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This periodical, published quarterly, provides current information for vocational education and training (VET) practitioners on educational, policy and industrial developments affecting the VET sector in Australia. Articles in this issue include: New voices question the concept of student choice / John Mitchell (pages 6-8); A Commonwealth takeover of VET would destroy the public TAFE system / Pat Forward (page 9); Federal takeover of VET a rare 'success' for the Abbott government / Gavin Moodie (pages 10-13); Skillaroos shine positive light on Australian TAFE system after victory at international competition (pages 14-15); The secrets of VET / Don Zoellner (pages 16-18); Vocational education and training for secondary school students: it's not just about jobs / Kira Clarke (pages 19-20); A lifetime of debt - the policy elite's new gift to working class women / Sally Thompson (pages 21-23); Women, work and poor pay / Sally Thompson (pages 24-26). Show less

On 6 March 2014, the Senate referred the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment Bill 2014 (Bill) to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 16 June 2014. The Bill seeks to amend the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act) to give effect to the Government's decision to implement recommendations arising from the [2013] Review of Higher Education Regulation. The Bill, which comprises eight parts, aims to increase the efficiency of [Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency] TEQSA and reduce the burden on higher education institutions.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

'Investing in America's workforce' is a Federal Reserve System initiative in collaboration with the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, the Ray Marshall Center of the Lyndon B. Johnson School at the University of Texas, and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. How can well-structured and effective workforce programs and policies result in better economic outcomes for individuals, businesses, and communities? This book is part of a three-volume series that explores contemporary research, resources, and solutions on workforce development policy and practice. The three volumes are: 'Investing in workers', 'Investing in work', and 'Investing in systems for employment opportunity'. Within each volume are discrete sections made up of chapters that identify specific workforce development programs and policies that provide positive returns to society, to employers, and to job seekers. The policies and practices presented in the book are intended to spur innovative thinking that results in context-specific solutions. The perspectives are not intended as an endorsement from the Federal Reserve System or its partnering institutions. Volume one and volume two are available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 135.162 and TD/TNC 135.163 respectively.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website and publication.

The contributions in this volume discuss how public, private and nonprofit sectors can coordinate their efforts and integrate new technologies and finance models to meet the needs of both workers and employers. The contents are as follows: Introduction: Investing in systems for employment opportunity / Stuart Andreason and Alexander Ruder. Part one, 'Financial innovations in workforce development', contains the following chapters: Rebalancing the risk: innovation in funding human capital development / Heath Prince (pages 11-16); Partnering with banks in workforce development / Elizabeth Sobel Blum and Steven Shepelwich (pages 17-28); Nimble capital for an agile workforce / Keith Wardrip and Mels de Zeeuw (pages 29-47); Outcomes-oriented contracting: unlocking economic opportunity for low-income communities / Celeste Richie (pages 49-62); Improving workforce outcomes with pay for success / Nirav Shah (pages 63-74); Financing human capital through income-contingent agreements / Miguel Palacios (pages 75-86). Part two, 'Government investment in workforce development', contains: Strategy and capacity of public workforce systems / Richard A. Hobbie (pages 89-97); Results and returns from public investments in employment and training / Demetra Smith Nightingale and Lauren Eyster (pages 99-111); Research and evidence-building capacity of state workforce agencies / Yvette Chocolaad and Stephen Wandner (pages 113-123); State sector strategies for talent pipeline systems / Michael Bartlett and Martin Simon (pages 125-138); Improving outcomes for workers and employers through mayoral leadership / Kathy Amoroso and Evan Amoroso (pages 139-151); Employer engagement policy: shifting from customers to partnerships / Andy Van Keunen (pages 153-166).

