Adult Community Education Program Grant Funding Guidelines 2013-14
Frequently Asked Questions
Contents
Why does my organisation have to be a listed ACE Program Provider before we can apply for Foundation Skills grant funding?
How do the funding and outcome priorities affect the way funding is allocated in comparison to the past?
Why has a digital literacy priority been added to the funding priorities?
Which application form do I use?
What period does the 2013-14 Grant cover?
I am applying for Foundation Skills for non-accredited grant funding and don’t understand how I am meant to use the Certificate I Education and Skills Development curriculum. I want to deliver non-accredited training, isn’t the Certificate I for accredited training?
I am applying for Foundation Skills accredited grant funding and am confused about how many or which units in the Certificate I Education and Skills Development curriculum I should use.
Can I use units from vocational training packages or include the delivery of qualifications in my Foundation Skills Accredited application?
Where can I get access to the Certificate I in Education and Skills Development curriculum?
Why do we need to include our delivery and assessment strategies, teaching and learning resources and staff matrix for Foundation Skills accredited applications?
How can we deliver accredited training if we are not an RTO?
Who pays for the cost of partnering with an RTO to enable the training to be accredited?
If we don’t want to deliver or assess our training can we sub-contract to an RTO?
Listing financial contributions or in-kind support is a new question, why is this necessary?
I am not sure how to fill in the details about how many hours, students, weeks etc. in question 9. Can you provide an example to help?
We are asked to provide evidence to support our identified demand for the project, what kind of evidence is needed?
Under reporting we will be required to report on participant numbers. How is this done for Foundation Skills Accredited?
Under the progress reporting requirements there is mention of recording literacy and numeracy levels on entry into a project, what does this mean and how much work is involved?
Under the final reporting requirements there is mention of recording literacy and numeracy levels on exit from a project, what does this mean and how much work is involved?
Why does my organisation have to be a listed ACE Program Provider before we can apply for Foundation Skills grant funding?
Only eligible organisation can apply for Foundation Skills grant funding; the Listing Process determines this and ensures organisations don’t waste their time applying for funding they are not eligible to receive. The Listing Process also means the application process for Foundation Skills grant funding has been simplified and past performance can now be considered. The Guidelines, Criteria and Application Form to determine eligibility to be included in the ACE Program Provider List can be downloaded from
How do the funding and outcome priorities affect the way funding is allocated in comparison to the past?
Identifying funding and outcome priorities means that grant funding will be proportionally allocated to communities with high need across the state. It is about ensuring equity and transparency in the allocation of public grant funds.
Why has a digital literacy priority been added to the funding priorities?
Digital literacy is now recognised nationally as an essential foundation skill to enable full participation in learning, volunteering and work. Whilst digital literacy skill development has been included in past projects, adding a digital literacy priority provides an opportunity to include a stronger focus in the future projects.
Which application form do I use?
If you are applying to deliver non-accredited training then use the Foundation Skills Non-accredited Grants form.
If you are applying to deliver accredited training then use the Foundation Skills Accredited Grants form.
What period does the 2013-14 Grant cover?
The 2013-14 Foundation Skills Grants cover the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014. Final Reports and invoice for final payment are due to DFEEST by 6 June 2014, therefore your project will need to be completed by 30 May 2014.
I am applying for Foundation Skills for non-accredited grant funding and don’t understand how I am meant to use the Certificate I Education and Skills Development curriculum. I want to deliver non-accredited training, isn’t the Certificate I for accredited training?
No, the Certificate I isn’t just for accredited training. It can also be used to help develop a quality framework for what you want to deliver that is non-accredited. By selecting specific elements from within an appropriate unit or two from of the curriculum you can develop an educationally sound course that will help learners to develop any of the basic literacies non- Foundation Skills accredited focuses on. Examples for different types of project ideas will be provided during the February state wide information sessions run by DFEEST.
I am applying for Foundation Skills accredited grant funding and am confused about how many or which units in the Certificate I Education and Skills Development curriculum I should use.
The new curriculum has been developed in consultation with ACE providers and the units in the appropriate streams are what you should be using. These are at the right level for what Foundation Skills accredited grant funding is trying to achieve and provides a natural transition for learners who may have undertaken Foundation Skills Non-Accredited projects. Only a small number of units will need to be used (maximum of 3 per project) and examples for different types of projects will be provided during the February state wide information sessions run by DFEEST.
