Search Results

This study examines how learners and the processes of learning are understood and presented in a sample of courses leading to the attainment of the Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training (since replaced by the new Certificate IV in Training and Assessment). It considers the implications of these findings for the development of teaching and learning in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. The study involved an analysis of 16 case studies in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Seven of these sites were public registered training organisations (RTOs), four based in capital cities and three in regional areas. The remaining sites comprised nine private RTOs and two enterprise-based organisations, both located in capital cities; three community based organisations, two in capital city locations and one in a regional area; two commercial training organisations, one in a capital city location and the other regional; and two government-funded organisations located in the higher education sector. The case study sites were therefore spread across a number of locations, as well as across a range of different types of RTOs. The research demonstrated considerable diversity in the types of courses leading to the attainment of the Certificate IV qualification, as well as a variety of ways in which the qualification was contextualised to meet the requirements of the organisations and individuals involved. In enterprise contexts the Certificate IV was understood as a business process that contributed to wider organisational and strategic goals, with an immediate focus on developing human capital for the enterprise. Learners and learning were understood in context-specific ways; this stands in contrast to circumstances where the audience for the Certificate IV was more non-specific, and topics related to learners and learning were approached in more general terms. The authors suggest that future discussions need to examine ideas on how teaching and learning might embrace the learner-centred, work-centred and attribute-focused approaches now acknowledged as important for the future of the VET sector. Discussions also need to consider more seriously the impact of characteristics such as gender, race and ethnicity on learning, and the ways in which learning might best be understood and organised to take account of these learner attributes. Show less

In Australia, as in many other countries, initiatives are constantly being developed which aim to assist school students' transition into work. One such initiative, which was introduced towards the end of the 1990s, was the introduction of school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, often referred to by the umbrella term 'school-based new apprenticeships' (SBNAs). Students taking part in these programs, normally in the final two years of schooling (Years 11 and 12), combine part-time work, study towards a vocational education and training (VET) qualification, and normal attendance at school. This paper reports on the first large-scale research study of school-based apprentices and trainees, which was carried out in late 2001 through a survey of students involved in the programs. The survey was carried out in the three Australian States with the highest numbers of school-based apprentices and trainees, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. The paper commences with a description of the nature of school-based apprenticeships and a description of their introduction and rapid growth. It then gives an overview of the young people's jobs, their learning and training, and concludes by discussing four problematic areas.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The notion of employability skills has been in the forefront of educational debate over the past 15 years, in many countries including Australia. Implicit in business input into the debate has been the assumption that schools should be producing young people with ready-developed employability skills. This study set out to challenge that assumption by examining how such skills are developed in workplaces. The research was based on case studies which were carried out in 12 Australian enterprises of varying size and drawn from different industry areas (including three group training companies). The enterprises were located in four states: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland, and included examples of first time workers who were part-time student workers as well as school leavers in their first jobs. The study found that employers of young people accept their role in helping these young people to develop their employability skills and see the benefits of doing so. It discovered a wide range of approaches which employers use to encourage the development of these skills and also strategies that the young people utilised. The study confirms the importance of the workplace as a site for learning and developing employability skills.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

Volumes of papers are indexed at TD/TNC 90.162 and TD/TNC 90.163. Selected individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 90.164 to TD/TNC 90.211. Show less

This paper compares the perceptions of Australian apprentices/trainees and employers of apprentices/trainees in relation to the psychological contract: the unwritten mutual expectations employers and employees have of each other. A random sample of apprentices and trainees (N = 219) and employers of apprentices and trainees (N = 262) from Victoria and Queensland, Australia completed surveys. Information was collected about perceived employer, employee and training obligations and how well they had been met. Overall it was found that apprentices/trainees and employers rated similar individual employer, employee and training obligations as being the most and least important. Training obligations were perceived by both parties as being the most important obligations overall. Differences between the groups mainly related to perceptions of the extent to which obligations were met, particularly employer obligations. Despite significant differences, the overall mean ratings suggest that the psychological contract is being met well for both parties. Implications of the research for psychological contracts and for apprenticeships/traineeships are discussed.

Published abstract. Show less

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