Background
Already renowned for sharing resources, VET coordinators across Australia have come together again (this time over the Internet) to establish practical solutions to avoid coordinator burnout.

Vocational Education Community Online (VECO) provided the forum to discuss this burning issue  - and it proved to be an issue that coordinators were passionate about.

VET coordinators face unique challenges because of the nature of their work. Often an under-resourced area within a school, VET usually thrives because of the dedication of a committed teacher or coordinator. Long hours, varying needs of ever increasing numbers of students, policy changes and limited funding all lead to a potentially burnt-out coordinator.

The reasons for burnout are endless, but the solutions to avoiding burnout became the subject of a game that was played by VECO participants during August 1999. It took place on the voced-coord email list.

1. Develop a good support Network! - You might find that much of the work is done for you. VECO is an excellent way to network as is participation in your local professional association.

2. Don't try to keep everything in your head. Develop a good filing
   system that works for you and keep your diary up to date.

3. Set aside at least half a day per week for reading, catching up on
   newsletters, mailouts etc to avoid feeling "out of your depth" if you feel
   you are not up-to-date.

4. Keep focussed on your role, don't be railroaded into added
   responsibilities.

5. Learn to say "no" to requests outside the defined parameters.

6. Clearly define your roles, duties and responsibilities and have it
   endorsed by the management committee and put in writing.

7. Try to pick up any document only once - deal with it immediately.

8. Have at least one other coordinator with whom you can really talk
   about problems and stresses.

9. Avoid re-inventing the wheel.

10. The mentoring model, when applied in a confidential and supportive context is a powerful method for providing constructive feedback.

11. Don't be reactionary. If you had put aside a time to deal with a specific problem deal with it in that time, irrespective of what anyone else asks you to do.

12. Set a weekly coffee appointment with a colleague or friend who is a good listener. 

13. Utilise your management committee for support, both professional and personal. Ask one of them to be your mentor.
    
    The next cluster of suggestions are included as they can be used to strengthen the ones above:

14. Take a "shut out day" from communication to clear the desk.

15. Learn to use the technology available - a time saver.

16. Find businesses which are RTO's to place students. They can sign off your training and so reduce your direct supervision. Try www.anta.gov.ay/anta_prod/ntis/Default.htm

17. Set aside one afternoon per week when you actually leave the office
    on time (or early) and don't take any work home.

and finally:

Keep in mind the overall reason why you're doing this in the first place - that if you collapse in a heap it will seriously interfere with the student's progress - look after yourself!

Round 1 (Pooling) - Players send three tips on how to avoid coordinator burnout. The facilitator then pools all the ideas and send the full list of tips to all the participants.

Round 2 (Polling) - Players (whether or not they contributed to round 1) then choose the 13 ideas that appealed to them most and email their selection to the facilitator.

Round 3 (Predicting) - The players are invited to predict what they think will be the top 5 most popular tips selected by the whole group. The person who most accurately predicts the top 5 wins a prize.

29 individuals participated in total with 17 participating in round one, 10 in round two and 19 in round three. With a bit of prompting, there were contributions from almost every state and territory. The prize was a bottle of Tasmanian wine which was clearly an incentive to get involved!

Indeed the game was an excellent way to synthesise the collective expertise on the issue. It was also a great way for encouraging participation in online community activities in a manageable and fun yet non trivial way.

The role of the facilitator was important in the process for keeping the process rolling along with regular updates and reminders. Andrea Meredith from the SCISCO program played this role very well, aided and abetted by VECO Project Coordinator who analysed the results as they came in.

The winner of Round 3 with the closest prediction of the top 5 hints was Robyn Storey from Newstead College in Tasmania and her prize....a bottle of Tasmanian wine chosen by website - the 98 Pinot Noir from Holm Oak vineyard.

LearnScope Virtual Learning Community
The LearnScope Virtual Learning Community is for anyone interested in online delivery of courses in the VET context. Whilst it is specifically designed to support the LearnScope funded projects, the Virtual Learning Community is open to anyone. It provides a rich environment in which to learn how to incorporate effective teaching and learning methodologies in the online environment.
http://www.learnscope.anta.gov.au

Voced-coord email list
The voced-coord email list is the main communication tool used by the VECO community.  With over 700 members and an average traffic rate of around 100 messages per month it is a great way to keep in touch with what is happening in the world of VET in schools.
http://www.veco.ash.org.au/community/voced-coord.asp