Can I use units from vocational training packages or include the delivery of qualifications in my Foundation Skills Accredited application?
No. The aim of Foundation Skills grant funding is to increase literacy and numeracy skills and improve pathways to further learning or work for learners with low levels of educational attainment. Participants who are ready to access accredited vocational education and training courses or qualifications can do so through Skills for All training providers.
Where can I get access to the Certificate I in Education and Skills Development curriculum?
This will be provided to all providers attending the February state wide information sessions run by DFEEST. Alternatively you can contact the Foundation Skills Unit to access a copy.
Why do we need to include our delivery and assessment strategies, teaching and learning resources and staff matrix for Foundation Skills accredited applications?
The quality of accredited training in Australia is regulated under the National Standards for the regulation of VET and the information requested is considered to be the minimum necessary to form a judgement about your ability to meet National Standards requirements and the grant funding selection process.
How can we deliver accredited training if we are not an RTO?
If you are not an RTO then you will need to partner with an RTO to enable the training to be accredited. A partnering RTO for accreditation purposes must be a Skills for All training provider and have the Certificate I Education and Skills Development on both their national and Skills for All scope of registration.
Who pays for the cost of partnering with an RTO to enable the training to be accredited?
You will see in the application form for Foundation Skills Accredited that you will need to nominate either TAFE SA or a private RTO. If you nominate a private RTO you will need to name them and negotiate the cost for the quality assurance and accreditation services in the application form. If you nominate the public provider, TAFE SA, just tick the appropriate box. Regardless of whether you select TAFE SA or a private RTO, DFEEST does not expect you to include the cost of accreditation services in your project budget and will provide you with additional funding to cover the cost.
If we don’t want to deliver or assess our training can we sub-contract to an RTO?
Yes. If you plan to sub-contract either your delivery or assessment of training in a Foundation Skills Accredited project you will need to negotiate this cost directly with your RTO of choice and include this in the project budget. Your RTO of choice must be a Skills for All training provider and must have the Certificate I Education and Skills Development on both their national and Skills for All scope of registration.
Listing financial contributions or in-kind support is a new question, why is this necessary?
It is important to understand in the selection process how the financial contributions or in-kind support fit within your project and what the potential impact might be on the viability of the project if for some reason the financial contribution or in-kind support was not available.
I am not sure how to fill in the details about how many hours, students, weeks etc. in question 9. Can you provide an example to help?
Yes. In the example below we are offering an introduction to cooking (A) course that we intend to run 4 times (F) over the year.
We have decided to run the course once in term 4, 2013, twice in term 1, 2014 and once in term 2, 2014 (H). Each time we run the course there will be 6 students (C) coming twice a week for 2 hours each time (B). This means the total contact hours per week will be 24 hours (D). The course will run for 10 weeks (E).
This gives us a total of 960 student contact hours (G) and a total of 24 participants (C x F).
Figure 1 - Calculating student contact hours
We are asked to provide evidence to support our identified demand for the project, what kind of evidence is needed?
Applications must demonstrate evidence for the demand they have identified. Applicants should include the source of their evidence which may include but is not limited to:
- Surveys, waiting lists, expressions or registrations of interest
- DFEEST Regional Strategic Plans
- Target group needs analysis
- Local planning/research documents – government/non-government
- ABS data
- Local Government data
Under reporting we will be required to report on participant numbers. How is this done for Foundation Skills Accredited?
Providers who are not an RTO will need to partner with an RTO who will provide the participant numbers and unit completions to DFEEST on your behalf. Providers who are RTOs will include this information in the reporting template.
Under the progress reporting requirements there is mention of recording literacy and numeracy levels on entry into a project, what does this mean and how much work is involved?
Foundation Skills grant funding is designed to improve literacy and numeracy skills so it is important that we make a judgement about a learners existing ability at the point of entry into a project. All providers need to enrol their learners, so to keep things simple we have developed a consistent approach to this and some helpful tools that mean providers can make a judgement about a learners basic reading, writing and numeracy skills and record it for reporting purposes. As it is embedded in the existing enrolment process this keeps the time involved to a minimum.
Under the final reporting requirements there is mention of recording literacy and numeracy levels on exit from a project, what does this mean and how much work is involved?
