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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

This discussion paper was part of an event jointly funded by the Australian Council for Educational … Show more

This discussion paper was part of an event jointly funded by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) and NCVER entitled the National Summit on Data for Quality Improvement in VET held at the Park Royal Hotel, Melbourne Airport, on 9 April 2013. This paper sets out NCVER’s thinking on registered training organisation performance Show less

The range of data collected by NCVER for the national vocational education and training (VET)… Show more

The range of data collected by NCVER for the national vocational education and training (VET) system and how it is disseminated is discussed in this conference paper.  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

This conference paper was presented to the Third International Congress on Technical and Vocational … Show more

This conference paper was presented to the Third International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education and Training, 13–16 May 2012, in Shanghai. It argues that there are two key factors behind Australia's good record of employment for young people: high levels of post-school education with the consequence that there is not a large cohort of people in their mid-to-late teens flooding on 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

This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave… Show more

This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave their occupation with that of professionals. It also determines whether attrition is influenced by economic conditions, and if a trade can provide a good start to a career in the professions. The report concludes that attrition in the trades is no higher than in the professions; the rate of 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 paper, the authors identify various educational paths involving school and post-school… Show more

In this paper, the authors identify various educational paths involving school and post-school study and assess the effectivness of these in relation to post-school outcomes at age 25 years. They use the 1995 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth and find that, for males, undertaking an apprenticeship after completing senior secondary and university are attractive paths. For Show less

In this position paper, NCVER's Managing Director, Dr Tom Karmel, argues that the submission of… Show more

In this position paper, NCVER's Managing Director, Dr Tom Karmel, argues that the submission of vocational education and training student data should be mandated as a condition of registration for all registered training organisations, including private providers. This will ensure a comprehensive data collection that gives a realistic view of training activity occurring within the sector, Show less

This paper was originally developed to help the Training and Skills Commission in South Australia… Show more

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 Show less

This paper was presented to the 2011 TAFE Governance and Regulations Forum, 1 March 2011 in… Show more

This paper was presented to the 2011 TAFE Governance and Regulations Forum, 1 March 2011 in Melbourne. Tom Karmel argues that neither a simple definition of vocational education and training (VET) nor qualification levels are helpful. He suggests that VET is distinguished from higher education by different funding and regulatory arrangements, and teaching and learning styles. What confuses the Show less

Governments are interested in the relative efficiency of institutions, and in addition, information … Show more

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 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

NCVER commissioned six leading thinkers to offer insights into what is meant by a training market,… Show more

NCVER commissioned six leading thinkers to offer insights into what is meant by a training market, constraints upon that market and the areas for improvement in the system which would allow consumers greater choice. Show less

This paper considers three aspects of vocational education and training's (VET) contribution to the … Show more

This paper considers three aspects of vocational education and training's (VET) contribution to the labour market: the relationship between their training and the occupations VET graduates work in; the extent to which the qualified proportion of the workforce has increased; and the link between VET and skills acquisition. Finally, some thoughts are aired on the implications of the economic Show less

The purpose of this paper looks at the fundamental issue of whether VET does improve the employment … Show more

The purpose of this paper looks at the fundamental issue of whether VET does improve the employment prospects of the groups in question. It exploits data from the Student Outcome Survey to construct samples that proxy three welfare groups and models the post-training employment outcomes. Show less

A history of performance measurement for the vocational education and training (VET) sector,… Show more

A history of performance measurement for the vocational education and training (VET) sector, beginning with the creation of the Australian National Training Authority in 1992 and ending with what we know of the current reforms. As well as discussing the various measures, the paper looks at the challenges that are brought up by indicators and makes some suggestions for indicators for the VET system 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