Public Sector Online - Skillmax

21 October 2009

Learn how to better express your ideas in meetings. Build stronger relationships with clients and colleagues. Produce more effective written correspondence. Improve your career prospects.

The Public Sector Online - Skillmax Program is available to NSW Government employees from non-English speaking backgrounds. The program aims to assist participants to develop their language skills so they can improve their career opportunities in the public sector.

The Public Sector Online - Skillmax Program is funded by the NSW State Government and offered by NSW AMES. The program is now being exclusively delivered online.

Learn online anytime, anywhere. Study in a rich multimedia environment of sound, animation and interactive tasks. Watch, analyse and practise language used in real workplace contexts. Revise and repeat exercises as often as required. Receive feedback and ongoing assessment from experienced teachers.

Access is provided to each online course for 12 weeks. Participants need to commit to approximately 5 hours of course work per week.

Course demonstrations are available. 

Courses available:
Choose the course/s which focus on your individual learning needs.

• Customer service
  This course develops spoken communication skills for external client interactions. The three units focus on efficient service on the telephone, effective communication while multitasking at reception and dealing with customer complaints.
• Negotiating and problem solving
  Spoken skills for internal workplace communication are developed over three units in this online course. It focuses on strategies and language skills for negotiating and how to raise problems for discussion in meetings.
• Writing for work
  This course offers a range of activity types and explanations of formal and informal written correspondence for the workplace. The three units provide practice in writing notes, messages, memos, emails and letters.
• The grammar you need
  Effective written communication skills for workplace situations are developed over three units in this online course. Learn the grammar required to write emails, memos, accident and incident reports and company profiles.
• Jobseekers online
  Learn how to successfully apply for jobs and plan your career. This course consists of five units and covers the critical areas of working in Australia, résumés, job ads and letters, telephone skills, public sector applications and the interview.
• New course available from April 2010
  Pronunciation
  Learn how to make your meaning clearer. Divide longer stretches of speech into chunks. Practise speaking fluently by focusing on the sounds of English. Use intonation to connect with people, explain, negotiate and give feedback.

Who can apply?
To be eligible for the Public Sector Online - Skillmax Program you must:

• be from a non-English speaking background 
• have an intermediate or advanced level of English 
• currently work for the NSW public sector 
• have written approval from your supervisor to enroll in online delivery

NB: If you are not working in the NSW public sector you may be eligible for the Skillmax Jobseekers Program.

What is NSW AMES?
NSW AMES is an agency of the NSW Department of Education and Training. Established in 1951, NSW AMES has taught English to over 1.5 million people in the classroom, in the workplace, online and via distance education.

Apply now
Download the Public Sector Online - Skillmax application form.

Please ensure that you complete sections A and B (written assessment task) of the application form and that you obtain your supervisor’s approval.

For more information
View course demonstrations or contact the online learning teachers at NSW AMES via email iconline@ames.edu.au or phone (02) 9289 9133.