Webinar 1: Moving Adult Numeracy Forward: Care and Support Industries

A VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Education Council) Professional Learning session presented by Tina Berghella and Dave Tout.

Two new workplace numeracy resources have been recently developed for Learn Locals to use to support learners who are interested in working in different industries where the numeracy and maths demands are quite substantial and require a minimum of Level 3 or above.

We know maths skills are an issue in the general population, and these new resources look at how and what maths is embedded across these areas of work and what critical maths knowledge and skills underpin being able to work effectively and safely in these areas. The resources include a set of snapshots spread across the industry areas that illustrate the range and types of maths used, and how these map to the ACSF.

Based on the snapshots, the associated teacher guides analyse and describe the underpinning knowledge, skills and strategies needed to enter these workforces, including the problem-solving skills and the underpinning language, literacy and maths skills. The required maths skills are then either linked to existing numeracy teaching and learning materials, or provide new materials, that teachers can use to work with their learners to help bridge the numeracy gaps many adults have. 

In this, the first webinar of two, Tina and Dave will share with participants what they discovered in their analysis of workplace practices of the case-studies based on some sample industry materials and texts. They will then run through how the resource is constructed, what the key messages are, and how it can be used with learners. This first webinar looks at examples from across some care and support industries.

Tina Berghella is the Director of Oggi Consulting, a business established in 1998 to provide high-quality vocational education and training consulting services. She has a background in manufacturing and project management and is an experienced VET researcher. Tina has worked on a range of LLN projects, including the recent CGEA review, and has a particular interest in workplace numeracy. 

Her numeracy-related publications include Numeracy by Measure, Numeracy in Focus, Numeracy in Practice, and the NCVER report Seeking the N in LLN. Tina is a former member of the Australian Government’s Foundation Skills Community of Practice and the Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Digital (LLND) Skills Quality Assurance Expert Panel.

Sue has dedicated over 20 years to teaching Work Education at Chisholm TAFE, focusing on students with mild intellectual disabilities. Sue’s primary goal is to help all students achieve the best possible outcomes in literacy, numeracy, and employability skills, fostering their ability to integrate into the community and develop a lifelong love for learning. Sue’s commitment to supporting students with additional needs is at the heart of her teaching philosophy.

Dave Tout is an experienced adult and youth LLN educator with a strong passion for making mathematics relevant, engaging and enjoyable for all learners. He is recognised as one of Australia’s leading numeracy specialists, with over 50 years’ experience working across schools, TAFEs, community providers, universities, national education bodies and workplaces.

Dave has worked at state, national and international levels in research, curriculum, assessment and professional development. He has authored numerous numeracy and mathematics curriculum, including for the CGEA, VCAL and the VCE, along with a range of teaching and PD resources and is also an author of the Australian Core Skills Framework. Dave has been involved in international numeracy assessments, including the OECD’s PIAAC and PISA programs, and is currently Chair of the Numeracy Expert Group for PIAAC. Over the last few years, he has held positions at ACER and the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne, and works as a numeracy and mathematics consultant.

We look forward to seeing you there.

VALBEC PL Forums Team

Who: Tina Berghella and Dave Tout
When: Tuesday, 11th February, 2026, 5.30-6.30 pm AEST
Where: Zoom
Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $10