Researchers head to Australia's heart for national education and training conference

10 July 2007

Alice Springs is geared up to host over 150 delegates for the 16th National Vocational Education and Training Research (No Frills) Conference.

This annual conference is co-hosted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) and Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs Campus.

"NCVER is pleased to be co-hosting this conference with Charles Darwin University, the largest VET provider in the Northern Territory", says NCVER Managing Director, Dr Tom Karmel.

Don Zoellner, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Community and Access at Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs says, "As one of Australia's dual sector tertiary education providers, Charles Darwin University is uniquely placed to host this important conference".

Running over three days from 11 July, the conference aims to strengthen vocational education and training (VET) networks by bringing together researchers and staff from TAFE institutes, universities and private organisations.

The 50 presentations on offer will cover a wide range of research work and will feature a new theme focused on building research capability in the VET sector. This will include workshops on research design, writing skills, collaboration and mentoring aimed at enhancing the skills of VET researchers.

"NCVER is committed to sustaining a vibrant research capacity in VET in Australia", says Dr Karmel.

"As well as making this a focus of the conference, NCVER is also encouraging new researchers by offering 'New Researcher Awards' to seven presenters to fund their travel and accommodation costs", he says.

Dr Karmel will present a keynote address at the conference discussing factors which affect domestic demand for tertiary education. He will explore how student demand has been changing and look at likely trends in coming years, arguing that while much has been made of the impact of ageing, other factors will be more important in determining the level of student demand.

Other keynote addresses will include 'Journeys of learning: Lessons for mainstream from the outback and the US' by Metta Young from the Centre for Appropriate Technology.

Day three of the conference will feature a special presentation by Hugh Guthrie from NCVER, Berwyn Clayton from the Canberra Institute of Technology and Victor Callan from the University of Queensland of the findings of a major research program investigating how VET organisations are building capability in an environment of ongoing change.

ENDS

Media enquiries to: Amy Mellow, Marketing Officer, or Colleen Young, Manager, Marketing Services on +61 8 8230 8400.