Part three, 'Investing in technology', contains the following chapters: The promise and perils of the future of work / Carl E. Van Horn (pages 169-174); Navigating the future of work: can we point businesses, workers, and social institutions in the same direction? / John Hagel, Jeff Schwartz, and Josh Bersin (pages 175-193); From want ads to mobile apps: realizing the promise of technology in labor market matching / Chauncy Lennon and Sarah Steinberg (pages 195-213); Personalized education: from curriculum to career with cognitive systems / Michael King, Richard Cave, Mike Foden, and Matthew Stent (pages 215-232); All data big and small: using information to guide workforce development / Rachel Zinn and Bryan Wilson (pages 233-250); Preparing workers for the expanding digital economy / Jordana Barton (pages 251-266). Part four, 'Investing in skills and credentials', contains: Creative solutions to the credentialing chaos / Stephen Crawford (pages 269-275); Fixing the credentialing chaos: a national tool and state application / Ken Sauer and Stephen Crawford (pages 277-296); Transforming employer signaling in the talent marketplace / Jason A. Tyszko (pages 297-312); Building an expanded public-private data infrastructure for the credentialing marketplace / Robert Sheets (pages 313-327); Credentialing entrepreneurs: how and why / Alejandro Crawford (pages 329-349). Part five, 'Investing in regional workforce development systems', contains: Coordinating regional workforce development resources / Stuart Andreason (pages 353-357); Cultivating healthy workforce ecosystems / Tucker Plumlee (pages 359-373); Examining spatial mismatch and mobility in the workforce system / Raphael Bostic and Ann Carpenter (pages 375-390).

This volume concludes with an appendix, 'Investing in America's workforce: report on workforce development needs and opportunities' by Noelle St. Clair (pages 391-429). This report was originally published in 2017 and is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 135.161. Show less

This infographic from the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) highlights important moments in federal US CTE policy, including major legislation and other activities, throughout more than a century. The timeline begins with the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, which launched federal investment in CTE. Since then, federal CTE policy has evolved in response to changing US economic and social conditions. The timeline continues with short descriptions of each version of federal legislation, ending in 2018 with Perkins V (Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act).

Edited excerpts from publication and publisher's website. Show less

The National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development (NASWD) [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 108.1569] - which commenced in 2009 and was updated in 2012 - defines the framework for intergovernmental collaboration in vocational education and training (VET). It sets out governments' roles, policy aspirations, performance measures, and reform directions for the formal VET system. The Australian Government has asked the Commission to review progress against the targets, outcomes and performance indicators in the NASWD and to assess whether it is still an effective long-term framework for intergovernmental cooperation on VET policy. Intertwined with that assessment, the Commission has also been asked to consider options: (1) to coordinate and streamline government support; (2) for national consistency in VET funding and pricing that maximise efficiency, transparency and the supply of trained workers; (3) to promote consistency in funding and loan arrangements between the VET and higher education sectors; and (4) to ensure government investment in VET encourages increased participation in training that is commensurate with the benefits. During this review there have been major skills policy developments. In November 2019, the COAG Skills Council released a Draft VET Reform Roadmap [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 139.175] which set out three priority areas for improvement - the relevance, quality and accessibility of the VET system. In response to the 2019 Joyce Review [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 136.59], the Australian Government established a National Skills Commission (NSC) and a National Careers Institute (NCI). And in August 2020, all governments signed a Heads of Agreement for Skills Reform [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 141.854] setting out high-level directions for a new National Skills Agreement to replace the NASWD. The Commission has taken this evolving policy landscape into account in its assessment and recommendations. The review has also coincided with the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the immediate disruption for students, employers and VET providers, the pandemic may lead to substantial structural changes in the VET sector. VET policy announcements have been at the centre of government responses to the pandemic and, where possible, the Commission has incorporated these announcements in its assessments. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of VET and why 'getting the system right' is critical to meeting Australia's changing skills needs.

