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The theme of the 2002 AVETRA conference was innovation, internationalisation, new technologies and vocational education and training (VET). Reviewed papers are: Rhetorics and realities: equating the delivery of Indigenous VET to the demands of its context: commonalities from two projects / Ralph Catts and Sue Gelade; Andragogy in vocational education and training: learners' perspective / Sarojni Choy & Brian Delahaye; Adult numeracy and new technologies of learning / Gail E. FitzSimons; Making a world of difference for youth at risk?: crossing school boundaries for vocational education and training / Pauline James, Pam St. Leger and Kevin Ward; Lifecycles and leadership: partnerships for VET / Sue Kilpatrick, Ian Falk, Susan Johns, Tony Smith; Delivering online in regional Australia / Sue Kilpatrick, Helen Bound; New management in VET: working commerce and community together? / Dianne Mulcahy; Building bridges between the researched and researchers: the use of reflective journals in vocational education research / Michele Simons and Roger Harris; Teaching HRD personnel: experiences of computer-mediated communication in differently structured environments / Peter J. Smith and Elizabeth Stacey; Learning and training in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships / Erica Smith and Lou Wilson. Non-reviewed papers are: Innovation for integration: school-VET pathways to a learning culture / Jillian Blight and Darryl Dymock; The use of competency standards in the design of curriculum: a NSW experience in construction and automotive courses / Paul Brady; Between Scylla and Charybdis: an analysis of issues arising from implementation of a distance education course / Leonie Cheetham and Michael Steer; 'Will generic skills ride again?: employability and the policy cycle' / Paul Comyn; Development of a tool to measure progress towards sustainability / Linda Condon; Developing management skills for high-performing VET organisations / John Mitchell, Susan Young; Keynote address: new intelligence: fact and fiction / Susan Oliver; Head teachers and a changing TAFE / Ann Rice; Theorising the impact of online technologies on TAFE teachers practice / Ian Robertson; Getting adults into the trades: innovation and resistance / Stephen Saunders.

This research project provides a descriptive overview of the international educational activities of New Zealand Industry Training Organisations (ITOs). This is the first collection of information on the international activities of ITOs and is intended to provide a snapshot and a basis from which to undertake more analytical research. The research identifies the opportunities available to ITOs to increase the level of their international activities and therefore revenue, the reasons for ITOs' international activity and the strategic initiatives necessary to support ITOs so that they are able to capitalise on the current opportunities. This paper identifies that there is a current perception internationally that New Zealand's industry training infrastructure is world leading and has attracted considerable interest. It is suggested that ITOs need assistance to build capacity and capability in order to realise the opportunities available to them. The author concludes that it is critical to develop mechanisms and avenues for ITOs to access the additional financial, physical and human resources needed to develop their international activities and to equip ITOs with the skills necessary to meet the challenges and opportunities. Additional research is needed to analyse options for collaboration between ITOs and other tertiary education organisations or the formation of a company owned by a consortium of ITOs.

This paper describes the development of a new unit, Business Online, established in the Faculty of Business at RMIT University, intended to provide extended and integrated student support, and the re-engineering of systems and processes in response to the changing educational environment and new market needs. As a form of reflection on professional practice, the paper provides examples of projects undertaken to meet strategic goals. Project 1, 'Integrated one-stop-shop for student support', was established to provide efficient and effective student interaction in a clearly defined central location and through a number of channels including face-to-face, phone and email. Project 2, 'Project management system project (PMSP)', was established to provide systems and processes to manage multiple projects in a more coordinated way, to coordinate tasks performed by different teams and to manage staffing requirements more cost-effectively. The implementation of these projects also supports general Faculty goals such as building integrated systems, improving staff capabilities, fostering collaboration and embedding quality in Faculty systems. The work undertaken to date has highlighted several issues that are being considered for further research, including: facilitating action research and reflective practice; doing more as the budget grows tighter; keeping focus on strategic intent to maintain a client focus; and improving staff capabilities and morale.

This paper reports on a consolidation review entitled 'Quality indicators in vocational education and training: international perspectives' (Blom and Meyers, 2002, indexed at TD/TNC 75.12). The project establishes a contemporary and international perspective on what is understood by 'quality' in systems of vocational education and training (VET), by exploring which indicators are chosen by various systems as their preferred means of measuring their efforts to achieve quality. The project focused primarily on quality and performance indicators used in countries that have well-established and documented VET systems, and from whom Australia might learn in its ongoing evaluation of its own VET system. International studies include South Africa, New Zealand, the USA and the European Union. The two main driving forces for the application of quality indicators in VET are firstly, the need to have accurate data about the system for accountability purposes, and secondly, the desire to improve the effectiveness of the management of the system. The researchers propose that VET systems may be thought of as being comprised of four interacting subsystems, the performance of each being measured against its own quality criteria. VET systems measure the quality of their performances in the areas of learning experiences, programs, administration and policies. It is recommended that the next round of quality imperatives and improvements for the Australian VET system should therefore focus on the need for greater inclusion of broad community needs and on the aspirations of lifelong learners.

This project arose from a number of related issues: the changing policy climate in which vocational education and training (VET) operates and the interest of the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) in developing a 'training and learning culture' in Australia. One of the ways in which ANTA was interested in pursuing this involved explorations of the notion of 'learning communities'. In this context, the research was seen as augmenting understanding of how VET was already contributing to a community-based culture and process of learning, and also of the ways in which VET could advance the development of such a culture. As well, the research has roots in the understanding of the increasingly vocational face of adult and community education (ACE). This current research aims to extend that understanding to the provision of VET, focusing on equity issues and looking at the complex nature of 'disadvantage' within urban communities. A focus on urban communities was recognised as being of importance to the study of 'learning communities' for the reason that most other work on these communities had been in rural, regional or remote areas. Through analysis of urban regional providers, this project aimed to develop a better understanding of the extent to which urban communities that include significant populations of disadvantaged citizens are adopting community-based strategies built around learning. In addition, the study aimed to identify how VET organisations are contributing to these strategies and how VET policy can develop more robust equity strategies that take greater account of local and regional differences. There are a number of issues providing context for this study including linkages between community development, lifelong learning and economic development, an increasing interest in the ownership of knowledge and skills (such as in organisational learning), and a blurring of the notion of VET as a distinct sector. This changing environment presents some major challenges which may be met by adopting one or more of the following options. Option 1: VET focused on community needs rather than centrally-determined priorities; Option 2: VET as a specialised provider involved in broad-based community programs; and Option 3: VET as an institution meeting national strategic goals.