Equalis has established partnerships with a number of agencies with diverse needs, both government and non government. We are especially committed to forming partnerships with organisations in regional areas to ensure that they have access to high quality training solutions. The formation of partnerships enhances the professional capacity of Community Service workers ensuring they are better equipped to support their clients.

The nature of these arrangements has been driven by the specific needs of the organisation and present varied levels of engagement. Our partners consist of:

Partner Type		Service Provided
Government National to Local		Module development, short course delivery, industry training, review and upgrade of material
Disability Service Providers		Traineeships (Disability, Aged Care, Frontline Management certificates) courses for people with disabilities, customised short course development and delivery, volunteer training, training for carers, work based training delivery, RCC and RPL pathways
Children’s Services		Traineeships (Children’s Services), short course development delivery and distribution, flexible work based delivery, RCC and RPL pathways
Youth Service Providers		Traineeships (Youth Services, Frontline Management, Disability certificates), customised short course development and delivery.
Multi-focus Community Service Organisations		Traineeships (both Community service and Business based) Customised short course development and Delivery, volunteer training and development, review and upgrade of material and systems

Equalis has extensive experience in working with agencies that provide assistance to people with high and complex support needs. Our company has been instrumental in influencing change in the way people with a range of special needs are provided for. This has been achieved by applying our teams combined clinical knowledge to our training programs. Course material has been specifically designed to aid broader thinking and challenge perceptions of the needs of our target clients.

After many years of hard work, Equalis has gained recognition amongst Community Service Organisations as a leader in the field. We reinforce this by continuing to offer only the highest of quality and flexible made-to measure training options. Indicators of success include:

• Long term alliances
  
  
• Interagency referrals to our organisation
  
  
• The successful completion by clients of any of our qualification courses
  
  
• Achieving preferred provider status with a number of government and non government agencies (With DoCS and DADHC, we are now recognised as one of their preferred trainers, and are often presented with requests for development and delivery of training products).
  
  
• Industry recognition of Equalis as a provided of quality service and products.
  
  
• Winners of Westpac Champion of Champion Award 2005
  
  
• Finalist in the 2006 NSW Training Awards

A selection of our partnership models and their outcomes are provided as follows:

Flexible Work Based Delivery
This model has proven popular with Disability and Children’s Services in particular, as it minimises disruption to service delivery. Students are able to apply of course content to the workplace environment, and with clients benefiting directly from workers increase in skills and knowledge.
The model has also allowed for the provision of staff that are not under a traineeship to attend the tutorial session as a method of information and knowledge enhancement.

Specialist Training Models
These are tailored to individual needs. In one service for example, the content of the training model has been pulled from the Certificate IV in Frontline Management. The outcome of this partnership is twofold: individual managers gain accredited training; and service systems are improved by the assessment requirements being directly linked to their job function (eg strategic planning, supervision process and reporting structures). Again this has the effect of positive outcomes for clients of the service and for the communities in which these people live and the services operate.

Dual Certification Options
In one example, we have been able to consecutively run Certificates in Aged Care and Disability studies to an organisation that provide service to ageing clients with disabilities. This has obvious impact for clients and community, and staff have the benefits of achieving dual qualifications in a supported environment. From a management perspective, the organisation gains a multi –skilled and therefore adaptable work force.

Preferred Training Provider Status
The benefits of such arrangements are that material and systems are consistent and designed to build upon existing skills and knowledge. It also allows for the development of deeper relationships between students and Equalis team members, helping to ensure successful outcomes for students and enhancing work satisfaction for Equalis staff. This in turn is reflected through to the frontline of service delivery.

Volunteer/ Carer training
In some instances, specialised training support for volunteers and carers has been offered. The specialised training has been designed and based on key competencies contained drawn form Community Service and Business Packages. The outcome of this style of training model ensures that the professional capacity is increased, client needs are being addressed and it allows opportunity for volunteers and carers to gain certification via the completion of job related requirements.

Our feedback mechanisms for clients are under continual review. Continued feedback from students and agencies is invited and appreciated. Every training participant is encouraged to complete an assessment form at completion. A copy of this form is included.

Recent changes in Equalis’ service delivery that have been implemented in direct response to client input have included:

• Renovation of our newsletter to include less information, clearer descriptions and more frequent publication.
  
  
• The provision of learning material and assessment on CD, with the option for electronic submission of tasks.
  
  
• The provision of allocated trainers for the whole training period to better enable the development of rapport, making clients more comfortable in discussing training support needs.
  
  
• Development of a range of assessment feedback options to enable more frequent and improved input.