Using case studies from seven rural and regional areas, this report looks at the impact of schools and vocational education and training (VET) on community capacity. It finds that communities have developed different models to organise school-VET partnerships and that rural areas are more likely to adopt a whole-of-community model, while regional areas have used a more specialised regional model. Successful partnerships are those that respond to community issues, including the need to keep young people at school, as well as providing a skills base for the local area.
This report documents the evolution and development of four learning communities in Victoria, which are involved in local government. It investigates the challenges and complexities involved in getting these communities off the ground and what roles, if any, vocational education and training (VET) institutions have played. Key principles emerging from the study include the importance of recognising different stakeholders' values and perspectives, appreciating multiple outcomes and proactively managing the relationships between various groups of stakeholders. Key findings include that local government has enormous potential and resources to contribute to the community and that VET is a necessary part of the system but has not been particularly proactive in the four cases described in this study.
This study examines the nature of the training activity of private registered training organisations (RTOs) offered to Australian students in 2003, based on data from a national sample of 330 RTOs. The study also provides estimates of the private sector's overall contribution to the total vocational education and training (VET) effort in Australia for that year. Private providers are diverse and cover a wide variety of types. Generally they are small organisations offering a wide range of programs; both accredited and non-accredited. While there are some issues relating to data quality, it is clear they make a substantial contribution to the overall Australian VET effort. It is estimated that, in 2003, private RTOs had about 2.2 million students, which compares with 1.7 million students in the publicly funded sector in that year. However, comparisons with the public VET sector are problematic because there are no estimates available of the training hours delivered by private RTOs.
This study investigated whether adult literacy and numeracy courses produced social capital outcomes, which are changes in students' connections with networks of people. The study found that 80% of the students improved the structure of their networks and the way they communicated, as well as contributing to positive socioeconomic benefits in the areas of education and learning, employment and the quality of working life, and access to goods and services. Reporting on these outcomes may go some way towards providing a more complete picture of the benefits of literacy and numeracy courses, emphasising that these courses are about more than the acquisition of a set of technical skills. At the same time, it is recognised that this may be problematic.
This study examines the nature of the impact of vocational education and training (VET), and its project-based activities and partnerships, on the development of sustainable communities in regional Australia. It finds that VET plays a critical role as the entry point to learning and builds considerable social and other forms of capital in regional communities. The study points to new opportunities to integrate these assets into strategic regional development.
This set of 'exhibits' provides information relating to the presentation given at the National Centre for Vocational Edcation Breakfast Briefing, 'Reading between the lines: Summing up adult literacy and numeracy research', in May 2006. The briefings focused on the amount of adult literacy and numeracy provision in Australia, efforts being made to address adult literacy and numeracy provision in Australia, the improvement of literacy skills and what this means to individuals, workplaces and communities, and the elements of successful provision and professional development for practitioners.
Using survey results of student outcomes in 2002 and a follow-up survey of these people in 2004, it is possible to show longer-term improvements for 15-24 year olds who completed TAFE training in 2001. The aim of this paper, presented to the Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association conference on 21 April 2006, is to examine the longer-term outcomes from TAFE training, including shifts in employment from prior to training to six months after training and a few years after training. It concludes that many gains can be achieved from undertaking training in the VET sector and these gains improve over time.
This report examines the extent and nature of professional development required to meet the current and future needs of Workplace English Language and Literacy Programme practitioners. While the working environment for such practitioners is becoming more complex, with greater demands on them to have industry knowledge and project management skills, the report finds that engagement in professional development activities is declining. Barriers preventing the recruitment of new practitioners are explored and possible strategies to support renewal of the profession are proposed, including the need for a national minimum standard to be adopted, such as the Advanced Diploma of Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice in VET.
The way school students understand work through their paid part-time work and participation in school-based apprenticeships has the potential to inform career decision making and further education pathways. Through classroom-based interventions this project sought to assist student's and teacher's understandings of 'authentic' work experiences. The role of the school and teachers in preparing students for vocational outcomes raises many issues, including the support and skills required to facilitate discussion and activities on the realities of the working world. Reflection upon work experiences, when directed effectively by teachers, enables students to critically appraise the world of work beyond school and post school pathways.
