Glossary

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Glossary: A

AAPA	Australian Asphalt Pavement Association
Access Course	a preparatory, prevocational or bridging course which prepares a student for further study or training. Access courses are offered particularly for immigrants, overseas students and adults who are seeking to re-enter the workforce.
ACCI	Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Accredited Course	a structured sequence of vocational education and training that leads to an Australian Qualifications Framework qualification or Statement of Attainment.
ACTU	Australian Council of Trade Unions
Adult Migrant English Program	(or AMEP) an education and settlement program funded by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs for new immigrants and refugees providing English language teaching, counselling and support services.
Advanced Standing	(also called status or credit recognition granted to a student on the basis of previous study (credit transfer) and / or experience (recognition of prior learning), exempting the student from a particular course, subject or module.
AIB	Australian Institute of Building
AIBS	Australian Institute of Building Surveyors
AISC	Australian Institute of Steel Construction
AMCAA	Air-conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association of Australia
AMWU	Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
ANTA	Australian National Training Authority, is a Commonwealth statutory authority providing a national focus for vocational education and training.
Apprentice	a person undertaking training under an apprenticeship. See also New Apprenticeships trainee
Apprenticeship	a system of training regulated by law or custom which combines on-the-job training and work experience while in paid employment with formal off-the-job training. The apprentice enters into a contract of training or training agreement with an employer, which imposes mutual obligations on both parties. Traditionally, apprenticeships were in trade occupations (declared vocations) and were of four years' duration. See also New Apprenticeships.
AQF	Australian Qualifications Framework. The AQF provides a comprehensive, nationally consistent yet flexible framework for all qualifications in post-compulsory education and training. The Framework was introduced Australia wide on 1 January 1995 and will have full implementation by 2000.The following table outlines the Qualifications contained in the AQF: Higher Education Sector Doctorate Masters Graduate Diploma Graduate Certificate Bachelor Degree Advanced Diploma Diploma Vet Sector Advanced Diploma Diploma Certificate IV Certificate III Certificate II Certificate I School Sector Senior Secondary Certificate of Education
Assessment	the process of gathering and judging evidence in order to decide whether a person has achieved a standard or objective. See also competency-based assessment
Assessment Guidelines	an endorsed component of a Training Package which underpins assessment and which sets out the industry approach to valid, reliable, flexible and fair assessment. Assessment guidelines include information concerning: assessment system overview, assessor requirements, designing assessment resources, conducting assessment, sources of information on assessment.
Assessment materials	optional component of Training Packages that complement endorsed industry assessment guidelines and could take the form of assessment exemplars or specific assessment tasks and instructions.
Assessor	a person qualified to carry out assessment.
ATSI	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander/s
Australian Workplace Agreement	(AWA) a written agreement between an employer and an employee about the employee's wages and conditions of employment. AWAs may be negotiated collectively between an employer and a group of employees, as long as they are signed by each employee who wishes to be a party to the agreement.
Award	Industrial relations agreement outlining conditions of work, including pay.
Award Restructuring	the changing of industrial awards, including the removal of obsolete classifications, a reduction in the number of classifications, and the redefinition of a range of jobs under single classifications, in order to improve workplace productivity and the efficiency and flexibility of workers.

Glossary: B

BCITC	Building and Construction Industry Training Council. The State ITAB for construction in WA
Best Practice	management practices and work processes that lead to outstanding or top-class performance and provide examples for others.
Block Release	the release of an employee from the workplace for periods of time, usually of a week or more, in order to undertake related training in an educational institution. The term applies particularly to apprentices and trainees. Compare day release
Bridging Course	a course designed to equip students to take up a new subject or course by covering the gaps between the students' existing knowledge and skills and the subject or course prerequisites and assumed knowledge.

