The NSW AECG Inc. has partnered with TAFE NSW Sydney Institute to develop 3 accredited training courses for members. These course has been created at the request of members. They are:

Certificate III: Employment, Education and Training for NSW AECG Inc. Members.

The course aims to assist Aboriginal people to support them in their role in the AECG, in their workplace and in their community.

It focuses on the following areas:

• Knowledge of core documents, such as the AECG Association Rules and some DET policy and strategy documents
• Communication skills including listening skills, assertiveness and managing conflict
• Conducting and managing meetings
• Public speaking skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Some writing skills
• Cultural awareness
• Strategies to address racist behaviour.

This course enhances the skill set of Aboriginal people while attaining a qualification.

Who can attend?

The course is for all AECG members who would like to gain skills to help them carry out their AECG roles, and who would like to achieve a fully accredited TAFE Certificate III. This includes everyone – from your local and regional executive members to people who have just recently joined the AECG.

How is it delivered?

The course is delivered in four face-to-face blocks; each block is two full days.

Between each block, participants have a range of activities to complete. The homework is designed to give participants an opportunity to review the class work they’ve done, and put the learning into practice in their own contexts.

These activities form a large part of the course assessment.

What must I do to complete the course?

In order to gain the Certificate III, it is compulsory for participants to:

• Attend all the face-to-face sessions in all four blocks of the course
• Complete all the homework tasks
• Complete all assessment tasks for the course to a satisfactory standard.

Where will it be delivered?

The NSW AECG Inc. Secretariat will consult with regions and provide information about where the course will be best delivered.

How can I express an interest?

Please contact the NSW AECG Inc. Secretariat to express an interest.

AECG Writes: a short course in writing skills for AECG members

This course aims to provide you with skills that will specifically meet the writing needs you have in your AECG role. It has been developed by Sydney TAFE NSW in conjunction with AECG.

Included are many opportunities for you to undertake writing tasks and short exercises in class. Every one will also receive a full set of course notes.

Some of the writing skills include:

• Sentence and paragraph writing
• Document design
• Choosing the right tone for your reader
• Good word choices

Some of the writing tasks included are:

• Letter writing
• Submission writing
• Minutes and agendas
• Report writing
• Email writing

The course runs over four days, in two separate blocks.  There will be a short assessment task to be completed between the blocks and this will enable teachers to give you some individual feedback. Members who successfully complete the course will be awarded the TAFE NSW unit Write Non-routine Texts, which is at Certificate III level.

AECG Writes is open to all AECG members. It builds on the writing sessions delivered in the Certificate III TAFE course for AECG members, but does not repeat them, so it will be helpful to you even if you have completed the Cert III course.

Better thinking : a short course in critical thinking skills for AECG members

This course aims to challenge the way you think. It will help you to understand the value of curiosity and questioning, give you strategies to ask ‘why’ and show how you can contribute to answers as well as to ask questions.

Most of us act and make decisions the way we have always acted and made decisions, without thinking very much at all. All too often we do not use critical thinking. By thinking critically, we become better at making good and fair decisions and solving problems.

Our ways of thinking are a result of the family, community and culture we grew up in. They reflect our beliefs and our values. However, for the best communication and understanding we need to be able to appreciate the different ways other people think and why they may think and act as they do.

You’ll enjoy lots of activities designed to stimulate your thought processes. In the course you will learn:

• The difference between critical and uncritical thinking
• About blocks to critical thinking
• A practical approach in how to think critically
• Ways you can use critical thinking to solve problems.

The course runs over two days. Assessment will be completed in class. Members who successfully complete the course will be awarded the TAFE NSW unit Apply critical thinking techniques, which is at a Certificate III level.

Better thinking is open to all AECG members. It builds on the critical thinking sessions in the Certificate III course for AECG members, but does not repeat them, so it will be helpful to you even if you have completed the Certificate III course.