It's more than just ticking boxes

Is it just me or does any other trainer / lecturer / facilitator working in the VET industry feel we have an obligation to do more than cover the content of courses / qualifications? Like prepare our students for real world jobs, and the conditions and expectations of the jobs we aim to see our graduate’s fill.?

The benefit of experience and currency of the VET practitioner for their students is the difference between a dry and boring training and engaging and meaningful learning. Realistically we all should be modelling expected behaviour in the industry in which we train and not give students unrealistic and false expectations of conditions in the workplace. Or as I often tell people, students pay to attend face to face training to hear from the trainer, lecturer/ facilitator, so let’s use our experiences in the industry we teach to reinforce the learnings we are giving to the student. It is for the trainer to expand upon and bring to life the material which we teach.?

VET industry professionals should rather prepare our students for the reality of the workplace in the industry they are studying. Too often I see trainers / lecturers / facilitators providing students with conditions not found in the workplace just to make the immediate face to face session proceed in an easier way, rather than teach the students what is expected in the workplace.?

We should replicate the behaviour and standards that are found in the workplace, in the industry they are hoping to be engaged in, not just merely ticking boxes over the skills and knowledge we have transferred to them. I also don’t think it’s something that should be forced on trainers / lecturers / facilitators but rather be something natural to us all. We are after all the subject matter experts in our industry, that’s why we are teaching it. Let’s try and ensure that all of our graduates can move into the job roles seamlessly rather than having a culture shock that we should have prepared them for and employers wondering what we have been teaching.?