Opinion pieces

Francesca Beddie travelled to India as part of a project to investigate potential VET… Show more

Francesca Beddie travelled to India as part of a project to investigate potential VET collaborations supported by the Australia-India Institute based at the University of Melbourne. Show less

Transcript of a speech given by Professor Stephen Parker, Vice-Chancellor University of Canberra at … Show more

Transcript of a speech given by Professor Stephen Parker, Vice-Chancellor University of Canberra at the official launch of NCVER's tertiary education research database VOCEDplus in April 2011. Show less

A naive definition of vocational education and training (VET) might be that it is education and… Show more

A naive definition of vocational education and training (VET) might be that it is education and training that is designed for specific occupations. Thus one would label trade training as vocational because it is designed to train tradespersons. Show less

Measuring SES status is complex – this much is known. In late 2009 DEEWR released a discussion… Show more

Measuring SES status is complex – this much is known. In late 2009 DEEWR released a discussion paper entitled ‘Measuring the Socioeconomic Status of Higher Education Students’ to better explore the measurement challenge. The authors of this Show less

NCVER takes its role as the national statistical agency for vocational education and training very… Show more

NCVER takes its role as the national statistical agency for vocational education and training very seriously. It is rightly proud of the range of collections it manages – students and courses, apprentices and trainees, the Student Outcomes Survey, Show less

The vocational education and training (VET) sectors in Australia and China are responsible for… Show more

The vocational education and training (VET) sectors in Australia and China are responsible for equipping people with the skills and knowledge required to work in a range of industries. To ensure that training is relevant to business needs, the VET Show less

One of the most obvious effects of the economic downturn on apprentices was the decline in the… Show more

One of the most obvious effects of the economic downturn on apprentices was the decline in the numbers commencing an apprenticeship. While the popular press featured out-of-trade apprentices – apprentices who had been made redundant – the Show less

The history of adult education suggests we must think differently about the benefits of education… Show more

The history of adult education suggests we must think differently about the benefits of education and not assume that more and higher qualifications for our people is the progressive way. Show less

Vocational education and training is being shaped and stretched by government agendas, changing… Show more

Vocational education and training is being shaped and stretched by government agendas, changing labour markets and an increasingly competitive higher education market. Show less

Some years ago I wrote a paper titled 'Is VET vocational? It looked at the match between the… Show more

Some years ago I wrote a paper titled 'Is VET vocational? It looked at the match between the courses VET students undertook and their subsequent jobs. I concluded that apart from the traditional trades and a couple of other courses, the match was Show less

Approximately 7 million Australians aged between 15 to 74 years lack the literacy skills needed to… Show more

Approximately 7 million Australians aged between 15 to 74 years lack the literacy skills needed to fully participate in society, according to the 2006 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills survey. Everyday tasks that most of us take for Show less

A typical response from government to the demands for economic growth is to set targets for… Show more

A typical response from government to the demands for economic growth is to set targets for increasing the population’s skill level. Show less

I'm not sure whether the metaphor in the headline is appropriate given how green the countryside is … Show more

I'm not sure whether the metaphor in the headline is appropriate given how green the countryside is in Eastern and South Eastern Australia following some very decent rains. However, unlike the countryside which is now greener than it has been for Show less

Ask most people what they would expect to see in an adult and community education centre and… Show more

Ask most people what they would expect to see in an adult and community education centre and they'll probably think of a group of mature adults learning a language or doing a short course on how to use a digital camera. Yet it's increasingly likely Show less

TAFE is being asked by governments and industry alike to be more flexible, innovative and… Show more

TAFE is being asked by governments and industry alike to be more flexible, innovative and responsive. It is a need that TAFE providers acknowledge and have actively worked to address with results: TAFEs all over the country have become far more Show less