Research

Summary page

Research

Social area differences in vocational education and training participation by Richard Teese and Anne Walstab

Responsiveness is a familiar refrain in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Training providers are being called upon to adapt to emerging skills needs and to build greater flexibility into the system. How they do this depends on how they manage their multiple roles and diverse clientele.

In their study, Teese and Walstab examined population differences in that clientele and identified social, economic and cultural barriers some people face in finding employment. Their report and its companion, Participation in vocational education and training across Australia: A regional analysis, should help the VET sector to find ways to respond to these obstacles and to motivate individuals to take up training options and, where necessary, to reskill in order to find good jobs.

Key messages

The roles of VET are population-related. That is, VET providers respond to people’s various needs during the different stages of their participation in the workforce.
The age pattern of participation suggests that the VET sector performs four major roles:

– a platform-building role for young commencing workers
– a promotions or skills enrichment role for established workers
– a re-orientation role for older workers
– a personal enrichment role for older workers or people not in the workforce.

These roles are highlighted by the award pattern of participation for different age groups.

– Basic and skilled VET (certificates I and II, and III respectively) dominate the activity of teenagers and young adults.
– Skills enrichment, re-orientation and personal development become more prominent for established workers and older people.
There is a need for greater equity in the system. VET activity rises as socioeconomic status falls. That said, people with lower socioeconomic status are not achieving the higher qualifications which reap the greater rewards from participation in VET.

These disparities can often be traced back to the type of schooling people received, suggesting that schools have a significant role in shaping aspirations and preparing young people for post-compulsory education and employment.

This report is one of twelve produced by a consortium of the National Institute of Labour Studies, Flinders University, and the Centre for Post-compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning, University of Melbourne, looking into the relationship between the country’s future skill needs and the VET system. For a synthesis of the consortium’s entire program of work, see A well-skilled future by Sue Richardson and Richard Teese.

Tom Karmel
Managing Director, NCVER