This report was sent to Government on 15 December 2020 and publicly released on 21 January 2021. Its key messages are that the NASWD should be replaced with a new principles based agreement, and there is manifest capacity for governments to get a better return from their investment in VET. The key points are: (1) This review has not found evidence of a VET system in crisis. Our recommendations address some of the system's acknowledged weaknesses and should build on its strengths to lift participation and improve the quality of training; (2) The NASWD is overdue for replacement: governments have stepped back from some of its policy aspirations. Targets have not been met and the performance framework has not held governments to account; (3) A new intergovernmental agreement should be principles-based, modular (to retain flexibility and currency) and reviewed every five years: Australian Government funding should remain largely untied for base funding but subject to much greater accountability and transparency; (4) Governments should continue to support the development of a more efficient and competitive VET market through informed user choice and a focus on quality: students need better curated information on career opportunities, the performance of training providers, course quality and prices; and efforts to improve quality should be ramped up through faster changes to training packages, developing an evidence-based VET workforce strategy, and a phased introduction of independent assessment; (5) There is a manifest capacity for governments to achieve a better return on the $6.4 billion spent on VET by: using the efficient costs and loadings currently being estimated by the NSC as a common basis for setting and simplifying course subsidies; introducing modest minimum student fees for Certificate III and above courses with exemptions for disadvantaged students; applying more contestability and transparency to public funding of TAFEs and enhancing the operational autonomy of public providers; and enabling State and Territory funding to follow students enrolled with an interstate provider; (6) To scale up workforce skills, governments should expand VET Student Loans (VSL) to more Diploma and above courses and to most Certificate IV courses: loan caps should better reflect course costs, and loan fees should be paid by all students; (7) Reforms to the trade apprenticeship system are best focused on: improving completion rates by better screening and matching of prospective apprentices; making pathways more flexible and providing the same subsidy for non-apprenticeship pathways as for traditional pathways; and adjusting the timing of employer incentives to provide more support when the risk of cancellation is greatest; (8) There should be a coordinated national strategy to improve school education, 'second-chance' learning in the VET sector and other adult education services to reduce the large number of Australians with low language, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills; and (9) To address some of the key obstacles to lifelong learning, this report proposes improvements in foundation skills, better credit pathways, an expansion of VSL and a trial of a new financing instrument for mature-age Australians reskilling and upskilling.

Edited excerpts from publication and publisher's website. Show less

The Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Kyoto Protocol, drive the Commonwealth government's environment program. Major focus areas are detailed in the report. The National Greenhouse Strategy (Australia's strategy to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol) is program based and is to be implemented as a partnership between the Commonwealth, state and local governments. The New South Wales (NSW) State Government has specific environment legislation as well as legislation that specifically addresses the vocational education and training (VET) system's contribution to environmental education. The NSW Council on Environmental Education was set up under The Protection of the Environment Administration (Environmental Education) Act 1998. Training Packages were generally thought to be deficient in addressing environmental issues and to lag behind the pace of legislative change and community expectations, though some effectively address environmental matters. A five step checklist has been developed to assist curriculum developers incorporate environmental content into curriculum. Show less

This paper was presented at the Conference of Congress of Principals on 31 July 1979. It addresses itself mainly to the co-ordination as it affects course approvals and accreditation rather than capital works or recurrent funding. The paper covers co-ordination at the state level, Commonwealth level, and within the Department of Further Education.

Published abstract. Show less

This paper looks at the effectiveness of the American Jobs Act in improving the situation of those living in poverty in the US. It recognizes the need to create jobs through broad, economy-wide programs that stimulate consumer spending and invest in infrastructure. It also includes provisions specifically aimed at those workers most affected by the recession as well as those struggling even before the recession. The Center for Law and Social Policy has long argued that low-income adults and youth require targeted assistance and the paper focuses on the provisions within the Act that address these needs, in particular, the Pathways Back to Work Fund elements that create work and learning opportunities for the disadvantaged. These elements are: subsidised employment for unemployed, low-income adults; summer and year-round jobs for low-income youth; and competitive grants for work-based training for unemployed, low-income adults and low-income youth. Show less

Nearly 30 per cent of adults in the United States have a criminal record, and research has determined that nearly two-thirds of inmates return to prison within three years of their release. This report looks at adults with criminal records as an underserved population who might benefit greatly from educational services, which have been shown to increase employability and lower the risk of returning to incarceration. The report examines barriers these individuals face in continuing their education, including federal and state restrictions on financial aid, and the role of re-entry programs in helping former inmates transition into society and lead stable lives.

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American employment policy for displaced workers started in the Great Depression with programs for the employment service, unemployment insurance, work experience, and direct job creation. Assistance for workers displaced by foreign competition emerged in the 1960s along with formalized programs for occupational job skill training. The policy focus on displaced workers was sharpened in the 1980s through the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and the Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance Act. Field experiments on services to dislocated workers led to Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services systems in all states, and federal rules adopted as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement Act permitted [unemployment insurance] UI benefit receipt while starting self-employment. Evaluation evidence suggests there should be continuous connection of unemployment compensation recipients to reemployment services, skill training closely connected to employer requirements, earnings supplements to ease transitions to different jobs, efforts to maintain and strengthen employer-employee relationships, information channels to employees and communities about impending employment disruptions, and targeting of services to improve returns on public investments. While no silver bullet emerges to solve worker displacement, many different programs addressing a variety of needs can improve labor market outcomes after permanent job loss.

Excerpt from publication. Show less