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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

Part-time working while studying full-time is now the norm for young Australian students, whether they are at school, TAFE or university. Australian research in this area currently comprises one body of research looking at learning from part-time jobs, and a second focusing upon the problems that time spent at work may cause with young people's study load. To date there has not been any major Australian research into the ways in which employers utilise student-working as part of their management strategies. This paper draws upon part of the research carried out in the first year of an Australian Research Council Linkage project on student-working. Case studies carried out with three major employers of part-time student labour and focus groups with university students have shown how the needs of young people for suitable work at convenient times and those of some employers coincide remarkably well. These employers have learned to shape their human resource management strategies around the nature of their student workforces, and continually adapt their strategies to make themselves more attractive to their current and potential workforces.

Published abstract.

Available papers from the 10th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference are indexed from TD/TNC 89.401 to TD/TNC 89.447. Show less

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

This paper examines the use of informal training for workers, by Australian companies and other organisations. Using survey data, it reports the prevalence of informal training and also the utilisation of different types of informal training. Differences are found by employer size, particularly for the different types. By examining qualitative responses, it is found that employers' perceptions of informal training are often not those reflected in existing literature. The paper therefore argues for a new definition of informal training which is comprehensible to employers and workers alike, so that more, and more reliable, research can be undertaken.

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

This paper reports on the perceptions of key Australian stakeholders who were interviewed about the controversial issue of quality in traineeships. Interviews were carried out with thirteen people holding senior positions in State and national government departments, major employer and employee organisations, and peak bodies of intermediary organisations. The process was the initial phase of a national NCVER-funded project on identifying the features of high-quality traineeships. The interview transcripts were then analysed to draw out key themes. Themes included issues to do with pedagogy both on and off the job, workplace arrangements and work organisation, relationships between employers and training providers, progression to higher level qualifications and within careers, the intended strategic use of trainees by organisations, and the use of traineeships for equity purposes. On the whole, strong support was expressed for the traineeship system although there were some dissenting views. The research provided a useful backdrop for the fieldwork in the remainder of the project.

Published abstract.

Available papers from the 11th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference are indexed from TD/TNC 92.459 to TD/TNC 92.499 and from TD/TNC 92.701 to TD/TNC 92.716. Show less

An important development in the post-compulsory education system has been an increased involvement of secondary school students in learning in workplaces, both in work experience and structured work placements in vocational education and training (VET) in schools programs. In addition, an increasing number of school students are now in formal paid employment, including around 4,000 in employment as part-time apprentices and trainees (MCEETYA, 2000). These changes encourage debates including: the suitability of school students having paid work; the desirability of recognition for the skills gained in paid work; inequities of access to all types of workplace experiences, and whether work placements encourage an uncritical acceptance of workplace values which need to be challenged. However, there has been little explicit examination of what students learn in workplaces and how they learn it. This paper reports on an National Research and Evaluation Committee-funded project which examines the extent and nature of learning which students in years 10, 11 and 12 gain from their experiences in workplaces. The paper gives the results of the first two phases of the project, which involved consultation with key stakeholders and a survey of students in years 10, 11 and 12 in a number of schools in New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia (SA). The third phase of the project - case studies in six schools - is currently being carried out.

Published abstract.

The two volumes of collected papers are indexed at TD/TNC 64.287 and TD/TNC 64.355. Selected papers from volume one are indexed from TD/TNC 64.288 to TD/TNC 64.320; selected papers from volume two are indexed from TD/TNC 64.321 to TD/TNC 64.354. Show less

Research in Australian enterprises was carried out in the second half of 2003 in order to gain a greater understanding of how and why enterprises use Nationally Recognised Training (NRT) for their existing workers. NRT means training based on national training packages or courses/programs that have been formally accredited through State of Territory Accreditation Boards. Existing workers means those who are not newly recruited from outside the organisation. This paper reports on those parts of the findings that relate to the ways in which enterprises engage with NRT. Models are presented of the decision-making process and of the ways in which NRT becomes embedded within enterprises' training and human resource practices. These models are drawn from both qualitative and quantitative data.

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

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

In this paper, the author begins from the premise that Australian vocational education and training (VET) has undergone considerable and rapid change since the late 1980s. The paper draws on research carried out by the author over the last five years, beginning by briefly describing the changes in Australian VET. In particular, the paper looks at the experiences of participants in the VET sector who are under 30 years of age and thus were not participants in the 'old' system.

The three volumes of conference proceedings are indexed from TD/TNC 72.49 to TD/TNC 72.51; selected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 72.08 to TD/TNC 72.11 and TD/TNC 72.52 to TD/TNC 72.100. Show less

Training packages have been fiercely resisted by many in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Now they are here to stay, with 70 packages already endorsed, the challenge is for players at all levels in the VET system to work with them. This paper sets out the views of those working with training packages, from the academics who view them as ticky-tacky boxes constraining workers within narrowly defined fields of activity, through the bureaucrats and teachers who must, through gritted teeth or alternatively with pleasurable anticipation, implement them, to the 'enthusiastic campaigners' who have tried to win hearts and minds to the concept of a workers' paradise where anyone can gain a qualification through learning in his or her daily work. The paper identifies some of the basic underlying difficulties with training packages which, it is argued, stem from their being written for the workplace while their primary field of application is in educational institutions

Excerpts from printed abstract used with the permission of the copyright holder.

Volume one of these proceedings is indexed at TD/TNC 68.31, volume two is indexed at TD/TNC 68.32 and individual papers may be found from TD/TNC 68.17 to TD/TNC 68.29 and TD/TNC 68.33 to TD/TNC 68.100. Show less