NCVER

• The vocational education and training (VET) workforce has a strategic role in the economy in equipping the workforce at large with the skills needed by industry. It is important that the VET sector is able to plan for the future and can do so on the basis of reliable projections of its own workforce. At the moment there are no reliable projections.
  
  
• The VET workforce is not well understood statistically. There are several weaknesses in the currently available data which impede future workforce planning. These include:
• • no single accepted measure of employment levels, with estimates of the TAFE workforce ranging from 39 000 to 90 000
  • no consistent definitions in TAFE administrative systems of key workforce concepts such as 'employee', 'teacher' and 'permanent'.
    
    
• The proportion of people engaged on a casual or sessional basis in TAFE is much higher than is found in the workforce as a whole. This may act as a brake on enhancing professional capability, as non-permanent staff tend to have shorter tenure and, in general, less opportunity to participate in professional development exercises.
  
  
• In common with the workforce in general, the VET workforce is ageing. Although there is no current problem of labour supply, there will be a high number of people retiring in coming years, particularly those employed by TAFE institutes.
  
  
• There are mixed messages on the qualifications of the VET workforce. While the proportion of VET professionals holding a post-school qualification is relatively high at two-thirds, and higher still in TAFE at four in five, relatively few have a qualification in education or training. This proportion will need to increase if vocational education and training is to remain quality assured.
  
  
• The profile of the TAFE workforce appears to have more in common with those in higher education and schooling than it does with other parts of the VET workforce, such as those employed by non-TAFE providers or those providing training within enterprises. Movement of employees across the VET workforce form a potential recruitment pool for TAFE institutes grappling with an ageing workforce, but this may raise issues about standards and modes of teaching and learning.

In Australia at the present time there is a gap in information relating to people employed as vocational education and training (VET) professionals. There have been a series of earlier studies which have examined various jurisdictions, notably Victoria, and a number of limited surveys have focused on a particular issue. However, to date, no national profile of the VET or technical and further education (TAFE) workforce has been undertaken.

This report consolidates two studies. The first is a national study of the TAFE workforce-that is, those working in TAFE institutions-using point-in-time administrative data from the states and territories as at June 2002. The second forms part of a larger Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) national project entitled Enhancing the capability of the VET professional (Dickie et al. 2004). This second study, which covers those working in both private and public registered training organisations, relied primarily on two Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) surveys-the Census of Population and Housing, and the Survey of Education and Training-for the years 1996 to 2001. Both surveys provide a national picture.

Overall, data were found to be inconsistent, both across states and territories and in data sources. For the national study of the TAFE workforce, only two data elements were collected on a consistent basis across jurisdictions. These were age and sex. There were also no consistent definitions across jurisdictions of key workplace concepts such as 'teacher' and 'employee'. The ABS data, while providing national demographic data on the VET workforce, were not especially useful for examining job characteristics, such as working hours and employment status. There were also discrepancies in fields, such as numbers employed and employment status, depending on the data source used. Nevertheless, some broad observations on the nature of the VET workforce can be made.

Key findings

The work of VET professionals is broadening

VET professionals are made up of VET practitioners-those involved in a range of 'direct' activities, such as delivery, development, and review and assessment of courses or modules-and other professional staff who are involved in indirect activities, such as administrative support, marketing programs and management. Over the period 1997-2001, VET professionals became more involved in direct activities, and somewhat less involved in indirect activities, with an overall effect of greater multi-tasking.

VET professionals are mostly VET practitioners

Most VET professionals spend at least some time involved in direct activities and therefore most can be considered VET practitioners. However, the amount of time spent on direct activities is highly varied. Among VET practitioners employed in a TAFE organisation, around one in two spend at least half of their time on direct activities. Outside TAFE, most VET practitioners spend little time on direct provision. Indeed, a clear majority of VET practitioners employed by other organisations providing education and training spend very little time on direct activities. The implication is that these VET practitioners are not employed primarily to provide vocational education and training.

VET professionals are no older than the workforce at large

The age profile of VET professionals has moved upwards over the period 1997-2001, with 34% of these people aged 45 years or older in 2001, nearly identical to the proportion of all employed people in Australia in that age bracket (33%). However, VET teachers in TAFE are on average much older than VET professionals taken as a whole (61% aged 45 years or more). They have a similar age profile to that of teachers in the higher education and schools sectors-partly due to the time needed to acquire the skills and experience to teach.

