What do I do next?: developing an integrated literacy strategy and model for retrenched workers in the textile clothing and footwear industry

Structural adjustment in the textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) industry has resulted in the retrenchment of many workers. These workers usually face great difficulty in making the transition into other employment in the TCF or other industries. Age discrimination and language and literacy issues are most often quoted as barriers to stable employment for this group. This project developed a partnership between the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA), vocational education and training (VET) providers, TCF employers, relevant government departments and retrenched TCF workers. The partnership represents a way of providing retrenched TCF workers with the mentoring, skill recognition, course advice and labour market information to help them to use their skills and knowledge after retrenchment. The specific aims of the project were to: develop, trial and document an innovative literacy/ESL (English as a second language) literacy education and training strategy for mature aged retrenched workers in the TCF industry; develop and document an integrated literacy model for working with this client group that includes strategies for adapting the model for other groups in other circumstances; develop and document cross-sectoral partnerships between the TCFUA, Yakka Pty Ltd, Kennon and Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT) and include processes for developing successful partnerships; and provide retrenched workers with integrated education and training in literacy and ESL literacy, in information technology and vocational skills, in life and health skills, in communication skills and in relevant units from the TCF training package or other relevant packages. The project revealed that, through the development of knowledge about, and confidence in operating in the new labour market, retrenched TCF workers built their capacity to make future plans, became more willing to participate in training and more likely to look for jobs that matched their skills.

A related article is indexed at TD/TNC 86.333. Show less