This paper was funded through the Community of Practice program, part of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) Building Researcher Capacity initiative. Sudanese people have been moving to the main towns of the Latrobe Valley - Moe, Morwell and Traralgon - for the past five years, some as a result of a preference for a regional rather than a metropolitan Melbourne location. Sudanese migrants to the Latrobe Valley often have a limited knowledge of the range of employment possibilities in the area and perhaps less knowledge than local people of the work tasks, responsibili
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This paper was funded through the Community of Practice program, part of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) Building Researcher Capacity initiative. Sudanese people have been moving to the main towns of the Latrobe Valley - Moe, Morwell and Traralgon - for the past five years, some as a result of a preference for a regional rather than a metropolitan Melbourne location. Sudanese migrants to the Latrobe Valley often have a limited knowledge of the range of employment possibilities in the area and perhaps less knowledge than local people of the work tasks, responsibilities and cultures associated with particular jobs. Sudanese people are now the largest single group in Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE (GippsTAFE) English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. In addition to ESL and general education programs for adults, GippsTAFE is the largest training organisation in the Gippsland region, providing for industry sectors such as automotive, electrical, building trades, construction, engineering, power, telecommunications, horticulture, health, business, hospitality, fashion, music and information technology. Through its GippsTAFE Employment and Transitional Training (GETT) subsidiary - GETTing Sudanese Workers Into Industry - GippsTAFE also provides a range of case management and employment placement services for Sudanese job seekers. This project seeks the views of a range of stakeholders, including current and past students of vocational programs, vocational training teachers, ESL and general education teachers, and staff of employment support programs. By examining some of the relationships between English language learning, vocational training and cultural knowledge, the project endeavours to identify ways in which GippsTAFE can better meet the vocational training needs of Sudanese Australians in this region. Key messages were that: teachers highlighted speaking and listening as well as reading and writing in English as key areas for skill development; some Sudanese students overestimated their proficiency in reading and writing; employment is a clear aim of Sudanese students, but they have unrealistic views of the Australian labour market; and to convert their training into employment, they require both basic skills and cultural understanding. The author suggests that an integrated approach to learning, in which skills development and language development are combined, could lead to a greater understanding of how Australian workplaces function, and produce realistic expectations for future employment. That said, this report highlights the enormity of the challenge that Sudanese students face in acquiring the skills and English proficiency required for the labour market.
Excerpts from publication.
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