Work Readiness Institute Australia (WRIA) is a subsidiary of Global Centre for Work-Applied Learning (GCWAL). Whilst GCWAL offers change management programmes for middle, senior and top management, WRIA offers individual change programmes for:
- developing work-based management skills for graduates and non-managerial staff,
- new managers and managers in transition, and
- emerging entrepreneurs and organisational intrapreneurs.
Participants in WRIA programmes will use the work based learning (WBL) approach which requires them to:
- Identify a meaningful workplace issue,
- Address this issue through a real-life work-based learning project,
- Integrate the work-based learning process and the relevant management concepts and practice through a work-based learning project, and
- Critically reflect, develop and integrate the work-based management project plan and the relevant business and management concepts to the issues that could arise during the implementation of the plan.
WRIA delivers the following integrated work-based learning and managerial development programmes:
All WRIA programme participants will use the WAL (Work-Applied Learning) formula of K + P1 + Q = P2 as shown below to plan and implement their work-based learning project in their choosen programmes.
WAL FORMULA
In summary therefore, during a WRIA programme, participants will:
- Critically reflect on a problem in their workplace,
- Question (Q) how to solve the problem,
- Define the project (P1),
- Reflect and apply the relevant knowledge (K) to provide solutions, and
- Achieve performance (P2) outcomes including learning, project, and process outcomes.
The formula K + P1 + Q = P2 shows that the natural starting point is the Q. The participants will start by asking questions about a problem, identify a work-based learning project P1 to address the problem, then move on to read about the relevant knowledge K on this subject. Armed with that material, they will go back to P1 to see if the explanations make sense, and then they can move towards achieving performance outcomes P2, namely project, process, and learning outcomes.
But that cycle is not the end of it because, on the basis of what they have learnt, they will now want to return to the questioning stage and repeat the whole process. They can repeat the cycle again and again as each time their understanding will be refined by more practical experience. Knowledge and practice, as they will discover, go hand in hand and this formula helps to show how this is achieved.
The Work-Based Learning Project (P1)
The work-based learning project will develop the participants who are in transition to become work-ready in an authentic and engaging way. As the participants develop their plans for the implementation of their work-based projects for or with their respective managers or staff, they will learn how to take initiative and responsibility to become empowered to make a difference for themselves and their team members as they work with, work for, and work through their team members. Participants also, depending on the level of work-readiness programmes, will read the relevant business or management knowledge (K) and apply it to the work-based projects.
Critical Reflection and Triangular Process
The process of undertaking the work-based project (P1) is built around critical reflection and questioning (Q) and the learnings that flow from the work on the project. So often in the busyness of our lives we tend to react quickly to what is before us and move on to the next thing that needs to be done. Careful thought, meditation and reflection about what we are faced with and what we might do, generally brings considerable benefit and richness to our actions. WRIA uses the term “reflection” to cover this ability to engage in questioning, careful thinking and finding insights about what has happened and what we have learned. WRIA programmes are designed to allow this to happen through its reflective and action oriented learning practice processes.
The participants will be supported throughout the programme at allocated times by a WRIA programme facilitator and the line manager who will provide verbal and written feedback on their reports and discuss their progress on the development of their projects with their managers on the issues encountered and potential solutions to the issues and challenges. In addition, the participants will meet their respective managers regularly on their WBL projects.
The WRIA programmes have a feedback triangulation process for the development of participants’ work readiness skills as shown in the diagram.
The participants will reflect on their development through their Monthly Reflective Reports, the WRIA Facilitator provides feedback on the process and their Manager will review both participants’ reports and the WRIA programme facilitator’s feedback against their own observations of the participant’s progress.
This process also provides an opportunity for the manager to monitor the participant’s development of their work readiness skills and coach and mentor the participant. Thus, the participant receives written feedback from both the WRIA facilitator and the manager and additional coaching for their development by the immediate manager.
The diagram illustrates the Work-Based Triangulation Process.
