Don't miss ...
Last chance to register for the LSAY National Research Forum 'Are we there yet? Youth transitions in Australia'
Hosted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), this one-day national forum will present the latest findings from LSAY research with a focus on young people in transition.
Leading researchers, together with key players in youth research, policy and education, will discuss how the findings support young people's choices.
Key topics will include the impact of schools, student aspirations, gap years and financial wellbeing.
For more information and to register for this event, visit
http://www.ncver.edu.au/newsevents/events/youthtransitions.html
Register now for the 22nd National VET Research Conference 'No Frills' 2013
Registrations are now open for the 22nd National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference 'No Frills' in Mooloolaba, Queensland on 10-12 July 2013, co-hosted with Sunshine Coast TAFE.
Spaces are limited, so don't forget to book your place!
For more information and to register, visit
http://www.ncver.edu.au/newsevents/trconf/trconf22.html
Webinar: Labour mobility and VET in Australia
A webinar 'Labour mobility and VET in Australia', will be held on Tuesday, 23 April 2013 to be presented by Kostas Mavromaras, Director, National Institute of Labour Studies, Flinders University.
Labour mobility is a core element of a well-functioning and flexible labour market. Although mobility is considered to be generally desirable, this is not always the case as individual job-movers can become better or worse off after their move. This webinar will present findings from a recent research which considered the factors which influence 'good' or 'bad' mobility.
For more information and to register for this free webinar, visit
Just off the press ...
The impact of schools on young people's transition to university
Sinan Gemici, Patrick Lim, Tom Karmel
This report uses Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data to look at the impact of schools on a student's tertiary entrance rank (TER) and the probability of them going to university (controlling for TER). It shows that the characteristics of schools do matter: although young people's individual characteristics are the main drivers of success, school attributes are also responsible for almost 20% of the variation in TER scores. The three most important school attributes for TER include sector (Catholic and independent/government); gender mix (single sex/co-educational) and the extent to which a school is 'academic'.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2541.html
Towards a culture of scholarly practice in mixed-sector institutions
Melanie Williams, Fleur Goulding, Terri Seddon
The increasing prevalence of VET institutions delivering higher education qualifications has raised questions regarding scholarships place in these institutions. This report uses Boyer's four forms of scholarship - delivery, integration, application and teaching - to explore how it is implemented in the tertiary education sector. Although the VET sector may not use the term 'scholarship', aspects of the four forms are practised. The authors provide a number of strategies to enhance scholarly practice in VET institutions.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2599.html
Vocational education, Indigenous students and the choice of pathways
Susan Bandias, Don Fuller, Steven Larkin
This report looks at the pathways Indigenous students in the Northern Territory take between VET and higher education; it explores the perspectives of studying at higher-level VET and higher education qualifications; it aims to understand the pathways adopted by Indigenous students; their motivations to study; and their experiences while studying. The report finds that 17% of Indigenous admissions to higher education at Charles Darwin University are based on previous VET qualifications. However, this pathway is available to relatively few students because of the low number of Indigenous graduates at the certificate IV, diploma and advanced diploma level. The students were generally happy with the quality of their courses, and those who had made the transition from VET to higher education said their VET study was relevant. However, some were unprepared for the academic environment and the emphasis on online learning.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2603.html
Barriers and facilitators affecting course completions by apprentices and trainees with disabilities
Errol Cocks, Stian H Thoresen
Apprenticeships and traineeships are useful pathways for people with a disability to obtain a qualification and gain employment. Based on a three-year program of research, this report explores the barriers and facilitators of course completion reported by students with a disability who have completed an apprenticeship or traineeship. Formal and informal support was the greatest facilitator to completion, and lack of resources the major barrier. This included poor training wages, equipment costs and a lack of time, often due to family commitments.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2597.html
Data tables update - Tertiary education and training in Australia 2010
This publication provides information on tertiary education in Australia (covering both higher education and vocational education and training), including statistics on participation, pathways and outcomes. Information is presented on students and equivalent full-time students. Further tables on pathways were added to the Excel data tables in March 2013.
What's new ...
NCVER's global role in Pacific UNESCO-UNEVOC international network
NCVER, in association with Polytechnics International New Zealand (PINZ) and TAFE Directors' Australia (TDA), is managing the Pacific Island sub-cluster of the UNESCO-UNEVOC international network. This sub-cluster consists of 15 Pacific countries including Australia and New Zealand. The role of the sub-cluster coordinator is to promote research, information sharing and understanding of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems and practices in the region. A further function is to encourage information exchange with other regions and the UNEVOC International Centre in Bonn, Germany.
More information on the UNEVOC Network can be found at:
http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/go.php?q=UNEVOC+Network+-+Home
'NCVER News' is also available as a news feed from http://www.ncver.edu.au/news/news.rss