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This paper argues that there is no uniform trend to work which requires higher skills, higher levels of discretion and autonomy, increased teamwork, and increased multi-skilling. The link between increased opportunities for quality education and training and better quality work requires an integrated and new labour market, industry and education and training policies. The deregulatory and marketbased policies applied to education and training, labour market and industry funding and regulation over the past decade have had negative consequences. It is open to Australian governments to develop an integrated approach to industry, the labour market, and education and training that would decrease inequality, increase participation in the labour market, increase productivity and ensure that the Australian economy is strong in areas of the highest productivity growth.

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This report provides a detailed analysis of the financing of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Republic of Vanuatu. The study, which was conducted in August and September 2012, forms part of a region-wide program, 'Research into the financing of TVET in the Pacific', initiated under Australia's international development assistance program in 2011. The aims of the program are to produce, in conjunction with host country governments and TVET stakeholders, a comprehensive empirical analysis of the existing systems for financing TVET in seven Pacific countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu), identify key financing issues within the region, and the policy implications they have for the future financing for TVET, to enable it to be more efficient and effective at both national and regional levels.

The report is structured in five main parts. Chapter two completes part one, 'Introduction', by providing a detailed description of the research approach used in Vanuatu, including the data collection instruments that were developed. Part two, 'Country background', contains chapter three that outlines the broad national context of Vanuatu. Part three, 'TVET in context', provides a detailed description of TVET institutions and activities in Vanuatu. It includes discussion of governance, quality assurance, enrolments and access to educational opportunities, and the role of TVET in economic and social developments. Part four, 'The financing of TVET', presents the main findings and analyses from the study. TVET funding and expenditure patterns and trends and unit costs are presented and analysed in chapters five to seven. The financial mechanisms that channel resources into and throughout the TVET sector are identified and analysed. Chapter eight details the study team's pilot survey on enterprise training and its funding. In part five, 'Issues and options', the overall conclusions of the study are summarised, key issues identified, and directions developed for consideration by the Government of Vanuatu, other TVET stakeholders, and development partners.

Further details on the study are provided in the annexes. Annex one provides the scope and objectives set out in the research brief. The members of the National Reference Group for the study are provided in annex two. Annex three provides the classification and coding systems used in the data collection and recording. Annex four includes the data collection templates developed for different aspects of the study.

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This report examines changes in the extent, pattern and outcomes of participation in firm-based education and training by young Australians during the decade from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. In this decade there were substantial policy initiatives intended to lift the quantity and quality of training experienced by Australian workers. The report finds that the extent of formal firm-based education and training is substantial but uneven, participation by young women has increased, the education and labour market profiles of young workers have changed, the pattern of participation in firm-based education and training has changed and there was some evidence that participants in training, particularly in-plant training, received higher hourly wages. Show less

The South Australian 'Early years of school' policy, changed the way that an identifiable subset of students progressed through junior primary school, affecting individuals born in specific months of the year, with those born in the remaining months and unaffected by the policy affording a natural comparison group. Analysis indicated that the major substantive change between the two groups was the increased education gained by the affected group. Further analysis revealed that it appeared that an additional year of junior primary school generates an increase in the probability of being employed full time within a year of leaving school by approximately 11 per cent, this only applying to those students who did not go on to full time post-school studies. It is suggested that the results of this study provide evidence that the process of schooling itself has an effect on labour market outcomes. It is also indicated that education reform may have complex outcomes, all of which need to be identified and analysed. Show less

The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research is examining research workforce issues such as the need to meet the impact of an ageing academic workforce and wider workforce demands for people with higher degree by research (HDR) qualifications. As an initial piece of work, the Department commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to undertake a research study on the ‘Future supply of and demand for higher degree by research (HDR) qualifications’. This is the final report of this study. It presents a snapshot of Australia’s current HDR supply and its characteristics as well as projected supply and demand of HDR qualifications between now and 2020. The findings of the report will inform further analysis of research workforce issues in Australia. The research also catalogues a number of existing data sources that can be utilised for research into this population and identifies key gaps in the current collections which inhibit some areas of analyses into this level of qualification. The HDR qualifications, the doctorate by research (or PhD) and the masters by research, provide important skills and knowledge that can be effectively used to build the innovation and research capacity of the Australian economy. As the developed world becomes more reliant on knowledge as a vital part of economic growth and development, the importance of highly skilled workers who can create, disseminate and use new knowledge becomes integral. The role of those with the skills and competencies provided through higher research degrees is therefore of increasing importance to the future development of the Australian economy. Show less

The term ‘neighbourhood effects’ refers to the situation whereby residential location impacts on the social outcomes of individuals, above and beyond what would be expected from their personal and family characteristics. This study models the probability of unemployment as a function of personal characteristics, family structure and neighbourhood composition. In particular the focus has been on the relationship between concentrations of socio-economic disadvantage and advantage and the probability of being unemployed during early adult labour market experience. The principle finding is that neighbourhood composition does appear to affect the labour market outcomes of Australian young people. Show less

This is the first report of a research project which examines the supply and demand of people with postgraduate research qualifications in science and mathematics. This report identifies, reviews and analyses relevant national and international literature, data sources and includes an analysis of the distribution of postgraduates amongst the science and mathematics fields and universities. The report was completed in August 2008. To gain an overall perspective of the factors influencing supply and demand for this group it is important to consider all the reports in this project.

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This is the second report of a research project which examines the supply and demand of people with postgraduate research qualifications in science and mathematics. Consultations were conducted with key employers of the target group to identify levels and patterns of demand and their views about issues associated with employing these postgraduates. Key factors relating to salary levels, facilitators and barriers to employment were also considered. The report was completed in October 2008. To gain an overall perspective of the factors influencing supply and demand for this group it is important to consider all the reports in this project.

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The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program, jointly managed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and work. This guide summarises the findings of the 36 research reports published between 1996-2003 as part of this program. The summaries are presented thematically in three main parts. The first part looks at what is known about the educational experiences of Australian youth and covers literacy and numeracy of 14 year-olds, subject choices in years 11 and 12, work experience during school years, other aspects of school and community life, the decision to leave school, and going on to higher education or training. Part two looks at transitions from school to higher education and the labour market and covers the range of different pathways (both successful and less successful pathways), patterns of activities from 21 to 25 years, and comparisons of school completers and non-completers. The final part looks at the labour market and other life experiences of Australian youth and covers the initial jobs and earning of those who do not go on to higher education, recent school leavers’ experience of being unemployed, patterns of full-time work, factors influencing unemployment, and making the transition into adulthood. Show less

This is the final report of the Science and Maths Postgraduate Project conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). The purpose of the project was to build knowledge and understanding of issues related to the supply, demand and employment outcomes for people with higher degree research (HDR) qualifications in science and mathematics. A number of key findings are highlighted: Australia has a growing supply of people with HDR science and mathematics qualifications, however, the rise in Australian university completions in the science and mathematics fields is below that in non-scientific disciplines; universities are finding it increasingly hard to attract high quality PhD candidates in the mathematics and science disciplines due to a strong graduate employment market, the lack of emphasis on higher degrees in industry (due to a perceived decline in emphasis on research and development), very low stipends for PhD candidates and declining numbers of students in school and at the undergraduate level studying in most of these fields; in comparison with other countries, Australian growth and per capita completion numbers in HDR qualifications in science and mathematics appear strong; employment demand for people with HDR qualifications in science and mathematics is difficult to monitor and quantify using available data; and consultations and case studies suggest that within private industry in Australia the perceived need for HDR qualifications in the science and mathematics fields is very low. Show less