This report is about employers and how they value and use qualifications in their business decisions. The research indicates clear differences in the value placed on and use made of qualifications by employers for different groups of workers and occupations. Qualifications are considered more important for higher-level occupations and employers use them predominantly to recruit new employees and to ensure regulatory compliance. Employers regard qualifications as a signal of potential for future learning and skills acquisition, not as a signal of immediate competence. Overall, employers drew a strong distinction between qualifications and experience, and favoured and valued the latter more in regard to many of their business decisions. The higher the level of enterprise change and innovation, the lower the level of value and use made of qualifications by employers. Also, small enterprises are more likely to be highly discriminating of qualifications and supporting development among their employees.
Future workforce planning in private and public enterprise requires reliable information on which projections are made. Currently limited information exists about vocational education and training (VET) professionals. This report consolidates two national studies on the TAFE workforce, and on VET professionals in private and public registered training organisations. The findings have important implications for workforce planning. Within the TAFE sector, the number of teachers aged over 45 is almost double the average for the Australian workforce, and the employment status is shifting from permanent qualified teachers to non-permanent teachers who are less qualified. Outside the TAFE sector, the credentials of VET professionals are also an issue.
The vocational education and training (VET) sector is an important source of qualifications for associate professionals; the second fastest growing occupational group in Australia's labour market. The report offers employers, industry organisations, and professional associations an insight into the benefits of contracted work-based training arrangements, like New Apprenticeships, for training associate professionals. However, relatively few undertake training at this level through apprenticeship-type pathways.
Vocational education and training (VET) can assist rural communities develop the necessary skills to survive and prosper in changing social and economic environments. This report investigates the implementation of training packages in five rural communities, and the strategies providers, community and industry stakeholders use to achieve positive outcomes. Providers in the rural communities reveal that flexibility is the key to successful training. However, some funding and delivery policies/regulations hinder their efforts. The authors find that policies and incentives that support collaboration will assist training diversity in non-metropolitan Australia.
This report explores how, and to what extent training packages are locally customised to meet the needs of stakeholders in regional and local communities. In doing so it investigates who the stakeholders are, what they want from training and whether their needs are being met.
The implementation and management of recognition of prior learning (RPL) by registered training organisations following the introduction of Australian Quality Training Framework standards are reviewed in this report. Proposals to support registered training organisations' compliance with RPL in the standards are also included. The report is based on work commissioned by the Australian National Training Authority to identify and analyse the barriers that affect the implementation of RPL, and to advise the National Training Quality Council.
This paper was presented to the IIEP/UNESCO-KRIVET International Policy Seminar on 'Making Lifelong Learning a Reality' in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in June 2003.
This case study of the high-technology companies established by the Australian Photonics Co-operative Research Centre and the Centre for Molecular Engineering Technology provides supplementary information to the summary report 'Going boldly into the future: A journey into the national innovation system'. The author gives detailed profiles of 14 high technology Australian companies which are all start-ups. The profiles describe the corporate structure, staff and management and the involvement of each company with the VET sector.
What motivates school students to undertake school-based new apprenticeships and how satisfied are they with the outcomes? The students themselves answer these questions in this report on the findings of a survey of school-based new apprentices in three Australian states. Questions cover the students' appreciation of the quality of learning and training they received, the effectiveness of work experience, how it influenced their career decisions, the effects on their studies at school and the students' views on workplace learning in a variety of industries.
This paper was presented to the KRIVET International conference on VET, in Seoul, Republic of Korea, during October 2002.
During the past decade both Australia and China have implemented reforms to their educational systems to develop labour force skills for the new globalised markets. This report describes the major features of the vocational education and training sectors in China and Australia, and their strategies and reforms, with emphasis on links between secondary and post-secondary vocational education and training.
This brief report describes new developments and initiatives in the UK on the issue of employability skills. The report focusses particularly on: *The Enterprising Skills Development Movement *A brief history of employer involvement and government partnership initiatives regarding employability *Future development of both key skills and enterprise skills in vocational education and training An appendix for this report is now included, updating the content of employability skills development in the UK. It concentrates on the wider key skills programs, and enterprise skills and education.
The financial benefits of gaining a VET qualification are calculated and assessed in this report. Using data from a representative sample of Australian employees, author Chris Ryan compares the wages and after-tax returns for individuals with different qualifications and with different levels of experience and labour market participation.
The long-term benefits of a VET qualification are compared with the long-term employment outcomes for university graduates and for individuals whose education ceased at Year 12. Also looked at are the long-term effects for VET graduates with disabilities and from non-English speaking backgrounds and what differences exist for males and females over time. Author Chris Ryan uses data from two major surveys to assess the value of various VET qualifications for lifelong learning and longer term employment opportunities.
This report focusses on the implementation of vocational education and training (VET) in schools over the period 1996-1999. The report is comprehensive and provides an overview of school-based VET, historic and international aspects of vocationalism in secondary schooling, policy influences on the implementation of VET in secondary schools in Australia, a statistical description of VET provision in Australian secondary schools, a description of school-level implementation, discussion of cost and resourcing issues and then a suggested blueprint for school-based VET. Part 2 elaborates on the major findings and issues presented in part 1 and is available as a pdf file only.
This study provides detailed information on students who enrolled in enabling courses and examines the post-course outcomes for these individuals. It also assesses the effectiveness of enabling courses to assist students to progress to a higher level of education or training or to gain employment following the completion of an enabling course.
This study examines the geographical distribution of apprenticeship commencements in the context of various labour force and population statistics by industry, location of jobs and youth population. Apprenticeship and traineeship statistics between 1995 and 1998 are examined in terms of occupational groupings, duration, full-time/part-time and qualification levels.
This is a workshop presentation given by the then Managing Director of NCVER, in August 2000 in Beijing, China.
This report documents an investigation of the ways in which VET students in the 1990s are combining both study and work in preparation for future long-term career paths.
Provides a detailed insight into workplace competency profiles. In particular, what they are likely to be used for; who they should target; what they should consist of; benefits gained from their use; and what problems might be encountered in implementing them.