Training for Good - July 2023: Reporting overdue assessments, Face to face sessions, celebrating success, assessment tips and more

The standard expectation is that your assessment is marked within 10 days. However, if you have not heard from your assessor within 15 days of submitting an assessment, a new form on iportal lets you follow up an assessment. From iportal, complete the 'Overdue Assessment form' and Careerforce will follow up with your assessor.

Careerforce is fully aware of the workplace pressures our assessors are under, and the work that our extensive network of assessors do is hugely appreciated. This form simply allows us to become aware of instances where additional support may be needed in a workplace, or even situations where a workplace assessor may have left a workplace.

First time users of iportal need to complete a simple one-off registration; simply go to: https://iportal.careerforce.org.nz/, click on ‘Register a new account’, fill in the fields and submit. If needed, a link at the bottom of the page provides helps with registration.

All learners should register for iportal, as you can also access learning resources via the Library, and access your latest training progress report.

Here's a chance to chat with Careerforce advisors and get some help to progress your programme. We've started to run face to face sessions in parts of the North Island to help support you with your learning. The sessions in the table below are currently scheduled, but we will be adding more across the country. Just drop in either for the whole time or as long as you are able. We're happy to support you.

We know that learners benefit from the opportunity for face to face engagement, and have had great feedback from the sessions to date. We will also be advising employers and assessors about these sessions.

Leaving school at 14 with poor reading and writing skills, Adele has conquered her literacy concerns, founded a charitable trust, and published a book. She is now completing her first qualification – the NZ Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 3) Support Work, with Careerforce | Te Pūkenga.

Until recently, Adele’s training consisted of her life experiences. “Now, doing the Careerforce programme, this is the first time I have studied. The learning is about acknowledging what I know and do, building on that, and getting a formally recognised qualification for it.”

Much of Adele’s wisdom comes from a brutal life journey. Twenty years in an abusive relationship and with a drug addiction, Adele fled from Hawke’s Bay to Nelson to start her new life.

“I knew in my heart that it wasn’t over. I decided to relearn, retrain, and recreate myself,” says Adele. “I wanted to create new habits and create a new lifestyle for my children, by healing my heart and my mind.”

SEE stands for:

Statement - Start the paragraph with a statement. This lets the assessor know what the paragraph is about and your position about the subject matter.

Explain - Then explain your statement.

This provides the assessor with the details they need.

Example - Then give an example or two (depending on what is required in the assessment).This helps the assessor gauge your level of understanding.

Level 3 EXAMPLES

Last week, Mrs. S twisted her ankle and so she now needs extra support when walking and if she’s very tired, she prefers to use the wheelchair. I made sure to put that on the handover notes so other staff are aware of what happened and the extra support required.

Mr V’s dementia is advancing and he sometimes forgets to take his medication. I told the RN and then we set his phone alarm to go off when he needs to take his medicine to help him remember. We also wrote that on his plan so other staff can help monitor that he’s taking his meds correctly.

Level 4 EXAMPLE

I was assisting Mrs. B with her toileting who has moderate-stage dementia and can be prone to UTI. I noticed she was very unsteady on her feet more than usual. I settled down Mrs. B in a safe and comfortable position and rang the bell for assistance. I informed the RN who came in to check the resident. After the review, the RN has added in her care plan the following: Ensure Mrs. B keeps up with her fluid intake because she was slightly dehydrated that day since sometimes she forgets to drink. Also to assist with toileting regularly so we can observe her mobility and to ensure Mrs. B is always using her walking frame and not her walking stick from now on due to being unsteady.

Be organised
Manage your work and training commitments as best as you can and complete within the timeframe agreed between yourself, your assessor and employer.

Be engaged
Let Careerforce and your employer know if you need additional support or have any questions or concerns which could prevent you from finishing in the agreed timeframe.

Be committed
Keep us informed if you no longer wish to continue with your training, would like to ‘pause your training’, or decide to leave your workplace and would like to talk about other options on how to continue your training programme.

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and sauté for another 5 minutes.
Cover the vegetables with the vegetable broth. Cover the saucepan, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes until the carrots are soft.
Add the lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley. Purée with a handheld blender until you reach the desired consistency. Add more water to thin out the soup if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with chopped fresh parsley.

Courtesy: Savormania

Thank you to the learners who have already taken part in the 2023 Careerforce Te Pūkenga Learner Wellbeing Survey 2023. We really appreciate your participation.

A friendly reminder to all other learners that this 3-minute survey will remain open until 12 noon Friday 28 July 2023. Learners who complete the survey before the close date can then enter the prize draw to win a digital prize pack valued at approximately $2,100 by clicking on a separate link to the prize draw form.

To start the survey, please click on the link below.
Learner Wellbeing Survey 2023

It's important that we hold up to date contact information in order for us to connect and provide updates on your training progress. If you have recently changed home address, contact number or email address, then please let us know by submitting an email
to info@careerforce.org.nz

If you are leaving your employment or wish to withdraw from your training, then
please let us know by completing the “Training Agreement Termination” online submission form which can be found at the Careerforce website here

Tip: We suggest you check that all completed work has been assessed and reported by your assessor before requesting your training to be withdrawn. You can do this through iportal if you are a registered user or contact us on 0800 277 486.

Keep up-to-date, and read more inspirational stories about your fellow Careerforce trainees, follow or like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/careerforceNZ/

If you’re having some challenges with your training, ask your assessor or employer for some advice. If you think Careerforce can help, do get in touch with us.
Careerforce.org.nz/contact-us/

Careerforce enrolled trainees 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. careerforce.org.nz/counsellingforlearners/