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The number of young people commencing apprenticeships and traineeships whilst at school, and monitored by their school, has grown considerably, encouraged by State and Federal governments, since the first participants began in 1997. There has as yet been little research into the nature of the training given to, and learning experienced by, such young people; most published literature has related to organisational issues. This paper reports on a research project funded by the National Research and Evaluation Committee [NREC] into learning and training in school-based new apprenticeships (SBNAs). A questionnaire was sent to a large sample of all SBNAs in three States: Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, using a survey instrument adapted from a previous NREC study, 'School students' learning from their paid and unpaid work' (report indexed at TD/TNC 68.01). The results present an overview of SBNA employment, training and learning practices which will provide an important basis for development of policy and practice in this area.

Published abstract.

The collection of papers is indexed at TD/TNC 73.601. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 73.602 to TD/TNC 73.621. Show less

This book is an updated version of 'Making sense of training reform and competency-based training' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 54.08], which was published in 1997 by the same authors and was intended to explain the vocational education and training (VET) sector to those involved in it, or about to enter it, as practitioners.

The book examines the growth and change in the VET sector in terms of a number of tensions, including the interests of government and the interests of industry, the interests of the Commonwealth Government and those of the states, the interests of individuals and those of industry and the interests of industry and those of organised labour. It facilitates understanding of the VET sector by describing the complex issues of training reforms and the nature of VET curriculum in simple terms.

Part one of the book provides an overview of the evolution of VET in Australia, the reasons why large scale reform of the system was undertaken and a description of the major features of the VET system, including the most recent changes. Part two focuses on curriculum issues: the nature of competency based training and the way in which training packages are developed and delivered. In part three the implications of VET policy and VET curriculum for teachers and trainers are considered. Show less

This paper reports on a research study that aimed to find out how teenage workers developed their employability skills in their first formal jobs. With young people commencing formal part-time work as early as 13 or 14 years of age (and even younger in some cases), it follows that employability skills are not necessarily developed at school to be applied later at work, even were it to be accepted that the school curriculum ought to include such matters as a major priority.

Published abstract.

The collected proceedings are indexed at TD/TNC 74.501; the collected PowerPoint presentations are indexed at TD/TNC 74.530; available papers are indexed from TD/TNC 74.502 to TD/TNC 74.529. Show less

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

Few Australian school students, particularly those completing their senior secondary years, leave school without some experience of workplaces. While well over half of school students now have part-time work, the traditional work experience program is still the most common way in which secondary students gain some knowledge of workplaces. However, little policy attention is expended on work experience and it is viewed in some quarters as a 'poor relation' of structured work placements, which form part of VET in schools programs. This article presents findings about work experience derived from a recent study of school students' learning in workplaces. School-based case studies and employer interviews were used to augment the data from a survey of 1451 school students. Despite other forms of workplace engagement becoming more common, it is argued that work experience should be retained. While aspects of work experience can be improved, it is argued that the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater.

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

School-to-work transition is an area of great policy interest at all levels of Australian government as evidenced in the expansion of vocational education and training in schools; however, increasingly the focus is shifting to broader issues involving student attitudes to work and career planning. In this exploration of the transition to work of 11 young people in New South Wales over a two-year period, [the author] analyses the changes in young people’s attitudes to career and work in their first months of employment as they experience the reality of full-time employment and contend with particular challenges in the workplace.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. 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 article examines the scope for state intervention in the training and learning environment of young people in initial employment. It reports on the findings of a qualitative study of 11 teenagers entering full-time employment in New South Wales, Australia, relating to the breadth and depth of the young people’s learning in their jobs, and the factors which facilitated or inhibited their learning. Differences were found between those young people who were in formal contracts of training - apprenticeships and traineeships - and those who were not. It is argued that government intervention in young people’s training need not be confined to the policy area of apprenticeships and traineeships. Other possible points of intervention by the state are suggested, using examples from the case studies to illustrate the beneficial effects which might flow from such intervention.

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

Many enterprises within Australia have become registered training organisations [RTOs], or work very closely with RTOs, to deliver nationally-accredited training to their workers. Universities are major employers, yet relatively few are taking advantage of accredited training opportunities. This paper reports on the experience of a regional university's initial activity as an enterprise RTO. In so doing, it reflects on academic attitudes to competency-based training, traditional university staff development attitudes and practices, the 'who pays' debate, and the organisational implications of the presence of an RTO within an enterprise.

Published abstract.

The collection of refereed papers is indexed at TD/TNC 73.622; individual refereed papers are indexed from TD/TNC 73.623 to TD/TNC 73.650. The collection of non refereed papers is indexed at TD/TNC 73.651; non-refereed papers are indexed from TD/TNC 73.652 to TD/TNC 73.680. Show less

The Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) was introduced in July 2002 to improve the quality of delivery of vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. The AQTF sets out standards for registered training organisations (RTOs) and for the accrediting bodies in the Australian States and Territories. The standards prescribe the implementation, assessment, recording and storage of information about the delivery, assessment and accreditation of training. This paper reports on a project that investigated the reactions of a number of actors in the VET sector to the provisions in the AQTF pertaining to teaching and teaching qualifications. The focus of the paper is on the effects of the AQTF standards for RTOs in relation to teaching and assessment and the qualifications of staff who carry out teaching and assessment. Show less