On the whole, educational achievements and outcomes from vocational education and training (VET) are relatively poor for students reporting a disability. This paper sought to isolate the direct effect of being a member of a particular disability group. It found that the direct effect of the disability differs between groups, and is highest for those with a mental illness, a medical condition or a physical disability.
Students reporting a mental illness do poorly in vocational education and training (VET) compared with other disability groups. This is a challenge for the VET sector. Teachers and support staff are at the frontline in responding to the needs of these students and this research explored staff perspectives on how TAFE institutes in Australia are supporting students with mental illnesses.
This brief publication accompanies the report 'Who's supporting us? TAFE staff perspectives on supporting students with a mental illness'. Aimed at TAFE staff, it provides a summary of the key findings of the report, including lessons from participants about strategies to help students with mental illness, and useful resources.
Around a quarter of all Australian wage and salary earners are casual workers. Casual workers, in general, receive less training than those in ongoing employment. This paper considers whether the prevalence of casual employment is sustainable. It looks at the home and community care sector in which vocational education and training has a prominent role in developing the skills of workers, and in which casual employment is relatively high. It notes that, where employers pay for training, they usually prefer to use ongoing part-time employees rather than casuals. But many employers believe that casual employees prefer the flexibility of casual employment.