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The Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA) was the peak body in Victoria between 2001 and 2006 for the accreditation of new courses, registration and audit of providers to deliver courses, approval of suitable courses for overseas students and the issue of qualifications. In 2007, following the implementation of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, the VQA was absorbed within the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA). This publication provides a short history of the VQA and its achievements. Show less

In February 1992, the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET) commissioned the Australian Language and Literacy Council (ALLC) to review the current and future role of the community based education sector in the provision of adult English language and literacy. The term ‘English language and literacy’ incorporates the two similar yet different specific areas traditionally known as ‘adult literacy’ and ‘adult English as a second language’. The term ‘community providers’ denotes relatively small, independent, non-profit organisations that are managed by representatives of a specific community rather than those ‘institutional providers’ of adult and community education, such as TAFE, that are part of a governmental or other large-scale institution. Their contribution is particularly valuabe in areas of special need, such as people from a non-English speaking background, people with a disability, Indigenous people, women, older people, youth under the age of 25, geographically and/or socially isolated people, and unemployed and/or disadvantaged job seekers. The sections of the report are: introduction; considering the compass of the commmunity-based education sector; accessibility; quality of provision; issues of implementation, structures and funding; conclusion. Appendices contain: Working Party members, written submissions, commissioned reports, seminar participants, and references. Show less

Vocational student organizations (VSOs) are an integrated part of the overall curricula in most educational institutions, providing many educational and work experiences in the classroom, as well as benefits to faculties, school administrators, and communities. They are an important bridge between the real world and the world inside the classroom. By participating in VSOs, educators can observe what technological training is missing in their vocational programs and consequently can take steps to ensure that their local VSOs either remain or become part of a more futurist-oriented educational society by serving as a vehicle for student exposure to and experiences with recent advances in high technology. Show less

In the tradition of grassroots environmental movements worldwide, activist Buddhist monks in rural Thailand have, since the late 1980s, led a popular movement to protect local forest, water and land resources while at the same time challenging dominant state and corporate ‘economist’ development paradigms. Most famously, these ‘development monks’ (phra nak phathanaa) and ‘ecology monks’ (phra nak anuraksaa) have led local villagers and [non government organisation] NGO activists in the symbolic ordaining of large trees and forests (buat paa). They do this in the hope that they will not only protect forests from logging, but also teach local people the value of conserving forest resources. This paper charts the history, philosophy and practice of the activist forest monk movement in Thailand, its contribution to our collective knowledge of adult education in new social movements, and its value to environmental adult education.

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In relation to quality, evaluation is often used synonymously with quality assurance and monitoring processes (Ehlers et al, 2004). However, evaluation has other purposes, such as for development and knowledge (Chelimsky & Shadish, 1997). In this paper, I present a view of evaluation as an instrument of quality enhancement rather than quality assurance, one that can be used creatively and powerfully to strengthen an initiative. The case example is a five-year evaluation study of an institution-wide implementation of e-learning. The evaluation framework developed for this study has been constructed with three purposes in mind: monitoring, development, and knowledge. In this paper, I argue that the participatory nature of the devised evaluation framework has enhanced the quality of the initiative and afforded its embedding within pedagogical, technological, cultural, and organisational domains.

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The economic dimension of copyright-based industries sector in Romania is becoming of higher interest, on the one hand, for policy-makers taking into consideration its increasing contribution to [gross domestic product] GDP, employment, foreign trade and investment and, on the other hand, as a multidimensional vector for social inclusion, increasing self-confidence, supporting better education in a globalised and multicultural world. The opening of the Romanian economy and society has contributed to higher employment in the creative activities. The new jobs - 'high-knowledge jobs' in creative activities or in 'non-creative industries' - have several features that could support higher performance. We underline the size and features of employment in the copyright-based industry sector and in core activities in Romania and some performance of labour force. On one hand, press freedom, the increase in the role of civil society, the elimination of censorship represented positive influence factors for new jobs creation in the cultural industries. In this way, the copyright-based industries have become a factor of tension reduction and increased flexibility on the labour market. On the other hand, there are big differences regarding the value of the operational profit per employee and its evolution in time among the core component industries. The analysis of the core copyright industries with respect to the size and evolution of the operational profit per employee, both in the overall sector and the component industries, led us to an interesting and useful classification of the core industries which could be helpful for better decision-making and copyright industries policies.

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Information technology (IT) is so much the fabric of the university that its presence is often not fully recognized. The focus in the IT organization has shifted from a tactical to a strategic perspective. With the demand for IT only growing, understanding how IT leaders can best lead in these efforts is essential. In early 2014, EDUCAUSE and Jisc came together to address a common concern: understanding the skills required by technology leaders in higher education was an issue often overlooked and one needing immediate attention. The two organizations convened a working group of 10 leading US and UK IT leaders to define a set of desired technology leadership characteristics and capabilities, now and in the future. This report identifies 10 key roles played by the IT leaders, describes what each of these roles entails, and outlines the essential skills required to perform them.

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In this paper, the author seeks to explore the links between employers and unions using the partnership between British Telecommunication (BT) and the Communication Workers Union (CWU). The paper also examines the role played by CWU in facilitating and promoting workplace learning. The paper begins by briefly setting out the context of partnership within which workplace learning has emerged at BT. A closer look at workplace learning and why it has been accepted and promoted by management and trade unions follows. The BT case study is then outlined and the role of key players is analysed in detail. The paper finds that, while the case study has proved workplace learning worthwhile in this particular context, sustained commitment of leaders and key players is required for the continuing success of workplace learning.

The complete volume, with papers from sections 1-5 listed, is indexed at TD/TNC 71.26; the complete volume, with papers from sections 6-10 listed, is indexed at TD/TNC 71.27; selected individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 71.28 to TD/TNC 71.75. Show less

The childcare needs of only some non English speaking background (NESB ) women are being met. The objective of this research and policy paper is to investigate the extent to which the need for childcare is a barrier for NESB women wishing to enter/re-enter employment or employment related training. Research methodology was: a literature review; consultations with officers of relevant government departments and bodies, union representatives, community based advocates and organisations, ethnic childcare and childcare organisations; and case studies. Conclusions include: the cost of formal childcare is a barrier for most NESB women; NESB working women face childcare problems for night shifts, short term arrangements, sick children and after school and during school holidays; Enterprise Bargaining presents an ideal opportunity to provide more flexibility to workers balancing work and family needs; NESB women rely heavily on their families for care of children, who are not receiving financial assistance through governments and who may not be aware of the range of supports and services available for children; and the implications of an aging population are threefold for NESB women, i.e. care for the parent, alternative childcare and additional costs. Show less

This case study investigated an in-company women’s network with the mission of improving recruitment, retention, and advancement of women. The network was unsuccessful in improving women’s standing in the organization due to the nature of the women’s participation and the resilience of the patriarchal culture. The network was impaired by its members’ attitudes, awareness of gendered power relations, and participation. The network was also thwarted by the resiliency of the patriarchal organization culture. Study conclusions include that networks may serve to reproduce patriarchy, not erode it; the level of gender consciousness impacts on network participation and commitment; and network success is impacted upon by organization culture. Networks’ viability as an [human resource development] HRD intervention is assessed.

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