Description
This paper is a review of literature on employer engagement with vocational education and training (VET). The main conclusion is that the major form of engagement is through the competency-based training system, which is manifested through training packages. Another way employers are encouraged to engage with VET is through competition amongst training providers. This provides employers with greater responsiveness and choice.Summary
About the research
This paper, commissioned by the United Kingdom’s Commission for Employment and Skills, reviews the literature on how employers engage with the vocational education and training (VET) system in Australia.
The main conclusion that can be reached is that the major form of engagement is through using competencies as the building block of the training system. Competencies were introduced in the VET sector in the late 1980s and focus on the outcomes of training. Competencies are described through the skills and tasks specified by industry. This development of competencies is effected through training packages, which are developed by industry skills councils.
Engagement of employers has also been encouraged by promoting competition in the training market. The idea is that providers need to be more responsive to the needs of employers. The best example of this is the ‘user choice’ program, under which employers choose the training provider which delivers the off-the-job component of apprenticeships and traineeships.
Tom Karmel
Managing Director, NCVER.