3.4.1 Business Communications Skills (BCS)
The curriculum framework, which underpinned the first component of the PYP, was the BCS, which incorporated the Australian Language Levels Guidelines (ALL) eight Principles of Language Learning (1988). This framework was the result of a cooperative Australian-wide program, established to develop a natural approach to languages (including English as a Second Language) teaching and learning. These eight principles determined that learners learn a language best when they:
• are provided with opportunities to participate in communicative use of the target language in a range of activities;
• are exposed to communicative data which are comprehensible and relevant to their needs and interests;
• focus deliberately on various language forms, skills and strategies in order to support the process of language acquisition;
• are exposed to socio-cultural data and direct experience of the culture(s) embedded within the target language;
• become aware of the role and nature of language and culture; • are provided with appropriate feedback of their progress and:
• are provided with opportunities to manage their own learning (Vale, Scarino, McKay, 1991, p28).
The overarching learning outcome of the course was to ensure students reached a level of communicative competence required to participate appropriately in key communication practices that are common in business operations in the Australian workplace. Therefore, the BCS subject requirements included 130 hours’ face-to-face tuitionacross five core competency components:Participation in Meetings; Oral Business Communication; Oral Presentation for Informational Purposes; Written Business Communication; and Business Text Analysis. The learning outcomes associated with the generic skills development of participants undertaking this subject were determined as:
• becoming more fluent, accurate and strategically competent speakers of English when communicating in formal and informal business and workplace settings;
• developing competence in reading and writing a range of business or workplace texts;
• gaining an awareness of cross-cultural differences and how these effect business dealings particularly in an Australian workplace;
• developing listening skills and strategies to comprehend authentic business/workplace conversations, discussions, meetings and interviews; • developing independent learning skills;
• applying computer skills in workplace settings and engaging actively in learning in and outside of the classroom (ACS, 2008).
3.4.2 Australian Workplace Culture Unit (AWC)
The PYP ‘Critical Skills for the Australian Workplace Culture’ component was intended to provide an intensive communications course for recent graduate students. The aim of the component was to offer students a solid grounding in and comprehensive understanding of both explicit and implicit workplace skills and practices in an Australian context. The generic employability core competencies, which underpinned the second face-to-face unit - AWC - were adopted from recommendations provided in the joint collaborative report prepared by the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) in 2002 for the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) entitled: Employability Skills for the Future. The report aimed to understand the employers’ perspective on what skills makes a good employee, as well as to stimulate further work in employability skill development in Australian education and training. Thus, the report attempted to define a set of relevant skills and personal attributes that graduates required to take their place within the workplace (Executive Summary). Similar to the BCS component, completion of AWC required 130 hours of face-to-face tuition with the subject broken into six core competency components: CV preparation; business proposal writing; interview skills; facilitation skills; cultural values awareness; and personal skills training.
The learning outcomes associated with the generic skills development of participants undertaking this subject were outlined as:
• the production of a range of business documents including CVs, letters and business proposals; the demonstration of appropriate behaviour in a business context;
• an enhanced awareness of cross-cultural practices and the implications for assimilation into the Australian workplace;
• the understanding of strategies for collaborating effectively as part of a team; an ability to organise and participate appropriately in workplace meetings; the preparation and practice for prospective job interviews; • an understanding and demonstrated application of the appropriate
techniques to plan and manage a project, as well as
• active engagement in learning in and outside of the classroom (ACS, 2008).
The learning outcomes were mapped to the following employability skills: communication; teamwork; problem solving; self-management; planning and organisation, technical developments; life-long learning and initiative and enterprise. The latter outcome designed to respond positively to challenges and opportunities within the workplace with appropriate action.
The learning outcomes for each of the face-to-face components of the program identify specific skill sets to better prepare international students for transition into the accounting workplace. The question remains as to whether the identification of these generic attributes can be measured within individual performance, along with their transferability from the classroom into the workplace (Atkins, 1999). In the case of the PYP, it is hoped the ability to measure the aims of the face-to- face training can be achieved through PYP graduates’ measurement of their performance within the internship component of the program. Thus, a review of the structure of the internship placement will be undertaken in the following section.
3.5 Professional Elements: Work Experience Through an Internship