Work in Progress
A review of Indigenous employment programs
Summary
- Item:
- 10331
- Title:
- A review of Indigenous employment programs
- Type:
- Managed research project
- Project no:
- NR4019
- Status:
- Finished
- Date commenced:
- 1 July 2004
- Contact:
- Mike Dockery
- phone: +61 8 9266 3468
- email: M.Dockery@curtin.edu.au
Purpose
This purpose of this project is to provide a re-assessment of the previous evidence on the effectiveness of different forms of employment preparation for Indigenous Australians, such as VET and other labour market assistance programs, and a critical assessment of the previous evaluations of such programs.
Ultimately, the objective of the research is to improve practices in the formulation of VET programs, other labour market assistance programs and employment policies for Indigenous Australians. However, that is a longer-term goal and this research project is a preliminary stage. Identifying best-practice in delivering training, education and assistance to Indigenous persons in the labour market will require primary research through case studies and the collection and analysis of survey or program data, conducted within rigorous evaluation frameworks that relate outcomes to objectives. It is anticipated that proposals for such primary research will be developed for future projects addressing this NCVER Objective. First, a comprehensive reassessment of existing published material and the formulation of a more rigorous evaluation framework is warranted to guide the development of future evaluative research intended by this Principal Researcher and as a resource to other researchers in this field.
Approach
Extensive review and critical assessment of existing published literature, reports and statistics
Research questions
* Over the past two decades, what have been the major post-school VET activities and other labour market programs accessed by Indigenous Australians to improve their employment outcomes?
* What performance indicators have been used to assess the outcomes from these programs and activities and how do these relate to policy objectives and the needs of Indigenous communities and individuals?
* What can we learn from this past experience to formulate best-practice in developing VET programs and other assistance programs that will improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians in line with their cultural, social and economic aspirations?
* What are the major gaps in our existing state of knowledge for formulating employment and training programs for Indigenous Australians?
* What needs to be done in terms of data collection, data analysis and evaluation approaches to overcome these gaps and to improve VET and other labour market program outcomes for Indigenous Australians?
Methodology
This project will involve an extensive review and critical assessment of existing published literature, reports and statistics relating to outcomes from participation in VET and other labour market programs by Indigenous Australians. As such, no primary data collection or econometric analysis is anticipated, although existing statistics will be collated and reinterpreted where need be. Chronologically, the starting point for the Review will be the 1985 Report of the Committee of Review of Aboriginal Employment and Training Programs, and the focus will be on publications post-1985. However, seminal pre-1985 works identified in the research will also be considered.
Stage 1
* identification of publications and sources of statistics. Generate a compendium of abstracts or annotated bibliographies in the absence of published abstracts.
Stage 2
* collation of statistics and critical review of evaluation approach.
Stage 3
* develop recommendations for conducting evaluative studies of Indigenous labour market outcomes and recommendations for priorities in future research. Recommendations to discuss methodological issues, data collection and potential analysis.
Stage 4
* report validation and compilation of final report.
Organisations
The School of Economics and Finance is one of seven research and teaching schools within Curtin Business School, which in turn is the largest of five Divisions within Curtin University. As such, Curtin Business School provides access to a significant research infrastructure, including a range of advanced online databases for literature searches. Its academic faculty is highly regarded for scholarly contributions to the study of public policy, business and management. Curtin Business School's innovative and progressive attitude has developed over a 20-year history. This was endorsed recently when it became the only Australian institution, and one of only 52 business schools in the world, to have met rigorous international quality benchmarks to qualify for the European Foundation for Management Development (efmd) European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) accreditation.
