Higher Apprenticeships Pilot Project

At the Institute, we work in genuine partnership with industry to transform the skills system. We co-design ground-breaking new programs and pathways featuring innovative, work-integrated learning approaches. We also build the evidence base on models and interventions that support students from diverse backgrounds to successfully complete their education and training. Beginning in 2019, we led the development of a Higher Apprenticeships training program (HAP) for the Victorian social service sector designed to enable the upskilling of entry level and mid-tier sector leaders to better meet challenges related to service transformation, quality and demand. Based on established apprenticeship models found in trades like construction, the pilot program supported opportunities for workers already in the sector to build career pathways. 

The program provided current team leaders and supervisors with on-the-job up-skilling and a credentialing pathway into management roles via the nationally accredited RMIT Advanced Diploma in Community Sector Management (ADCSM). Working with RMIT and our industry partners, the pilot program represented a crucial step towards building a sustainable pipeline of future sector leaders.