All publications

Assessing annual training participation targets requires accurate information but when the tool for … Show more

Assessing annual training participation targets requires accurate information but when the tool for measuring participation rates includes information that is updated every five years, how accurate are the estimations in the intervening years? Show less

Parental influence plays a significant role in their children's educational aspirations.

Parental influence plays a significant role in their children's educational aspirations. Show less

Apprentices aren't what they used to be, or are they?

Apprentices aren't what they used to be, or are they? Show less

Increasing education levels are contributing to improved productivity.

Increasing education levels are contributing to improved productivity. Show less

The authors of this paper explore whether low socioeconomic status (SES) students benefit to a… Show more

The authors of this paper explore whether low socioeconomic status (SES) students benefit to a greater or lesser extent from attending high-quality schools when compared with their more advantaged peers. Show less

The distinction between VET and higher education in Australia is blurring. The purpose of… Show more

The distinction between VET and higher education in Australia is blurring. The purpose of this paper is to examine – through the conduct of a case study of engineering qualifications (AQF6) delivered in Victoria – how education and training providers and students are likely to respond to different fees and funding arrangements under the student entitlement model. Show less

Using data from the 2009 Student Outcomes Survey, this report looks at the pay-offs of completing… Show more

Using data from the 2009 Student Outcomes Survey, this report looks at the pay-offs of completing of a vocational education and training (VET) qualification on a range of outcomes, and identifies the groups for whom completion is particularly important. Show less

This paper aims to explain the extent to which variation in apprenticeship completion rates can be… Show more

This paper aims to explain the extent to which variation in apprenticeship completion rates can be attributed to factors relating to 'culture' of the employer and apprentice.  Show less

This paper was a keynote address at the AVETRA conference held in Canberra in April 2012. Karmel… Show more

This paper was a keynote address at the AVETRA conference held in Canberra in April 2012. Karmel notes that industry is arguably the key stakeholder in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector and discusses six areas of research which raise questions about VET and industry, either in terms of how public training funds are allocated or the educational principles on which VET Show less

Pre-vocational programs, including VET in Schools, are increasingly providing a pathway into… Show more

Pre-vocational programs, including VET in Schools, are increasingly providing a pathway into traineeships in the same way that pre-apprenticeships are an established route into apprenticeships in the traditional trades. This report uses data from the 2010 Apprentice and Trainee Destination Survey and finds that the benefits of pre-vocational programs are mostly apparent for early school leavers Show less

In this 30 minute podcast, Steve Davis talks with Tom Karmel, Erica Smith and Damian Oliver on… Show more

In this 30 minute podcast, Steve Davis talks with Tom Karmel, Erica Smith and Damian Oliver on insights from research into apprenticeships.textInterested in the story behind the numbers, Tom discusses the findings from his work on individual completion rates that show occupation and employers' size matters, with the implication being that the relationship between employer and apprentice is Show less

This overview provides a brief summary of the report, by Chris Ryan. It describes how Ryan analysed … Show more

This overview provides a brief summary of the report, by Chris Ryan. It describes how Ryan analysed the range of pathways available which offer genuine alternatives to completing secondary school. It finds that for those students who run the risk of dropping out, the best pathway for males is completing an apprenticeship, whereas for females completing Year 12 provides the best outcomes. Show less

This paper updates an earlier paper by Karmel and Mlotkowski and looks at how the probability of… Show more

This paper updates an earlier paper by Karmel and Mlotkowski and looks at how the probability of getting a job, in addition to wages, impacts on completion rates. It finds that for trade apprentices the premium (or extra wage completing an apprenticeship brings) attached to becoming a tradesperson is a significant factor, whereas for non-trade trainees the training wage matters more. It also Show less

Low completion rates for apprentices and trainees have received considerable attention recently and … Show more

Low completion rates for apprentices and trainees have received considerable attention recently and it has been argued that NCVER seriously understates completion rates. In this paper Tom Karmel uses NCVER data on recommencements to estimate individual-based completion rates. It is estimated that around one-quarter of trade apprentices swap employers during their apprenticeship. Taking this into Show less

This paper was presented at the International Symposium on Lifelong Learning for Poverty… Show more

This paper was presented at the International Symposium on Lifelong Learning for Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development: Developing a Research Agenda for the Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong, 12-13 January 2011. Tom Karmel suggests that there are four implications of an ageing population: the need to improve labour force participation and productivity; the ageing population will provide a Show less

Pre-apprenticeship programs have attracted a great degree of interest from employers and training… Show more

Pre-apprenticeship programs have attracted a great degree of interest from employers and training providers as one means of increasing apprentice satisfaction and completion rates, by providing an introduction to the trade. We test this proposition using data from the 2010 Apprentice and Trainee Destination Survey. We find that the impact of pre-apprenticeships varies with occupation and prior Show less

One of the distinctive characteristics of the VET sector is that many students wish to learn… Show more

One of the distinctive characteristics of the VET sector is that many students wish to learn specific skills and have no intention of completing a full qualification. This paper estimates the completion rate of VET course enrolments with a mathematical modelling approach in order to fill a gap in performance measures for the sector. Show less

The traineeship model is currently targeted at a broader group of people compared with the original … Show more

The traineeship model is currently targeted at a broader group of people compared with the original target group of young unemployed persons as envisaged by the Kirby Enquiry. This report aims to assess the effectiveness of the model for young people, particularly young early school leavers. The findings suggest that traineeships are an important pathway for female early school leavers. However, Show less

This technical paper examines some large and unusual movements for data in the 2007 VET Provider… Show more

This technical paper examines some large and unusual movements for data in the 2007 VET Provider Collection by comparison with 2006. Changes in the patterns of courses undertaken explain most of the divergence between students, enrolments and hours. Show less

School-based apprentices and trainees have recently been given more prominence as an element of… Show more

School-based apprentices and trainees have recently been given more prominence as an element of vocational education and training in school, partly as a response to skill shortages in a wide range of areas. The purpose of this paper is to provide data on school-based apprentices and trainees to enable a judgement to be made about how this policy push is unfolding. The number of school-based Show less