Understanding equity strategies of training providers

This report notes that traditional notions of equity in vocational education and training (VET) are changing. In particular, policy and research in this area need to move beyond a preoccupation with target equity group representation. While past research based on this notion of equity has generated a great deal of knowledge and influenced policy and provision, its focus on the learner has largely excluded a critique of systemic issues; that is, the institutional relationships and policies which determine equity provision. To date, little research has been undertaken to identify the strategies which providers adopt to identify equity clients, customise courses and develop pathways to employment and further training.

The objectives of the study were to:

• work with selected technical and further education (TAFE) institutes to identify equity strategies that are being employed to produce outcomes for disadvantaged clients living in their regions

• examine the institutional relationships and policies that structure, contain and enable equity provision

• clarify the relationship between equity strategies and the complex interactions of provider, client and local factors

• stimulate and contribute to informed debate about the development and management of equity strategies in vocational education and training at the state and regional level.

This report is aimed at managers and practitioners in the VET sector who are trying to grapple with equity issues. It details the approaches at two TAFE institutes at the time of the study in 1999:

• South Western Sydney Institute where equity is embedded into all aspects of policy, organisational structure and program delivery

• Chisholm Institute which operates under a 'managing diversity' philosophy which attempts to take a positive view of disadvantage; that is, one which understands difference as strength.

As well as containing an exhaustive description of the two approaches, the report focuses on the importance of understanding the areas which service VET sector clients; that is, TAFE catchment areas. It proposes a number of statistical measures of disadvantage and presents relevant data on disadvantage and VET participation for Sydney and Melbourne, using postcode and geographic units.

In summary, the research suggests three key principles which can assist in the framing of TAFE equity practices:

• Local equity policies and strategies need to reflect the complexities of socio-economic disadvantage and equity provision needs also to be considered in the context of the local community.

• Equity strategies must reach the appropriate disadvantaged individuals and be undertaken by committed and flexible staff who are led and supported by a focused management which attracts and directs adequate resources. Each of these elements is crucial: identification of potential students; committed and flexible staff; leadership by equity-focused management; and adequate resourcing.

• Equity is an area of practice which must be continually reinvented within the organisation. It should not be allowed to languish in the care of a committee or be limited to words within documents. Equity strategies are dependent on the enthusiasm and commitment of practitioners, including institute policy-makers and teachers. Nurturing this dynamic element is a key part of a systemic approach.