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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).

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The work quality of public servants directly affects a country's administrative performance, and the Taiwan government has recently invested a considerable amount of funds in constructing e-government learning platforms and developing digital courses to provide all public servants with sufficient on-the-job training and enhance the quality of human resources. Therefore, the circumstances under which public servants use e-government learning platforms warrant investigation. In this study, questionnaires were used to collect data for quantitative research, and a theoretical model was created to clarify the impact of 'barrier factors' and 'policy factors' on e-government learning. These factors have been examined inadequately in previous research on the theory of e-learning behaviour. The results presented here show that barrier factors and policy factors strongly influence the willingness of public servants to use e-learning systems, and these factors explain more than 80 per cent of the variance in users' behavioural intention. These results revealed the characteristics of the research participants, and the findings can be used as a reference in future studies and by management agencies responsible for providing e-government learning. Furthermore, these results might facilitate further research on and the practice of adult e-learning.

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This journal, published by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), provides knowledge, ideas and discussion on Australia’s economy and public policy development. It is published monthly, except in January. Show less

The VOCEDplus landmark documents are key documents considered by history and authoritative commentary to have influenced the development of the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system, providing vision and/or leading to significant change. This paper is part of a series of forthcoming overviews that analyse and describe how these landmark documents impacted on the development of various aspects of Australia's VET sector.

This overview considers the history of the funding of VET across five decades. It draws on a range of reports, reviews, statistical data and relevant landmark reports to examine public and private funding and its distribution among public and private providers, employers, and students. The overview also explores evidence on the effects of various government policies for the use of funds in relation to the goals of the VET system. It focuses on the following landmark documents: Successful reform: competitive skills for Australians and Australian enterprises [FitzGerald report] (TD/LMR 85.636); Young people's participation in post-compulsory education and training: report of the Australian Education Council Review Committee [Finn review] (TD/LMR 85.641); Review of Australian higher education [Bradley review] (TD/LMR 85.696); Education, training and employment: report of the Committee of Inquiry into Education and Training [Williams report] (TD/LMR 85.677); Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Labour Market Programs [Kirby report] (TD/LMR 85.649); TAFE in Australia: report on needs in technical and further education [Kangan report] (TD/LMR 85.637); Industry training in Australia: the need for change [Dawkins] (TD/LMR 85.664); Improving Australia's training system [Dawkins] (TD/LMR 85.676); Skills for Australia [Dawkins and Holding] (TD/LMR 85.648); Australia reconstructed: ACTU/TDC Mission to Western Europe (TD/LMR 85.647); The Australian Vocational Certificate Training System [Carmichael report] (TD/LMR 85.646); One Nation: statement by the Prime Minister, the Honourable P. J. Keating MP, 26 February 1992 (TD/LMR 85.707); Creating a future direction for Australian vocational education and training (TD/LMR 102.715); Training costs of award restructuring: report of the Training Costs Review Committee [Deveson report] (TD/LMR 85.635). Show less

The Whitlam Labor Government exerted increased policy and funding influence over all areas of education in Australia, including having labour market expert Myer Kangan chair a national review of TAFE which first reported in April 1974 [report available in VOCEDplus at TD/LMR 85.637]. Major barriers to entry into TAFE were extensively canvassed, with special reference to disadvantaged groups. As a result, the report recommended a range of policy and funding responses to increase citizens' opportunities to participate in a publicly funded, recurrent and vocationally oriented system of education that was equitable in its treatment of disadvantaged groups.

This presentation will describe how successive federal governments of different political persuasions stacked, knocked down, rearranged, sometimes redefined and rebuilt these 50-year-old policy components that are still being used to describe and understand those groups of people that are deemed to be disadvantaged. By framing the problem of disadvantage in a very specific way, it became bureaucratically inevitable that these assemblages of citizens were deemed suitable to have their station in life improved by participating in programs of vocational, technical and further education.

Please note that this article is NOT advocating for a particular position on any of the examples that have been chosen, rather, this is an initial effort to bring together a wide range of disparate literatures and examples to demonstrate how the process of making up groups that are responsive to government action operates. Virtually without exception, this process also augments arguments for the allocation of public policies and resources to reduce hardship. Kangan's 50th anniversary has been marked by the release of the Universities Accord final report [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 155.81] and its modernised policy versions of disadvantaged groups. In both cases, the making up of disadvantaged groups and the related public policy responses have significant consequences for the work of educators, particularly when they become advocates for those groups deemed to be disadvantaged or individuals who have been allocated membership of one or more equity cohorts.

