In this audio interview, Francesca Beddie discusses her paper, What next for tertiary education? Some preliminary sketches, which presents some thought-provoking ideas from prominent tertiary education thinkers who came together to reflect on the Committee on the Future of Tertiary Education report (the Martin report).
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with co-author Kaye Bowman about the report ‘Workforce skills development and engagement in training through skill sets’.
In this 30 minute podcast, Steve Davis talks with Tom Karmel, Erica Smith and Damian Oliver on insights from research into apprenticeships.textInterested in the story behind the numbers, Tom discusses the findings from his work on individual completion rates that show occupation and employers' size matters, with the implication being that the relationship between employer and apprentice is critical. Erica talks about the all too often unspoken expectations of apprentices and employers—the psychological contract. She finds that writing down these expectations at the start of an apprenticeship does help all parties. Damian examines whether pre-apprenticeship programs deliver on their promise of improved retention rates and finds their impact varies by occupation and prior education level. Implications for policy-makers and training providers are drawn out throughout the podcast.
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Tanya Bretherton about her report 'Developing the child care workforce: Understanding 'fight' or 'flight' amongst workers'. The early childhood education and care sector in Australia has long been characterised by low-skill/low-pay jobs. The current policy environment, however, may offer scope for the sector to move towards a path of skill growth. This report, based on case studies of four early childhood education and care providers, investigates how innovative employers are overcoming challenges in the sector to improve workforce development.
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Leesa Wheelahan about her report Higher Education in TAFE. Technical and further education (TAFE) institutes offering higher education degrees is a relatively new development but is expected to grow as a consequence of government policies aimed at increasing the percentage of Australians holding a bachelor degree. This project considers the provision and different perspectives of higher education qualifications offered by TAFE institutes, focusing on degrees and associate degrees.
This podcast features a panel discussion recorded by the ABC at NCVER's August 2008 forum Apprenticeships: Sustaining Australia's skills base in Melbourne. The ABC's Peter Mares chaired the session on Australia's skilling issues with panellists Neil Gow, Master Builders Australia, John Hart, Restaurant and Catering Australia, Linda Heron, Heron Human Resources and Peter Tighe, Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union. It was broadcast on October 3, 2008 as an episode of ABC Radio National's, The National Interest.