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

Socioeconomic status and the allocation of government resources in Australia: how well do geographic measures perform?

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to compare the performance of area-based vs individual-level measures of socioec ... Show more
Purpose - The aim of this paper is to compare the performance of area-based vs individual-level measures of socioeconomic status (SES). Design/methodology/approach - Using data from the longitudinal surveys of Australian youth (LSAY), a multidimensional measure of individual SES is created. This individual measure is used to benchmark the relative usefulness of socio-economic indexes for areas (SEIFA), a geographic set of measures often used in Australia to assess the SES of individuals. Both measures are compared in terms of classification bias. The effects of using the different SES measures on participation in post-compulsory education are examined. Findings - SEIFA measures perform satisfactorily with regard to the aggregate measurement of SES. However, they perform poorly when their use is aimed at channelling resources toward disadvantaged individuals. It is at the individual level that the analysis reveals the shortcomings of area-based SES measures. Research limitations/implications - While region based measures are relatively easy to collect and utilise, we suggest that they hide significant SES heterogeneity within regional districts. Hence, the misclassification resulting from the use of regional measures to direct support for low SES groups creates a risk for resource misallocations. Originality/value - The finding that region-based measures are subject to significant misclassification has important research and policy implications. Given the increasing availability of individual-level administrative data, the paper suggests that such data be used as a substitute for geographic SES measures in categorising the SES of individuals.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Lim, Patrick; Gemici, Sinan; Rice, John; Karmel, Tom

Date: 2011

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Education + training

Subjects: Youth; Demographics; Economics ... [+] Show more
Effect of the downturn on apprentices and trainees

Looking at apprentice and trainee data and employment data back to 1995, we find that declines in apprentice commen ... Show more
Looking at apprentice and trainee data and employment data back to 1995, we find that declines in apprentice commencements lead declines in total trades employment by four quarters, whereas declines in trainee commencements appear to lag declines in employment in non-trade occupations. Based on this historical relationship, the reduction in apprentice and trainee numbers suggested a much larger decline in employment than eventuated. The low proportion of redundant apprentices who were able to resume training is concerning. However, because apprentice and trainee commencements rebounded so quickly, we anticipate only a minor interruption to the supply of tradespeople. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Oliver, Damian

Date: 2011

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: NCVER occasional paper

Subjects: Apprenticeship; Traineeship; Statistics ... [+] Show more
Competition in the training market

In late 2008, NCVER commissioned six people to write essays about competition in the Australian training market. Mo ... Show more
In late 2008, NCVER commissioned six people to write essays about competition in the Australian training market. Most were from outside the vocational education and training (VET) sector. In order to ensure their ideas were tied into current concerns within VET, NCVER went on to invite six insiders to respond to the essays. The results from both groups are contained in this volume. It should be noted that the participants in this exercise do not entirely agree with each other. But there is general acknowledgement that the risks associated with the state determining the supply and demand for training mean that governments cannot retreat from the training market. However, the role of the state, relative to that of individuals and employers, remains contentious. Papers and their responses include: Markets and central planning in meeting labour market needs: lessons from higher education / Andrew Norton, discussant: Leslie Loble; A market for vocational education and training in the Australian Federation / Mark Burford, discussant: Pat Forward; Competition policy and the VET sector / Richard Denniss, discussant: Megan Kirchner; Contestability, information asymmetry and quality signals in a competitive training market / Terri Seddon, discussant: Robyn Tudor; Improving information flows for users of post-secondary education / Nicholas Gruen, discussant: Gerald Burke; Possible governance structures and autonomy of TAFE institutes / V. Lynn Meek; discussant: Michael Keating. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Beddie, Francesca; Dawe, Susan

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

Date: 2009

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Higher education; Policy ... [+] Show more
Opinion pieces 2009

Ten opinion pieces were released in 2009: (1) 'Adult Literacy Research Project: what we have learnt' by Michelle Ci ... Show more
Ten opinion pieces were released in 2009: (1) 'Adult Literacy Research Project: what we have learnt' by Michelle Circelli (released 1 March); (2) 'Work-life, low pay and vocational education and training' by Barbara Pocock (released 16 March); (3) 'Welfare to work, does VET make a difference?' by Tom Karmel (released 24 April); (4) 'Implications of the economic downturn for vocational education and training' by Tom Karmel (released 25 May); (5) 'Keeping informal learning informal' by Sian Halliday Wynes (released 1 July); (6) 'Rejuvenating the art of teaching and learning' by Francesca Beddie (released 17 July); (7) 'Putting the V-E-T in R and D' by Francesca Beddie (released 27 July); (8) 'Teaching TAFE teachers: is a certificate IV up to the challenge?' by Tom Karmel (released 9 October); (9) 'Is vocational education and training keeping up with the Joneses?' by Tom Karmel (released 10 November); (10) 'Young people: finding their way in a new era: summary of key findings of the policy forum' by Tom Karmel (released 25 November). Show less

