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A P R I L   2 0 2 3
Welcome...
.. to the April apprenticeship newsletter
  • Nail that assessment
  • Win a copy of 'Every Day's A Good Day' plus a $50 grocery voucher
  • Meet some fellow apprentices
  • How we are supporting Māori, Pasifika and disabled learners
  • Assessments and privacy
  • Where to from here....
  • Great assessment advice, tips and tools
  • Recommended for watching
  • Free counselling to all Careerforce learners
  • Stay connected
 
Nail that assessment
Nailing that Assessment is a regular section in our newsletters designed to help you do just that, nail your assessment. In this issue, we provide some tips to help with all your assessments.  We've also provided extra support further down the newsletter. See: Great assessment advice, tips and tools.

Tip 1:
IMPORTANT - only submit one task
Please remember, it is important that you ONLY submit one task within a module for marking at a time.  Feel free to work on other tasks, but please don’t submit these until the first task has been assessed. This is because we need to give you feedback to help guide you, before you move forward to the next one.  

Tip 2:
When you've finished one module, check-in with your apprenticeship advisor, for advice on which module to work on next.  Your advisor will be able to provide support and suggestions to assist.


Tip 3:
Please add the name of the module, as well as the module number on your assessment.  This helps to avoid any confusion, especially when there is more than one version of a module, with different names.


 
Win a copy of William Pike's 'Every Day's A Good Day' plus a $50 grocery voucher
This is the inspirational true story of William Pike's survival on Mt. Ruapehu. In September 2007, two young climbers were caught in a volcanic eruption on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu and William's legs were trapped under rubble.  In this book, William not only shares his story of beating the odds, but he explains how he continues to find joy and inspiration from life and how every day really is a good day.

We're giving away three copies of his book 'Every Day's a Good Day'.  Simply answer three questions by 20 May 2023 to go into the draw to win 1 of 3 copies of the book and a grocery voucher. Follow the link below to enter the quiz.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/APPApr23
Meet some fellow apprentices
 
Youth worker aces two apprenticeships to better support kids with trauma
Proud moment for wahine who’s enriching lives
Nelson youth worker, Bruno Saia, is passionate about helping young people overcome mental health challenges to lead better lives.

Bruno is driven by a thirst for knowledge, having impressively completed two New Zealand apprenticeships since his arrival in New Zealand from Brazil just four years ago.

With a background in journalism, his first role in his new country was as a reporter, but a desire to work with youth, inspired a career change. He landed a support worker role with Pathways, the mental health, addiction and wellbeing services provider, and later became a youth worker at ‘Real’, the youth brand at Pathways.

“I applied for the position knowing that the mental health qualification was part of it. For me it was an amazing opportunity. They don’t really have this kind of thing in Brazil. You study while you work – it’s a great idea and makes total sense.”

Ruth Snowden has started a lot of things in her life that she hasn't completed. "Something always got in the way, or I just lacked confidence," says Ruth.

Thanks to her employer, Oceania Healthcare and Careerforce, Ruth is very proud to have successfully completed her Apprenticeship in Diversional Therapy.
"This has been a big accomplishment for me. I feel very proud that I’ve done it, and very thankful," says Ruth.

Ruth gained confidence through attending a noho marae, provided by Careerforce’s Rōpū Taupuhipuhi Āmio / National Mobile Support team. These events offer kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face) support for Māori and other learners working with the Te Ao Māori unit standards in their programme.

"There was great encouragement from the tutors.  I walked out of there feeling really uplifted, and thinking ‘I can do this, I can complete it to the end’. And now I feel very proud that I’ve done it."

 
 
How we are supporting Māori, Pasifika and disabled learners
At Careerforce, our goal is to ensure we put learners at the centre of all our decision making, so that all learners have the skills, knowledge and confidence to excel.
We recognise the importance of supporting equitable outcomes across all our learners. A key focus is to respect the unique differences, learning practices and challenges of Māori, Pacific and disabled learners, and invest in appropriate supports, to achieve equitable outcomes.

How we support our Māori learners
Our Rōpū Taupuhipuhi Āmio / National Mobile Support team provides options for kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face) kaupapa Māori approach support through wānanga mahi and noho marae. As needed, we will provide extra support to any ākonga (learners) and ngā kaiaromatawai (assessors) in working with the Te Ao Māori unit standards. >>Find out more

 
How we support our Pasifika learners
Careerforce has a team of Pacific staff who understand the needs and demands of our Pacific learners. We run Talanoa (open discussion) sessions, and face-to-face and online fono (workshops) with a focus on empowering and engaging our Pacific learners to feel supported in their studies. Through our Pacific Coordinator, we offer assistance for all who are learning in the workplace. >>Find out more

 
How we support our disabled learners
Careerforce is committed to improving outcomes for our disabled learners, working with a lived experience advisory group to ensure our programmes are accessible and fit-for-purpose.  Among the initiatives, disabled learners are assessed to identify individual support needs. The functionality of Aka Toi, our online learning platform is being developed to support learners with different impairments. Learners are given awareness and support to use assistive technologies and will be given more flexibility around time to complete assessments.  Careerforce assessors are also being upskilled to better understand the needs of our disabled learners.