There are roughly equal numbers of male and female teachers in TAFE

The Census of Population and Housing data also indicate that overall, there are more teachers who are part-time than there are those who are full-time. However, more males are in full-time positions than are females. Most TAFE teachers are employed on a non-permanent basis. It also appears that this situation is not confined to the TAFE sector, and that the trend is towards greater use of both part-time and non-permanent staff.

More than two out of three VET professionals have a post-school qualification

Professionals in TAFE are more likely to hold a post-school qualification (eight in ten) than other VET professionals (two in three). Professionals in TAFE are also more likely to hold a VET-related qualification, while those outside TAFE are slightly more likely to hold a bachelor degree or postgraduate qualification. However, most VET practitioners do not have qualifications in education or training, a situation which is being remedied, for permanent staff at least, in some jurisdictions.

Implications for workforce planning

Any national aggregated assessment of the TAFE workforce is influenced by the situation in New South Wales. The NSW TAFE workforce accounts for 45% of the TAFE workforce and over half (52%) of the teaching workforce. NSW TAFE has the highest proportion of part-time, non-permanent teaching staff, a figure likely to be reflected in any national aggregate.

These findings have important implications for workforce planning for VET professionals, particularly teachers in the TAFE sector. Three in five teachers whose main job is in the TAFE sector are aged over 45, almost double the average for the Australian workforce as a whole. They mostly enjoy permanency and are well qualified. Their jobs are broadening. At the same time, the sector is making increasing use of part-time and non-permanent staff, most of whom do not have formal qualifications in education and training. These people now make up a majority of professionals employed in the sector.

Outside the TAFE sector the implications of ageing for workforce planning are less immediate. At the same time, the findings do raise questions about whether VET professionals are sufficiently well accredited to be delivering training, since nine out of ten do not have any qualifications in education or training. Any investigation of this issue must, however, acknowledge that most VET professionals outside the TAFE sector are not primarily employed to provide vocational education and training.

As previously highlighted, the findings must take account of the difficulty in gaining data on the number and characteristics of VET professionals, a situation exemplified by the fact that there is no definitive count of the number employed. More and richer data would go some way towards improving the ability of the sector to engage in workforce planning.

The final part of this consolidated report presents a rationale and options for a regular national data collection of the VET workforce.

Data collection relating to the workforce can be improved in a variety of ways, with the choice of method determined by level of precision required, the character of the data sought, and the costs of obtaining it. Data can be generated in two ways-as a by-product of an administrative system, or freshly generated by way of a survey. In the context of the professional VET workforce, data can be accumulated through an administrative collection undertaken via the human resource management systems of registered training organisations, or a survey of employees. The choice of method depends on a desire for accuracy (an administrative collection) as opposed to more subjective data on attitudes to work and a lower cost (an employee survey).

• Reforms in VET over the past ten years have had a significant effect on the work of its staff. They now operate in more competitive markets and face increased demands for higher quality and more relevant programs from their various clients. Understanding and keeping up with the changes and working in new and more flexible ways have been major challenges for the VET workforce.

• Senior managers in public VET providers have become more strategic and focus more intensively on the external environment and building stronger links with clients.Their philosophy and personal style have been found to strongly influence their organisation’s culture and response to change.

• Front-line managers in public VET providers focus intensely on internal business and work practices to enable staff to make necessary changes to meet new client demands.

• The core capabilities required of VET leaders and managers have been identified. Business, change management and educational leadership skills need to be enhanced, with professional development linked more strategically to organisational needs and capability.

• VET teachers’ work has expanded and diversified.They work in an increasing range of contexts, including classrooms, workplaces and online.They tend to facilitate learning rather than teach, which requires a more diverse range of knowledge and capabilities. Teachers also work increasingly as part of cross-organisational and multi-disciplinary teams, and with non-teaching staff.

• Significant professional development has facilitated new work practices. However, this has not met all individual or organisational needs. Current VET industrial awards, performance indicators and funding models do not prohibit new approaches to work but they do make it more difficult because they have not kept pace with the new ways practitioners are working, particularly in public VET providers. Identified problems with job design, workload and performance management need to be urgently tackled. Effective solutions to a number of these issues are in use at the local level.These need to be examined and shared more widely to inform better practice.

• Critical knowledge will be lost in the near future as qualified and experienced staff either retire or resign.Thus succession planning has also been identified as an increasingly important consideration.

