Search Results | VOCEDplus, the international tertiary education and research database

Old dogs, new tricks: training mature-aged manufacturing workers

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for im ... Show more
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for improving training for mature-aged workers may be offered. Design/methodology/approach – Six expert interviews were carried out by telephone, and three case studies involving company site visits were completed. Each company case study involved interviews with managers, trainers and mature-aged workers. The study was confined to the manufacturing industry. Findings – Mature-aged workers bring many advantages to workplaces and some employers show a definite preference for them over younger workers; but in some cases training needs to take account of lack of confidence and literacy and health issues. However, there is great diversity among mature-aged workers. Research limitations/implications – The research is confined to shop-floor workers in manufacturing, and does not address training of mature-aged managers and professionals. The research is small-scale but provides new insights, and importantly the voices of the workers themselves. Practical implications – The paper identifies managerial and training practices that can immediately be implemented. Originality/value – The paper identifies some issues that can be taken up at a policy level as well as within companies. For example, the preference for qualification-based training at a national level is not necessarily consistent with what mature-aged workers prefer.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Smith, Andrew; Selby Smith, Chris

Date: 2010

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Journal of workplace learning

Subjects: Industry; Teaching and learning; Workforce development ... [+] Show more
Learning and training in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships

The number of young people commencing apprenticeships and traineeships whilst at school, and monitored by their sch ... Show more
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

Authors: Smith, Erica; Wilson, Lou

Conference name: Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association Conference

Date: 2003

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Apprenticeship; Traineeship ... [+] Show more
Staff development in VET: a critique of current practice

Recent reports suggest that expenditure on staff development within the vocational education and training (VET) sec ... Show more
Recent reports suggest that expenditure on staff development within the vocational education and training (VET) sector is decreasing. The author takes a critical look at this issue, with regard to VET teachers and trainers and suggests why this may be so. She considers the appropriateness for VET teachers and trainers of staff development models used for school teachers and private enterprises. She also looks at action learning which is currently favoured in the VET sector for staff development. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Date: 1998

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Training agenda: a journal of vocational education and training

Subjects: Workforce development; Providers of education and training
From training reform to training packages

This book is an updated version of 'Making sense of training reform and competency-based training' [available in VO ... Show more
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

Authors: Smith, Erica; Keating, Jack

Date: 2003

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Assessment; Pathways; Teaching and learning ... [+] Show more
In defence of training

This article comments that it is currently unfashionable to use the terms 'training' and 'teaching', and that all s ... Show more
This article comments that it is currently unfashionable to use the terms 'training' and 'teaching', and that all sectors of education and training have been replacing them with the term 'learning'. It is further contended that these moves indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of the relationship between training and learning and the article intends to show that purposeful learning in the vocational education and training (VET) sector and within organisations can rarely be achieved without training. Show less

Authors: Smith, Andrew; Smith, Erica

Date: 1998

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Australian training review

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Teaching and learning
How first time workers develop employability skills through working

This paper reports on a research study that aimed to find out how teenage workers developed their employability ski ... Show more
This paper reports on a research study that aimed to find out how teenage workers developed their employability skills in their first formal jobs. With young people commencing formal part-time work as early as 13 or 14 years of age (and even younger in some cases), it follows that employability skills are not necessarily developed at school to be applied later at work, even were it to be accepted that the school curriculum ought to include such matters as a major priority.
Published abstract.
The collected proceedings are indexed at TD/TNC 74.501; the collected PowerPoint presentations are indexed at TD/TNC 74.530; available papers are indexed from TD/TNC 74.502 to TD/TNC 74.529. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Conference name: National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference

Date: 2003

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Youth; Employment; Research ... [+] Show more
Workforce ready: challenges and opportunities for VET

Steve Davis interviews a collection of presenters from two panel discussions at the 29th National Vocational Educat ... Show more
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

Authors: Davis, Steve; Buchanan, John; Livingstone, Anne; Margelis, George ... [+] Show more

Conference name: National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference

Date: 2020

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Webinar or podcast

Series name: Vocational voices

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Skills and knowledge; Industry ... [+] Show more
On the right TRAC: employers' views of a schools-industry partnership

TRAC (Training for Retail and Commerce) was established by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum. It is an employer-school pr ... Show more
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

Authors: Smith, Erica

Date: 1994

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; New South Wales

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Training agenda: a journal of vocational education and training

Subjects: Secondary education; Industry; Research ... [+] Show more
The emerging profile of Australian learning and development specialists

The role of learning and development specialists has changed radically in the past 20 years. Previously viewed as a ... Show more
The role of learning and development specialists has changed radically in the past 20 years. Previously viewed as a necessary cost in good economic times, learning and development professionals have gradually developed an increasingly wide range of specialisms and become key organisational figures as companies increasingly value knowledge generation and innovation as key competitive advantages. This recent study has gathered data from high-level specialists and a broad national member base to build a profile of the current body of learning and development professionals.
Published abstract. Show less

Authors: Hodge, Steven; Smith, Erica; Barratt-Pugh, Llandis

Conference name: Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association Conference

Date: 2013

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Skills and knowledge; Management; Providers of education and training ... [+] Show more
Best of 2020: highlights from Seasons 4 and 5

In 2020, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) invited expert vocational voices from the vo ... Show more
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

Authors: Davis, Steve; Walker, Simon; Griffin, Tabatha; Shreeve, Robin ... [+] Show more

Date: 2020

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Webinar or podcast

Series name: Vocational voices

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Providers of education and training; Skills and knowledge ... [+] Show more