The authors investigate the 'enablers' that support building and construction students moving from diplomas into construction management and related bachelor degrees. The research considers the broader rationale for strengthening educational pathways, particularly from the perspectives of the students who have already made the transition from vocational education and training (VET) to higher education. Consistent with other research, this study confirms that committed VET teachers and staff, opportunities for students to build confidence, and collaboration between VET and higher education providers enables the navigation of a successful pathway.
Types of job mobility (changing industry sector, changing occupation, and changing sector and occupation) and the outcomes ensuing for those who have just completed a VET course in Australia over the years 2001–11 are examined in this report using NCVER Student Outcomes Survey data. To determine whether job quality improves with mobility, the research compares several measures before and after completing a VET course, focusing on the association between mobility and better pay, better occupational status, a higher chance of full-time employment, and a lower chance of casual employment. The results show that occupational mobility that also preserves sector-specific knowledge is associated with the best labour market outcomes.
Results from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics have been used to suggest there is a crisis in the literacy and numeracy skills of Australian adults. This study challenges this current view by looking at the issue from a worker's perspective.
Literacy and numeracy skills are critical in the workplace and yet little is known in Australia about the extent of numeracy training required within a workplace. This study begins to redress this by investigating the qualifications, experience, and numeracy skills of language, literacy and numeracy specialists and vocational specialists—referred to collectively in this study as vocational education and training (VET) practitioners—working in the process manufacturing industry. A degree of mismatch is found between the skill required to address numeracy needs in the process manufacturing industries and the current capacity of VET practitioners in terms of their understanding of numeracy requirements, their qualifications, skills and experience.
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 indicators including a discussion of the properties indicators should have and statistical and presentation issues.
This report explores some of the key issues associated with the assessment in VET and reflects on some possible solutions.
In this eclectic collection of papers, 13 essayists and four high-profile discussants consider the complexity of the tertiary education system and its underlying structures.
In this interview, Steve Davis talks to one of the authors, Francesca Beddie, about this eclectic collection of papers considering the complexities of the tertiary education system and its underlying structures.
This report explores the issues of industry currency and professional obsolescence - or the competence of an individual to perform their job - from the viewpoints of those working in the trades and the professions, with the aim to examine their suitability for VET.
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with co-author Berwyn Clayton about the report. The purpose of the study is to take an industry focused approach to investigating the issues of professional obsolescence and industry currency and how they apply to VET practitioners.
This paper was written to encourage policy-makers to think about how to measure socioeconomic status (SES). It also provides some data on socioeconomic status and tertiary education participation and speculates about the likely impact of an expansion in higher education on those from a low socioeconomic background.
This report investigates whether undertaking work-related training helps those who are casually employed move into permanent or fixed-term work, and whether such training has an impact on the level of satisfaction casually employed people have with their jobs, employment opportunities and life in general.
For the first time in the history of 'No Frills', presenters were invited to submit papers for peer review, and these have been compiled into this publication.
This research reports on the effects of Youth Allowance using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY).
This research overview summarises Chris Ryan's report 'Student income support and education and training participation in Australia'. The research covers the effects of Youth Allowance using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) and employs a number of sophisticated econometric techniques.
This technical paper explores trends in mid-level qualifications (diplomas, advanced diplomas and associate degrees) from 2002 to 2011.
This overview opened the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research forum entitled Are We There Yet? Youth Transitions in Australia, held at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, on 11 April 2013.
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with co-author Tom Karmel about this report which uses data from the 2006 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) to investigate how schools influence tertiary entrance rank and university enrolment over and above young people's individual background characteristics.
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.
This report uses Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data to look at the impact of schools on a student’s tertiary entrance rank (TER) and the probability of them going to university (controlling for TER).