• The overall lesson from the reform process is that VET providers need to be more actively involved in it.The professionalism of VET practitioners needs to be better recognised and their educational leadership encouraged to help reduce resistance to change and enhance their job satisfaction.

Generic skills are taking on increased importance in Australia and internationally. This At a glance explains why there is such an interest in generic skills and describes how they have been defined and addressed in educational programs in Australia. It also compares the different definitions and interpretations of generic skills in various overseas countries.

Key findings

• There is a high demand for generic skills in the workplace. Employers seek to ensure business success by recruiting and retaining employees who have a variety of skills and personal attributes, as well as technical skills. Individuals also need a range of generic skills to form and maintain family and community relationships.

• Put simply, generic skills are those that apply across a variety of jobs and life contexts. They are also known by several other names, including key skills, core skills, essential skills, key competencies, necessary skills, transferable skills and employability skills. Industry's preferred term is employability skills.

• The process of defining generic skills in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada has involved two phases. Early initiatives produced sets of skills relevant to work and life generally; employer-led initiatives then followed, resulting in extended lists of skills closely related to employability.

• There is no one definitive list of generic skills; instead, there are a number of lists. Collectively, the lists have six common elements:
  • basic/fundamental skills
  • people-related skills
  • conceptual/thinking skills
  • personal skills and attributes
  • skills related to the business world
  • skills related to the community.

• Each sector of education—schools, vocational education and training (VET), higher education and adult and community education—has a role to play in helping people to develop their generic skills.These skills are developed throughout a person's life and in multiple settings, including work and life settings and educational contexts.

• Australia's education sectors have been facilitating generic skills development for several years, but in isolation. However, a collaborative cross-sectoral approach is being developed in Australia, to be appraised in 2004.Those generic skills most closely linked with employability are the focus of this approach.

• While the focus on generic skills has largely been related to definitions and standards development, their implementation is increasingly being seen as a teaching and learning issue.

A companion to this At a glance called Fostering generic skills in VET programs and workplaces (NCVER 2003) focusses on recent research findings on how generic skills are understood and being fostered specifically within Australian VET providers and workplaces.

This At a glance explains how generic skills might best be fostered in vocational education and training (VET) programs and workplaces. It includes the views of a variety of groups and focuses on what research has said about describing, teaching, learning, assessing, recognising and certifying these important skills.

In the Australian VET sector and workplaces, the term generic skills now refers to the set of eight major skills and various personal attributes developed recently by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Business Council of Australia (2002), and which they referred to as employability skills.These employability skills are: self-management, team work, communicating, planning and organising, using technology, problem-solving, learning skills, and initiative and enterprise skills.The personal attributes include loyalty, honesty and integrity, enthusiasm, reliability, personal presentation, common sense, adaptability and ability to deal with pressure.

Key findings

• Fostering the development of generic employability skills needs to be a joint responsibility of individuals, teaching institutions and workplaces, with the various groups working in partnership where possible.These skills are developed throughout life and are fostered in a wide variety of contexts essential for sustained employability.

• Teaching and learning generic skills requires processes based on real experience in a variety of contexts. A number of different approaches are currently being used to teach, learn and foster these skills.

• Much of the assessment of generic skills is unreported in the formal sector. Better assessment and certification of generic skills are critical. If generic skills are not assessed and reported, learners will not see them as important, and employers will be unable to access relevant information about their employees. Four possible assessment models, including their strengths and weaknesses, are identified.

• To improve current efforts at fostering generic skills in VET programs and workplaces, several steps need to occur. These include:
  • documenting generic skills more clearly in training packages, based on the outcomes of national pilots currently being trialled
  • promoting the importance of generic skills to all relevant groups, and encouraging them to foster their development
  • sharing real practice in the teaching and learning of generic skills, including learning from past experiences of trying to implement the Mayer key competencies
  • developing policy and processes that will certify and record the attainment of generic skills
  • providing ongoing professional development for teachers, trainers and assessors.

Why is workplace learning important?

Education and training is no longer seen as being solely the realm of educational institutions. Education and training is increasingly viewed in terms of a broader system involving workplaces, educational institutions, individuals and a variety of other government and community organisations.

