Community Literacy Program
Aims of the program
What help is offered?
Course in adult literacy and numeracy
Funding guidelines
Under the Community Literacy Program, the Queensland Government invests $2 million per year to help disadvantaged jobseekers develop and improve their language, literacy and numeracy skills.
Literacy and numeracy skills greatly improve people’s chances of employment, and are fundamental to building community capacity and ongoing social development. Assistance under the Community Literacy Program is provided in a community environment that supports the needs of adult learners.
Course in Adult Literacy and Numeracy (PDF, 104 KB)
Aims of the program
The aims of the program are to help jobseekers:
- find work (paid or voluntary)
- keep their current job
- enrol in further education and training
- participate in other employment or labour market programs
- develop personally and socially (e.g. by becoming more confident and/or independent)
- advance as valuable and effective members of their community.
What help is offered?
Help offered under the Community Literacy Program includes:
- training in language, literacy and numeracy that is tailored to individual needs
- training and mentoring of voluntary literacy/numeracy tutors so they may assist participants to successfully undertake training and/or employment
- language, literacy and numeracy training in vocational contexts to help jobseekers find work in their chosen field.
Course in Adult Literacy and Numeracy (30719QLD)
The Course in Adult Literacy and Numeracy was originally developed in 1997 in response to a need expressed by community literacy groups to have a nationally accredited training product for delivery of literacy and/or numeracy training. After ten years of successful application, the course continues to meet the needs of clients marginalised by low level competence in language (oral skills), literacy (reading and writing skills) and numeracy (skills with numbers). This course can offer clients learning outcomes they may never have achieved through traditional education.
The course is written primarily for community based organisations to deliver training in the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills in an informal setting. Clients of these organisations are often disengaged from learning and would not attend formal or institutionally delivered courses.
TAFE Institutes and private for-profit Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are not granted permission to deliver the Course in Adult Literacy and Numeracy 30719QLD. TAFE and private for-profit RTOs have access to adult literacy programs that are specific to clients that are comfortable with an institutional learning environment. 30719QLD is designed for clients that do not readily feel comfortable or able to undertake studies in an institutional learning environment. Not-for-profit community based organisations primarily deliver services to marginalised groups in a non-traditional learning environment and this is considered the most appropriate environment to support clients with language, literacy and numeracy needs under 30719QLD. This approach ensures successful outcomes for the disadvantaged and/or disengaged client.
As a training product, the Course in Adult Literacy and Numeracy is a short course not leading to an AQF qualification. A statement of attainment will be issued by registered training organisations upon completion of the course or a community based organisation may issue a statement of attendance.
The Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), Employment and Indigenous Initiatives became the course copyright owner of 30719QLD Course in Adult Literacy and Numeracy in August 2007.
Permission to deliver 30719QLD should be obtained from DEEDI by downloading the permission request form. A completed suitability survey should accompany this request. Permission to use the course will only be granted on the condition that the organisation is assessed as suitable to deliver the course. A fee of $165 should accompany the request ($150 fee plus $15 GST). For application forms and associated documents visite the Funding Toolkit.
Who will be assisted
The Community Literacy Program primarily assists Queensland residents who are ineligible to access assistance from Australian Government funded service providers or who require complementary services because they are marginalised from learning or skilling opportunities.
It is expected that the provision of customised language, literacy and numeracy assistance in an informal and supportive community-based learning environment will enable participants to progress through individualised pathways that result in initial outcomes of improved confidence and self-esteem, independence or participation on other labour market programs and more active involvement within their community.
Where participants are not successfully achieving outcomes over a longer period, providers should re-assess the participant’s individual situation or specific vocational goal and refer them onto more appropriate activities or programs. It is not the intent of the Community Literacy Program to continue the same participant from contract to contract, over long periods of time.
The client groups targeted under Skilling Queenslanders for Work are:
- the long-term unemployed
- parents and carers
- Australian South Sea Islanders
- young people (aged 15-24 years)
- people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, including refugees and recently arrived migrants
- people who are employed 25 hours per week or less and who are unable to secure a full-time job because they lack the necessary skills
- low skilled workers who are vulnerable in the workforce due to technological change or industry restructure
- people with a disability
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- older jobseekers (aged 45 years and over)
- people living in rural and remote areas
- ex-offenders
Funding guidelines
View/print the Community Literacy Program Funding Guidelines (PDF, 120 KB)
Frequently asked questions (PDF, 97 KB)
Contacts and further resources (PDF, 113 KB)
Last updated 19 November 2009