Development of ‘EDUCALD’ background resource
EDUCALD is near the point of completion and will soon be available as an E- Resource. It is a joint project between the Ministry of Education and RASNZ, and has been compiled to support the practice of education professionals working with children from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds and their families. EDUCALD provides valuable information about topics such as family roles and dynamics and attitudes to child rearing and education. The resource contains detailed information about 14 different ethnic groups.
The information presented in EDUCALD is designed to support experienced professionals from the Education sector in providing an informed culturally sensitive service for their clients. The resource will also be of value to professionals working in other related sectors such as health, Child Youth and Family (CYFS), youth justice and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).
Development of the CALD programme into unit standards on the NZQA Framework, in collaboration with Careerforce, the Health and Disability ITO (Industry Training Organisation).
RASNZ is currently working with Careerforce to adapt the existing six module training course to NZQA unit standards. This will enable course participants to gain NZQA credits for undergoing the CALD training and to receive diploma level certification on completion of the course.
Careerforce supports education and skill development in NZ’s health and disability sector and has three main roles:
- Supporting training: they provide employers with tools and resources to help them train their own staff.
- Designing qualifications: these provide learning opportunitesi and career pathways for heatlh and disability workers.
- Providing leadership: they identify and implement strategies that help develop the health and disability workforce.
Because Careerforce is Christchurch based, progress with this project has been slowed by the impact of the earthquake. However, when completed, this very strategic partnership will broaden the scope and opportunities for CALD professional development in the health sector.