The increasingly competitive nature of the economy, and demographic, occupational and workplace change, have had a significant impact on the nature of the workplace.These changes have meant that the skill level of employees must be continuously developed.The skill mix required by organisations is changing, with employers demanding generic skills such as communication and problem-solving skills, in addition to technical skills. As such, workplace learning, both formal and informal, is taking on an increasingly important role in the education and training of the workforce (Johnston et al. 2002). Currently, much of the training in the workplace is not accredited; however, the total extent and diversity of workplace learning is vast.

This At a glance summarises some of the recent research on workplace learning in Australia. Based on our analysis, if workplace learning was working well in Australia, enterprises would have in place the elements outlined in the key findings.

Key findings:The 'ideal' workplace learning situation

• Workplace learning is aimed at increasing innovative capacity in enterprises.
• Organisational culture supports and values training and learning.
• Training and learning are a part of doing business and are included as an integral part of the strategic planning cycle.
• Training and learning in all forms are valued and used according to the appropriate circumstances.
• Training is customised to individuals and to increase work capability.
• Networks, partnerships and supply chains are used to facilitate training.

Apprentice and trainee activity 1995 to 2000

This 'At a glance' consolidates a range of research funded as one of the initiatives of the Australian Flexible Learning (AFL) framework to increase the vocational education and training (VET) sector's understanding of the pedagogical, technical and managerial aspects of flexible learning. It specifically focusses on issues related to online learning and delivery.

Introduction

Considerable funds have been invested in technologies, equipment, and in the development of individual staff as part of the strategy developed under the auspices of the Australian Flexible Learning (AFL) framework. Teaching and learning resources have been nationally funded through FLAG programs such as Toolboxes and LearnScope. Considerable investment at the state/territory and provider levels has also taken place. A suite of research projects has been funded over the period 2000 to 2002 which has sought to capture and report on the amount, cost, variety and effectiveness of these new flexible, online practices.

Key findings

• There appears to be relatively little pure online delivery of VET. Online approaches are being used in combination with other delivery methodologies.
• Most students who experience online learning do so as part of a program delivered by mixed mode using face-to-face and other strategies as well as an online approach.
• Because it is combined with other learning approaches it is difficult to determine the exact amount of online learning taking place.
• Cost-effectiveness of online delivery is difficult to determine accurately. However, it seems that online delivery is likely to be more expensive than conventional approaches, but is also likely to deliver better learning outcomes and levels of learner satisfaction.
• What learners value particularly about online delivery is its flexibility—the convenience and freedom it offers; that is, learning that is 'just in time, just enough and just for me'.
• Other qualities of the learning experience which are highly valued by learners include opportunities to communicate and interact with teachers and other students, responsive teaching staff who give frequent, thoughtful and informed feedback, well-planned and organised programs of learning, and well-designed, interactive, up-to-date and accessible learning resources and assessment materials.
• Teachers as well as students are positive and enthusiastic about online learning and its quality features but both recognise the need for support to ensure more effective online learning.
• The changing role of teachers and the way they are working to provide flexible training needs to be acknowledged and supported.
• A range of strategies has been identified to overcome key barriers to the successful adoption of online delivery, the most important being induction programs, cost reduction strategies for delivery, use of e-business approaches, teachers' professional development and improved recognition of their work roles and the funding models being used.

The online environment

Computer and internet use has grown tremendously in recent years in Australian households and workplaces. The attraction of computer-based and internet-delivered education and training is therefore not surprising. Many people have access to the necessary hardware required either at work or at home, and individual households are hooking up to the internet in ever-increasing numbers. According to the last census figures around 6.1 million Australians aged 15 or over use a computer at home, while over 6.9 million use the internet at home, at work or elsewhere (ABS 2002).

This publication provides a synopsis of the issues, as identified in recent research reports, relating to non-completion of apprenticeships and traineeships. An analysis of recent NCVER data concerning non-completions has also been incorporated.

Key issues

• During the mid-1990s, non-completion rates were approximately 45% for trainees and between 23-30% for apprentices.
• Non-completion of apprenticeships and traineeships is at a level similar to workplace mobility in general.
• Completions among traditional trade occupations are high by comparison to other education sectors, and rates of labour turnover.
• Over half of all non-completers in 2000 were engaged in Clerical, sales and service occupations.
• Employment outcomes for New Apprentices are generally good, irrespective of whether they complete or not.
• Reasons for non-completion tend to be mostly employment-related, although training issues can also influence the likelihood of completion.
• Non-completions, poorer outcomes and unsatisfactory employment and training experiences appear to be concentrated within particular groups and occupational areas.