In this interview, Steve Davis talks with Tom Karmel about his report 'Apprenticeships in the downturn'. Apprenticeships have a very long history in Australia, building on the traditions of the medieval guilds. The essence of the apprenticeship is the contract of training--a legal contract between an individual, an employer and a training provider. The defining characteristic is the combination of employment and training. The purpose of this paper is to describe what we know about apprenticeships and traineeships, with a view to assessing the likely impact of the current economic downturn on them.
The purpose of this paper is to describe what we know about apprenticeships and traineeships, with a view to assessing the likely impact of the current economic downturn on them.
NCVER commissioned six leading thinkers to offer insights into what is meant by a training market, constraints upon that market and the areas for improvement in the system which would allow consumers greater choice.
This paper considers three aspects of vocational education and training's (VET) contribution to the labour market: the relationship between their training and the occupations VET graduates work in; the extent to which the qualified proportion of the workforce has increased; and the link between VET and skills acquisition. Finally, some thoughts are aired on the implications of the economic slowdown for vocational education and training.
This paper aims to provide a picture of the occupations in the community services and health industry, and how the workforce obtains the required skills. The authors argue that planning for the industry should concentrate on occupations specific to the industry and those which require high skill levels. Findings suggest that the qualification levels of community services and health workers have increased substantially over the past decade. Furthermore, community services and health vocational education and training courses are well targeted, with most graduates finding employment in the industry.
This paper discusses a number of aspects of this tertiary education sector: the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), which describes the qualifications offered by the three education sectors: schools, higher education and VET; student characteristics of the two sectors; a characterisation of higher education and VET; and student movement between the two sectors.
The purpose of this paper looks at the fundamental issue of whether VET does improve the employment prospects of the groups in question. It exploits data from the Student Outcome Survey to construct samples that proxy three welfare groups and models the post-training employment outcomes.
Information on the divergence between student numbers and delivery hours for the period 2002 to 2007 is provided in this technical paper. The change in hours from one year to the next is decomposed into three effects, one of which is 'hours inflation', whereby nominal hours increase over time for the same unit of competency or module. Here we show that the 'hours inflation' explains relatively little of the divergence between students and hours. However, another form of hours creep, whereby new modules have higher average hours than ceased modules, was of some significance at the start of the period in question.
A history of performance measurement for the vocational education and training (VET) sector, beginning with the creation of the Australian National Training Authority in 1992 and ending with what we know of the current reforms. As well as discussing the various measures, the paper looks at the challenges that are brought up by indicators and makes some suggestions for indicators for the VET system.
This report examines the costs that both employers and apprentices incur for undertaking training in the plumbing and electrical industries. The importance of understanding costs is fundamental. Employers will not take on apprentices if the cost is too high, and prospective apprentices will not undertake an apprenticeship if the future benefits (increased wages) do not outweigh the immediate costs to them. The research found that the apprenticeship model involves a substantial financial commitment from employers, and apprenticeships are more attractive to young people and will remain unattractive to older people, unless the premium paid to qualified tradespeople is substantial.
This paper was presented to a meeting of the Wellington Exchange, an international group of higher education officials, in December 2008.
This paper was presented at the Skills Australia, Academy of Social Sciences seminar in Sydney in September 2008. This paper examines the demand for training. It concentrates on the factors that affect individual and employer demand, and points out that accredited vocational education and training (VET) need to be considered in the context of extensive use of non-accredited and on-the-job training.
This technical paper examines some large and unusual movements for data in the 2007 VET Provider Collection by comparison with 2006. Changes in the patterns of courses undertaken explain most of the divergence between students, enrolments and hours.