reader in mind:

There are lots of resources available to help you to make your documents more user-friendly. Just do a quick Google search on writing user-friendly documents.

Verbal Communication

It's also useful to think about the words that you use when talking to staff, do the words to use really communicate clear messages. It's very common in workplaces to see people use words in a roundabout way for example people use phrases like: “she'll be right”, “given up the ghost”, or “hit the road running”.

Some people grew up with euphemisms and colloquialisms like this and understand the real meaning behind them, but many are simply confused by them. “Don't dilly dally” for example, is that really a clear instruction? It's easy to say that someone could easily be confused by an instruction like this.

Give some thought to your own communication and do your bit to model clear and effective messages!

Want more?

If you are a trainer and found this article interesting, you may be interested in completing our TAELLN411 course for PD. It's a short course designed to help you identify skill gaps in adults and train them to fill in these gaps. Why not take the TAELLN411 Address Adult LLN online course for VET Trainers. Contact Qualify Me today for Details

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