Making Technicians Not Helpers

Making Technicians Not Helpers

People have enrolled in the CLLR Certificate online and in face-to-face studies (https://cllr.com.au/register-to-study/) recently, many with graduate and post-graduate qualifications in Safety. Near all, without exception, are looking for the skills and knowledge that is excluded from most safety training and qualifications. Near all report that their qualification has been primarily technical with a high focus on paper-systems, regulation, legislation, process and systems. One participant recently commented about his post graduate studies and said:

‘most of the curriculum I was funnelled into, I will never use … if we need knowledge on regulation and legal requirements my organization calls a lawyer, if we need help with cardio-vascular disease or muscular-skeletal issues we call a physio, and so on. What I need is people, communication and helping skills’.

I have these kinds of conversations daily. It seems that the safety industry believes it needs to create technicians not helpers. If anything, the current state of curriculum could be described as compulsory mis-education (https://safetyrisk.net/isnt-it-time-we-reformed-the-whs-curriculum/ ).

The safetyosphere is consumed with technical jargon (https://safetyrisk.net/knowledge-and-curriculum-for-risk-and-safety-people/ ), technical iconography and semiotics (https://safetyrisk.net/the-iconography-of-safety/ ) and, technical worldview (https://safetyrisk.net/the-safety-worldview-and-the-worldview-of-safety-testing-due-diligence/ ). I don’t get it, how did an industry that wants to HELP people develop ownership in tackling risk end out looking to technicians to develop curriculum for safety people??? How has safety emerged as a technical process when in reality when you get on the job it’s a people/helping activity??? Why is it that even when it comes to psychology that safety has its primary focus on the technical paradigm of behaviourism??? Why is it that Safety understands humans as a factor within a system???

All of the courses in CLLR (https://cllr.com.au/register-to-study/cllr-prospectus/) have everything to do with risk and safety but have nothing to do with traditional safety. When you do a CLLR program you never hear the word ‘safety’ unless it is discussed as an outcome. Mostly the language is about people, helping, communications, decision making, risk and the collective unconscious as culture. You hear what people say about their studies with CLLR here: https://vimeo.com/186359451

Here is a list of some of the practical skills and knowledge gained in studying with CLLR:

Helping Skills

Active and Reflective Listening

Attending

Humble Enquiry

People Skills

How Social arrangements influence decision making

How semiotics influence decision making

How space and place influence decision making

Learning Skills

How people learn?

How to construct learning by style and type

Strategic learning

Communication Skills

Observation and Listening Skills

Suspending Agenda, Pitch, Frame, Prime, Anchor and mirroring skills

Dialogue skills

Facilitation Skills

Constructing meaningful curriculum

Making inductions learning events

Strategic thinking

Semiotic Skills

The semiosis of meaning

The social meaning of motivation

How semiotics shapes perception

Critical Thinking Skills

Understanding deconstruction

The meaning of power

Social politics and ethics

Observation Skills

How to observe

How to listen and look for the collective unconscious

How to hear for semiotic influence

These are just some of the skills people come looking for when they seek to study with CLLR. All of these skills will help you really become a helper in safety.

If any of this interests you, then:

If you are not resident in Australia you can study online and register here: https://cllr.com.au/online-courses-overseas-students/

If you live in Australia: https://cllr.com.au/register-to-study/

You can sample some of the learning here: https://vimeo.com/cllr

You can sample some of the key concepts here: https://vimeo.com/humandymensions

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Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

• Not a Profession’s Bootlace - September 24, 2020
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• Safety Lover or Safety Hater - September 10, 2020

PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.