This research uniquely amplifies the voices of First Nations and migrant learners who have disengaged from foundation skills courses. By understanding their goals, experiences, and recommendations, ways to better support their completion are identified. The research explores how these learners first encountered the courses, their motivations for enrolling, the supports available, and the barriers they continue to face. Participants directly shared their training experiences and suggested improvements, offering valuable insights to enhance the effectiveness of foundation skills programs.
VET outcomes may be improved if training providers take a more regional approach to course offerings and institutional learning support.
What role does vocational education and training play in enabling students to fully participate in social and economic life?
Parental influence plays a significant role in their children's educational aspirations.
Young people's intentions to pursue post-school study established in secondary school.
While much research has been conducted on the influence of individual and family characteristics on social exclusion, very little has examined the role of community and neighbourhood factors.
This research report examines the underutilisation of the skills of migrants in regional areas, particularly women who are often the spouse of a primary applicant but are also skilled in their own right.
The authors of this paper explore whether low socioeconomic status (SES) students benefit to a greater or lesser extent from attending high-quality schools when compared with their more advantaged peers.
This study provides new evidence on the inter-relationships between Indigenous Australians' association with their traditional culture and their engagement with vocational education and training.
In this podcast, Sue Webb, a researcher, talks about the initial findings from work looking at the use of migrant women's skills in regional areas.
This overview looks at the key findings of Mike Dockery's report 'Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in education and training' and shows that, in both remote and non-remote areas, those with a stronger attachment to their culture had greater educational success. However, it also reveals that the report is a complex one, and the way the data are analysed is key to the findings.
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Michael Dockery about his report, 'Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in education and training'. This study provides an important innovation to the existing literature by explicitly attempting to measure 'cultural attachment' and its relationship with post-compulsory education and training.
This study provides an important innovation to the existing literature by explicitly attempting to measure 'cultural attachment' and its relationship with post-compulsory education and training.
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.
Recent research in the vocational education and training (VET) sector shows that students are gaining a range of benefits from their studies, beyond expected course outcomes. Students are developing new networks, and gaining confidence and self esteem through the respect received from their teachers and classmates. For some students, these advantages help them to find work and interact more easily with those around them. The networks and trust developed by students can also be referred to as 'social capital'. While many students are gaining social capital outcomes incidentally, these outcomes can also be actively developed. This paper discusses the concept of social capital and examines the link between social capital and VET. The paper also outlines ways in which social capital can be developed through VET courses and partnerships. The research shows developing social capital can be particularly helpful for marginalised young people.
The purpose of this paper looks at the fundamental issue of whether VET does improve the employment prospects of the groups in question. It exploits data from the Student Outcome Survey to construct samples that proxy three welfare groups and models the post-training employment outcomes.
Understanding Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system can be daunting for observers. This paper, written as a background paper for a visit from the OECD, describes Australia's VET system and how it relates to the broader set of education and learning options that are available to Australians.
The findings of a cultural industries skills audit undertaken in 2008 in Katherine, Northern Territory, are explored. The case study focusses in particular on the practical challenges and implications of auditing skills in a diverse industry sector and considers the usefulness of such an audit in preparing an industry for predicted change. This paper is the result of a 2008 NCVER New Researcher Award.
This project focuses on the interpersonal networking processes, or non-market mechanisms, through which training needs are signalled to VET providers in a rural region. A detailed single case-study approach shows that VET users also consider interpersonal relationships, based on trust, when selecting programs for participation.
Organisational capability is recognised as a key to organisational success. The combination of human capital (peoples' skills and knowledge), social capital (relationships between people) and organisational capital (the organisation's processes), is central to building an organisation's capability. The presentation highlights the lessons learnt about building VET provider capability from an extensive two and a half year research program.