News & Events
A forty-year legacy sets the bar high for VET researchers
20 November 2009
NCVER VET Researcher of the Year Award
A diverse and original body of work has seen the 2009 Vocational Education and Training (VET) Researcher of the Year Award posthumously awarded to Professor Chris Selby Smith.
Chris’s wife, Joy Selby Smith, accepted the award on his behalf at the Australian Training Awards in Canberra last night.
Dr Tom Karmel, Managing Director of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) said Chris was a major contributor to research on the economics of education for nearly 40 years.
“He was recognised as a leading researcher in many areas including user choice, cost of training, impact of research and funding for students with a disability,” Dr Karmel said.
Throughout his career, Chris worked for many research organisations. He had a successful career in the Australian Public Service from 1975 to 1988, and co-founded the Centre for the Economics of Education and Training (CEET) at Monash University in 1992.
Chris’s publications include over 30 books, 20 monographs, 20 articles in refereed journals and 60 book chapters. His clear, expressive writing was intended for both policy-makers and researchers as he believed there should be strong links between public policy and research.
Gerald Burke, one of the co-founders of CEET, said that all of Chris’s former colleagues were delighted that his work had received this recognition.
“In addition to his major research work, Chris collaborated with and encouraged many other researchers. Chris had the energy and commitment to undertake major reviews such as The economics of vocational education and training in Australia: CEET’s stocktake, making the whole group’s research more widely accessible.”
In paying tribute to Chris, Dr Karmel noted that he was a well-respected researcher of high standing whose work had an impact on policy and practice in the VET sector.
“Chris embodied everything that the VET Researcher of the Year Award stands for. His legacy will encourage others to strive for excellence in the study of VET.”
Sponsored by NCVER, the VET Researcher of the Year Award aims to promote the value of research as the foundation for improving policy and practice in Australia’s VET sector.
The award is part of a series of initiatives to build researcher capacity and promote excellence in VET research.
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