Authors: Circelli, Michelle; Pocock, Barbara; Karmel, Tom; Halliday Wynes, Sian ... [+] Show more

Date: 2009

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: NCVER opinion pieces

Subjects: Adult and community education; Literacy; Employment ... [+] Show more
Apprenticeships and traineeships in the downturn

Apprenticeships have a very long history in Australia, building on the traditions of the medieval guilds. The essen ... Show more
Apprenticeships have a very long history in Australia, building on the traditions of the medieval guilds. The essence of the apprenticeship is the contract of training - a legal contract between an individual, an employer and a training provider. The defining characteristic is the combination of employment and training. The purpose of this occasional paper is to describe what we know about apprenticeships and traineeships, with a view to assessing the likely impact of the current economic downturn on them.
An interview with Tom Karmel about this report is indexed at TD/TNC 97.31. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Misko, Josie

Date: 2009

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: NCVER occasional paper

Subjects: Apprenticeship; Traineeship; Labour market ... [+] Show more
Research into the financing of TVET in the Pacific: strengthening TVET finance data collections: overview paper

This overview paper is based on research undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) 2012- ... Show more
This overview paper is based on research undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) 2012-2014 for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the research project Research into the Financing of [technical and vocational education and training] TVET in the Pacific and on the various reports produced by ACER over the course of that research. In this paper, [it is] discussed what a regional framework for TVET finance might look like. The contents of the paper are: (1) Introduction; (2) What is TVET?; (3) What kind of TVET finance data need collecting?; (4) TVET finance data currently collected; (5) Implementation. The Appendix contains data compiled by ACER on Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Fiji and Kiribati.
Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

Date: 2015

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Fiji; Kiribati ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Government report or paper

Series name: Research into the financing of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Pacific

Subjects: Finance; Vocational education and training; Labour market ... [+] Show more
The contribution of education to economic growth in Australia, 1997-2009

Using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Education and Training (SET), the author estima ... Show more
Using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Education and Training (SET), the author estimates the impact of increasing education levels on economic growth in Australia between 1997 and 2009. The author finds that increasing education levels are contributing to improved productivity at a rate of 0.14 per cent per annum as well as having had a considerable impact on the hours worked by the Australian workforce.
Published abstract. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

Date: 2014

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: National Vocational Education and Training Research Program occasional paper

Subjects: Economics; Qualifications; Employment ... [+] Show more
The economics of apprenticeships and traineeships

The Australian government recognises that a strong Australian Apprenticeship system is essential to sustain a stron ... Show more
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 is one of four reports prepared by NCVER as part of this study. The report aims to bring together some of the more important economic considerations: some theory; evidence on costs and benefits; and sustainability, by which is meant whether there are issues that might impact on the long-term future of the apprenticeship and traineeship system. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Rice, John

Date: 2011

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Government report or paper

Series name: A shared responsibility: apprenticeships for the 21st century

Subjects: Apprenticeship; Economics; Sustainability ... [+] Show more
The shifting demographics and lifelong learning

This paper was presented at the International Symposium on Lifelong Learning for Poverty Alleviation and Sustainabl ... Show more
This paper was presented at the International Symposium on Lifelong Learning for Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development: Developing a Research Agenda for the Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong, 12-13 January 2011. Demographic change in the modern world is synonymous with an ageing population. Karmel suggests that there are four implications of an ageing population for lifelong learning that are worth exploring. The first is the need to improve labour force participation and productivity, and education is a key driver of this. The second is that the ageing population will provide a ‘demographic dividend’ because there will be fewer young people who need to be schooled (relative to the working population). The third is that increasing life expectancy changes the arithmetic of the return to investments in human capital, and makes investment in the education and training of the middle-aged more attractive. The final implication is that ageing of populations in developed countries provides a golden opportunity for developing countries through the export of labour services.
Published summary. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

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

Conference name: International Symposium on Lifelong Learning for Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development

Date: 2011

Resource type: Conference paper

Series name: NCVER conference paper

Subjects: Demographics; Lifelong learning; Outcomes ... [+] Show more
Research into the financing of TVET in the Pacific: strengthening TVET finance data collections: overview paper: annex: notional data standard for TVET finance data collection in the Pacific

This annex accompanies an overview paper based on research undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Res ... Show more
This annex accompanies an overview paper based on research undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) during 2012-2014 for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the project 'Research into the financing of [technical and vocational education and training] TVET in the Pacific'. The annex is comprised of: the scope of the framework; TVET qualifications providers; and conceptual framework. Appendix one of the paper is a list of TVET providers identified as being in scope of research on financing TVET in the Pacific for Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Kiribati.
Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

Date: 2015

Geographic subjects: Oceania

Resource type: Government report or paper

Series name: Research into the financing of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Pacific

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Finance; Policy ... [+] Show more