All publications

The aim of this project was to investigate and document successful longer-term career outcomes of a… Show more

The aim of this project was to investigate and document successful longer-term career outcomes of a selected sample of VET graduates. The sample was taken from the Youth Research Centre database of 29 000 Victorians who have completed their schooling in 1991. For the quantitative analysis a target group was chosen from the database comprising the 400-500 VET participants who indicated they had established themselves in full-time on-going employment or jobs that they considered to be career jobs. In addition the researchers interviewed over 200 young people with VET qualifications and analysed this data and also drew on interview transcripts from 80 interviews with young people. The data in this report cover such issues as how success in a career is defined, what percentage of young people are in jobs and what kind of jobs are they in three years after they completed their studies, how they assess their career success, how secure they feel in their career and the extent to which their studies have contributed to their success. Show less

Contributing authors from Australia, USA and Canada provide leading-edge information, analysis of is… Show more

Contributing authors from Australia, USA and Canada provide leading-edge information, analysis of issues and hundreds of best practice examples of building strong communities through active and critical learning. The theme is that Australia should become a learning society in order to build capacity and manage regional change for social and economic benefit for all. Show less

A new body of research has just been completed on the returns to investment in training in Australia… Show more

A new body of research has just been completed on the returns to investment in training in Australia. Prior to this research effort, little empirical research had been undertaken on the returns to training in Australia. This research at a glance synthesises the findings of the recent Australian research. Show less

This book provides an overview of approaches to assessing returns on investment in training. It also… Show more

This book provides an overview of approaches to assessing returns on investment in training. It also introduces readers to practical strategies for calculating these returns. Show less

This publication, edited by Andrew Smith, summarises the outcomes of research projects funded by the… Show more

This publication, edited by Andrew Smith, summarises the outcomes of research projects funded by the National Research and Evaluation Committee on the subject of return on investment in training. Show less

This review of research summarises the recent Australian VET research that relates to literacy and n… Show more

This review of research summarises the recent Australian VET research that relates to literacy and numeracy issues since 1990. The review concentrates on literacy and numeracy policy initiatives, impact of literacy/numeracy levels on participation in VET, approaches to delivery of literacy and numeracy support, professional development and teacher education. Show less

This study evaluates the effectiveness of online delivery of education and training in Australia. It… Show more

This study evaluates the effectiveness of online delivery of education and training in Australia. It reviews appropriate literature and research in order to identify, answer and address a range of controversial issues that inform the design and delivery of VET online. Show less

This project investigates the usefulness of institutional data collections for monitoring student pa… Show more

This project investigates the usefulness of institutional data collections for monitoring student pathways between the following education sectors: schools, VET, higher education and adult community education. The main purpose of institutional data collections is to gather data for administrative as well as policy and planning purposes. The purpose of this project was to identify areas in which the current collections could be enhanced from the perspective of researchers who use the data. Show less

The past decade has seen an increasing volume and range of research on adult and community education… Show more

The past decade has seen an increasing volume and range of research on adult and community education (ACE) in Australia, sponsored by multiple sources, and targetted to multiple audiences for professional, philosophical, financial and political purposes. This report provides a consolidation of this large body of qualitative and quantitative research on the scope of ACE participation patterns, on outcomes and contributions of ACE and opportunities and challenges facing ACE throughout the decade. It identifies the key strands of research effort as well as the research gaps, and offers suggestions for future research directions. Show less

This report investigates linkages between adult community education (ACE) and mainstream vocational… Show more

This report investigates linkages between adult community education (ACE) and mainstream vocational education and training (VET) which enable people to move from ACE to mainstream VET. In examining the linkages, the research also examined other related issues including: *the awareness of industry, the mainstream VET sector and the community of ACE and ACE VET *the attitudes of industry, the mainstream VET sector and the community to ACE provision of vocational learning *ways in which promotion of ACE VET and ACE VET-mainstream VET linkages might be developed or improved *implications, both for ACE and mainstream VET, of increased vocational provision by the ACE sector *directions ACE providers might consider in relation to future provision of vocational learning. Show less

