The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 15 per cent of the world’s population, or over one billion people, live with some form of disability. In Australia, 18 per cent or 4.4 million people have a disability and 90 per cent of those have an invisible disability. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, invisible disabilities include auditory, visual and cognitive disabilities as well as neurodiversity.

As digital technology becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, ensuring accessibility is no longer optional. It is vital to workplace learning, especially in deskless industries like construction. The construction sector faces ongoing skills shortages and should embrace accessibility to tap into a broader talent pool, including people with disabilities (PwD).

Accessible learning creates an even playing field

Access to high-quality education can transform lives. However, education systems often do not provide the opportunities and support learners with disabilities need to enter the construction sector.

Providing accessible learning ensures that everyone can engage with educational opportunities regardless of their circumstances. This involves the education providers designing content and activities that support deeper engagement while enabling learners to demonstrate their knowledge effectively.

For the construction industry, PwD’s complete and independent participation in eLearning is more than an inclusivity measure; it’s a strategic decision. Addressing the sector’s current skills shortages through accessible learning can enhance productivity and innovation while building a future-ready workforce.

Skilling the building and construction industry is critical to building skills and capacity to address skills shortages and ensure a skilled construction workforce for future infrastructure projects. It will also support construction contractors to achieve training and diversity targets for the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program.

Accessibility standards

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) advocates that accessibility standards lay the foundation of inclusive learning. The W3C is an international body that develops open web standards and has established comprehensive accessibility guidelines. Organisations aiming to make their eLearning content accessible should adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. These guidelines provide a robust framework for ensuring digital resources are usable by all, including PwD.

WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) also offers practical guidelines, including ensuring sufficient colour contrast in digital content. This consideration is crucial for individuals with colour vision deficiencies, affecting about one in 12 men and one in 200 women in Australia. Ensuring readability through proper contrast and compatible fonts benefits all learners, not just those with visual impairments.

Supporting neurodiverse learners

Many learners in the construction sector may be neurodiverse, with conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, or autism. While WCAG addresses some accessibility challenges, like flashing content, the industry must go further. For example, providing extra time for course completion and designing straightforward, easy-to-navigate eLearning modules can significantly support neurodiverse learners.

Accessible construction sector learning in TAFEs

TAFEs should be as diverse as the communities they represent, but this can only happen if the education systems that provide people with opportunities to dream big are inclusive, accessible and able to meet the needs of individual learners.

The “Fee-Free TAFE” government initiative, which includes tuition-free courses for students with disabilities, highlights the urgency of creating a user-friendly online learning environment. Making learning institution websites and online learning resources accessible is essential in improving accessibility to all, including TAFE institutions.

Australian TAFEs strongly focus on access and equity by offering a breadth of construction and design courses and a range of support services. However, there is an opportunity to be more flexible and person-centred, to support more comprehensively “wrap-around” people and to address barriers to participation and attainment for PwD.

Another effective strategy is developing learner personas based on common disability types. By understanding the needs of learners with visual, hearing, physical, speech or cognitive disabilities, TAFEs can design training programs that cater to diverse requirements. This approach ensures no one is left behind in acquiring skills essential to the construction sector.

Practical steps for accessible learning in construction

Construction industry associations and companies can take the following steps to create accessible learning content:

1. Closed Captioning and Transcripts: Provide closed captioning for video content and transcripts for audio materials. This benefits individuals with hearing impairments and aids comprehension for all learners.
2. Readable Fonts and Sizes: Use legible fonts and appropriate sizes to enhance readability. Ensure compatibility with built-in screen readers on devices to accommodate visually impaired learners.
3. Accessible Tools and Platforms: Leverage the accessibility features offered by Google, Microsoft and Apple. Ensure the chosen learning management system (LMS) meets W3C’s accessibility guidelines.

Creating accessible learning content is not merely about compliance with legal standards. It’s about fostering an inclusive and engaging learning environment for all.

Accessible learning is critical to addressing the skills shortages in Australia’s construction sector. By understanding learner personas and adopting the right eLearning tools, education providers in the construction industry can deliver educational experiences that cater to everyone’s needs.

The benefits of investing in accessibility will ripple across the construction sector, leading to a more engaged, motivated and capable workforce. For construction companies and associations, embracing accessible learning is a smart move that will enable a diverse and inclusive future and will help resolve the skills shortages they are currently facing.