Using NCVER and Australian Bureau of Statistics data as well as findings from four case studies, this report looks at how mid-level qualifications assist entry to and progression in the workforce.
This report identifies two preconditions for vocational streams as well as describes scenarios of how these preconditions play out in industry.
This literature review compares vocational education and training (VET) and higher education providers delivering diplomas, advanced diplomas, associate degrees and bachelor degrees, as well as noting the changing nature of VET and higher education.
This paper considers whether single-sex schooling affects gendered patterns in the uptake of science courses in year 11 and the development of science-related career paths.
Effective pathways from vocational education and training (VET) to higher education help to alleviate skill shortages as well as increase access to higher qualifications and lifetime earnings for people holding VET awards.
How VET in Schools can be strengthened to provide stronger links to post-school pathways is explored in this report.
This research report examines the underutilisation of the skills of migrants in regional areas, particularly women who are often the spouse of a primary applicant but are also skilled in their own right.
The purpose of this research is to examine whether, for those who have left full-time education, a low-skill job provides them with a good start to their working lives. It was found that starting out in a low-skill job gives lower payoffs than starting out in a high-skill job. Five years after leaving full-time education, the wage penalty (after conditioning on education and other characteristics) still exists but this scarring effect diminishes over time. However, any job is better than having no job.
The authors of this paper explore whether low socioeconomic status (SES) students benefit to a greater or lesser extent from attending high-quality schools when compared with their more advantaged peers.
This study goes beyond looking at how the financial return to training varies with qualification level and investigates the relationship between literacy skills and the incomes of workers in the Australian labour market and whether this varies with level of education.
The authors investigate the 'enablers' that support building and construction students moving from diplomas into construction management and related bachelor degrees. The research considers the broader rationale for strengthening educational pathways, particularly from the perspectives of the students who have already made the transition from vocational education and training (VET) to higher education. Consistent with other research, this study confirms that committed VET teachers and staff, opportunities for students to build confidence, and collaboration between VET and higher education providers enables the navigation of a successful pathway.
Types of job mobility (changing industry sector, changing occupation, and changing sector and occupation) and the outcomes ensuing for those who have just completed a VET course in Australia over the years 2001–11 are examined in this report using NCVER Student Outcomes Survey data. To determine whether job quality improves with mobility, the research compares several measures before and after completing a VET course, focusing on the association between mobility and better pay, better occupational status, a higher chance of full-time employment, and a lower chance of casual employment. The results show that occupational mobility that also preserves sector-specific knowledge is associated with the best labour market outcomes.
Results from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics have been used to suggest there is a crisis in the literacy and numeracy skills of Australian adults. This study challenges this current view by looking at the issue from a worker's perspective.
Literacy and numeracy skills are critical in the workplace and yet little is known in Australia about the extent of numeracy training required within a workplace. This study begins to redress this by investigating the qualifications, experience, and numeracy skills of language, literacy and numeracy specialists and vocational specialists—referred to collectively in this study as vocational education and training (VET) practitioners—working in the process manufacturing industry. A degree of mismatch is found between the skill required to address numeracy needs in the process manufacturing industries and the current capacity of VET practitioners in terms of their understanding of numeracy requirements, their qualifications, skills and experience.
This report explores some of the key issues associated with the assessment in VET and reflects on some possible solutions.
In this eclectic collection of papers, 13 essayists and four high-profile discussants consider the complexity of the tertiary education system and its underlying structures.
This report explores the issues of industry currency and professional obsolescence - or the competence of an individual to perform their job - from the viewpoints of those working in the trades and the professions, with the aim to examine their suitability for VET.
This paper was written to encourage policy-makers to think about how to measure socioeconomic status (SES). It also provides some data on socioeconomic status and tertiary education participation and speculates about the likely impact of an expansion in higher education on those from a low socioeconomic background.
This report investigates whether undertaking work-related training helps those who are casually employed move into permanent or fixed-term work, and whether such training has an impact on the level of satisfaction casually employed people have with their jobs, employment opportunities and life in general.
For the first time in the history of 'No Frills', presenters were invited to submit papers for peer review, and these have been compiled into this publication.