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

As clear as mud: defining vocational education and training

In this paper it is argued that neither a simple definition of vocational education and training (VET) nor qualific ... Show more
In this paper it is argued that neither a simple definition of vocational education and training (VET) nor qualification levels are helpful. It discusses what does constitute VET in Australia. It suggests that VET is distinguished from higher education (HE) by different funding and regulatory arrangements, and teaching and learning styles. What confuses the issue is that many providers deliver both higher education and VET courses. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

Conference name: TAFE Governance and Regulations Forum

Date: 2011

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Qualifications; Finance ... [+] Show more
Vocational education and training and young people: last but not least

The vocational education and training (VET) sector is poorly understood, particularly in relation to the important ... Show more
The vocational education and training (VET) sector is poorly understood, particularly in relation to the important role it plays in the education of young people. While apprenticeships are seen as a desirable pathway between school and work, and technical and further education (TAFE) is acknowledged as an alternative to university, the actual magnitude of its role is not appreciated. The main reason, in the view of the author, is that it does not fit neatly in a linear world; the ‘complete Year 12 and go to university’ is easy to understand, but for many young people pathways involving VET are a lot less straightforward. The purpose of this paper is to remedy this perception by spelling out the extent of participation in VET and the various pathways that this participation covers. The paper also looks at what is studied and the outcomes, in terms of completion rates, employment and further study, and satisfaction. What emerges is that participation is extremely high for young people, and there are many positive outcomes. But completion rates are variable, and relatively few young people emerge with a middle-level, or higher, qualification. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

Date: 2007

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Youth; Apprenticeship ... [+] Show more
Have school VET programs been successful?

School vocational education and training (VET) programs were introduced to provide more diverse pathways to work an ... Show more
School vocational education and training (VET) programs were introduced to provide more diverse pathways to work and further study for young people. This report investigates whether these programs provide successful outcomes for participants, in terms of retention to Year 12 (or its vocational equivalent) and full-time engagement with employment or learning. The report finds that participation in school VET programs has a small negative impact on retention from Year 10 to Year 12 overall but that there is a positive impact on Year 10 to Year 11 retention. There is a clear positive impact on post-school outcomes for students who participate in school VET programs in Year 11 but do not go on to complete Year 12. Finally, the report looks at whether school VET programs have been successful in establishing post-school VET pathways. The results show that these programs provide a clear pathway for some students, particularly for boys studying in the areas of building and engineering. For most students, however, the pathway is not so direct.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Anlezark, Alison; Karmel, Tom; Ong, Koon

Date: 2005

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Journal for vocational and technical education and training

Subjects: Participation; Pathways; Vocational education and training ... [+] Show more
Second-chance vocational education and training

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which vocational education and training (VET) is providing in ... Show more
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which vocational education and training (VET) is providing individuals with a second chance in education. 'Second chance VET' refers to opportunities in education taken by individuals who have not followed the conventional academic pathway of school completion followed by post-school study. Two groups are looked at. The first group consists of young early school leavers aged up to and including 24 years who have not completed a non-school qualification. The second group consists of adults aged 25 years and over who have not completed a non-school qualification. The paper examines three research questions: (1) How important is second-chance education within the VET sector?; (2) What proportion of the relevant population avails themselves of the opportunity?; (3) What are the outcomes of those who do undertake second-chance education? The study found that: the percentage of VET students who can be characterised as second chance is very substantial (41% of publicly funded VET students in 2004); females access second-chance VET at higher rates than males; second-chance students enrolled in VET are less likely to undertake higher-level qualifications (certificate IV and higher) compared with other students enrolled in VET; and the percentage of the second-chance population actually completing an award is low, in particular for the completion of VET qualifications at certificate III or higher. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Woods, Davinia

Date: 2008

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Qualifications; Outcomes ... [+] Show more
Opinion pieces 2012

Six opinion pieces were released in 2012: (1) 'Shaken not stirred' by Leesa Wheelahan (released 18 January); (2) 'R ... Show more
Six opinion pieces were released in 2012: (1) 'Shaken not stirred' by Leesa Wheelahan (released 18 January); (2) 'Rich seam: the supply of tradespeople for the resources sector' by Tom Karmel (released 1 March); (3) 'Address at University of Canberra's graduation ceremony for the Faculty of Education, Parliament House' by Francesca Beddie (released 28 March); (4) 'Students with mental illness: to disclose or not to disclose?' By Sara Wilson and Tabatha Griffin (released 26 April); (5) 'For the long-term: guidelines for effective career development services' by Sara Wilson, Sian Halliday Wynes and Josie Misko (released 23 July); (6) 'Risk of bursting by degrees' by Tom Karmel (released 5 October). Show less

Authors: Wheelahan, Leesa; Karmel, Tom; Beddie, Francesca; Wilson, Sara ... [+] Show more

Date: 2012

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: NCVER opinion pieces

Subjects: Industry; Labour market; Students ... [+] Show more
Which paths work for which young people?