 
 
Assessments and Privacy

This is a reminder that it is a breach of the Privacy Act for personally identifiable information to be used in assessments.

Learners must not disclose real names or personal identification of any person in their assessments except to their assessor during verbal discussions. Assessor notes about discussions will also protect the details of any person. Similarly, confidential details about the employer, other staff or the workplace must be protected.

In instances where workplace reports or other documents are used as evidence to support an assessment, it is essential that this is done with the full knowledge and support of the employer, and that any identifying details (e.g. person’s name, NHI number, area where they live, unusual conditions/illnesses, family connections) are removed or blacked out before being submitted for marking. Any assessments where such identifying details have not been removed or blacked out will not be accepted, and will be returned to the learner for resubmission.
 
 
Where to from here....
Have you considered what you'd like to do when you finish your Level 4 apprenticeship? If you're keen to broaden your knowledge, here is some inspiration:
 
Consider becoming a workplace assessor
Assessors oversee the formal assessment process and provide mentoring, either within their own workplace or independently. They are a vital part of maintaining the quality of Careerforce training.
 
After arriving in New Zealand in 2011, Cathy Briones has used her love for learning and teaching to progress from workplace trainee to workplace assessor, and now a staff assessor at Careerforce.

Cathy joined Careerforce in January 2022 to support the assessment of learners completing the New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing Levels 2, 3 and 4 – the same qualifications she achieved as an advanced support worker not too long ago.
“Learning never stops,” Cathy said, “I believe in growth and how important lifelong learning is.” Read more about Cathy's story
 
Check out our 2023 prospectus to consider further programmes
 

Take a look at the 2023 prospectus to see all our programmes. You'll see the
many qualification pathways available to the sectors we support. Some of the highlights include our suite of new micro-credentials and short programmes (from page 50).
>>More

 
Great assessment advice, tips and tools
Here are some great suggestions from Careerforce Apprenticeship Advisor Jess Hannah

Learner General Information:
  • When you complete a full module, it will move from your dashboard to the completed section under record of learning.
  • It is useful to read your assessor’s feedback. This can provide some guidance and support for future assessments.
  • A good guide is to aim to complete 2 - 3 modules every three months. Although, a couple of the larger modules may take up to 3 months to complete.  
  • Follow your workplace privacy policies when submitting supporting evidence. All identifying information must be redacted and anonymised. 

Assessment Tips:
  • Print all practical and attestation assessments and keep them in a clearfile so you can collect evidence and examples as you go. 
  • It can be useful to look over the assessment tasks before starting the learning. For those who have a module with the section called “Assessment – Are you ready to start?" this document covers in a written format what the assessment videos cover visually and audibly, the kinds of things to expect in the assessment itself.
  • Use the Assessment Glossary to understand task words.
  • We want to know how YOU apply the learning to your role. Demonstrate your knowledge and skills by providing REAL examples from your workplace. Think: when, what, who, why, where.
  • If you find yourself stuck or struggling, take a break or contact your advisor for support.
  • It’s okay to ask for clarification on a question.
Useful Tools:
  • The help section on Aka Toi has some useful “how to” guides and answers to frequently asked questions.
  • The resource library can be useful for additional learning and research topics. This can be found at the end of the module list on your Aka Toi Dashboard.
  • Some modules have a section called “More Resources”. This section may have some other relevant resources and printable “Job Aids” that summarise on a one-pager the main learning points from your module. These “Job Aids” are useful reminders and could help you in your day-to-day work.  
  • Some assessment questions can be answered with voice recording and uploaded as an attachment to Aka Toi.
  • There are apps that you can download on your cellphone to scan documents and upload to Aka Toi.
  • Aka Toi can change speech to text when using a cellphone.

You need to be logged on to Aka Toi to be able to access Aka Toi support links above
 
Recommended for watching
Attitude
'Attitude' is a series of engaging stories about people who live with a disability - ordinary people living extraordinary lives. Programmes are made with the support of NZ on Air, and can be accessed here. (You will need a TVNZ login). Bulletproof is one of the stories featured.
 
Bulletproof: Lee Warn - Part 1
In his 30 plus years in a wheelchair Lee Warn has been an athlete, marriage celebrant, axe thrower, and a spinal support worker. Now Lee has set himself a new challenge, to become a race car driver.
Bulletproof  is available to watch on TVNZ+

 
Free counselling to all Careerforce learners
Careerforce enrolled learners who are going through a tough time can now access a free counselling service, available throughout New Zealand, from the professional employee assistance provider Vitae. More information:  careerforce.org.nz/counsellingforlearners/
 
See previous newsletters
for more hints and tips

You can look back on previous issues of this newsletter for more ideas to help you really take charge of your apprenticeship journey.  You'll also find more news stories to help keep you motivated.

Previous issues of the apprenticeship newsletter can be found here

 
Stay Connected
Join the Apprenticeship Facebook Group to link in with your fellow apprentices. Follow the Careerforce Facebook Page for some inspiration, stories and important announcements.
 
 
 
Facebook
 
Linkedin
 
Youtube
 


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