This research examines what high-quality VET delivery looks like in practice, how it is measured and what are the barriers and enablers for registered training organisations (RTOs).
This report is an interim publication for a project that outlines what is known about the quality of teaching, learning and assessment practices in Australian VET and how it might be better measured. It is based on a review of relevant literature and is a precursor to consultations with RTOs that are currently occurring in the next stage of the project.
This study canvassed the views of stakeholders in order to identify the key features of quality teaching in vocational education and training (VET) and how it might be improved. It also involved an environmental scan of VET capability frameworks and standards to determine key domains, roles and capabilities of VET teachers, and three case studies of pilot teacher professional development (PD) initiatives currently underway to improve the quality of teaching. The report also makes reference to key related findings in the literature.
Progression through training should be based on skills attained rather than time served, but the time-based approach to apprentice training remains dominant. This report investigates the factors affecting progression and completion.
This report provides a portrait of the initial formal training for VET teachers in private and public registered training organisations. It describes the features and content of generic courses offered both in the VET sector and higher education ranging from certificate IV TAA to graduate diplomas. It also provides details about the characteristics and numbers of students enrolled in a range of courses. The report sits in the wider canvas of other initial and ongoing professional development and support for teachers. It concludes that the certificate IV is the one true foundational course, and suggests some ways to address its quality issues.
This paper was originally developed to help the Training and Skills Commission in South Australia consider the pathways between elements of the vocational education and training (VET) system, how they are working and what improvements can be made. It has been revised to make it national in scope. The authors reveal that quite substantial numbers of VET graduates go on to university level study or further study within VET itself. Significant numbers of university graduates also go on to study in VET. However, not all VET graduates choose to study at a higher level; a substantial proportion of students going on to further study do so at the same or lower level. This suggests that entitlement models need to consider horizontal (skills broadening) as well as vertical (only qualifications at a higher level) in their funding mix.
This paper examines initial VET teacher training from the late 1979s to the present, based on the literature and the author's personal experiences. While much has changed, many of the issues and approaches that are apparent in the early literature remain the same today. There is cause for optimism and the author proposes a number of approaches to improve the quality and relevance of initial teacher training. Such training is only a first step, however, and access to further formal training and professional development is vital to maintain and build teachers' skills.
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.
This paper focuses on issues which affect the capability of TAFE providers to meet their clients' and stakeholders' needs and draws extensively on the reports of the consortium research program which examined ways to help build vocational education and training (VET) provider and workforce capability. The paper puts this research, most of which was completed in 2006 and 2007, into a contemporary framework. It suggests that TAFE providers need to be free of unnecessary central constraints to help them meet their strategic business needs. This includes more direct control of human resources matters and industrial relations.
This is a compendium of three reports. The first examines the size and attributes of the vocational education and training (VET) workforce using a variety of data sources. The second looks more specifically at TAFE's workforce. The final report considers the feasibility of a national VET workforce collection. The compendium updates earlier NCVER work on VET workforce numbers and characteristics. A short overview integrating the key messages from the body of work is also provided.
This literature review provides a historical account of the development of competency-based training in Australia and summarises the issues arising from the range of reviews conducted on elements of the national training system. The review was commissioned by the National Quality Council and originally published on its website.
Organisational capability is recognised as a key to organisational success. The combination of human capital (peoples' skills and knowledge), social capital (relationships between people) and organisational capital (the organisation's processes), is central to building an organisation's capability. The presentation highlights the lessons learnt about building VET provider capability from an extensive two and a half year research program.
This publication reports on the participant feedback provided at the recent NCVER Research Forums, which showcased the findings of the Consortium Research Program, 'Supporting vocational education and training providers in building capability for the future'.
This book of readings summarises and reflects on research about online delivery conducted under the auspices of the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, and from other sources. Individual chapters address a range of issues related to flexible approaches to delivery in a number of contexts, including teaching practice and learners' views, operational issues, and online learning in companies and in regional and rural Australia. The first chapter by the book's editor provides an overview of this body of work.
This is the workshop presented at the NET*Working 2001 conference, in Brisbane, on 16 October 2001. The workshop was facilitated by Hugh Guthrie from NCVER, with assistance from Jennifer Gibb.
This paper provides a history of the research effort in the sector and examines the roles it can and does play in policy formulation and critique, as well as informing practice.