Search Results

The number of young people commencing apprenticeships and traineeships whilst at school, and monitored by their school, has grown considerably, encouraged by State and Federal governments, since the first participants began in 1997. There has as yet been little research into the nature of the training given to, and learning experienced by, such young people; most published literature has related to organisational issues. This paper reports on a research project funded by the National Research and Evaluation Committee [NREC] into learning and training in school-based new apprenticeships (SBNAs). A questionnaire was sent to a large sample of all SBNAs in three States: Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, using a survey instrument adapted from a previous NREC study, 'School students' learning from their paid and unpaid work' (report indexed at TD/TNC 68.01). The results present an overview of SBNA employment, training and learning practices which will provide an important basis for development of policy and practice in this area.

Published abstract.

The collection of papers is indexed at TD/TNC 73.601. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 73.602 to TD/TNC 73.621. Show less

This book is an updated version of 'Making sense of training reform and competency-based training' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 54.08], which was published in 1997 by the same authors and was intended to explain the vocational education and training (VET) sector to those involved in it, or about to enter it, as practitioners.

The book examines the growth and change in the VET sector in terms of a number of tensions, including the interests of government and the interests of industry, the interests of the Commonwealth Government and those of the states, the interests of individuals and those of industry and the interests of industry and those of organised labour. It facilitates understanding of the VET sector by describing the complex issues of training reforms and the nature of VET curriculum in simple terms.

Part one of the book provides an overview of the evolution of VET in Australia, the reasons why large scale reform of the system was undertaken and a description of the major features of the VET system, including the most recent changes. Part two focuses on curriculum issues: the nature of competency based training and the way in which training packages are developed and delivered. In part three the implications of VET policy and VET curriculum for teachers and trainers are considered. Show less

Steve Davis interviews a collection of presenters from two panel discussions at the 29th National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference 'No Frills', held on 7-10 July 2020. Topics covered in the lively discussion include new directions in skills planning, digital technology and the role it plays in aged and community care, insights from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), and the role of parental influence in taking on apprenticeships. Speakers are Professor John Buchanan, The University of Sydney; Ms Anne Livingstone and Dr George Margelis, Australian Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council; Mr David Redway, Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment; and Professor Erica Smith, Federation University.

Published abstract. Show less

TRAC (Training for Retail and Commerce) was established by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum. It is an employer-school program which requires employers to pay for their placement students and to assess students for Higher School Certificate (HSC) marks.

Erica Smith explores the reasons behind the dramatic success of the program including its professional approach, the focus on improving skills, not job-seeking, the liaison between schools and industry and the criteria used for selecting students. Show less

In 2020, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) invited expert vocational voices from the vocational education and training (VET) sector to share their views, stories, experiences and insights on a range of hot topics. This podcast is a roundup of interesting snippets and research findings from across the eight podcast episodes released during the year. Full of short and sharp insights from each of the guest speakers, it covers off some of the best bits of Seasons 4 and 5.

Edited abstract from publisher's website. Show less

This article examines the nature of employability skills in the context of broader notions of generic skills, and the ways in which employability skills can be developed, assessed, and reported. The issues, which are similar in all developed countries, are illustrated primarily with examples from Australia. The article concludes with some issues for future consideration.

