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 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.
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.
Literacy and numeracy skills are critical in the workplace and yet little is known in Australia about the extent of numeracy training required within a workplace. This study begins to redress this by investigating the qualifications, experience, and numeracy skills of language, literacy and numeracy specialists and vocational specialists—referred to collectively in this study as vocational education and training (VET) practitioners—working in the process manufacturing industry. A degree of mismatch is found between the skill required to address numeracy needs in the process manufacturing industries and the current capacity of VET practitioners in terms of their understanding of numeracy requirements, their qualifications, skills and experience.
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.
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 ( ).
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.
This report considers how the ALRP has contributed to the adult language, literacy and numeracy sector.
Ways of assessing and acknowledging the range of outcomes in non-accredited community adult language, literacy and numeracy programs are explored in this study. The instruments it tested take account of the diversity of learner needs and motivations. The study highlights that these assessment methods can bring benefits both to the learner and the tutor, especially when they are completed jointly in ways that inform learning plans and aim at building self-confidence.
This study shows how a group of employers understand the provision of literacy, numeracy and employability skills and the continuing development of these skills in their workplaces. It demonstrates that some employers accept that it is both necessary and the employer's responsibility to provide learning and development opportunities for these skills. However, employers are looking for support in doing this. The challenge for training organisations is in building capability and capacity to support this effort. Successful development strategies in the workplace tended to be part of the normal cycles of skills training and continuous improvement.
This study examined non-accredited community language, literacy and numeracy provision in Australia. A diverse range of providers assist many adults who do not need or cannot yet cope with accredited training. Growth in self-confidence appears as important as development of literacy and numeracy skills, with teachers and tutors playing a key role in this.
The use, learning and transfer of workplace numeracy skills, as well as current understandings of the term numeracy, are examined in this study. It also highlights the importance of numeracy as an essential workplace skill. The report challenges the training system and training organisations to provide numeracy training which makes links directly to workplace contexts as well as to mathematical concepts.
This study examined the extent to which English language, literacy and numeracy teachers used classroom management strategies to meet the needs of adult Sudanese refugee learners. While teachers met the needs of these learners insofar as they coincided with those of other refugee groups, the highly oral language culture of these learners appeared not to have been accounted for in teaching strategies. Recommendations include greater flexibility in program content, outcomes and delivery.