09-28

=​Connect, Communicate, Collaborate=

**RTO**
Western Institute

**Contact**
Renee Gibson renee.gibson@tafensw.edu.au

**Category**
Empowering learners/RTO-Business Partnership

**Business Partner**
The WBC Strategic Alliance

Executive summary
Working in partnership with the Wellington, Blayney and Cabonne Councils (WBC Strategic Alliance) the project aimed to introduce e learning skills and capabilities that could be embedded into the Council’s future business and training practices.

The project was established not just an e learning initiative limited to the application and customisation of a learning platform a Moodle, but rather the use of such a platform to support the dynamic nature of learning and integrate knowledge creation and learning through access to learner created, reusable resources and learning objects.

The Councils of Wellington, Blayney and Cabonne (WBC) originally formed the Strategic Alliance in 2003 as an alternative model for local government reform. The Alliance is a voluntary cooperative arrangement between the member councils for the purpose of sharing resources and identifying efficiencies.

The WBC Alliance model is leading the way within the Local Government industry. The Alliance continues to demonstrate efficiencies and expansions into innovative practices including workforce capability and technology development.

Building workforce capability is critical to the future business of the Alliance, as they continually struggle to attract and retain staff to their respective regional areas. Developing staffs technology skills is a key area that has been identified to expand workforce capability in 2009.

Technology within the Alliance and Local Government as an industry has traditionally been behind that of other Government agencies. Financial and resource restraints have contributed to this. The Alliance has acknowledged the importance and benefits of technology. As a result the Alliance is embracing new technology including WebEX as a means of reducing the gap and increasing efficiencies such as the need for travel for example.  In partnering with the WBC Alliance the project has provided an opportunity for an online induction to be developed from the project team’s e learning experience and exposure to new technologies.

Final Report
An Adobe portfolio has been developed to accompany the report. Due to the size of the portfolio it has been sent to the Framework on a disk.



Moodle Zip file