Published abstract. Show less

Researchers from 13 different countries participated in this international conference on apprenticeship research. The conference comprised three keynote addresses and three workshops. The keynote papers are: The crowded market: agencies dealing with apprenticeships in Australia / Erica Smith; Apprenticeship systems in the German speaking countries: different logics and policies with respect to full-time VET and higher education / Thomas Deissinger; Apprenticeship (AP) and enterprise-based learning in the Mediterranean region / Helmut Zelloth and Richard Sweet. Papers from the first workshop, ‘Interventions by government and other stakeholders in apprenticeships’, chaired by Erica Smith are: Workplace trainers: provisional principles for an open architecture of professional development / Graham Attwell, Philipp Grollmann and Eileen Luebcke; Towards innovative apprenticeship: the evaluation of the development of integrated regional vocational education and training centres in Hungary / Magdolna Benke; The Italian apprenticeships: the results of the latest reform / Sandra D’Agostino; Competence development through workplace learning: the case of the French vocational baccalaureat from Vocational Lycees and the Maisons Familiales Rurales / Benedicte Gendron, Jean-Claud Floutard, Cecile Gendre and Pascal Varnier; Innovation and the Swiss vocational education and training system / Philipp Gonon; Apprenticeship in the United States: patterns of governance and recent developments / Robert I. Lerman; The long winding road to Ireland’s 1993 national apprenticeship programme / Barry Nyhan; Plural administration in dual systems in selected European countries / Felix Rauner, Wolfgang Wittig and Ludger Deitmer. Papers from the second workshop, ‘Designing optimal conditions for the development of competence through on-the-job learning’, chaired by Peter Schlogl are: Developing tools to support work based competence development / Graham Attwell and Raymond Elferink; The relevance of the dual system to English VET / Michaela Brockmann, Linda Clarke and Christopher Winch; Comparing two cases of trainers’ practice: implications for professional development / Philipp Grollmann and Pekka Kamarainen; Facilitating learners’ motivation and competence development in the workplace: the UK context / Natasha Kersh and Karen Evans; Relations between characteristics of innovative learning environments and competences in secondary vocational education / Regina H. Mulder and Gerhard Messmann; Coaching and collaborative work based learning in Dutch VET: the ‘TEAMstages’ project / Jeroen Onstenk; Occupational commitment and vocational identity / Felix Rauner and Lars Heinemann; Promoting competence development of apprentices through combined workplace and workshop learning / Eduard A. Stoger. Papers from the third workshop, ‘Costs, benefits and outcomes of apprenticeships’, chaired by Lorna Unwin are: Quality and impact of a new apprenticeship approach in the Italian region of Marche / Elmo de Angelis and Ludger Deitmer; Investigating the quality of cooperation of learning venues in countries with little history of cooperation: the case of China and Malaysia / Ludger Deitmer and Ramli Rashidi; Costs and benefits of apprenticeships in the lowest track of VET / Katleen De Rick; Quality of apprentices and training strategies of firms in Switzerland / Marc Fuhrer, Stefan C. Wolter and Samuel Muhlemann; Costs - benefits - quality: the specific profile of Austrian apprenticeship and its future potentials and drawbacks / Lorenz Lassnigg; Costs, benefits and quality of apprenticeships: a regional case study / Felix Rauner, Lars Heinemann, Dorothea Piening and Rainer Bischoff; Certifying professional competence within workplace learning: preliminary suggestions of the project MOVE PRO EUROPE at EADS in Germany / Andreas Saniter and Barbara Burger. Show less

This chapter describes the system of [technical and vocational education and training] TVET teacher qualifications in Australia. A brief overview of the TVET system (known in Australia as VET, rather than TVET) is followed by a description of the VET teaching workforce, which is predominantly made up of mature people with significant prior industry experience. The chapter explains the current pedagogical qualifications available, which comprise two qualifications offered within the VET sector, at lower levels, and a small number of university-level qualifications. The content of qualifications at each of these levels is described.

The chapter explains that the qualification levels of VET teachers have dropped considerably since the year 2000, such that only 10 per cent of Australian VET teachers now have pedagogical qualifications at university level. The challenges created by such a situation are described, together with possible explanations of how this has come about. Implications for other countries are drawn out.

Published abstract. Show less

The vocational education and training [VET] system in Australia has been rocked by continuous change for the past 15 years. The three most radical changes have been the move to competency-based training, the privileging of industry as opposed to students as the most important stakeholder group, and the opening up of government funding to private providers as well as to TAFE, the public provider. In 1997 training packages became the basis for all future curriculum in the Australian VET system. Like any curriculum change, the introduction of training packages has aroused controversy but so far there has been only a limited amount of empirical research. This paper summarises the debates about training packages, using the existing body of research and comment, interviews with key national and State figures in training package development, and the author’s experience as a director of a State Industry Training Advisory Board involved in the development and review of several training packages. The paper identifies some of the basic underlying difficulties with training packages which, it is argued, stem from their being written for the workplace while their primary field of application is in educational institutions.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Little has been published in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) literature on the topic of pre-apprenticeships, which are a loose type of preparatory courses for apprenticeships available in some trades. Nevertheless, pre-apprenticeships have been in existence for several decades. With continuing concern over skill shortages in Australia, the research study on which this paper is based investigated the role of pre-apprenticeship courses in addressing skill shortages in the electrotechnology, automotive and engineering trades, some of the largest 'traditional trades' in Australia, and those with sizeable numbers in pre-apprenticeships. The principal objective of the overall study was to determine whether the use of pre-apprenticeships increased the size and suitability of the supply of entrants to the traditional apprenticeships and whether pre-apprenticeships do or might increase completion rates in apprenticeships. The paper uses findings from the study to develop a typology of pre-apprenticeship courses, proposing two fundamental orientations and discussing whether different orientations towards pre-apprenticeships are compatible with one another.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less