Trends in Uptake and Usage of Toolboxes

Robyn FrancisAustralian Training Products Ltd

flexiblelearning.net.au/toolbox

Data used in the analysis

• Sales data only- caution required

• Does not reflect RTO’s using the resources directly from the web RTO users who are using the resources made available through

value-added versions eg in Victoria TAFE Virtual Campus RTO’s which are operating as a single purchasing entity with

multiple campuses.

In the beginning….?

• 1998/99 A good idea….but flawed in the execution

• High expectations and excitement…but many disappointed

• Need for technical and pedagogic specifications….

web-browser standard

no additional expensive software applications necessary

Teacher/ installation guides compulsory

Engaging, problem-solving approach using the real-workplace model

And on the seventh day…overall trends, 1999-2003

• Total of 2784 sold from Jan 2000 to October 2003

• A number of sales to international customers in Saudi Arabia, Korea, New Zealand, Inner Mongolia(!), South Africa, Germany, Papua New Guinea, Canada.

• Large numbers of sales of original series 1 toolboxes (eg Assessment and Workplace Training) which then fell short of customer expectations.

• Product life cycle of the toolboxes is much longer than originally expected- series 2 and 3 toolboxes still selling in 2 and 3 years after release

• Some states have embraced toolboxes more than others (eg WA per student enrolments has embraced toolboxes more than Queensland, TAS more than SA)

And on the seventh day…he finally got it right!

• Professional development support of the users of toolboxes- Toolbox champions- has led to greater uptake and use

• Variety of users of toolboxes- TAFE Institutes, schools, private providers, industry providers of training

• Series 4 toolboxes taken up by a wider variety of customers in a shorter period

Which are the favoured toolboxes?

• Biggest selling toolbox since 1999- Assessment and Workplace Training (available since 1999)– quantity of providers, not quality of the toolbox!

• Frontline Management (available since 2000)–ditto

• Industry level: Community Services toolboxes have been the most widely adopted

– Children’s Services series 2

– Home and Community Care (HACC) series 2

– Aged and Disability Care series 1

– Youth Work series 3

– Alcohol and Other Drugs series 2

Toolboxes in Community Services

Which are the least favoured toolboxes?

• Laboratory Operations, 4 now available and low sales

• Disappointing take-up of Equity toolboxes which apply beyond the “equity” group- eg Truvision –excellent content at Cert I and II in Information Technology.

• Poorer take-up of toolboxes for more technical vocational education- eg Chemical and Oil ( 93) and Injection Moulding (74) , and very few industry users.

• Building and Construction- first toolbox in Construction- slow adoption

What types of organizations have adopted them?

• Secondary schools in some states have been big adopters ( eg Tasmania, ACT, Victoria, WA), disproportionate to the size of state enrollments

• This may reflect the senior secondary colleges’ ability to integrate VET into their curriculum

• Government departments adopting them- interesting trends with the departments of correctional services in most states, police and emergency services divisions and department of defence adopting them

• A number of shire councils adopting a range of toolboxes, not just Local Government Toolbox.

What is happening with…schools customers?

• More government and non-government secondary schools (especially Catholic schools) are adopting toolboxes each year.

• Trends show a preference for the toolboxes covering qualifications at Certificate III and below

Building and Construction (released 2002-03) Kitchen Operations (released 2002-03) World of Work (2002-3) Retail Operations, Cert II (released 2001) Children’s Services (Cybertots) (released 2001) Horticulture, Cert II (released 2001)

Kitchen Operations Toolbox

Have toolboxes had an impact beyond the VET sector?

• Industry customers (industry=

training is not core business)

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•NO;- trends not showing this, but increasing take-up

•Most industry customers are still RTO’s in their own right

•Large corporates such as McDonalds, NRMA, the banks, AMP, purchase a variety of toolboxes but in particular Frontline Management

What is happening with TAFE customers? • TAFE Institutes have always been the largest customers,

and dramatically so since 2001. Why? Better marketing to the TAFE sector? Better technical infrastructure to support toolboxes and flexible

delivery? TAFE providers are delivering in a broader range of

qualifications covered by the toolboxes?

• Interesting patterns- eg Home and Community Care toolbox (series 3) 2 TAFE providers in SA, 4 in WA, 7 in Victoria, 4 in NSW, 3 in QLD, none in ACT and Tasmania. Why?

Home and Community Care Toolbox

What is happening with Private Providers and their adoption of toolboxes?

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•Private providers appear to be under-represented as customers and users of toolboxes- 6000 private providers nationally

•Figures here show many of the “industry” customers should be included as private providers

•With numbers of private providers in Australia, these trends indicate that less than 5% of private providers where relevant toolbox covers their scope of recognition are using the toolbox for delivery.

What toolboxes are private RTO’s using?

• Largest numbers- Frontline Management Assessment and Workplace Training Community Services toolboxes (Youthwork, Children’s Services,

Alcohol and Other Drugs)

• More than half of the private RTO’s are ACE (adult and community education) providers and group training companies.

Community Services toolboxes again (Aged Care and Disability, Children’s Services

The World of Work Assessment and Workplace Training

• Very few of the manufacturing-related products purchased by the private RTO’s- higher cost delivery?

Frontline Management Toolbox

How successful have the equity toolboxes been?

• Indigenous learners, indigenous issues

Learning about Native Title- 7 sales only Horticulture for Indigenous Learners- selling to TAFE institutes,

schools, specialist indigenous training providers

Indigenous training organizations such as Aboriginal Development Institute using

Community Services toolboxes (HACC, Aged Care/Disability, Alcohol & Other Drugs, Children’s Services),

FMI, Office Administration, Information Technology

Online Literacy and Numeracy Support Centre toolbox

Truvision Toolbox

How successful have the equity toolboxes been?

• Online Literacy and Numeracy Support Centre adopted by TAFE providers primarily Should be widely adopted- only 36 sold to date

• Truvision…excellent toolbox, only 18 sales to date, distributed between secondary schools, TAFE providers, and private providers An outstanding resource, with wide application beyond the targeted

equity group

• The World of Work – the real success story! Schools, TAFE providers, ACE providers across Australia are using the

toolbox

Children’s Services toolbox

How long does adoption take?

• Product life-cycle is longer than expected, and takes some time before RTO’s understand how to use the resources and integrate them into their teaching

• Example- Children’s Services (Cybertots) Released November 2001- first 30% of sales occurred within first 6

weeks of release 26% of sales in the next 6 months 13% of sales in the next 6 months 30% of sales in 2003, 1.5 years after release.

• No pattern in who are the early and late adopters- as many TAFE providers, secondary schools and private providers

purchasing when originally released as two years after release.

Conclusion

• Toolboxes are not embraced immediately, and have a longer shelf-life than expected

• Some states have appear to be adopting them more than others

• TAFE Institutes have been the biggest adopters of them, especially since 2001

• The largest selling toolboxes have been in the core areas of Assessment and Workplace Training and Frontline Management

• Secondary schools, private providers, industry, universities and TAFE providers are all purchasing and using toolboxes

• Private providers not adopting in proportion to the number of them nationally, but still adopting them – ACE providers in large numbers

• Adoption of Equity toolboxes, especially where the content is widely applicable, has been disappointing