This research synthesis examines the general decline of the manufacturing industry, and the education and training needs of workers affected by impending car plant closures in Australia by comparing two case studies and using findings from other NCVER reports.
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.
The relationship between education, including vocational education and training (VET), and measures of health and wellbeing is explored in this report. Previous research in the area indicates that the relationship is also influenced by intermediary variables such as income. This report uses the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) data to examine the relationship between education and physical and mental health, and interviews with practitioners.