Foundation Skills grant funding is designed to improve literacy and numeracy so it is important that we make a judgement about a learner’s ability at the point of exit from a project. All providers need to get their learners to complete an evaluation survey prior to finishing their course. To keep things simple we have developed a consistent approach to this and some helpful tools that mean providers of Foundation Skills Non-Accredited can make a judgement about a learners exit basic reading, writing and numeracy skills and record it for reporting purposes. As it is embedded in the existing evaluation survey process this keeps the time involved to a minimum.
Foundation Skills Accredited is slightly different in that it automatically records the exit reading, writing and numeracy skills levels through the assessment process as these are embedded within the units of the Certificate I Education and Skills Development. So whilst learners in Foundation Skills Accredited courses will complete an evaluation survey it isn’t used to make a judgement about exit literacy and numeracy levels.
In the progress and final reports we will be asked to provide information on pathways, how are we meant to do this?
With the use of a consistent evaluation survey tool (provided by DFEEST) that includes a question on pathways and a data collection worksheet (provided by DFEEST) that collates evaluation survey data, it is a fairly straightforward process to identify pathway information on all learners and include this information in the reporting templates.
We haven’t had to include an Evaluation Report before, what is the expectation?
The evaluation survey tool has six questions to facilitate a consistent approach to determining how well the project met the learner’s needs. This information is entered into the data collection worksheet for collation and easy reference to as a basis for your Evaluation Report. The report needs to summarise what the evaluation survey identified and include any other information you feel is important as well as detail any actions taken as a result of feedback and recommendations for improvement. Providers will need to attach both the Evaluation Report and the data collection worksheet to their final report. By including the data collection worksheet DFEEST will be able to collate and report on all evaluation survey data for the whole ACE Program from a single source.
Do I need to enter data into STELA too?
This depends on what kind of Foundation Skills project you are delivering and if you are an RTO or not:
- If you are funded to deliver a Foundation Skills Non-Accredited project then you will need to enter your enrolment data and outcomes into STELA (Student Training Enrolment Logistics Application).
- If you are funded to deliver a Foundation Skills Accredited project and are an RTO then you will need to enter your enrolment data and outcomes into STELA.
- If you are funded to deliver a Foundation Skills Accredited project and are not an RTO and you are using a private RTO then they will need to enter your enrolment data and outcomes into STELA.
- If you are funded to deliver a Foundation Skills Accredited project and are not an RTO and you are using TAFE SA then they will need to enter your enrolment data and outcomes into SIS (Student Information System).
When it comes to our budget what is your advice?
All applicants should cost their projects realistically in terms of the needs of their target group, the resources needed to deliver and assess (if applicable) the training, human resources needed for the project including co-ordination and administration and other operational costs likely to be incurred. Applications that are not costed according to the individual demands of their proposed project risk not being able to achieve their stated outcomes or if over inflated, risk pricing themselves out of consideration. Use the information provided under the budget selection criterion to assist you with determining whether your budget represents value for money. Also, take into consideration the additional administration and preparation work involved with Accredited delivery and assessment in comparison to Non-Accredited delivery.
Can I change the selected Units in my project after my project has commenced?
Yes. If there is a reason that you require a change to the Units you are delivering your Non-Accredited Program please advise the Project Officer, ACE Program, DFEEST. DFEEST will work with you to ensure you are selecting the most appropriate Units and support you to resubmit an amended Course Plan.
If you are delivering an Accredited project, you will need to liaise with your Auspicing RTO prior to contacting DFEEST, to ensure that they have the Units you are wishing to change on their scope of registration. DFEEST and your Auspicing RTO will work with you to ensure you are selecting the most appropriate Units and support you to resubmit an amended Integrated Assessment and Delivery Plan.
Please note, a change in selected units may impact on your targeted participant numbers and student contact hours.
Updated approved Course Plans and Integrated Assessment and Delivery Plans will need to be provided to the DFEEST Contract Management Unit ()
Can I change my contracted target participant numbers and student contact hours after my project has commenced?
Yes. If for any reason you believe that you will not be able to meet your contracted target participant numbers or student contact hours, you should contact the Project Officer, ACE Program, DFEEST immediately. The Project Officer will work with you to discuss your options. If it is determined that a reduction in your contracted target participant number or student contact hours is the best option, you will need to apply for a formal variation of contract. This request should be submitted to Contract Management by emailing . Please note that a variation of contract may result in a reduction in your funding amount (i.e., final payment).
Who can I call for advice or assistance?
Jessica Marzocca, Senior Program Coordinator, ACE Program on 8463 5537.
2013-14 ACE Program Foundation Skills Grant Funding FAQPage 1