Australia's national VET data custodian

Publications

1 – 20 of 35 results
The student journey: skilling for life

By Kristen Osborne, Phil Loveder, Genevieve Knight

This ‘No Frills’ 2019 discussion paper explores how, as jobs and industries develop, workers will require ongoing upskilling and reskilling to maintain their position in the workforce.

Workplace training: employer and employee perspectives

By NCVER

Approximately 70% of all employees in Australia participated in formal or non-formal education and training in 2011—12, and a significant majority of them received employer support for it.

Employers' perspectives on training: three industries

By Chandra Shah

Employer perspectives of workforce training, across three industries (red meat processing, road freight transport, and international freight forwarding) in both urban and regional areas.

Vocational education's variable links to vocations

By Emmaline Bexley, Gavin Moodie, Leesa Wheelahan, Nick Fredman

Using NCVER and Australian Bureau of Statistics data as well as findings from four case studies, this report looks at how mid-level qualifications assist entry to and progression in the workforce.

Single-sex schools and science engagement

By Joanna Sikora

This paper considers whether single-sex schooling affects gendered patterns in the uptake of science courses in year 11 and the development of science-related career paths.

Understanding the nature of vocations today: exploring labour market pathways

By Serena Yu, Tanya Bretherton, Johanna Schutz, John Buchanan

Focusing on four vocational streams – financial services, primary industry, healthcare/community services and trades/engineering – this paper is an initial exploration of pathways into the labour market and how people actually use these pathways.

Missing links: the fragmented relationship between tertiary education and jobs

By Leesa Wheelahan, Mary Leahy, Nick Fredman, Gavin Moodie, Sophie Arkoudis, Emmaline Bexley

This report explores the transitions students make in undertaking a second qualification (i.e. whether they change field of education and/or move between the VET and higher education sectors).

Have a heart: challenges for lead vocational teachers in the changing VET landscape

By Jennifer Davids

This paper investigates the role of lead vocational teachers in TAFE Queensland and their personal and career development needs. Focus group discussions with these teachers ascertained that they wanted to feel valued by their institutes and have more opportunities to contribute to business development. It was revealed that their values did not match those of the institutes and this led to a sense of anxiety about professional opportunites. This paper is funded through NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity program.

Reskilling for encore careers for (what were once) retirement years

By Jane Figgis

Encouraging older workers to stay in the workforce has become a policy priority. At the same time, the life expectancy of Australians has increased dramatically over the past several decades, effectively inserting a new stage in the life course, often called the 'third age'. This report explores the possibility of using that third age to embark on an encore career, a concept originating in the United States. The author then focuses on the role the VET sector might play in developing encore careers in Australia.

The mobile worker: concepts, issues, implications

By Richard Sweet

The paper provides an overview of the implications and causes of labour mobility and job tenure using data from major statistical sources and the research literature.

A guide to credit transfer

By Sandra Walls, John Pardy

This guide is intended for students, career counsellors and others assisting vocational education and training (VET) students in the credit transfer process. It is based on research that set out to identify the core elements required to negotiate successful pathways from VET to higher education. Credit transfer structures between Deakin University and three Victorian TAFE institutes, as well as the experience of enterprise registered training organisations, were used as case studies. The guide offers some strategies and guidance from the research which may assist students who seek recognition for their VET learning.

Careers in vocational education and training: What are they really like?

By Michele Simons, Roger Harris, Val Pudney, Berwyn Clayton

As part of a program of research examining the capability of vocational education and training (VET) providers, this study examines the career pathways of a wide range of VET employees. It found that careers in VET are characterised by high levels of mobility and self-directed career behaviour aimed at achieving two outcomes: job satisfaction and security of employment.

To have and to hold: Retaining and utilising skilled people

By Andrew Smith, Eddie Oczkowski, Chris Selby Smith

This report examines the ways in which Australian employers retain skilled staff and the ways in which employers enhance their ability to use the skills of their people. The study found that while strategies such as increasing wages and family friendly policies may increase an employee's job satisfaction, the key driver in employee retention is if they feel they are learning and progressing in their careers.

Supporting VET providers in building capability for the future: Research activity overviews

By Roger Harris, Berwyn Clayton, Clive Chappell

The two-year consortium program, 'Supporting vocational education and training providers in building capability for the future' focused on approaches to help VET providers build their capability. These eight papers include a program overview, key contextual issues of concern to VET stakeholders, as well as the overall findings and key messages of each specific research activity. An MP3 audio interview with Berwyn Clayton and Roger Harris can also be streamed or downloaded from the NCVER website.

Career development and VET: At a glance

By Sian Halliday-Wynes, Francesca Beddie, John Saunders

Over the past ten years the changing landscape of society, work and education has led to significant changes in career development services in Australia. This 'At a glance' gives an overview of recent research exploring how these services respond to the different client groups.