All publications

In this 13 minute interview, Steve Davis talks with Leesa Wheelahan about the report 'Shaken not sti… Show more

In this 13 minute interview, Steve Davis talks with Leesa Wheelahan about the report 'Shaken not stirred? The development of one tertiary education sector in Australia'. This report examines universities that offer a small amount of VET and private providers that offer both VET and higher education, building on previous research examining TAFEs that offer higher education. This research suggests that mixed-sector and dual-sector providers are likely to become more important but they face specific challenges in the quality of their provision. While the sharp distinctions between VET and higher education are giving way to a more differentiated single tertiary education sector this is resulting in a more stratified and hierarchical structure as university providers become the 'comparator'. Show less

This research suggests that while mixed-sector and dual-sector providers are still only small in num… Show more

This research suggests that while mixed-sector and dual-sector providers are still only small in number, they likely to become more important but they face specific challenges in the quality of their provision.  Show less

This research overview provides the key messages arising from two related projects investigating ter… Show more

This research overview provides the key messages arising from two related projects investigating tertiary education institutions that have recently begun to offer tertiary programs outside the sector of their initial establishment and the sector of the majority of their enrolments. These are TAFE institutes offering higher education programs, universities offering vocational education programs and private providers offering both. Show less

Using interviews with adult migrants over a period of two years, the authors look at how undertaking… Show more

Using interviews with adult migrants over a period of two years, the authors look at how undertaking an English as a second language (ESL) class helps to facilitate integration into Australian society. Show less

In this report the authors examine how skills development in domestic plumbing occupations has respo… Show more

In this report the authors examine how skills development in domestic plumbing occupations has responded to an increased emphasis on environmental sustainability and 'greening'. They find that rather than sustainability and greening requiring major changes in thinking, plumbing skills need to be responsive to changing technology and more generic skills such as dealing with customers are required. How and at what stage to best impart these skills is a challenge for plumbing and the vocational education and training sector. Show less

This research used a survey to investigate the attitudes of people with a disability towards underta… Show more

This research used a survey to investigate the attitudes of people with a disability towards undertaking training. The findings show very positive attitudes towards training by participants and, although the ability to generalise to the wider population is limited, one thing is clear: generally, people with a disability are willing to undertake VET and consider it a good option in helping them find employment. Some factors affected attitudes more than others, including level of school-based education; highest qualification level completed; whether people had single or multiple disabilities; and, to some extent, gender. Show less

Language, literacy and numeracy are necessary for greater workforce participation, productivity and… Show more

Language, literacy and numeracy are necessary for greater workforce participation, productivity and social inclusion. Being able to measure the level of proficiency in these skills, and any changes in the level of skills, is important for getting a sense of how well language, literacy and numeracy programs are working. Two measurement tools used in Australia are the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALLS) survey and the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). This paper outlines an NCVER study which will investigate whether it is possible to map the performance levels of the ALLS to the performance levels of the ACSF in order to gain more frequent information than is currently available about the literacy and numeracy progression of adult learners against national goals. Show less

Two features of the labour market for vocationally qualified workers are explored in this technical… Show more

Two features of the labour market for vocationally qualified workers are explored in this technical paper: the likelihood of self-employment versus wage employment and the determinants of income. Show less

This overview describes research conducted by the University of Canberra which looked at the charact… Show more

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. Show less

The author explores the prospect of improving pathways and opportunities for tradespeople in Austral… Show more

The author explores the prospect of improving pathways and opportunities for tradespeople in Australia through the introduction of a masters-level qualification. The study investigates the views and opinions of senior industry representatives and professional educators to determine whether the introduction of a master trade or master artisan qualification will lead to greater prospects for tradespeople and an increased esteem for trade vocations within the community. Show less

The recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) has become a global issue. This research examines the is… Show more

The recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) has become a global issue. This research examines the issues associated with e-waste recycling at the level of a TAFE institute with 17 campuses. Findings suggest that at a local level people are willing to deal with e-waste in a sustainable manner. If given a choice, they will usually pick the most convenient method of disposal, such as kerbside pick up. 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. Show less

This Community of Practice paper seeks to determine whether peer-to-peer mentoring is a successful w… Show more

This Community of Practice paper seeks to determine whether peer-to-peer mentoring is a successful way of transferring skills and knowledge between music students at Nirimba College. The study comprised an eight-week mentoring trial and several surveys and interviews with the group of music students who participated in the mentoring trial. The aim of the research was to find out the students' perspectives on TAFE music teaching and learning, their attitudes towards music and their own career goals, as well as their thoughts on the mentoring trial. Show less

This technical paper outlines the methodology used to adjust the original Program of International S… Show more

This technical paper outlines the methodology used to adjust the original Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) weights to ensure that each Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) wave represents the original population. The author also provides guidance to researchers in applying the weights to their analysis of LSAY data. Show less

This research examines the 'psychological contract' or the unwritten expectations of employers and e… Show more

This research examines the 'psychological contract' or the unwritten expectations of employers and employees in an employment relationship. The particular aim of this study was to discover whether mismatched expectations have any effect on retention in apprenticeships and traineeships. Overall, there was a very high level of agreement on the obligations of the two major parties and so mismatched expectations turn out not to be the explanation for high attrition rates. But paying greater attention to the areas perceived as deficient, such as employers providing specific time for training, fair treatment and resources to do the job, may be a means of improving retention. Show less

Undertaking research in the vocational education and training (VET) and disability area is not easy.… Show more

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. Show less

In this 9 minute interview, Steve Davis talks with Tom Karmel about the report 'Attrition in the tra… Show more

In this 9 minute interview, Steve Davis talks with Tom Karmel about the report 'Attrition in the trades'. This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave their occupation with that of professionals. It also determines whether attrition is influenced by economic conditions, and if a trade can provide a good start to a career in the professions. The report concludes that attrition in the trades is no higher than in the professions; the rate of leaving particular occupations may vary, but overall the results between the two are very similar. The economic climate also makes little difference to the attrition rate. Show less

This briefing paper explores the link between wellbeing and the stages of transition of participants… Show more

This briefing paper explores the link between wellbeing and the stages of transition of participants from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) from 1995 to 2006. The paper also examines trends in the physical, emotional and psychological health of young people. The report finds that, although young people are generally disability-free, there are some concerning trends in their wellbeing over time. Notable changes in life satisfaction ratings of young people are also observed during the transition process and coincide with different milestones at different stages. Show less

This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave t… Show more

This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave their occupation with that of professionals. It also determines whether attrition is influenced by economic conditions, and if a trade can provide a good start to a career in the professions. The report concludes that attrition in the trades is no higher than in the professions; the rate of leaving particular occupations may vary, but overall the results between the two are very similar. The economic climate also makes little difference to the attrition rate. Show less

This overview provides a discussion about the report ‘Attrition in the trades’, and concludes that t… Show more

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. Show less

One of the significant challenges facing Australia is the ageing of the population. This challenge h… Show more

One of the significant challenges facing Australia is the ageing of the population. This challenge has led policy-makers to consider how older workers can be kept in the workforce. To help generate discussion on older workers, NCVER commissioned six researchers to draft essays on various issues around keeping older Australians engaged with the workforce. These essays, and responses by six additional discussants, were presented at a roundtable held in Canberra in May 2011. Themes to arise from the roundtable included the need to consider the diversity of older workers, the challenges of low literacy and numeracy skills for some older workers, discrimination and stereotypes, and the recognition that not all older workers want to keep working. Show less