A lesson VET can learn from the Brisbane Bullets
Recently, my son attended a skills extension camp with the Brisbane Bullets. As part of the opportunity, we were walked through the high performance centre in South Brisbane where the coach talked about the facilities the players use, the training regimes and the court itself.
The words that struck me the most were:
"We've set this up to be exactly like the court at Boondall"
Games are played at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall and the stated intent is so that players are "practising on a court just like the ones they'll use in the matches".
This makes perfect sense. Everyone needs to hone their skills for peak game performance and there's no point practicing on a court that feels different to the "real thing", is set up differently, or has different hoop heights. How players train can then translate more easily and readily to the game-day court.
And that's the same as with simulations in vocational education and training (VET). Some training package training products allow assessment to be undertaken in simulated environments. Just like the basketball court at the Bullets' high performance centre, those simulated environments should be just like the workplace (the game day environment).
This means where use is allowable, simulations must be a replica good enough to see performance as though it were in the workplace.
The assessment conditions of a unit of competency will outline whether simulation is allowed, often with wording something like:
skills must be demonstrated in an environment that accurately represents workplace conditions
OR
Assessment must be conducted in a safe environment where evidence gathered demonstrates consistent performance of typical activities undertaken by individuals carrying out XYZ duties in the workplace, and must include access to:
actual workplace or simulated environment
The thing with simulations is that many people assume this means it will always be an environment doubling as the workplace. But in reality, a simulation can also encompass the circumstance. For example, a staged activity in a real workplace is still considered a simulation. The environment (the workplace) is real, the artefacts (workplace materials and equipment) are real, but the event or circumstance (e.g. fire evacuation, angry customer, abusive drunk, complex care patient etc) is not.
Irrespective of whether the environment, or the circumstance, or both of these elements are simulated for training and/or assessment, the simulated element must always be "just like" the real thing. This includes:
The materials, the resources, the equipment, the other people (and their reactions) as part of the task
Timing of the task - when it is carried out; its sequencing in a workflow, and timing in terms of duration; how long the person has to complete the task
Commercial pressure
Risk of something going wrong - just like at work when a challenge arises as part of the task and we have to know how to fix it
If you're reading this list and thinking it sounds familiar, it might be because the above closely mirrors the dimensions of competency - the four things that underpin effective work performance:
Task skills: the ability to perform individual tasks
Task management skills: the ability to manage a number of different tasks/operations/activities within the job role or work environment
Contingency management skills: the ability to respond to irregularities and break downs in routine
Job/role environment skills: demonstrating the ability to deal with responsibilities and expectations of the workplace, including working with (or despite) others
This means if you're developing scenarios for circumstances that will be staged to allow demonstration of performance, you need to build in the dimensions of competency. If you don't, it'll be just like a basketball player on the court with no opposing player to challenge their actual skill and competency to score a goal. Trust me, it's a heap easier to sail down the court with noone coming to try and get the ball away from you! VET learning must prepare students for the reality of the workplace and VET assessment must test that the learning holds up under pressure.
If a simulated environment is not representative of the actual working environment, we reduce the chances of our students to be successful on "game day" where game day is every day at work.
Aside from the points above, a really important point to take away from this article is that not every training product allows simulations for assessment. Sometimes, the knowledge and skill simply must be confirmed in an actual workplace under actual working pressures. When designing and carrying out assessment, it is therefore vital that the assessment conditions listed in the unit of competency are confirmed for whether simulation is allowable.
This article is AITAS Rating 1
What is the AITAS?
13.11.26
