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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

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

A popular view is that tradespersons' earnings compare favourably with those with university education. This view is not borne out by wage data, but a common rejoinder is that it is the self-employed tradespersons who make the 'big' money (and probably under-report their income). These ideas are examined by analysing household expenditure data in conjunction with income data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Household Expenditure Survey and the Survey of Income and Housing. The data also allow us to look at wealth across occupations. [The authors'] findings are that neither expenditure data nor wealth data change significantly the relativities between the trades and occupations more associated with higher education. While no doubt there are some very rich tradespersons, on average those with university degrees earn more than those with trade qualifications. And there is little evidence to suggest than on average self-employed tradespeople 'do better' than those who are employees.

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The split between higher education and vocational education and training (VET) in Australia is not clean. This paper discusses a number of aspects of this tertiary education sector: the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), which describes the qualifications offered by the three education sectors: schools, higher education and VET; student characteristics of the two sectors; a characterisation of higher education and VET; and student movement between the two sectors. Many education providers operate in both the higher education and VET sectors, and many have links with providers in the other sector. Higher education and VET differ in terms of student characteristics. The number of students transferring between the two sectors are substantial but are relatively small compared to the numbers following traditional pathways of school to TAFE or higher education. Show less

Five opinion pieces were released in 2008: (1) 'Using VET to increase workforce participation' by Mark Cully (released 19 February); (2) 'Tasmania's polytechnic 'adventure' provides challenges for traditional measures and assumptions' by Tom Karmel (released 27 May); (3) 'Higher level VET qualifications and the tale of two sectors' by Sandra Pattison (released 3 September); (4) 'Learning, more than earning, the key to keeping staff' by Tom Karmel (released 22 November); (5) 'Doing the maths: why traineeships proliferate in low paying jobs' by Mark Cully (released 24 November). Show less

This proposal is to develop a [vocational education and training] VET qualification, the Diploma of Professional Studies, that utilises existing training packages and also incorporates literacy, numeracy and digital competence skills. It is proposed that a stipend set at the Youth Allowance rate be incorporated. The qualification would be delivered only on a full-time basis, thus providing a substantive alternative to an apprenticeship or university degree (and resulting in high completion rates). The qualification would take two years (three years for nursing). The stipend would be available to all full-time students undertaking a VET diploma, including the proposed professional diploma in government identified high priority areas. It would be available to students who are not in receipt of other Commonwealth/state government allowances. The key target group is 18 to 22 year-olds who are not going to university. These students may have been disadvantaged because of the disruption to their education caused by the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] pandemic. They are a high risk group who could fall into unemployment.

The proposed diploma enables a student to exit at different stages. Each exit point enables students to leave with a qualification in a high demand employment area. A course outline in education and early childhood development is provided as an example. A student who completes a professional diploma would have the necessary underpinning skills and knowledge to proceed with credit into an applied higher education degree and/or employment. A critical component of the diploma is assessable work integrated learning (WIL). External assessment, particularly for literacy and numeracy skills to level 3 are part of the structure of the qualification. The proposal relies on state and Federal government co-operation. Implementation issues are discussed.

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The Australian vocational education and training (VET) system faces challenges in maintaining its capacity to meet the education and training needs of Australians in the 21st century. On the demand side of training, globalisation, technological change, and workplace change have had a significant impact on the way work is done and the type of skills needed. In terms of supply, Australia's workforce is ageing. This paper examines reforms to the Australian VET system aimed at developing a flexible training system that provides opportunities for re-skilling and lifelong learning. The paper begins with an overview of the Australian education and training system and then examines the major reforms implemented over the last decade. These include the introduction of a competency-based approach to training, the development of the training market and the introduction of an assessment and recognition system for learning and training outcomes. The paper also examines financing mechanisms for VET and the use of information and communication technology in VET. The paper concludes by listing the remaining challenges.

The proceedings of the conference at which this paper was delivered are indexed at TD/TNC 72.21. Show less

This paper estimates the completion rate of VET course enrolments with a mathematical modelling approach in order to fill a gap in performance measures for the sector. The technique used is to track all VET course enrolments within a three-year window, centred on the year of interest. Then, using an absorbing Markov chain model for a VET course enrolment, to estimate the proportion of VET course enrolments commencing in the year of interest that will eventually be completed. This approach allows an estimate of the completion rate without the necessity to track course enrolments longitudinally over a long period of time. Course enrolments at certificate III level had the highest rate of completion at 33.5 per cent compared with other qualification levels. One of the distinctive characteristics of the VET sector is that many students wish to learn specific skills and have no intention of completing a full qualification. For these students a more sensible measure of success is the proportion of modules passed (the load pass rate). Overall, the load pass rate of 2005 enrolments was 79.1 per cent. Show less

This opinion piece contributes a response to the Productivity Commission's Review of the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development which was published on 21 January 2021. The paper comments on the key points of the review and provides reflection on issues currently impacting the vocational education and training (VET sector) including: marginalisation of educators, unevenness of qualifications, assessment, and the institutional structure of VET. Show less

This paper analyses the increase in credentials in the labour market between 2011 and 2021. Our starting point is that there has been a very large increase in credentials between 2011 and 2021 accompanied by considerable change in the occupational structure of the labour market. These two factors have fashioned the opportunities available to individuals with different qualifications. Earlier work (Karmel 2023) [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 154.615] concluded that credentials have become more important even in the lowest jobs.

In this paper, we explore the implications of the structural change on incomes by investigating the average weekly incomes of full-time workers on the basis of their qualification (higher degree, degree, diploma or certificate III/IV) and their occupation. We are hopeful that the analysis will provide some evidence on the extent of 'credentialism' by which we mean that qualifications are being used to get a job in a specific occupation rather than being necessary for that occupation, as contrasted to the alternative interpretation of 'skills deepening' in which qualifications are directly feeding into productivity. The occupational classification we have used is the four digit [Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations] ANZSCO with some 470 individual occupations. The data comes from the Population Censuses of 2011 and 2021.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less