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Evidence-based policy making is widely discussed in many countries as a way of ensuring more transparent and robust policies, and making policy-makers more accountable for meeting the needs and expectations of the constituencies they serve. In 2010, the [European Training Foundation] ETF launched the Torino Process with a view to offering interested partner countries a framework and technical support aimed at supporting progress in the [vocational education and training] VET area. The exercise, which will be repeated every two years, is ultimately intended to respond to the interest in robust assessment and in resources for VET policy making. This report presents the main findings of the Torino Process 2010, consolidating the findings of the individual country reports along the different dimensions deemed relevant to assessing VET systems and measuring VET policy progress.

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Generic skills are taking on increased importance in Australia and internationally. This publication explains why there is such an interest in generic skills and describes how they have been defined and addressed in educational programs in Australia. It also compares the different definitions and interpretations of generic skills in the UK, the USA and Canada. Findings include: that there is a high demand for generic skills in the workplace; that generic skills apply across a variety of jobs and life contexts; that there is no one definitive list of generic skills; that each sector of education has a role to play in helping people develop their generic skills; that a collaborative cross-sectoral approach to facilitating development of generic skills is being developed in Australia; and that the implementation of generic skills is increasingly being seen as a teaching and learning issue.

A companion publication, ‘Fostering generic skills in VET programs and workplaces: at a glance’, may be found at TD/TNC 75.09. Show less

The Australian government recognises that a strong Australian Apprenticeship system is essential to sustain a strong economy. Accordingly, an Expert Panel was appointed to provide recommendations to the government on possible ways to reform the system to ensure that it can meet Australia's skills needs into the 21st century. The panel examined apprenticeship training arrangements, including current incentives, and suggested principles and evidence to improve outcomes for both apprentices and industry. The work of the panel was underpinned by a study on related economic costs and benefits, including research undertaken by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). This report is the first of four prepared by NCVER for the panel and it is intended to provide a background to the other reports which focus on specific aspects of the apprenticeship and traineeship system. The report is structured around four individual papers. The first is a history of apprenticeship and traineeship in Australia. This is followed by a characterisation of apprentices and trainees - apprentices and trainees of today cover a much broader span of individuals than the common perception of an apprentice being a young man in blue overalls. While not strictly part of an apprenticeship or traineeship, prevocational training exists as a pathway into an apprenticeship or traineeship rather than for its own sake. It thus makes sense to consider them alongside the apprenticeship and traineeship system, which is what is done in the third paper. The report concludes with some estimates of the cost of the system to the government. Show less

This report presents the results from the 2002 national survey of students who undertook vocational education and training (VET) during 2002. The survey covered TAFE graduates and TAFE module completers.

TAFE graduates were defined as students who attended a TAFE institute in Australia and who completed a Certificate, Advanced Certificate, Associate Diploma, Diploma, Advanced Diploma or Bachelors Degree of at least 200 hours or one semester duration, and had an Australian address as their usual address. A questionnaire was sent to a stratified, randomly selected sample of graduates (approximately 42,000 graduates).

TAFE module completers were defined as students who were not graduates, had attended a TAFE institute in Australia and successfully completed some training in a course irrespective of the number of hours of the training, and left the TAFE system. A similar questionnaire to that which was sent to graduates was sent to a stratified, randomly selected sample of module completers (approximately 8,000 module completers).

The information collected in the survey includes: the nature of the training undertaken; the outcomes achieved as a result of completing the training in relation to employment; an indication of whether students were satisfied with the training; and whether students achieved the goals they had set for themselves before commencement. This report presents key results at a national level, giving an overview of the results and exploring the trends that emerge when comparisons are made with previous survey data. This national report is complemented by a briefer publication: Australian vocational education and training statistics: student outcomes survey 2002: in summary (TD/TNC 71.12). Show less

This paper provides an analytical review of the current state of vocational education and training (VET) in the candidate countries in Eastern and Central Europe and the MEDA region (Cyprus and Malta). It is intended to form the basis for further discussion between representatives of the candidate countries and the European Training Foundation’s Governing Board, to support the accession process of the candidate countries through the definition of their human resource needs, and to support strategic planning of future work by the ETF in these countries. The paper is based on in-depth discussion with representatives from the countries and the experience and expertise gained by the ETF in the last five years.

The paper consists of two parts. The first part presents a cross-country overview based on the analysis of the development of VET in each individual country. This section draws together common key areas where further improvement is required. The second part contains the study of the current state of development of VET in Bulgaria. The country study begins with an overall assessment and then examines initial vocational training and continuing vocational training. Elements such as the legal and conceptual framework, the administrative and institutional system, financing, and the key features of VET delivery, are described. The study concludes with an overview of key employment issues and identifies priority areas for future development assistance. The range of candidate country reports are indexed from TD/INT 60.291 to TD/INT 60.300 and from TD/INT 61.101 to TD/INT 61.102. Show less

This report, commissioned by the [European Training Foundation] ETF, aims to identify the main trends in [human capital development] HCD in the Republic of Moldova over the last two decades using both quantitative and qualitative indicators. It was also designed to identify inequity within and between population groups in terms of access to education, choices of learning opportunities and the quality of education and training. The study also looked at adult training, its role and contribution to the human capital in the country. Lifelong learning is an increasingly important element of HCD that has become inevitable in some sectors due to the rapid rate of technological and procedural change that is also related to economic restructuring. The report closes with the main conclusions on HCD trends and equity in education in the Republic of Moldova, in terms of access, choice and quality of education during the transition period.

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This report presents the results of a consultancy undertaken in 2005 by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) for Australian Education International (AEI), Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The aim of this project was to collect statistics about the extent of, and characteristics of, offshore delivery of vocational education and training (VET) by Australian public providers.

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The European Training Foundation, in agreement with the European Commission, has undertaken a series of in depth reviews of the labour markets in the Western Balkan countries with the aim to contribute to a better understanding of their functioning and identify areas for further work in the fields of employment policy and education and training reform. Specifically, these reviews: (1) analyse the economic context in the Western Balkan countries and in particular the pace of the economic restructuring process and its impact on jobs and employment (chapter one); (2) analyse recent trends in labour markets with the aim of identifying major challenges in the labour markets in terms of the economic restructuring process (chapter two); (3) assess policy responses and the institutional setting in which the challenges identified can be addressed, in the context of supporting economic restructuring and growth (chapter three); and (4) provide recommendations for further action (chapter four). The labour market challenges and the policy responses are examined against the four broad key objectives set out in the revised European Employment Strategy: increasing the adaptability of workers and enterprises; attracting more people to enter and remain in the labour market; investing more and more effectively in human capital; and ensuring better implementation of reforms through better governance.

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This report aims to define, quantify and characterise Australian vocational education and training (VET) programs delivered offshore during 2010 by public VET providers. It provides statistical information about the public providers active overseas, the courses they delivered and the students who enrolled in those courses. It builds on data collections covering 2003-09. This collection covers the years 2006-10. Data for 2003-05 can be found by referring to previous collections.

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This infographic provides a snapshot of apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia. It presents statistics on commencements, completions, cancellations/withdrawals, completion rates and training rates.

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