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The Working Poor Families Project (WPFP) supports efforts of state nonprofit organizations to strengthen state policies that can assist families striving to work their way into the middle class and achieve economic security. WPFP encourages its partners to engage state policy makers to ensure that postsecondary education and skills development programs sufficiently serve and capably prepare low-skilled adults for family sustaining careers, in short to educate and train them for growing occupations that can support their families economically. To do so, states need to align systems and resources toward market-driven, skill-building strategies such as apprenticeship. A few states, including several with WPFP partners, are in the forefront of advancing public policies that support a broad-based expansion of apprenticeships. This brief describes state efforts for engaging employers through outreach, apprentice recruitment, and training subsidies while strengthening linkages to postsecondary and workforce development systems and improving rates of entry and successful completion of lowskilled adults. The brief makes specific policy recommendations and suggests strategies for ensuring their passage. Show less

The purpose of this newsletter was to keep Western Australian Department of Employment, Vocational Education and Training (DEVET) and Western Australian Department of Training staff up to date on State and National policy directions. Show less

The Senate Select Committee on Job Security (the committee) was appointed by resolution of the Senate on 10 December 2020. The committee was established to inquire into and report on the impact of insecure or precarious employment on the economy, wages, social cohesion and workplace rights and conditions, with particular reference to: (a) the extent and nature of insecure or precarious employment in Australia; (b) the risks of insecure or precarious work exposed or exacerbated by the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 crisis; (c) workplace and consumer trends and the associated impact on employment arrangements in sectors of the economy including the 'gig' and 'on-demand' economy; (d) the aspirations of Australians including income and housing security, and dignity in retirement; (e) the effectiveness, application and enforcement of existing laws, regulations, the industrial relations system and other relevant policies; (f) accident compensation schemes, payroll, federal and state and territory taxes; (g) the interaction of government agencies and procurement policies with insecure work and the 'on-demand' economy; and (h) any related matters. The committee was initially due to report on 30 November 2021. On 19 October 2021, the Senate agreed to extend the presentation of the final report until the last sitting day in February 2022.

This first interim report, tabled on 24 June 2021, examined employment arrangements in the gig economy and the adequacy of existing legislative and policy approaches, and proposed a number of reforms.

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Canada is the only country in the OECD to not have a national strategy for international education. In 2011, the Canadian federal government announced plans to develop and launch Canada’s first international education strategy, including the creation of an advisory panel. The panel’s 2012 report outlines a balanced strategy to increase international student recruitment while also supporting the international mobility of Canadian students. Coordination of international education policy within a highly decentralized federal system remains a core challenge.

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On 29 May 2020, National Cabinet agreed to the formation of the National Federation Reform Council (NFRC) and the cessation of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The NFRC will meet annually, providing a joint forum for the First Ministers and Treasurers of all Australian jurisdictions and the President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) to consider priority national federation issues. On 12 June 2020, National Cabinet announced six initial priority areas of reform, and the formation of six National Cabinet Reform Committees: Rural and Regional Australia; Skills; Energy; Infrastructure and Transport; Population and Migration; and Health.

On 26 June 2020, National Cabinet agreed that former Director-General of the Western Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet and former Commonwealth Cabinet Secretary Mr Peter Conran AM will lead a review of the former COAG Councils and Ministerial Forums with a view to rationalise and reset their work. National Cabinet also agreed to Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Review which set out avenues for consultation with Commonwealth and state and territory ministers and officials. Following an initial approach for information, the list of forums in scope (Attachment A to the TOR) was updated. National Cabinet agreed that the Review will make recommendations on a streamlined structure, scope and reporting arrangements and on focused regulatory and policy work programs.

On 23 October 2020 National Cabinet accepted the Review's recommendations that include reducing the number of ministerial forums and ensuring that those that remain are more agile and responsive, with direct responsibility for decision-making resting with Ministers. Consistent with the direction set by National Cabinet, ministers' meetings will not report to National Cabinet (or the National Federation Reform Council) unless tasked, representing a significant reform to Commonwealth-State relations. National Cabinet also noted that the range of significant reforms agreed have come about directly through the collaboration of National Cabinet, as the country comes together to continue to respond to the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic. The final report and a diagram depicting the new federal relations architecture have been made available, and guidance for intergovernmental meetings has been developed by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The guidance document provides information about the structure, operations and expectations of intergovernmental meetings that operate outside the National Cabinet system.

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