Work in Progress

Shifting mindsets: Impact of changes to work in the VET sector on roles of VET practitioners in Australia

• Summary
• Purpose
• Research questions
• Methodology
• Organisations

Summary

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to explore the ways in which changes to work in the VET sector over the past five years have impacted on the roles and attitudes of VET professionals.

Objectives:

* The identification of the critical factors which have generated changes to work in the VET sector over the past five years

* The estimation of the extent of the identified changes across a range of RTOs and systems

* The identification of the interrelationships between the critical factors influencing change in the sector

* The determination of the attitudes of VET professionals to the changes occuring in the sector and the role of personal choice in embracing change (including the integration of on and off-job learning in a workplace setting)

* The specification of the organisational and systemic imperatives and change management strategies that affect the implementation of changes to work in an RTO

Research questions

* What have been the critical factors generating changes to work in the VET sector over the past five years?

* How have these factors changed roles and responsibilities of VET professionals and to what extent? Has there been variation in impact across RTOs and systems?

* How are the critical factors influencing change in the sector interrelated?

* What is the attitude of VET professionals to the changes in their work? What is the role of personal choice in determining whether or not an individual initiates change and/or responds positively to factors generating change?

* What are the organisational and systemic imperatives and change management strategies that affect the implementation of changes to work in an RTO?

Methodology

Stage 1

Review of literature and development of focus group outcomes

Stage 2

Conduct of focus groups and analysis of results

Development of structured interview schedule

Stage 3

Interview teachers/trainers in 8 RTOs

Interview industry representatives

Stage 4

Prepare final draft report

Prepare final report

Organisations

Centre for Research in Education, Equity and Work (CREEW), UniSA

CREEW is a recognised and funded research centre within the University of SA. It aims to exercise a national leadership role in carrying out quality research and development projects at the interface between education and work. The centre has considerable national expertise in vocational education and training - in research projects employing both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, winning national and state research grants, and disseminating findings through a range of means to key audiences. Membership comprises part-time staff of 12 Key Researchers, 13 Associate Researchers, a Centre Administrator, 42 higher degree research students and several research associates and assistants. CREEW has excellent infrastructure support, with dedicated physical facilities, all the electronic communications systems and access to a range of other academic and general staff.

Centre Undertaking Research in Vocational Education (CURVE), CIT

The Centre Undertaking Research into Vocation Education (CURVE) was established at CIT in 1999. Its establishment demonstrates CIT's commitment to VET research and recognises the profile in educational research which has been developed by CIT over the past 10 years.

CIT has long supported research which underpins improvements in the quality of teaching and learning. CURVE has adopted this philosophy and concentrates on research into training delivery, with special emphasis on practice and practitioners. To date, key areas of research have included assessment, program evaluation, credit transfer, flexible delivery, module non-completion and initial and continuing teacher education.

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