Work in Progress

Workforce skills development and engagement in training through skill sets

• Summary
• Purpose
• Approach
• Research questions
• Methodology
• Organisations

Summary

Purpose

Skills Australia recently published the ‘Skills for Prosperity” roadmap which suggested that Skill Sets had the capacity to be part of the more flexible skilling solutions required in VET. Skills Australia noted, however, that to reach an informed national approach to Skill Sets and vis a vis full VET qualifications delivery, data collection and assessment of the impact of skill sets delivery on enterprise workforce development and on individuals’ achieving pathways to higher-level learning and work was needed (p124). Skills Australia stated that collecting completion rates for skill sets “would be a good first step to both provide better information about their take-up and provide more accurate completion statistics. The second part of the puzzle will be to track the extent to which completion of skill sets does indeed act as a pathway to nationally recognised qualifications as contended by those who advocate their recognition and use”(p124).

This research project takes up this challenge, and to provide evidence for the Agrifood sector to support or refute claims regarding Skill Sets. This project will analyse the skills development of students who have completed TAFE NSW developed skill sets from the Rural Production Training Package RTE03, Conservation and Land Management Training Package RTD02 and the Amenity Horticulture Training Package RTF03 in the period 2005 to 2010.

The project will also analyse the skills development pathways of students who have completed Diploma level qualifications in 2008 to 2011 to see if skill sets have been used as a pathway.

This research project will explore general claims made about Skill Sets including that they:

* Address certain skill shortages that an industry is experiencing that have the potential to threaten community health and safety, hence skill sets associated with licensing and other regulatory requirements of VET occupations:
* Address other skills shortages crucial to the efficient functioning of the economy- these could be new and emerging skills to enable new enterprise opportunities to be taken up;
* Meet the skills needs of small and medium enterprises that often do not extend to full qualifications
* Enable learners to undertake smaller “chunks” of learning that will benefit them, work-wise
* Provide individuals daunted by the prospect of undertaking a full load of formal training associated with a qualification the opportunity to undertake a smaller amount more easily achieved and that can encourage individuals to go on to complete a full qualification at a later date
* Provide RTOs with an opportunity to engage enterprises in training programs that may have been ignored for a number of reasons in the past; such as time sensitivities, arduous paperwork requirements or the requirement to undertake unnecessary training to achieve a qualification.

The findings regarding such claims for the Agrifood sector and via NSW TAFE NSW developed skill sets training will be reflected on for their implications for national Skill Sets policy and practice, including skill sets funding and reporting. This will require examination of relationships between TAFE NSW developed skill sets in Agrifood with those identified in the training packages and those developed by RTOs in other States. It also will require consideration of the extent to which the Agrifood industry has characteristics the same as and different to other industry sectors when it comes to workforce skills development and engagement in qualifications training, and skill sets usage in the process.

Approach

Mixed-methods

Research questions

The project seeks to address questions along the following lines:
1. Why skill sets in VET and what policy and practices have emerged and based on what evidence?
2. What roles do skill sets play in workforce skills development and productivity in the Agrifood industries?
3. What role do skill sets play in encouraging the engagement of Agrifood workers/ training participants into further formal vocational education and training?
4. What roles do skill sets play in encouraging the completion of higher level Agrifood VET qualifications?
5. What role do skill sets play in meeting Agrifood industry needs for post initial qualification skills development?
6. What are the implications of the findings on skill sets delivery in the Agrifood industry in NSW for national skill sets policy and practice?

Methodology

1. Context setting
The context of the research project will be established through a review of current literature and recommendations on skill sets. The review will be in two parts: a review of existing research on skill sets in the broad and workforce skills development and engagement in full qualifications training and a review of current literature and recommendations around skill sets use in the Agrifoods sector, in particular.
2. Analysis of the training history from 2005 to 2010 of 1200 TAFE students who enrolled in Rural Studies skills set in 2005
3. Analysis of the training history of 200 Diploma of Agriculture graduates from years 2008 and 2011.
4. Three focus groups of approximately 15 to 20 graduates from both groups investigating their responses to the research questions
5. Telephone survey of a further sample of both groups
6. Final report preparation

Organisations

TAFE Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit
The TAFE Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit – Orange and Granville support the work of TAFE Institutes to deliver flexible, customised and responsive training products and services associated with Training Package and accredited course cycles. The Industry Skills Unit - Orange and Granville is aligned to Industry Skills Councils: Agrifoods; Resources and Infrastructure; Forest Works; and Construction and Property Services.
Western Research Institute is a not-for-profit economic, social and business research organisation which has operated for over 12 years under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer, Tom Murphy.

Western Research Institute
Western Research Institute is a not-for-profit economic, social and business research organisation which has operated for over 12 years under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer, Tom Murphy. Western Research Institute provides quality, customised research services for all levels of government, industry groups, businesses, financial institutions, regional development boards, community groups and educational institutions and has, to date, completed over 400 research projects. A dedicated team of professional research staff and associates provides Western Research Institute with the expertise necessary to provide our clients with robust and reliable research solutions.

Kaye Bowman Consulting
Kaye Bowman Consulting was established in mid 2006 and has worked on more than 30 consultancies since to the satisfaction of clients including the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, national ACE Action Group, the Australian Qualifications Framework Council and the National VET Advisory Council.

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