One of the most striking features of the modern world is its changing demographic profile. In almost any policy arena, the issue of demographic change (or ageing) sits alongside globalisation, climate change and the knowledge revolution as areas which are transforming societies, including the ways in which we organise and go about our work activities. This significant and worldwide phenomenon motivated an international meeting of a number of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) research agencies, hosted by NCVER in October 2006. This publication is the result of this meeting and contains the presented papers and comments by discussants. What emerges from the papers is a picture of a worldwide trend that touches many aspects of TVET and the labour market, but one which needs to take into account the very different economies and societies of the world.
Society is becoming increasingly aware of the need for education to play a key role in integrating knowledge and understanding about sustainability into practical, vocational skills which can be used in the workplace. Education for sustainability is now a widely accepted concept which seeks to promote and develop sustainability skills and awareness throughout a learner's educational pathway. This report shows that the vocational education and training (VET) sector has a key role to play in promoting sustainability education by incorporating these skills into training packages. However, significant barriers exist to implementation, including the lack of a shared national vision and adequate resources. The report concludes with suggestions to encourage the adoption of education for sustainability in VET policy and practice.
People's life pathways are no longer as predictable as they were in the second half of the 20th century. It is no longer as simple as moving from school to work, probably via tertiary education, to living independently, then getting married and starting a family. Changes in how people combine education with life-course transitions will influence when and how people make their skills available to the labour market throughout their lives. The report examines the extent to which people's life-course trajectories are changing and the consequences for the vocational education and training (VET) sector. The report finds that the VET sector is significantly more affected by changing life-course patterns than are universities.
Older workers' perspectives are examined in a national survey of the finance sector and case studies of aged care and construction workers. The majority of older workers intend to work beyond retirement age, to achieve a better lifestyle. With training, older workers could mentor younger workers.
This study examined the extent to which English language, literacy and numeracy teachers used classroom management strategies to meet the needs of adult Sudanese refugee learners. While teachers met the needs of these learners insofar as they coincided with those of other refugee groups, the highly oral language culture of these learners appeared not to have been accounted for in teaching strategies. Recommendations include greater flexibility in program content, outcomes and delivery.
This report examines the relationship between socio-economic status and participation in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Research indicates that students from low socio-economic status areas are over-represented in the VET sector; it also shows that VET students from these areas complete qualifications at a better-than-average rate.
Community-run men's sheds have recently developed and proliferated, mainly across parts of southern Australia and with higher proportions of older men not in work. This study examines their role as a place for older men to learn informally. It concludes that such sheds have important wellbeing and health benefits, primarily for older and retired men.
The purpose of this study was to identify the factors which help successful equity initiatives that had been seeded in TAFE institutes through short-term funding to take root and spread. The report concludes that many equity programs remain stuck in the seeding stage and fail to thrive and grow. It suggests that this is because current funding approaches place too much emphasis on starting initiatives and not enough on the development and scale-up of promising ones.
Small businesses account for the great majority of businesses and half the private sector employment in Australia, but only one third provide structured training for their employees. This study, a systematic review of existing research, set out to find clear evidence of intervention strategies that meet small business needs in relation to the provision of information, skills and knowledge in the training arena. The review shows that strategies which match the way small business learns are more successful than direct or formal training. Small business learns 'through doing', with the focus on real issues in the workplace and learning through social networks.
Vocational education and training (VET) is much more important to young people than might be immediately apparent. This paper focuses on how young people participate in vocational education and training, what they study and their outcomes. Of particular note is the importance of VET for those young people who do not proceed on the conventional academic path of 12 years of school followed by university.
Successive Australian governments over the last 20 years have focused on providing employment programs which support Indigenous people into their jobs. This report finds that the effectiveness of such programs has rarely been rigorously evaluated against their diverse objectives. It highlights a recent shift in policy toward strict employment outcomes, making programs easier to evaluate, but also cautions against applying the same 'mainstream' objectives to all Indigenous communities.
School and vocational education opportunities are explored for Indigenous people in the Victorian Goulburn Valley region, where educational participation and completion rates are poor. Strategies that could boost successful vocational education and training (VET) participation include an education entitlement fund, stronger early literacy and numeracy programs, individual case management and greater involvement of the community in planning education programs.
The recent research on the role that vocational education and training (VET) plays in assisting the transition from school to work for young people up to 24 years of age is summarised in this 'at a glance' publication.
This report looks at factors that influence university course completion by young Australians. It follows a group of young Australians over a period of nine years. It provides understanding into course completion rate, in particular, the socio-demographic and educational factors. It also documents labour market outcomes of those who leave university before obtaining qualifications. In addition, it asks whether even a partial university experience can lead to further pathways. Research report no. 51 This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
Skill shortages in the Australian printing industry are examined in this report. The nature of shortages is considered, as well as responses aimed at resolving shortages. First, at the industry level, strategic responses such as investment in technology and diversification are proposed. Responses at the workplace level focus on attracting employees and improving the capabilities of the existing workforce. Finally, training solutions are proposed. These include a focus on new training models involving cooperation between industry and training providers. In summary, this study reveals the complexity of issues that shape skill shortages and the need for any industry to seek a coordinated response that draws upon the efforts of employers as well as training providers.
This report is part of a suite of research projects entitled 'A well-skilled future: Tailoring VET to the emerging labour market' conducted by a consortium of researchers from the National Institute of Labour Studies and the Centre for Post-compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning. This report aims to clarify the term 'skill shortage' and to explain how skill shortages can be resolved naturally by market forces. It also provides some guidance on determining when a skill shortage requires public-policy intervention.
Research messages 2006 is a collection of summaries on all research projects published or completed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research in 2006. The summaries are clustered under five broad themes used by NCVER to organise all of its VET research and analysis: Industry and employers; Students and individuals; Teaching and learning; VET system; and VET in context. Twenty-nine pieces of work are included and each summary provides details of how to access the full research report.
Using wage data from the Student Outcomes Survey, this study examines whether there is a pay off to actually completing a vocational education and training (VET) qualification, noting that many VET students do not complete full qualifications.
This paper models completions for traditional apprenticeships on the basis of commencements from 1995 to 2005. These models are used to understand the dynamics of the relationship between commencements and completions in order to predict the number of future completions. On the basis of the models, it is expected that completions will increase in the future. The models allow the paper to comment on the variation in completion rates across states/territories and changes in them over time.
This report follows the final years of secondary school and post-school pathways of young people residing in non-metropolitan areas. This includes geographic mobility, participation in education, training and employment. The study investigates why some young people leave these areas, who does so and whether some young people eventually return. The report indicates that the main reasons were to further education because of occupational aspirations mainly via university and TAFE study and less frequently through apprenticeships or traineeships. Research report no. 50 This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.