In this paper, the authors identify various educational paths involving school and post-school study and assess the ... Show more
In this paper, the authors identify various educational paths involving school and post-school study and assess the effectiveness of these in relation to post-school outcomes at age 25 years. They use the 1995 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) and find that, for males, undertaking an apprenticeship after completing senior secondary and university are attractive paths. For females, the best path is that of university study, even for those with low academic orientation. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Lui, Shu-Hui

Date: 2011

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: LSAY research report

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Teaching and learning; Traineeship ... [+] Show more
Maximising the use of data: vocational education and training

The range of data collected by NCVER for the national vocational education and training (VET) system and how it is ... Show more
The range of data collected by NCVER for the national vocational education and training (VET) system and how it is disseminated is discussed in this conference paper. The author talks about how analytical techniques are used to maximise what can be extracted from those collections; the current focus on expanding the range of data to contribute to the 'transparency agenda'; and current gaps in VET data in the collections. He ends with some comments on the challenges NCVER faces in maximising the use of data.
Published abstract. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

Conference name: NatStats Conference

Date: 2013

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Statistics; Providers of education and training
School-based apprenticeships and traineeships

Vocational education and training (VET) has been seen to be an important element of school education for some time ... Show more
Vocational education and training (VET) has been seen to be an important element of school education for some time now. More recently, school-based apprentices and trainees have been given more prominence as an element of VET in Schools, partly as a response to skill shortages in a wide range of areas. The purpose of this short paper is to provide data on school-based apprentices and trainees to enable a judgement to be made about how this policy push is unfolding. After providing some context on the policy environment relevant to school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, this paper provides data on how many and what areas are covered, and goes on to look at attrition and completion rates. To provide a comparison group, data on apprenticeships and traineeships among young people are also given, noting that they form a very important entry point into the labour market for a large proportion of young people. The study found that despite a concerted policy push, the number of school-based apprentices and trainees is small and highly concentrated in Queensland and Victoria, among retail and hospitality training packages, and at the certificates I and II level. Attrition is lower among school-based than all young apprentices and trainees, both within the first six months and year, and at both certificate I and II and certificate III and above levels. With regard to the proportion completing their training, completion rates for certificates I and II are higher for school-based contracts than for all young apprentices and trainees, but substantially lower for certificates III and above. Completion rates in hairdressing, metal and engineering, and automotive certificates III and above are particularly low among school-based apprentices and trainees. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Mlotkowski, Peter

Corporate authors: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)

Date: 2008

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: NCVER occasional paper

Subjects: Apprenticeship; Traineeship; Policy ... [+] Show more
Educational outcomes of young Indigenous Australians

Improved educational outcomes are seen as a key lever for addressing the disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australia ... Show more
Improved educational outcomes are seen as a key lever for addressing the disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australians. Poor educational outcomes have been observed at all levels of education, from early childhood through to tertiary education. While the increase in school retention rates of Indigenous Australians in recent years is encouraging the more critical issues are whether there have been improvements in educational performance at earlier years for Indigenous students and the extent to which educational performance at say, Year 10, is flowing through to education outcomes such as Year 12 completion.
The data used in this project come from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth (LSAY), including both the 2006 and 2009 student cohorts. The first wave of each LSAY is the [Programme for International Student Assessment] PISA survey. One of the advantages of PISA scores is that they allow overtime direct comparisons and between-cohort comparisons. The subsequent waves of LSAY allow [the authors] to follow the students throughout their compulsory education and beyond. The latest wave of LSAY was released in 2013 for the 2012 wave of both cohorts. The 2009 cohort has (mostly) left school in the last LSAY observation window. This makes it the first year when a full comparison between the 2006 and 2009 cohorts can happen. The data allow [the authors] to conduct a full set of comparisons between Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students in the two cohorts up to their choice of tertiary education.
Excerpts from publication. Show less

Authors: Mahuteau, Stephane; Karmel, Tom; Mavromaras, Kostas G.; Zhu, Rong

Date: 2015

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Indigenous people; Youth; Outcomes ... [+] Show more
Associate degree or advanced diploma?: a case study

The distinction between [vocational education and training] VET and higher education in Australia is blurring. The ... Show more
The distinction between [vocational education and training] VET and higher education in Australia is blurring. The purpose of this paper is to examine - through the conduct of a case study of engineering qualifications (AQF6) delivered in Victoria - how education and training providers and students are likely to respond to different fees and funding arrangements under the student entitlement model.
Published abstract. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Lu, Tham

Date: 2012

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; Victoria

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: NCVER occasional paper

Subjects: Qualifications; Research; Students ... [+] Show more