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

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
The new child labour?: the part-time student workforce in Australia

This paper reports on the findings about part-time school students' working from a research project, in two Austral ... Show more
This paper reports on the findings about part-time school students' working from a research project, in two Australian States, into school students' experiences in workplaces. The findings, from a survey and case studies, indicate that over half of Australian school-children in Years 10 and above are engaged in formal paid work. The majority of students who wish to work do not appear to experience much difficulty finding jobs, although those from certain minority groups are less likely to work than the average. Nearly two-thirds of student-workers are employed in the retail and fast food industries. The paper argues that more attention needs to be paid to student part-time working, as it is now the normal form of entry to the labour market.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.
This paper reports only on the findings associated with paid part-time work. The full results of the research project are reported in 'School students' learning from their paid and unpaid work' by Erica Smith and Annette Green (indexed at TD/TNC 68.01) and 'School students' views on their working and learning in the workplace' by Erica Smith and Lou Wilson (indexed at TD/TNC 70.13). Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Wilson, Lou

Date: 2002

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; South Australia ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Australian bulletin of labour

Subjects: Students; Providers of education and training; Secondary education ... [+] Show more
Self paced learning: a student perspective

Self paced learning (SPL), an alternative to face-to-face teaching, seen as being advantageous to students and thei ... Show more
Self paced learning (SPL), an alternative to face-to-face teaching, seen as being advantageous to students and their employers as well as being less-resource intensive, is becoming an increasingly common method of teaching in vocational education and training (VET). This article looks at SPL from a student viewpoint and is based on qualitative research examining experiences of SPL in Office Administration subjects of students from a non English speaking background or who have no regular access to computers. The paper provides information on the participants’ impressions of SPL, the advantages of SPL and the challenges experienced by the students. The findings indicate that although the majority of students showed enthusiasm for this mode of study, many students find this type of learning difficult. This was because of the inability of teachers to give adequate individual support and the lack of suitable preparation courses for students entering SPL for the first time. The authors suggest that these issues can be addressed by injecting further resources but that this would make SPL less attractive to VET providers who see it as a cost effective method of training. Show less

Authors: Inkson, Donna; Smith, Erica

Date: 2001

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Australian educational researcher

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Students; Language ... [+] Show more
Making choices: exploring influences on post-school career pathways

Research into school students and their experiences of the world of work, both during their school years and the fi ... Show more
Research into school students and their experiences of the world of work, both during their school years and the first few years post school, has offered some insights in to some of the factors influencing the decisions young people make about their career options and pathways. This paper will explore some of the data from a research project which in itself was a follow-up study to two previous projects, one with a range of school students and one with school-based new apprentices. While the study was designed to find out the effect of workplace experiences while at school on post-school pathways, qualitative findings suggest that each individual has a unique context, story and blend of circumstances which produce the individual's pathway. This is the focus of this paper. The research also offers some valuable insights into the types of experiences, guidance and support that young people could find more useful in terms of finding out more about work and study options and possibilities.
Published abstract.
Available papers from the 9th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference are indexed from TD/TNC 86.226 to TD/TNC 86.262. Show less

Authors: Green, Annette; Smith, Erica

Conference name: Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association Conference

Date: 2006

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Youth; Apprenticeship; Pathways ... [+] Show more
The development of employability skills in novice workers

This research study aimed to find out how teenage workers developed their employability skills in their first forma ... Show more
This research study aimed to find out how teenage workers developed their employability skills in their first formal jobs and set out to document the processes by which first-time workers develop these skills while at work. During mid-2002, case studies were carried out in 12 Australian enterprises (including three group training companies) of varying size, and drawn from different industry areas. The enterprises were located in four states: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland, and included examples of novice workers who were part-time student workers as well as school leavers in their first jobs. Industry areas chosen were indicative of those employing the majority of novice workers, and included fast food, retail, electrical, electronics, hairdressing, hospitality, administration, local government, manufacturing and newspaper delivery. The study found that although employability skills may be developed through a range of activities and at a variety of locations, there are reasons why workplaces are appropriate and even vitally important sites for their development. Employability skills are developed throughout a person’s working life and hence employers need to view the process of employability skills development as a whole-of-workforce issue. Finally, there was little indication from the research that employers desired novice workers to be any different from the way they were already. They accepted that, in employing a teenager who had never worked before, they would have to put some effort into making the employee a functioning worker. The report is therefore not advocating any radical departure from existing practice, but merely an extension of such practice to more workplaces. The report also offers a number of suggestions for formalising many of the strategies which already exist. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Comyn, Paul

