Education Support staff and Secondary Teacher Assistants Professional Learning

Education Support and STA Professional Learning Opportunities

Programs are available for Education Support (ES) staff and Secondary Teacher Assistants (STAs). These programs are funded by DEECD and delivered by Kangan Batman Institute of TAFE in multiple locations across the state.

Professional Leaning program for STAs and Education Support staff – this program consists of three individual programs that are independent of each other. 

• Program 1:  The Role of the STA:
  This program is open to STAs and the teachers who work with them. It is an interactive workshop which focuses on role clarity and workload planning.
  
• Program 2:  Working with Others:
  This program is open to all Education Support staff. It is an interactive workshop focusing on communication and interpersonal skills.
  
• Program 3:  Workplace Skills:
  This program is open to all Education Support staff. It consists of a range of workshops and distance education modules that focus on meeting the skill development needs of ES staff.

Education Support Staff Professional Learning Grant

In 2009 the Department is offering Education Support staff an opportunity to apply for a one off Education Support Staff Professional Learning Grant to further develop their skills and knowledge base. Grants of up to $1500 per Education Support staff member are available for individual or team proposals. Individuals and teams at a school or network level are encouraged to apply. Guidelines, application form and selection criteria (Word - 102Kb).

Critical Dates     

• Applications open                                                     28 April 2009
• Application close                                                      15 May 2009 
• Successful Applicants notified by                                1 June  2009
  

 

Secondary Teacher Assistants Initiative

The Secondary Teacher Assistants Initiative is a new workforce reform strategy that is part of the Government’s ‘Better schools better performance’ policy which aims to improve educational outcomes and support teaching excellence in Victorian schools.

The Secondary Teacher Assistants Initiative aims to support secondary teachers in the classroom by reducing the administrative component of their workload to enable them to focus on their core work of teaching and learning.

This initiative is supported through professional learning, which is provided for both STAs and the teachers who work with them.

To assist schools to gain the maximum benefit  from the STA Initiative and provide schools with guidelines on the implementation of the Initiative the Secondary Teachers Assistants Initiative Guidelines 2008 - 2010 (PDF - 444Kb) has been distributed to schools.

What informs Education Support (ES) staff professional learning?

In 2006 the Department conducted a review of the professional learning needs of ES staff, formally known as School Services Officers (SSOs),  and an evaluation of the SSO Accredited Online Training program.

This research consisted of three phases:

• In-depth interviews - The findings are included in Progress Report 1 (PDF - 241Kb)
• Survey of SSOs - The findings are included in Progress Report 2 (PDF - 1.1Mb)
• Focus groups - The findings of all three phases are included in the Final Report (PDF - 668Kb)

This research highlights the level of school support as a distinct enabler in supporting professional learning. A number of further factors enabling ES staff to participate in professional learning opportunities have been identified:

• ensuring that all ES staff have an individual PD plan
• including learning opportunities for ES staff alongside teachers.

This research confirms that ES staff play an essential role in school improvement making schools more enriching experiences for students in the support provided to teaching and learning.

In response to this research a statewide professional learning program has been developed for ES staff and Secondary Teacher Assistants (STAs). This program has been developed based on the diverse roles and preferences that emerged from the research.

Contact Details

If you have any queries or require information about applying for professional learning, please contact:

	Andrea Constantino:	constantino.andrea.a@edumail.vic.gov.au	9637 2655
	Rachel Maas:	maas.rachel.a@edumail.vic.gov.au	9637 2186
	Frank Gaylard:	gaylard.francis.d@edumail.vic.gov.au	9637 2164

Other Resources

• Professional Development for School Business Managers - listing of financial management support and resources available.
  
• School Systems Training and Support (secure website - requires password) - offers over 40 face-to-face training modules as well as a variety of online training modules for current Education Support staff and new users. Training sessions are offered at regional training centres.