'Training indicators' - current and future indicators of VET demand and supply that guide investment… Show more

'Training indicators' - current and future indicators of VET demand and supply that guide investment decisions in skill training - are increasingly important in the national, State and regional VET planning cycles. This report makes recommendations for good practice in the use of training indicators and for improvements in their range and their dissemination. Show less

This report uses the Australian Bureau of Statistics Business Longitudinal Survey to explore relatio… Show more

This report uses the Australian Bureau of Statistics Business Longitudinal Survey to explore relationships between training, innovation and firm performance of Australian businesses with less than 200 employees. Show less

There has been growing concern about skill shortages in a number of sectors in the Australian labour… Show more

There has been growing concern about skill shortages in a number of sectors in the Australian labour market in the past couple of years with an increased demand for some skills as a result of improvements in the Australian economy. However, such concerns are not particularly new since skill shortages are a recurring and persistent feature of the Australian labour market. In this report, available evidence about patterns and trends in trades employment and training in the building and construction industry is reviewed to guage the nature and extent of any skill shortages in these building and construction trades. Show less

This study considers the status of validity in the context of the assessment of VET in Australia. Th… Show more

This study considers the status of validity in the context of the assessment of VET in Australia. The project has involved reviewing the literature, reporting the outcomes of case studies, presenting the key findings and developing a diagnostic tool to guide assessors. Show less

This project provides an insight into the perceptions held by young people, businesses and education… Show more

This project provides an insight into the perceptions held by young people, businesses and educational authorities about the utility of new apprenticeships in the western region of Melbourne. It takes a critical look at new apprenticeships and aims to provide a way forward for all groups involved so that the quality of apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities and outcomes can be improved. Show less

This report surveys European and United States approaches to public funding for post-compulsory educ… Show more

This report surveys European and United States approaches to public funding for post-compulsory education. It discusses the concept of entitlement which, in this report, applies to those policies which determine allocation of government funds to the training and education needs of the individual beyond initial or basic education. The report also identifies the different underlying principles that governments use in funding post-compulsory education in Europe and USA. Show less

This report relating to the participation of women in the vocational education and training (VET) se… Show more

This report relating to the participation of women in the vocational education and training (VET) sector during 1999 was commissioned by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, Vocational Education, Employment and Training (MCEETYA VEET) Women's Taskforce. Production of the report was funded by the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA. The purpose of the report is to provide an analysis of existing data from the national data collections and other relevant information to enable an assessment of the participation of women in VET in 1996 and 1999. In addition, the report also provides detailed information of participation of women from the various target equity groups in VET. Show less

This publication reviews research relating to demand for VET. Demand is expected to increase for 'kn… Show more

This publication reviews research relating to demand for VET. Demand is expected to increase for 'knowledge work', 'soft' and literacy and numeracy skills. Current policy's focus on the needs of industry and enterprises needs to be re-evaluated in the broader context of the demands of other stakeholders who have longer term interests. Show less

This study explored retention in apprenticeships and traineeships and factors that influence this pr… Show more

This study explored retention in apprenticeships and traineeships and factors that influence this process. The study is based on interviews with over 400 apprentices and trainees as well as with teachers, trainers and workplace supervisors. The study identifies a range of personal, industry, labour market, workplace and training factors that contribute to the likelihood of an apprentice or trainee completing their training. The study concludes with the view that retention is the collective responsibility of all parties involved - the individual, the employer and the provider of training. Show less

This report summarises the views of Australian apprentices and trainees on their learning and assess… Show more

This report summarises the views of Australian apprentices and trainees on their learning and assessment experiences in on- and off-the-job settings. It also examines through some 20 case studies the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches to learning and assessment that are being used today. Show less