This report comes out of a three-year program of research that aims to investigate how best the tertiary education and training system might be organised to maintain the employability of Australian workers across their working lives.
In light of recent developments in educational policy and the positioning of vocational education and training (VET) across the European Union, it was timely to explore these new directions and the lessons for Australian VET.
The aim of this research is to define good practices which support partnerships between adult and community education and vocational education and training, and identify negative practices which work against such collaborations. The research finds that strong and committed lead personnel, time, respect between organisations and a clear understanding of objectives are key factors for success. Each purchased copy of the report also includes a copy of 'Creating effective ACE and VET partnerships: Good practice guide'.
Discussion about Australia's ageing population has focused on the importance of increasing labour force participation rates of older people. This paper examines the influence of education and training on the participation of older people in the labour market, and the pay-off of undertaking education and training as an older-person compared to earlier in life. On the whole, the results indicate the more qualifications the better, and education, lifelong learning and training are beneficial to maintaining and increasing employment rates. Qualifications acquired later in life have as good, and in some cases, better, pay-off to employment-to-population rates for older age groups, suggesting education is an effective strategy for older people seeking employment. The authors also suggest that increasing education levels will partially offset the impact of ageing on labour force participation.
There is increasing worldwide focus on education reform, driven by rising pressures for lifelong learning, the burgeoning impact of technology, and an escalating pace of change in much of industry and society. This report examines the key trends in Europe and North America in finding more effective means of strengthening the impact of educational research on practice. It analyses trends to accumulate, communicate and achieve stronger interaction and interface between research, policy, and practice. The author suggests that the knowledge development process in vocational education and training should involve three stages - the first stage providing initial research information, before moving toward an 'intermediate' and then a 'mature' stage of evidence building through feedback and testing of the research.
Communication and other literacy skills are vital to public safety organisations. This report investigates the impact literacy levels may have on the ability of volunteers to meet demands for more formal training and assessment. The role of these organisations to develop the skills of people in rural and remote communities is also considered. The research finds public safety organisations are important sites of adult learning, particularly for men. While the introduction of more formalised training presents opportunities, such as building community capacity, challenges also exist. Strategies to overcome potential barriers include developing training and assessment that relates to local situations, adapting training and assessment materials to suit learners, and including hands-on, practical training where possible.
This study investigates which market groups are most likely to take up and use online vocational education and training (VET) delivery, and identifies key factors that influence demand from these groups. Students undertaking training to change their careers or improve their skills, and self-employed people are the most likely to favour online delivery. Potential employer markets include group training companies and large organisations. Current user groups report they seek training that is short, simple, available in easy-to-manage chunks, and immediately accessible. Other suggestions to change online training product and pricing to tap into the mass market are also included.
This report provides a description of the full range of adult and community education (ACE) services and clients; an analysis of ACE outcomes and contributions to lifelong learning for its range of clients; and a discussion of issues that might be considered relating to valid and reliable national data collection and reporting for ACE. Representatives of 40 ACE providers across Australia were interviewed for the project.
This report summarises the findings of an exploratory study to measure the impact of adult and community education (ACE) on the Australian economy. It includes a profile of the sector, a description of the non-quantifiable benefits that ACE provides to its teachers and an approach to estimating the economic impact, based on the costs and benefits that can be measured.
The encouragement of lifelong learning is one important aim of the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system. The recognition of the concept of 'module' enrolments in VET, in addition to enrolments towards qualifications, gives practical effect to that aim. A student undertaking VET modules only or a 'module enrollee' may be thought of as an individual enrolling in a program with a VET provider, but not intending to proceed to a qualification. Similarly a 'module completer' is a student who is not a graduate but has successfully completed some training in a VET program of study and then left the VET system. This report provides information on the employment and industry characteristics of module enrollees and completers in VET. Their reasons or motivations for module (as opposed to course) enrolment and the employment and lifelong learning outcomes associated with the types of module providers and training programs are also examined.
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.
How lifelong learning and vocational training are currently being implemented in Australia and in Germany is explored by educational specialists from both countries in this edited anthology of conference papers. They compare the methods and effects in both countries. The papers also reflect the importance of lifelong learning in the work of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, the Australian National Training Authority, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research and the Monash University, ACER Centre for the Economics of Education and Training. The conference in Potsdam in 2000 was organised for the Australia Centre in Berlin, by the Centre for the Economics of Education and Training.
A discussion of the vocational education and training system in Sweden, which has developed from being primarily industry-based in the 1960s to a structurally uniform system that is integrated with general education in the present day.
This review of research examines how sets of key competencies/key skills/generic skills have developed in Britain, United States and Australia. The review analyses the literature that relates to the following questions: *What are the generic skills? *What are the teaching and learning implications for VET providers? *What impact do generic skills have on business performance?
This study examined the advantages and disadvantages of cross-sectoral provision of tertiary education and training. It found that cross-sectoral collaboration could be improved by the development of a coherent national lifelong learning policy, and addressing 'cultural' differences between the various sectors. None of this was assisted by the sources of funding for tertiary education being divided between levels of government. Other obstacles included competition for students, tightly regulated profile negotiation processes in the VET sector and the use of non-graded approaches to competency assessment. Nevertheless, some staff in both the university and VET sectors are working very hard to collaborate and to create opportunities for students to study across sectors. These efforts lay the basis for a more unified tertiary sector and improved opportunitites for lifelong learning.
The education of the population and the skilling of the workforce are the factors which are going to determine a nation's fortunes in the 21st century much more than they have in the 20th century. The skills base of a nation and the speed with which skilling can adjust to meet new requirements will be as important, if not more important in determining economic success than a nation's natural resources and financial capital base. These changes will not be achieved without further significant reform to our education and training system. This report discusses these issues and the direction for the future.
Older people are flocking to training. They are demonstrating that they want to learn and they can learn. They are also turning more and more to community providers rather than TAFE. Is TAFE oriented too much towards young people, at the expense of the older person?
This book comprises the combined papers presented at concurrent sessions on research into a training culture at the conference 'Creating our future: A new training culture for Australia' held in Brisbane, August 1998, by the Australian National Training Authority. Industrial development of a training culture, individuals' and enterprises' motives for training, economic forces for learning and how research can facilitate change in training are discussed by Australia's top researchers.