This overview describes research conducted by the University of Canberra which looked at the characteristics of people with vocational qualifications who are self-employed and the differences between the self-employed and employees.
Undertaking research in the vocational education and training (VET) and disability area is not easy. The challenges include the limitations of the available data, accessing people with a disability and the diversity of disability type and severity. This discusses these issues and also presents a snapshot of recent data and a summary of recent research in this area.
This overview provides a discussion about the report ‘Attrition in the trades’, and concludes that the problem of attrition in the trades is more one of perception than reality. A comparison between trade and professional workers revealed that trade workers are not more likely to leave their occupation than their professional counterparts.
The corrective services industry has a strong history of, and commitment to, the provision of learning and development to its staff. Many Australian correctional jurisdictions are now implementing e-learning tools for this purpose. This research identifies a number of barriers and enablers which impact on the success of e-learning within corrections centres. Barriers can include attitudes and skills of the learner as well as issues associated with computer access and the security of personal information entered into e-learning programs, while enablers include cost-effectiveness and flexibility. The research was funded through NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity initiative and was undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice Scholarship program.
In June 2011, NCVER ran a forum ‘Is VET worthwhile?’, to bring together the suite of research from four programs of work conducted over three years (2008–2010) by the Centre for Work + Life at the University of South Australia; the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research at the University of Melbourne; the Social Policy Evaluation, Analysis and Research Centre at the Australian National University; and the Workplace Research Centre at the University of Sydney. This paper draws on the themes that emerged from the research and the forum discussion. It finds that whether VET is worthwhile for the wide variety of people who access it – students, workers or employers – depends on who you are and why you use it.
Moving from adolescence to adulthood can be a time of flux for young people as they try out different school, and post-school work and study choices. This research synthesis highlights what helps young people make this transition a success and what might work against them.
Innovation is seen as a way of increasing productivity in firms and also increasing prosperity for the nation. This examines what is meant by innovation, the relationship between innovation and productivity, and the types of skills that are relevant to innovation. It also discusses the implications of innovation for the training system, government and enterprises.
Ensuring all Australians have equal access to education has been a key driver of state and federal governments since the late 1980s. 'Lifting' skills of individuals through education, training and employment is an integral focus of public policies to redress disadvantage and improve social inclusion. Using Australian and international research, this At a glance explores how vocational education and training system responds to and fosters the social inclusion policy agenda.
This at a glance looks at developments in employability skills since 2002. It finds that most research has focused around teaching, assessing and reporting on employability skills, where consistency remains a key challenge. There also continues to be a lack of understanding of employability skills among some teachers. Until these issues are addressed, the sector could fall short in providing learners with the skills they need to succeed in their vocations.
This overview provides a brief summary of the report, by Chris Ryan. It describes how Ryan analysed the range of pathways available which offer genuine alternatives to completing secondary school. It finds that for those students who run the risk of dropping out, the best pathway for males is completing an apprenticeship, whereas for females completing Year 12 provides the best outcomes. Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data are the source of these findings.
Research messages 2010 is a collection of summaries of research projects published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). The summaries are clustered under five broad themes used by NCVER to organise its research and analysis: Industry and employers; Students and individuals; Teaching and learning: VET system; and VET in context. Research messages 2010 also has an overview essay that captures the themes and highlights from the research for the year.