This research found that students who undertake foundation skills training alongside other VET programs are more likely to complete their studies and secure employment.
This research analysed the learning journeys and training and employment outcomes of students who undertake nationally recognised foundation skills programs.
This research investigates the contribution that community education providers make to foundation skills training in regional Australia, the models of delivery that seemed to work best, and whether training helped build the social and human capital of the individual and broader community.
This report explores whether VET undertaken by secondary students equips them with the technical and non-technical skills required to successfully participate in an ever-changing world of work.
This literature review looks at policy contexts and their measures of impact, with a particular focus on foundation skills policy in Australia, implemented as the National Foundation Skills Strategy for Adults, 2012—22.
This literature review focuses on the perspectives of adult language, literacy and numeracy, particularly the human capital and social practices perspectives, which at times do not sit comfortably in relation to each other.
This literature review looks at the different contexts in which adult language, literacy and numeracy are being delivered, who the learners are and the pedagogies in use, to elucidate what works best for whom and why.
This literature review focusses on the critical continuing development of the adult language, literacy and numeracy, and employability skills workforce.
An overview of young people using LSAY data and research is presented in this first edition of the LSAY annual report.
Developing students' information literacy skills can help make the transition from VET to university more successful.
This study goes beyond looking at how the financial return to training varies with qualification level and investigates the relationship between literacy skills and the incomes of workers in the Australian labour market and whether this varies with level of education.
This research shows that older Australians use computers and the internet less than younger Australians. Therefore, in the short term, information and services aimed at older Australians will need to be provided in additional ways.
This report explores the two tools used for assessing literacy and numeracy proficiency, the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALLS) survey and Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF), and finds that, while it is broadly possible to translate the five ACSF performance levels to the ALLS scales, there is not an exact match between the two, especially at the higher levels.
In recent decades Australian immigration policy has focused mostly on accepting high-skilled migrants. This report explores the question of whether participation in further training differs for these migrants compared with that of native-born workers in similar jobs. The research shows that foreign-born workers in Australia seem to receive the training they need, but this depends on whether or not they are native English speakers. Non-native English-speaking migrants demonstrate low training participation rates. They also have lower literacy skills and are less likely to be in employment.
Language, literacy and numeracy are necessary for greater workforce participation, productivity and social inclusion. Being able to measure the level of proficiency in these skills, and any changes in the level of skills, is important for getting a sense of how well language, literacy and numeracy programs are working. Two measurement tools used in Australia are the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALLS) survey and the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). This paper outlines an NCVER study which will investigate whether it is possible to map the performance levels of the ALLS to the performance levels of the ACSF in order to gain more frequent information than is currently available about the literacy and numeracy progression of adult learners against national goals.
This report investigates skill matches to job requirements for workers in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada. It might be expected that differences between the four countries in economic growth, technological innovation and structural change in the labour market may have led to differences in job skill requirements and use. This research finds, however, that the broad match of workers to jobs that use their skills is quite similar for the four countries, although some differences in the patterns of skill use over time were identified. This is one of the research reports resulting from a three-year program of research ( ).
The importance of adult language, literacy and numeracy for greater workforce participation, productivity and social inclusion are well recognised, with both national and international research demonstrating the benefits of increasing proficiency for both individuals and communities. But there are still more questions to be answered, such as what is the extent of adult language, literacy and numeracy provision in Australia, and whose responsibility is it to fund such provision in the workplace? In September 2010, NCVER hosted a forum on behalf of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to explore these questions and what needs to be done to find the answers. This paper presents a summary of those discussions and recommendations for future action.
Partnerships between literacy teachers and community service workers have the potential to engage people with low literacy levels in learning. Through interviews and surveys with these two groups, this paper explores their views on literacy, how it impacts on their work, and their ideas about partnerships with each other. Overall, partnerships are viewed more favourably by literacy teachers than community service workers. In addition, if partnerships are to proceed, both groups need to develop a greater awareness and appreciation for each other's roles. This research was undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice Program and was funded as part of NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity initiative.
This paper summarises the findings from the first year of a three-year research program investigating the role of vocational education and training (VET) for older workers.
The primary purpose of this project is to produce a set of guidelines on how to deliver adult literacy and numeracy education and training using a social capital approach.