Access10 Information for RTOs

The Certificate II in Access10 (Year 10 Alternative) is a nationally-accredited program developed by the teachers in the Access Education Department at the Canberra Institute of Technology as an alternative to Year 10 offered by secondary schools. The program is designed to meet the needs of those students who were unable to complete Year 10 in a school environment.

What is the philosophy behind Access10?

Teachers in the Department of Access Education at the Canberra Institute of Technology have given much thought to the development of this alternative Year 10 program.

Our programs have a strong student-centred focus and through our philosophy, which underpins all our work with students and colleagues, we aim to:

• provide access to education and training for all students
• focus on the individual needs of the learner
• provide a supportive, comfortable and nurturing environment where students develop the confidence to embrace learning without fear of failure
• assist students to map out an individual learning pathway
• encourage students to fulfil their potential and to explore opportunities for lifelong learning, and
• provide experience in use of technology relevant to learners' individual needs.

What's Access10 all about?

This program replaces the Certificate II in Adult General Education which was first developed in 1989. In the intervening years the program and its resources have undergone several changes.

The drive to develop the Certificate II in Access10 (Year 10 Alternative) is in response to:

• feedback, about the Certificate II in Adult General Education, provided by teachers, learners and providers in fourteen sites
• changes in VET that:
  - give Year 10 school students options for initial vocational training
  - facilitate Certificate I and Certificate II vocational programs in Years 11 and 12 with pathways into TAFE and other VET programs
  - encourage mature aged persons to become new apprentices and trainees.
• changes in the characteristics of the TAFE Year 10 learner group that now includes fewer enrolments of mature aged learners and increasing enrolments of young, early school leavers. The latter group now accounts for approximately 80% of enrolments.
• our experience that was telling us that our Year 10 learners needed more program choice, more opportunities for exploring diverse learning approaches and development in the skills required to handle future learning in diverse settings.

Access10 is all about flexibility and responsiveness to diverse learner needs through a program that provides choice, direction and support and preparation for interacting with the range of developing learning technologies.

What's new about Access10?

The new program:

• integrates technology as a learning tool
• is based in completely new self-paced learning units
• encourages a range of flexible learning skills
• develops self management of learning
• offers learners a choice of learning streams including vocational options
• gives learners the opportunity to become aware of their individual strengths/weaknesses/talents and explore realistic learning pathways, including career options.

What stays the same as the old Year 10?

The new Certificate II in Access10 (Year 10 Alternative) program retains the features of the previous Certificate II in Adult General Education program that learners wanted:

• paper-based, self-paced units for each subject
• portability of resources for diverse delivery options and learner study patterns
• teacher support for learners.

Seeking permission to offer the Certificate II in Access10 (Year 10 Alternative)?

If your organisation wishes to offer the Certificate II in Access10 (Year 10 Alternative), you must first gain permission from Canberra Institute of Technology. Contact CIT's Accreditation Manager on (02) 6207 4837, or email esther.clarke@cit.edu.au for more information about the process of seeking permission to offer and the costs involved.

For more information about Access10, contact:

CIT Vocational College
Phone: 6207 4800
Fax: 6205 9599
Email: cit.vocational.college@cit.edu.au