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.
Research messages 2008 is a collection of summaries of research projects published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research in 2008, including conference papers and occasional papers. It also has an overview of the research highlights for the year. The summaries are clustered under five broad themes used by NCVER to organise its VET research and analysis: Industry and employers; Students and individuals; Teaching and learning; VET system; and VET in context.
This paper aims to contribute to the discussion on the quality and accessibility of underpinning knowledge in competency-based training. It uses the Vocational Graduate Certificate and the Vocational Graduate Diploma in Education Design in a Queensland TAFE institute to examine how the 'traditional' knowledge and theory associated with higher-level qualifications can be accommodated within the framework of competency-based training and assessment. The paper raises some interesting, and provocative, questions about the status and value of these qualifications by comparison with their university counterparts.
The findings of a cultural industries skills audit undertaken in 2008 in Katherine, Northern Territory, are explored. The case study focusses in particular on the practical challenges and implications of auditing skills in a diverse industry sector and considers the usefulness of such an audit in preparing an industry for predicted change. This paper is the result of a 2008 NCVER New Researcher Award.
The difficulties experienced by vocational education and training (VET) teachers in delivering the generic employability skills embedded in industry training packages are considered in this paper.
The place of women in the manual trades is examined in this paper, which sets out strategies for encouraging them to study and work in areas such as building and construction. Such strategies include introductory and pre-apprenticeships courses, clustering female students, and support from teachers in opening up job opportunities. This paper is the result of a 2008 NCVER New Researcher Award.
This briefing paper provides a summary of students' experiences at school and their attitudes and perceptions of these experiences at ages 15 and 16. It is based on information obtained in both years from these young people who participated in PISA in 2003 and who are now part of the LSAY 2003 cohort. Table 1 shows the distribution, by year level, of the cohort in both 2003 and 2004. Briefing paper no.16 This paper, published by the Australian Council for Educational Reasearch (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
The data for this briefing paper are from the 1995 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). The findings reported here are from three recent LSAY research reports, which are listed at the end of this briefing paper. The cohort comprises young people who were in Year 9 at school in 1995. Data in this briefing paper have been collected annually to 2005. This briefing paper concentrates on those who undertook an apprenticeship or traineeship after leaving school, or enrolled for non-apprenticeship study at a TAFE institution or a private VET provider. Briefing paper no.17 This paper, published by the Australian Council for Educational Reasearch (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
The data for this briefing paper were collected from two LSAY cohorts: the Year 9 class of 1995 and the Year 9 class of 1998. Information on the education and labour market activities of these groups has been collected annually. The findings reported here follow the experiences of university entrants from these groups up to age 23. The findings are discussed in further detail in three recent LSAY research reports on the first year experience (Hillman, 2005), university completion (Marks, 2007) and unmet demand (Marks, 2005). Earlier LSAY research, based upon previous groups of young people followed over longer periods of time, are also used. Briefing paper no.18 This paper, published by the Australian Council for Educational Reasearch (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
This briefing paper looks at participation in VET in Schools programs by members of three groups of young people who have been part of LSAY since 1995, when VET in Schools offerings experienced sustained growth. The first group comprises young people who were in Year 9 in 1995 and included vocational education and training (VET) subjects as part of their Year 11 or Year 12 studies in 1997 and 1998. The second group comprises young people who were in Year 9 in 1998 and included VET subjects as part of their senior secondary studies in 2000 and 2001. Both of these groups participated in VET in Schools while the program was still developing and have provided valuable data on their post-school pathways. The third group included in this briefing paper were 15 years old in 2003. At the time, some were in Year 11, but most were in Year 11 in 2004. For this group, data are available for Year 11 only. The three cohorts provide an opportunity to examine changes in participation in VET in Schools between 1997 and 2004 and their outcomes. Briefing paper no.15 This paper, published by the Australian Council for Educational Reasearch (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
This briefing paper presents information about the initial tertiary education experiences, such as satisfaction with aspects of student life and changes to initial enrolments, of two groups of young people, based on two recent LSAY research reports. One study focussed on the first year experiences of a group of young people who completed Year 12 in 2001 and entered tertiary education (university and TAFE) the following year. In this study, TAFE students who were enrolled in traineeships or apprenticeships were excluded from the analyses. The second study examined course changes and attrition from university study among a group of young people who completed Year 12 in 1998 and entered university in 1999 or 2000. Their experiences of university study were analysed up until the end of 2001, that is, during their first two years of study. Briefing paper no.14 This paper, published by the Australian Council for Educational Reasearch (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
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.
This report investigates the effect of post-secondary education and training on the occupation and earnings of young people. The majority of young Australians undertake further education and training after leaving school, and it is important to better understand the pathways that they follow, and the impact of different types of experience on the early career. Such analyses can help young people in choosing appropriate programs as well as assist policy makers in identifying resource priorities. They can also contribute to debates about the role of education in promoting social mobility and economic development. Research report no. 55 This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
Recognition of prior learning has been a longstanding major policy initiative within the education and training landscape. This report provides insights into how people become aware of their recognition options and explores factors that encourage or inhibit access to recognition of prior learning. This may assist practitioners offering recognition of prior learning services to make changes which could enhance the experience for those people wishing to pursue this pathway.