All publications

This survey collects information about the destinations of apprentices and trainees approximately ni… Show more

This survey collects information about the destinations of apprentices and trainees approximately nine months after leaving their training. Information was collected on employment outcomes, reasons for non-completion, satisfaction with the apprenticeship or traineeship, and further study destinations. Show less

This briefing paper assesses the effect VET in Schools programs have on school retention, post-schoo… Show more

This briefing paper assesses the effect VET in Schools programs have on school retention, post-school vocational education and training (VET) and employment, and on young people's school and post-school aspirations. VET in Schools programs are seen as a way to increase Year 12 retention through broadening subject choices in the school curriculum. Research based on the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth suggest that, while participation in these programs has positive effects on attitudes to and satisfaction with school, it does not necessarily lead to increased Year 12 retention. However, participation in VET in Schools can influence a small group of students, who are intent on getting a job straight after school, to change their post-school plans to include further VET study or an apprenticeship or traineeship. Show less

This report describes the characteristics of those who continue to work beyond the age of 65.

This report describes the characteristics of those who continue to work beyond the age of 65. Show less

Governments are interested in the relative efficiency of institutions, and in addition, information… Show more

Governments are interested in the relative efficiency of institutions, and in addition, information on efficiency can be used by individual institutions to benchmark themselves against their peers. The main factor that was found to affect efficiency, as defined in this paper, was degree of remoteness. Further, institute size is an important factor, with smaller institutes tending to be less efficient. This paper employs a mathematical technique known as Data Envelopment Analysis to examine the efficiency of TAFE institutes. Show less

To what extent do local governments use vocational education and training as a staff retention strat… Show more

To what extent do local governments use vocational education and training as a staff retention strategy? Human resources personnel from a selection of councils around Australia believed that a lack of career development or training opportunities might cause an employee to leave their organisation. The had some reservations about the quality and value of VET, but planned to continue to use it for staff development as it is the most widely available option. This paper is by a novice researcher from the Community of Practice program, which is part of NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity initiatives. Show less

In mid-2010 NCVER undertook a review of its building researcher capacity initiative in order to info… Show more

In mid-2010 NCVER undertook a review of its building researcher capacity initiative in order to inform its direction into the future. The review found that the initiative had achieved a high profile among vocational education and training (VET) practitioners. The scholarship programs had heightened awareness about the role research can play in fostering good practice and a culture of evaluation. The review found, however, that more work needs to be done to find the best ways to encourage new VET researchers within universities. Show less

This paper assesses the fitness-for-purpose of the existing Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth… Show more

This paper assesses the fitness-for-purpose of the existing Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) instruments as a source of information on the determinants of youth transitions in Australia. Show less

Apprentices with a learning disability can face significant barriers to completing their training. T… Show more

Apprentices with a learning disability can face significant barriers to completing their training. This paper explores what these apprentices, their lecturers and disability support staff see as the most effective strategies for helping them to overcome these difficulties. Instructional approaches which accommodate students' learning styles, individual tutoring and supportive relationships were endorsed by all groups as effective. This research was undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice scholarship program, which is funded through NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity initiative. Show less

This briefing paper draws together findings from two LSAY (Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth)… Show more

This briefing paper draws together findings from two LSAY (Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth) research reports: 'Participation in and progress through New Apprenticeships'; and the 'VET pathways taken by school leavers'. These two reports use data obtained from young people who were in Year 9 at school in 1995 and whose educational and occupational activities were traced each year thereafter. Student characteristics, fields of training, commencement and completion rates, and reasons for discontinuing are all explored. This paper, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth research program. Show less

This briefing paper draws on findings from several LSAY Research Reports (5, 27, 31, 33 and 41) whic… Show more

This briefing paper draws on findings from several LSAY Research Reports (5, 27, 31, 33 and 41) which report on how student attitudes and engagement in the formative school years influence subsequent participation in post-compulsory education and training. Data is used from two LSAY cohorts: students who were in Year 9 in 1995, and students who were in Year 9 in 1998. Attitudes to school in the LSAY program are based on student responses to a set of 30 items, and intentions to further study are recorded in Year 9. This paper, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program. Show less

This study provides a comparison of the post-school education systems of Australia and Canada using… Show more

This study provides a comparison of the post-school education systems of Australia and Canada using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australia Youth and the Canadian Youth in Transition Survey. The results indicate that the Canadian college system is more attractive to high achieving school graduates than is the somewhat comparable Australian VET sector. Show less

The link between academic achievement and labour market outcomes is well established. But how well d… Show more

The link between academic achievement and labour market outcomes is well established. But how well does a student's achievement in a test predict their later success in life? This study examines this question, with 'success' considered to encompass satisfaction with life together with the extent to which young people are fully occupied with education, employment or a combination of these. Low performers in mathematics in the 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment were the focus. The study found that 'low performing' status has little impact on future success. Further, students who saw the value of mathematics for their future success were more likely to achieve this success. Show less

This paper was presented at the Professional Historians Association (NSW) Islands of History confere… Show more

This paper was presented at the Professional Historians Association (NSW) Islands of History conference held on Norfolk Island in July 2010. It argues that the reliance on overseas workers to address skills shortages has been present ever since the first white settlement of Australia and suggests some areas for primary historical research. Show less

Insight into the barriers to collecting data on students and their enrolments and ways of encouragin… Show more

Insight into the barriers to collecting data on students and their enrolments and ways of encouraging private training organisations to participate in official statistical data collections is provided in this report. Show less

Making use of the NCVER Apprentice and Trainee Destination Survey, this paper focus on wages and the… Show more

Making use of the NCVER Apprentice and Trainee Destination Survey, this paper focus on wages and the impact they have on the decision not to continue with an apprenticeship or traineeship. The broad conclusion is that increasing training wages would have little effect on completion rates. For apprentices, it is the premium associated with becoming a tradesperson that counts, not training wages. For females in non-trade traineeships, there is no relationship between wages and completion rates. It is only for males in non-trade traineeships for whom increasing training wages would make a difference to completion rates. However, for this group there is, on average, only a modest premium to completion. This finding raises the question whether traineeships in some occupations sales for example—are contributing to increased skill levels in any substantive manner. Show less

One of the distinctive characteristics of the VET sector is that many students wish to learn specifi… Show more

One of the distinctive characteristics of the VET sector is that many students wish to learn specific skills and have no intention of completing a full qualification. This paper estimates the completion rate of VET course enrolments with a mathematical modelling approach in order to fill a gap in performance measures for the sector. Show less

This paper explores a range of issues related to the development of the VET workforce. It examines k… Show more

This paper explores a range of issues related to the development of the VET workforce. It examines key issues underpinning professional development structures and proposes a set of features integral to a comprehensive workforce development strategy. Show less

Student intentions and outcomes in regard to studying the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment… Show more

Student intentions and outcomes in regard to studying the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment at NSW community colleges is the subject of this paper. Gaining employment and acquiring presentation skills were the most common reasons given for undertaking the course, but for many students the course did not deliver this. Those students who accessed pre-course information and thus had more realistic expectations of what the course would entail were more likely to report that the course met their expectations. 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

To gain insights into the labour market for tradespeople, this report investigates changes in supply… Show more

To gain insights into the labour market for tradespeople, this report investigates changes in supply, demand and how adjustment occurred through the varied economic conditions of the past 20 years. Show less

Half a dozen VET researchers and commentators contemplate the future of the VET sector. Their though… Show more

Half a dozen VET researchers and commentators contemplate the future of the VET sector. Their thoughts point to the need for more effort to articulate the role of VET in tertiary education and to streamline its governance. Show less