Vocational education and training (VET) has a role to play in sustainable regional development. Through five regional case studies this research examines how well VET is tailoring supply to skill needs, how VET has become more flexible to obtain a better match between demand and supply, and whether partnerships have been linked to whole-of-government frameworks in ways which support sustainable regional development. The study concludes that successful relationships between VET and regional development require ongoing alignment both ways. Comprehensive regional frameworks could facilitate this co-development between VET and regional development.
There is increasing worldwide focus on education reform, driven by rising pressures for lifelong learning, the burgeoning impact of technology, and an escalating pace of change in much of industry and society. This report examines the key trends in Europe and North America in finding more effective means of strengthening the impact of educational research on practice. It analyses trends to accumulate, communicate and achieve stronger interaction and interface between research, policy, and practice. The author suggests that the knowledge development process in vocational education and training should involve three stages - the first stage providing initial research information, before moving toward an 'intermediate' and then a 'mature' stage of evidence building through feedback and testing of the research.
There is growing international and national interest in the concept of social capital, its role, and the ways economic and social policies coalesce to drive economic progress and community well-being. This paper identifies eight areas the VET system can contribute to social capital: building social capital in firms; building networks of businesses, especially the small business sector; developing employability skills; fostering values and norms that underpin social capital; contributing to inclusive and cohesive communities; initiating and contributing to learning community initiatives; using information and communication technology innovatively to build virtual communities; and contributing to society as a good citizen. The report also discusses indicators for measuring social capital, and implications for VET policy and practice.
This study of training and learning services for small business gives an impressionistic snapshot of the current system, its products and strategies, also the results of recent initiatives and the promotion of training and learning for small business in Australia.
This review of research examines how sets of key competencies/key skills/generic skills have developed in Britain, United States and Australia. The review analyses the literature that relates to the following questions: *What are the generic skills? *What are the teaching and learning implications for VET providers? *What impact do generic skills have on business performance?
This study provides an analysis of policies and strategies adopted in five OECD countries to build a learning and training culture. The countries are Britain, United States, Sweden, Netherlands and Germany. The study found that whereas Sweden and the Netherlands have built a learning culture through evolutionary stages embedded in the wider social, economic cultural and political history of the country, Britain shows a revolutionary attempt to change the culture.
This report provides a review of the equity and access policies in schools, vocational education and training, higher education and adult community education and argues that government equity strategies could be improved by: targeting low-SES students within all equity groups; identifying two new target groups: those with low skills and the long-term unemployed; reporting performance in a way that focuses on the outcomes (in addition to the outputs) of education and training; strengthening pathways to employment from education and training.
This discussion paper argues the need for VET to broaden its scope in response to the anticipated changes of the 21st century and to 'coverage' with what we now think of as 'lifelong learning'. The result of such convergence will be a new form of learning, different in character from the prior forms and better able to meet the needs of individuals and society as a whole.
This report provides an indepth analysis of the implications of lifelong learning for vocational education and training. It shows that the sector needs to develop policies and strategies to advance lifelong learning opportunities for all through strategic partnerships at all levels, and that Australia lags behind other OECD countries in responding to the lifelong learning challenge. Maintaining employability in the new era of exponential change and using new information and communication technologies wisely for learning purposes are also key challenges.
This report draws on international experience and is designed to outline some general features of the current (as distinct from earlier) approaches to lifelong learning and present the work of major international organisations that have been active in this field such as the Council of Europe, UNESCO, the OECD and the European Union. It also suggests the lessons that can be drawn from this international experience.
Examines recent Australian research in the area of flexible delivery of training. Issues uncovered include the need for future research to focus on managing change and to address the learning aspects associated with flexible delivery.