Date: 2003

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Skills and knowledge; Research; Youth ... [+] Show more
Learning to labour at the turn of the century: Paul Willis revisited

This paper discusses, through the findings of several research projects undertaken during 2000–2002, the way in whi ... Show more
This paper discusses, through the findings of several research projects undertaken during 2000–2002, the way in which Australian teenagers learn and talk about work. It reports the young people’s perceptions of work - both part-time work and full-time work after leaving school - and the ways in which they compare and contrast work and school. Willis in the 1970s in England uncovered 'how working class kids get working class jobs' and this paper uses Willis’s findings as a starting point to begin to examine, nearly 30 years later, teenage perceptions of work and workplaces in Australia. These early experiences of work and the comparisons the young people make with formal learning are important for the teenagers’ future identities as workers and learners.
Published abstract reprinted by the permission of the copyright owner.
Volumes of papers are indexed from TD/TNC 77.351 to TD/TNC 77.353. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 77.354 to TD/TNC 77.437. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Conference name: International Conference on Post-Compulsory Education and Training

Date: 2003

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Youth; Students; Employment ... [+] Show more
Learning and training in school-based new apprenticeships

This publication reports on a project that set out to examine learning and training in school-based apprenticeships ... Show more
This publication reports on a project that set out to examine learning and training in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, in particular school-based New Apprenticeships, where young people are employed and engaged in a contract of training while still involved in full time or part time school studies. Surveys were sent to a sample of these students in the three states with the highest numbers in such arrangements: Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. The research methodology is described and a profile of the respondents detailing their reasons for undertaking school-based New Apprenticeships is given. The working environment and the nature of school-based New Apprenticeships are discussed. The authors look at links with schools and how the respondents combined their school-based apprenticeships with their school work. The comments of the respondents relating to work based learning and on the job training are analysed and the conclusion of the publication draws together the research findings and, while concluding that the overall findings are very positive, identifies some problem areas for future action. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Wilson, Lou

Date: 2002

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; Victoria ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Apprenticeship; Qualifications; Traineeship ... [+] Show more
School students and part-time work: workplace problems and challenges

The literature has identified some potential problems and challenges associated with teenage part-time workers and ... Show more
The literature has identified some potential problems and challenges associated with teenage part-time workers and the nature of the workplaces that employ them. However a large national project on student-working found few problems in the two companies researched because these companies had policies in place that addressed the potential problems. Some suggestions are made about how problems and challenges could be avoided in a wider range of adolescent workplaces.
Published abstract. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Patton, Wendy

Date: 2009

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Youth studies Australia

Subjects: Youth; Students; Secondary education ... [+] Show more
Part-time work of high school students: impact on employability, employment outcomes and career development

With the large number of high school students engaging in part-time work, very little is known about the impact of ... Show more
With the large number of high school students engaging in part-time work, very little is known about the impact of this activity on employability, employment outcomes and career development. This paper outlines the context of this phenomenon in Australia, and reviews the body of empirical work that has been published in recent years, noting the methodological limitations of this field of research.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Patton, Wendy; Smith, Erica

Date: 2010

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Australian journal of career development

Subjects: Career development; Employment; Outcomes ... [+] Show more
What makes a good VET teacher?: views of Australian VET teachers and students

The quality of teaching in the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia has been an area of conc ... Show more
The quality of teaching in the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia has been an area of concern for much of the twenty-first century (e.g. Department of Education and Training, 2016). While much debate has taken place about ways forward, there has been little substantive progress in reforming the education and professional development of VET teachers to address quality concerns. However, in the absence of a clear consensus and articulation of what constitutes 'good VET teaching' and what is required to produce it, it is doubtful that any endeavour to improve the quality of VET teaching would be successful. This paper contributes to the evidence base that could inform improvements in VET teaching by examining the views of two key interest groups - VET teachers and learners, on 'what makes a good VET teacher', and analyses the common themes as well as particularities in their views and their possible explanations. The findings are then examined as dimensions of interconnected practices that constitute VET teaching.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Yasukawa, Keiko

Date: 2017

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Article

Series name: RAVE: Researching Adult and Vocational Education

Journal title: International journal of training research

Subjects: Teaching and learning; Providers of education and training; Vocational education and training ... [+] Show more