This paper draws on a research project which developed a change management strategy to assist two TAFE institutes in addressing and improving their planning culture. It outlines the principles and processes which emerged from the research and presents the guidelines for linking the strategic planning process to actions and performance within the different levels of a complex vocational education and training (VET) organisation. The paper should be of interest to VET organisations seeking practical ideas and guidance in how to implement organisational change and development processes.
This study shows how a group of employers understand the provision of literacy, numeracy and employability skills and the continuing development of these skills in their workplaces. It demonstrates that some employers accept that it is both necessary and the employer's responsibility to provide learning and development opportunities for these skills. However, employers are looking for support in doing this. The challenge for training organisations is in building capability and capacity to support this effort. Successful development strategies in the workplace tended to be part of the normal cycles of skills training and continuous improvement.
Australia needs highly skilled workers to sustain a healthy economy. Current employment-based training models have limitations in meeting the demands for highly skilled labour supply. The research explored current and emerging models of employment-based training to propose more effective models at higher VET qualifications that can maintain a balance between institution and work-based learning.
Students reporting a mental illness do poorly in vocational education and training (VET) compared with other disability groups. This is a challenge for the VET sector. Teachers and support staff are at the frontline in responding to the needs of these students and this research explored staff perspectives on how TAFE institutes in Australia are supporting students with mental illnesses.
Research messages 2007 is a collection of summaries of all research projects published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research in 2007, including conference papers and occasional papers. It also has an overview of the research highlights for the year. The summaries are clustered under five broad themes used by NCVER to organise its VET research and analysis: Industry and employers; Students and individuals; Teaching and learning; VET system; and VET in context.
Around a quarter of all Australian wage and salary earners are casual workers. Casual workers, in general, receive less training than those in ongoing employment. This paper considers whether the prevalence of casual employment is sustainable. It looks at the home and community care sector in which vocational education and training has a prominent role in developing the skills of workers, and in which casual employment is relatively high. It notes that, where employers pay for training, they usually prefer to use ongoing part-time employees rather than casuals. But many employers believe that casual employees prefer the flexibility of casual employment.
This study evaluates a selection of career development services available for young people. It examines the characteristics of the services provided, with a focus on career decision-making and the provision of information about vocational education and training (VET) options. The education providers and young people surveyed were generally satisfied with the services provided. However, it was agreed that information about VET options could be improved. A better understanding of the ways in which young people seek help will enhance accessibility to services.
This publication reports on the participant feedback provided at the recent NCVER Research Forums, which showcased the findings of the Consortium Research Program, 'Supporting vocational education and training providers in building capability for the future'.
This paper presents a series of stylised facts from the research literature on vocational education and training and older people. It includes the following topics: Education is front end loaded; VET is really important in providing older people a second chance; Increases in educational participation of older persons have been very modest; Education makes a large difference to workforce engagement of older people; Qualifications obtained later in life appear to pay off, at least in terms of workforce engagement; ...but training is no panacea; Skills learnt on the job are very important; and Attitudes of both employers and employees create barriers for training for older people.
This study identifies and evaluates the pathways available from school to vocational education and training and to work, for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Research involved interviews with seven young people from Victoria who had either just completed secondary school and were enrolling in a VET course, or had completed a course and were looking for work. The study found that only when they undertook apprenticeships and traineeships did students find employment related to their field, and that more emphasis needs to be placed on developing strategies to assist deaf students to overcome attitudinal barriers in the workplace.
This report maps the picture of Indigenous people's participation in vocational education and training and other educational services across Australia's desert regions. The report identifies a range of innovations and barriers experienced in enabling pathways through learning into work and other meaningful livelihood opportunities.
The relevance of higher-level vocational education and training qualifications to students and employers in six industry sectors; namely, disability services; nursing; engineering; electronics/electro-technology; multi-media; and design, is explored in this report. The report suggests possible improvements, including a greater emphasis on opportunities within training programs for extended and practical workplace experience and in cross-discipline knowledge and industry skills.
To mark the occasion of our 25th anniversary, NCVER brought together policy, industry and academic leaders to reflect on the role that research and statistics have played in the development of Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector. This publication includes the original papers by the speakers at the event, accompanied by discussant reflections. The publication will be of interest to those wishing to understand the development of a VET statistical and research capacity in Australia.
This report explores patterns of regional economic growth in Australia over the period 1984 to 2002 with the aim of identifying the drivers of variation in regional growth; the research also aimed to identify regional opportunities and the policies and practices that can assist in realising them, in particular, the contribution the VET sector may make towards regional growth. The research found that human capital, especially 'enterprising' human capital, whereby individuals take responsibility for action, is the key driver of regional growth.
This report looks at whether pre-apprenticeships increase the potential supply of tradespeople, with a special focus on electrotechnology, automotive and engineering students. It found that pre-apprenticeships have been used in Australia for many years and are widely regarded as a valuable strategy for increasing the supply and quality of potential apprentices. Pre-apprenticeships are favoured by employers because they weed out unsuitable candidates and improve retention, while apprentices see them as a useful way of gaining experience in the trade.
The use, learning and transfer of workplace numeracy skills, as well as current understandings of the term numeracy, are examined in this study. It also highlights the importance of numeracy as an essential workplace skill. The report challenges the training system and training organisations to provide numeracy training which makes links directly to workplace contexts as well as to mathematical concepts.
The purpose of this study was to identify the factors which help successful equity initiatives that had been seeded in TAFE institutes through short-term funding to take root and spread. The report concludes that many equity programs remain stuck in the seeding stage and fail to thrive and grow. It suggests that this is because current funding approaches place too much emphasis on starting initiatives and not enough on the development and scale-up of promising ones.
The recent research on the role that vocational education and training (VET) plays in assisting the transition from school to work for young people up to 24 years of age is summarised in this 'at a glance' publication.
This report is part of a suite of research projects entitled 'A well-skilled future: Tailoring VET to the emerging labour market' conducted by a consortium of researchers from the National Institute of Labour Studies and the Centre for Post-compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning. This report aims to clarify the term 'skill shortage' and to explain how skill shortages can be resolved naturally by market forces. It also provides some guidance on determining when a skill shortage requires public-policy intervention.
Research messages 2006 is a collection of summaries on all research projects published or completed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research in 2006. The summaries are clustered under five broad themes used by NCVER to organise all of its VET research and analysis: Industry and employers; Students and individuals; Teaching and learning; VET system; and VET in context. Twenty-nine pieces of work are included and each summary provides details of how to access the full research report.