Using data from the 2009 Australian Work and Life Index, this report examines how work-life pressures influence the capacity and motivation of individuals, particularly low-paid workers, to engage in education and training.
The preference of students to choose a career in events management over hospitality despite low demand for skills is the focus of this paper. The need for greater involvement of external stakeholders is identified as important in ensuring that students make an informed decision when choosing a career path. A model representing the ideal situation for student decision-making on career choice is proposed. The research was funded through the NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity initiative and was undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice scholarship program.
An analysis of student verbatim responses in the Student Outcome Survey provides suggestions for how the vocational education and training (VET) system could be improved.
This overview looks at the key findings of Mike Dockery's report 'Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in education and training' and shows that, in both remote and non-remote areas, those with a stronger attachment to their culture had greater educational success. However, it also reveals that the report is a complex one, and the way the data are analysed is key to the findings.
The adoption of problem-based learning as a teaching method in the advertising and public relations programs offered by the Business TAFE School at RMIT University is explored in this paper. The effect of problem-based learning on student engagement, student learning and contextualised problem-solving was investigated and it was found that students perceive problem-based learning to be beneficial. Several success factors for this approach are also identified. The research for this paper was undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice scholarship program, a program funded through the NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity initiative.
The perceptions of students, school and TAFE staff involved in V Tracks, an early intervention program for Aboriginal school students are explored in this paper. The study identifies outcomes, challenges and recommendations for future program design. Overall, V Tracks was found to improve student engagement in school and provide greater insights into the available education, training and employment pathways for students. NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity program funded this paper, which is based on research undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice scholarship program.
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.
How the trend towards an integrated tertiary sector impacts on the way NCVER thinks about its research and statistical activities is briefly considered in this discussion paper.
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Michael Dockery about his report, 'Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in education and training'. This study provides an important innovation to the existing literature by explicitly attempting to measure 'cultural attachment' and its relationship with post-compulsory education and training.
This paper summarises the findings from the first year of a three-year research program investigating the role of vocational education and training (VET) for older workers.
The relationship between job requirements, individual skills and the participation of workers in further education and training, with an emphasis on older workers, is the focus of this report.
This study explores the common features of high-quality traineeships using case studies from the cleaning, child care, construction, retail, finance and insurance, and meat processing areas.
This study provides an important innovation to the existing literature by explicitly attempting to measure 'cultural attachment' and its relationship with post-compulsory education and training.
This paper provides an account of the management strategies and processes that TAFE institutes use to evaluate their performance.
This study examines employers’ views, taken from the NCVER Survey of Employer Use and Views on the VET System, on the three ways they can engage with the VET system: by having vocational qualifications as a job requirement; employing apprentices and trainees; and using nationally recognised training. In particular, the authors focus on employers’ suggestions for improvement to the VET system and, for those employers who are dissatisfied with the system, their reasons for dissatisfaction.
This study examines where and how NCVER's research has influenced vocational education and training (VET) policy and practice.
In light of recent developments in educational policy and the positioning of vocational education and training (VET) across the European Union, it was timely to explore these new directions and the lessons for Australian VET.
This report considers how the ALRP has contributed to the adult language, literacy and numeracy sector.
This paper was presented by Robin Shreeve at the NCVER Research on Toast seminar in March 2009. It briefly compares the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia with its equivalent in England, which is known as the skills or further education sector. The paper then outlines two key aspects of the English VET sector which might be of use to Australia: using course completion rates as a key performance measure at all levels of the VET sector; and using vocational 'foundation degrees' as a way for students to articulate between the VET and higher education sectors
This issues paper reports on the findings from the first year of a three-year program of research by the University of Sydney's Workplace Research Centre. The overarching aim of the research is to investigate how, if at all, vocational education and training can make a difference in improving productivity and workforce participation. The authors describe four domains of social and economic practice in which to frame the second and third year's research, and the key challenges for workforce development in two particular industries: meat processing, and early education and care.