“I don't necessarily think that what I do is special. It's just outside the box,” says Wendy Blight, Lecturer — Business, Retail and Accounting, Charles Darwin University (CDU), Alice Springs.

Wendy has called Central Australia home for three decades and has worked at CDU for 11 years. During this time, she has acquired six diplomas and 15 vocational qualifications, all without having finished high school.

“I’m not a very good reader, I can’t spell and struggle to learn online.

“Not everyone learns in the same way, so it’s important to adapt to different learning needs, particularly here in Central Australia,” says Wendy.

OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO LEARNING

Wendy highlights the diverse challenges faced by individuals, including family, personal, social, language, and cultural barriers.

In Central Australia, particularly within the Indigenous community and Indigenous trainees, these challenges are significant and require adaptable, flexible training delivery.

“My biggest priority is psychological safety. You can’t train if your students aren’t open to learning.

“I aim to create a super inclusive environment. Really friendly and casual. I spend most of my classes with no shoes on. We banter. We joke. We tell stories. We listen to music. We’ve got a secret stash of biscuits in the kitchenette.

“It’s all about making them feel comfortable to learn, speak up and participate. I try to keep most assessments group-based to encourage collaboration, as they are often a lot more confident in numbers,” says Wendy.

Wendy also provides safe classroom space out of class hours to encourage students to complete their assessments.

“A lot of my students don’t have the space or time at home to do extra study. Most don’t even own a laptop or have decent Wi-Fi,” adds Wendy.

BITE-SIZED SKILL SETS

Wendy supports the concept of grouping related units of competency to enhance completion rates and engagement, noting the importance of industry alignment.

“The qualifications are too overwhelming. People lose motivation and drop out. They take a staggering amount of effort to complete.

“We need bite-sized chunks of local skill sets. This would increase completions and create milestones to celebrate along the way,” says Wendy.

“This flexible approach means you could start with a basic skill set, then keep skill stacking if you choose to.”

Wendy is trialling this concept with a program currently being delivered in Yulara for Voyagers Resort, designing five skill sets for students to add to their Certificate III in Business.

“If a student completes a skill set, we can credit transfer their achievements into their larger qualification. However, each skill set can also be completed on its own.

“Every new skill is worth celebrating,” says Wendy.