This report presents a profile of technical and further education (TAFE) institutes for the 2003 calendar year. The project was undertaken to illustrate the extent of variation in the sector. The report also provides data on TAFE institutes that can be used by the institutes for planning, performance monitoring and marketing purposes.
This study, undertaken for the National Electrical and Communications Association, profiles the electrotechnology workforce and focuses especially on how the industry is adapting to the rapidly changing environment. Through analysis of data and interviews, the study found that the electrotechnology industry has adapted well to its customers' demands to integrate the electrical and communication skills into a narrow range of occupations. Skills shortages remain in the industry but tend to be region or occupation specific.
The question of how the skills and knowledge of the adult language, literacy and numeracy workforce can be improved is particularly relevant in view of the ongoing debate on how language, literacy and numeracy skills should be taught. This study reflects on the professional development needs of the three sectors--vocational trainers, specialist teachers and volunteer tutors-- of the Australian English language, literacy and numeracy workforce. Important issues affecting the workforce include entry pathways, attitudes, responsibilities and barriers to gaining professional development. Preferred modes of professional development delivery along with skill gaps among the workforce are identified to provide guidance for future workforce development planning.
Research messages 2005 is a collection of summaries on all research projects published or completed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research in 2005. 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. Forty-two pieces of work are included and each summary provides details of how to access the full research report.
This report compares the provision of vocational education and training (VET) in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. It finds that training policies are increasingly based on similar general principles which promote the improvement and reform of vocational education and training, although the implementation of these principles tends to remain specific to each country.
This suite of overviews provides a comprehensive summary of each of NCVER's managed adult literacy and numeracy research projects funded in 2004. The suite of reports examine a wide range of literacy and numeracy issues - from its definition in policy-making terms, teaching and learning approaches and outcomes, to the professional development needs of literacy practitioners. The research also covers literacy practices and various approaches across Indigenous and ethnic communities, industry, volunteer and community settings.
Assessing the social and economic costs of poor adult literacy and numeracy skills, and the benefits of investing in such skills, is largely unchartered territory in Australia. This feasibility study explores the frameworks and methodologies available for determining and measuring such benefits and costs across a number of life domains, including health, finance and small business.
Difficulty with literacy and numeracy is a significant barrier to Indigenous students accessing vocational education and training. This study explored the literacy and numeracy support systems available to Indigenous VET students and determined which systems work for both students and teachers and produce positive outcomes for Indigenous students, including successful completion. This has resulted in a set of best practice guidelines for designing and developing literacy and numeracy support systems for Indigenous students.
This report looks at the transition to full-time work of young Australians who did not attend university after leaving school. It focuses on identifying the factors that are important in promoting full-time work. It analyses the influences of social background and demographic factors, effects of education and first experiences in the workplace in post-school years. Research report no. 49 This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
This report looks at the impact of vocational education and training (VET) provision on school completion rates and on initial post-school outcomes for different groups of students. Schools were grouped into seven types with three broad models: (1) school model with workplace learning; (2) TAFE model with workplace learning; and (3) VET without workplace learning or no VET. The findings were that the 'TAFE model' seemed to promote positive post-school outcomes while the 'school model' promoted better completion rates for participants. Research report no. 48 This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
School vocational education and training (VET) programs were introduced to provide more diverse pathways to work and further study for young people. This report investigates whether these programs provide successful outcomes for participants, in terms of retention to Year 12 (or its vocational equivalent) and full-time engagement with employment or learning. The report finds that participation in school VET programs has a small negative impact on retention from Year 10 to Year 12 overall but that there is a positive impact on Year 10 to Year 11 retention. There is a clear positive impact on post-school outcomes for students who participate in school VET programs in Year 11 but do not go on to complete Year 12. Finally, the report looks at whether school VET programs have been successful in establishing post-school VET pathways. The results show that these programs provide a clear pathway for some students, particularly for boys studying in the areas of building and engineering. For most students, however, the pathway is not so direct.