Glossary: C

Cadetship	an employment arrangement in which an employer undertakes to subsidise an employee's formal training leading to certain qualifications, and in which the employee is usually required to remain with the employer for a specified period after completion of training
CAI	computer-aided (or computer-assisted) instruction; see computer-based training
CAL	computer-assisted learning.
Career Counselling	(also called vocational counselling) the process of assisting and guiding people in their career choices
Casual Employee	an employee who generally has no entitlement to paid holiday or sick leave and who lacks the security of ongoing employment, with each job constituting a separate contract of employment. Under some awards casual employees are entitled to either holiday leave or sick leave.
CCF	Civil Contractors Federation
Centrelink	a statutory authority providing information and assistance relating to a range of Commonwealth Government programs, including all services formerly provided by the Department of Social Security, as well as childcare and student assistance payments and services, registration of all new applicants for income support and employment assistance, self-help job search facilities, referrals for employment assistance, and specialist labour market assistance services for disadvantaged groups.
CEPU	Communication Electrical Plumbing Union
Certificates I-IV	a set of qualifications awarded in the vocational education and training sector and recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The four levels of certificate recognise increasing levels of skill. Certificate III is generally recognised as being trade level in the building and construction industry
CFMEU	Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union
CITAB	Construction Industry Training Advisory Board. The State ITAB for construction in NSW
CITB	Construction Industry Training Board. The State ITAB for construction in SA
Class Contact Hours	the number of hours in any given period for which a teacher is programmed to be in contact with classes of students.
Competency	(also competence) the ability to perform tasks and duties to the standard expected in employment.
Competency Standard	an industry-determined specification of performance which sets out the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to operate effectively in employment. Competency standards are made up of units of competency, which are themselves made up of elements of competency, together with performance criteria, a range of variables, and an evidence guide. Competency standards are an endorsed component of a training package.
Competency-Based Assessment	(or CBA) the gathering and judging of evidence in order to decide whether a person has achieved a standard of competence.
Competency-Based Training	(or CBT) training which develops the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to achieve competency standards.
Contextualisation	the addition of industry or enterprise specific information to a unit of competency to improve the standards relevance to industry.
Contract of Training	(also called training agreement) a legal agreement between an employer and an apprentice or trainee, which defines the rights and responsibilities of each party. These include the employer guaranteeing to train the apprentice or trainee in the agreed occupation or training area, and to allow time off work to attend any required off-the-job training; and the apprentice or trainee agreeing to learn all aspects of the occupation or training area, and to work for the employer for a specified period. Contracts of training supersede indentures.
Core Competencies	identifies units of competency within a competency standard that an industry has agreed are essential to be achieved if a person is to be accepted as competent at a particular level. All units may be core, but in many cases competency at a level will involve core units plus optional or specialisation units of competency. Core competencies are normally those central to work in a particular industry
Course	a structured and integrated program of education or training, usually consisting of a number of modules (subjects) or shorter programs, and leading to the award of a qualification.
Credit	(also called status or advanced standing) the acknowledgment that a person has satisfied the requirements of a module (subject) or unit of competency either through previous study (credit transfer) or through work or life experience (recognition of prior learning). The granting of credit exempts the student from that part of the course
CTA	Construction Training Australia, the national industry training advisory body for the construction industry.
CTQ	Construction Training Queensland, the State ITAB for construction in Qld.
Curriculum	the specifications for a course or subject (module) which describe all the learning experiences a student undergoes, generally including objectives, content, intended learning outcomes, teaching methodology, recommended or prescribed assessment tasks, assessment exemplars, etc.
Customisation	tailoring to individual requirements; (in vocational education and training) the process of tailoring a program to meet the specific needs of clients. Customised qualifications are devised by Registered Training Organisations, created through combining competency standards drawn from two or more different endorsed Training Packages to create a new qualification outcome. Such qualifications must meet the requirements of the Australian Qualifications Framework, the Customisation Policy of the National Training Quality Council and the customisation advice of the relevant Training Packages.

Glossary: D

Day Release	the release of an employee from the workplace, usually for one day per week, in order to undertake related training in an educational institution. The term applies particularly to apprentices and trainees. Compare block release
Declared Vocation	a trade occupation specified in legislation, regulations or an industrial award for which the entrance requirement is successful completion of an apprenticeship. With the implementation of New Apprenticeships, declared vocations have been abolished in most States and Territories.
DEST	Department of Education, Science and Training. The Commonwealth Department responsible for public and private schools and school systems, higher education institutions and research, vocational education and training, student and youth affairs, school to work transition programs, indigenous employment and education, and internationalisation of Australia's education and training systems. Formerly, the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA),and before that the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA) and earlier the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET).
DEWRSB	Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business
Diploma	a qualification in the vocational education and training and higher education sectors. See also Australian Qualifications Framework