Community and Professional Multi-skilling

Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples works in partnership with government departments, agencies and community organisations to create multiple accredited pathways of Community and Professional Multi-skilling for Indigenous and non-Indigenous workers providing services to Indigenous peoples.

Through the multi-skilling program the College aims to develop and deliver a variety of community-based educational training packages on a fee-for-service basis to meet critical needs within Indigenous communities in the region. It is envisaged that units completed can be credited towards further tertiary studies.

What is Multi-skilling?

Multi-skilling refers to community capacity building in the delivery of multiple skills training designed to meet diverse needs at an Indigenous community level. Staff working to support community capacity building need diverse and multiple skills. Community capacity building is the present 'jargon' that drives much policy development and program delivery. At present a need to develop and deepen skills for critical crisis intervention exists within the majority of Aboriginal communities across Australia, and in working to repair Country that has been damaged. Environmental repair is a large industry within the non-Indigenous sector. Service providers, whether they be government employed workers or community workers require multiple skills to deal with complex issues of social, family and community distress and environmental damage.

Because it is difficult to separate personal, professional, and political issues, many workers need personal healing as well as professional skills while at the same time having a capacity for political analysis so they can determine whether they are 'part of the solution or part of the problem'.

The multi-skilling approach provides pathways between community educational opportunities, TAFE, university undergraduate, and postgraduate programs; and research and development activities for local Indigenous and non-Indigenous futures.

Gnibi also aims to offer a range of intensive professional development courses for public and private sector employees working with Indigenous people.

Updated: 30 January 2013