This research summary provides evidence of the changing nature of apprenticeships over a 20-year period (1996–2016), with a focus on a comparison of trade and non-trade apprentices and trainees.
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.
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.
Where do higher-level VET qualifications lead? This study investigates whether they lead to employment at associate professional or higher occupations, or whether they are a pathway to university studies. Findings indicate that there are good employment outcomes for some graduates, although often at below associate professional level. The study also found that these qualifications are a significant pathway to university studies for young graduates.
This study investigates where certificate I and II qualifications lead people aged 25 and over. The main aims of these qualifications are to provide vocational outcomes, generally at lower skill levels, as pathways to further study and/or jobs requiring supervision. Findings indicate that, while the qualifications were not particularly useful in terms of gaining employment, there were some modest career advancement benefits. It was projected that low proportions of people aged 25 and over will complete these courses. Notably, further study pathways were not among the outcomes of these courses.