A PLATFORM FOR ONLINE TRAINING THROUGHOUT THE SUGAR INDUSTRY

ONE PLATFORM FOR ONLINE TRAINING THROUGHOUT THE

SUGAR INDUSTRY

The Australian sugar industry now has a dedicated website and training platform which can provide online training throughout the industry.

Thanks to the completion of the second phase of an Australian Sugar Industry Training (ASIT) project, juice and sugar operator training modules are now available for use online by the milling sector. This covers the processes from the mixed juice tank through to the final product of raw sugar. Eight operator self-paced training modules have been developed and mapped to nationally recognised training criteria.

All mills are using the learning management system (LMS) and, as new training modules have been developed, usage has been steadily increasing. Some mills are adding to the provided materials and modules, using the LMS to develop their own internal courses for knowledge and assessment activities. This results in a one-stop training LMS for the milling company and easy single login access for the staff.

By using courses online, the company is able to provide training conveniently 24/7 via any digital device.

Each company has their own unique sub-environment on the LMS and courses developed by a company are only accessible by their staff. A user login provides system access to any resources endorsed by their HR manager.

Chief Investigator David Moller of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) led development of the platform and said online courses could be coupled with practical on-the-job training.

“Just because you’ve learnt to drive by studying the manual doesn’t mean you can drive a car. And there are some highrisk activities which still require external qualifications,” he said.

“Face-to-face courses are offered by QUT and the Sugar Research Institute (SRI) each year to the milling sector to enhance and promote further understanding and discussion for operators, supervisors and technologists.”

The completion of this project at the end of May 2022 saw the development of five new training courses:

• Juice clarification • Mud filtration • Evaporation • Evaporator cleaning • Crystallisation. Other courses developed through earlier programs are:

• Traffic officer • High grade fugals and sugar drying • Low grade fugals • Cooling crystallisers. The digital platform and website behind the ASIT was selected by the industry from more than 60 on offer. aNewSpring was chosen for its suitability for the sugar industry and its cost effectiveness.

The LMS is managed by the milling company’s training and human resources staff. They are able to manager the users' login and assign relevant modules to them.

Bruce King of SRI is responsible for the mapping, development and production of modules, with QUT and Industry expertise used to check the validity of all content. All modules are initially mapped to national competency standards for the sugar industry and developed by Bruce using diagrams, charts, tables, photos and videos to assist the user in gaining a clear understanding of the content that is written in a readable format.

Industry training modules are completed according to a path developed in the previous SRA project (SRA2017/013). Six steps are followed to produce a usable, engaging, industry approved training modules:

1. A training module matrix is developed to address each of the defined national competencies to be presented and assessed.

2. Diagrams, flowcharts, photos and videos are developed or obtained from

Australian mills.

3. Industry representatives provide feedback and comments on the matrix prior to module development.