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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

This leaflet offers a brief summary of information relevant to Tasmania gained from students who undertook vocational education and training (VET) during 1998 at a TAFE institute in Australia. Information is given about two groups of students: graduates and module completers. Module completer information was collected for the first time on students who successfully completed part, but not all, of the training necessary to complete a full qualification and had left the TAFE system at the time of the survey. The survey gathered information on the employment situation of TAFE graduates, reasons for undertaking the course, relevance of the training to their employment, satisfaction, and further study intentions.

Related publications may be found from TD/TNC 59.24 to TD/TNC 59.28 and from TD/TNC 59.30 to TD/TNC 59.31. Show less

This paper investigates how technical and further education (TAFE) institutes evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency. The authors interviewed nine TAFE institute directors and 59 of their senior and middle managers in South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Key messages derived from the paper include: (a) externally imposed requirements for funding accountability and regulatory compliance are the main drivers of institute processes and systems for monitoring and evaluating effectiveness and efficiency. This applies both to institutes within centralised governance arrangements and to those in devolved governance systems; (b) regardless of governance structures, strong managerial leadership is critical to the evaluation of effectiveness and efficiency; (c) TAFE institutes engage with employers and industry bodies to better understand training demand, but employers do not always speak with one voice; and, (d) TAFE institutes have a general understanding of their markets and business. This may help them to survive in a more competitive environment, but they will require more robust systems for working out the cost-efficiency of their operations. Show less

This small booklet contains a snapshot of Australian vocational education and training (VET) statistics for 2002, including brief information on the goals of the Australian VET system, providers of VET, the VET student population, fields of study, apprentices and trainees, expenditure on training, student outcomes and views of VET and employer views of VET. Highlights of the brief analysis include: approximately 1.69 million students undertook training in Australia’s public VET system in 2002; 12.5% of the working age population (15 to 64-year-olds) participated in the public VET system in 2002; the number of apprentices and trainees in training continues to increase; the number of Australian senior secondary students participating in a VET in Schools program has increased during the years 1998 to 2002; 92% of TAFE graduates found employment or engaged in further study after completing their training. Show less

The purpose of the study reported here was to investigate the extent and nature of the two-way traffic of students between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education institutions. The study used three different, but complementary sources of information: a comprehensive review of the literature; detailed analyses of existing data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) and the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST); and a questionnaire survey of all undergraduate students who commenced study in 2003 at all TAFE institutes, the three universities and a sample of private VET providers in South Australia. The study found that there was a high degree of consistency in the findings from the three sources of information. Despite the strong sense of difference between the sectors, almost three-quarters in both sectors reported feeling ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ comfortable moving from one sector to the other. Evidence suggests that it is in the transition from the VET sector to the higher education sector where the greatest degree of discomfort occurs. It was notable that the top 10 reasons for both sectors were the same (although with variations in ranking). Key messages arising from the study are: student movement within and between the tertiary education sectors - VET and higher education - is growing and complex; student motivation in both sectors is similar; and the transition from the higher education to the VET sector is smoother than the reverse. Show less

The higher level apprenticeship is not a new concept. It is currently seen as a potentially ideal apprenticeship model for the development of higher skills for emerging high tech jobs. This Focus on... page presents a collection of relevant research about Industry 4.0, higher level apprenticeships, recent initiatives, and social mobility, plus news and opinion pieces on the topic.

Edited excerpt from web page. Show less

This leaflet offers a brief summary of information relevant to Western Australia gained from students who undertook vocational education and training (VET) during 1998 at a TAFE institute in Australia. Information is given about two groups of students: graduates and module completers. Module completer information was collected for the first time on students who successfully completed part, but not all, of the training necessary to complete a full qualification and had left the TAFE system at the time of the survey. The survey gathered information on the employment situation of TAFE graduates, reasons for undertaking the course, relevance of the training to their employment, satisfaction, and further study intentions.

Related publications may be found from TD/TNC 59.24 to TD/TNC 59.26 and from TD/TNC 59.28 to TD/TNC 59.31. Show less

This monograph examines the growth and implications of higher education offered by TAFE institutes. It is the culmination of desktop research and interviews with staff from state offices of higher education, senior managers at dual-sector universities, TAFE institutes that offer higher education and some that do not, and teachers and students across six states. It also considers several implications arising from the Bradley Review of Australian Higher Education (2008). Key messages in the report include: (i) while numbers of higher education students in TAFE are small, these may well increase as governments strive to both meet their equity objectives and boost the proportion of the Australian population with a degree; (ii) a distinctive, although not unique, feature of higher education courses in TAFE is their applied orientation; (iii) some of the TAFE institutes offering higher education see themselves developing as polytechnics, while others view their offering of higher education qualifications as an extension of their role as vocational education and training (VET) providers; (iv) mixed-sector TAFE institutes aim to help their students negotiate the boundaries between VET and higher education qualifications and adapt to learning in university, including through the provision of greater learning support; (v) institutional and industrial relations structures are impeding growth of higher education in TAFE institutes; and (vi) almost every person consulted in the project raised the issue of TAFE’s profile and its perceived lower status compared with universities.

A podcast of an Interview with Leesa Wheelahan about this publication is indexed at TD/TNC 95.20 Show less

Data collection and analysis is a useful tool in identifying areas of need, improvement, trends and informing policy development. In education research, data analysis can provide insight, for example, on education outcomes and return on education, and transitions and pathways to further study and employment. Integrated datasets, or linked data, provide more information than what can be gleaned from single datasets, creating opportunity for wider analysis. Links can be made across different types of data, and between two or more datasets. This Focus on... page presents a sample of linked dataset research relating to vocational education and training (VET) in schools and dataset quality, tertiary education outcomes, and adult learning.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

In 2022, the 'No Frills' conference theme was 'VET's role in transforming the future'. The vocational education and training (VET) sector has responded well to the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic, but how can it continue to support Australia's economic recovery and respond to Australia's shifting future skill demands? Presentations were invited to explore issues relating to the ways VET is adapting, anticipating and activating change in response to shifting future skill demands.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website.

The available focus session is: Let me introduce you to VOCEDplus! / Tracy Gamlin.

The available keynote presentations are: Game on!: how to integrate gamification in VET / Alex Jackson, executive designer, specialising in behavioural psychology and gamification at ThinkPlace; The future of vocational education: now and towards 2032 / Sophie Renton, social researcher, trends analyst and Managing Director at the internationally recognised McCrindle Research.

The available presentations are: Integrating innovations at work and learning / Stephen Billett; Aotearoa New Zealand's Reform of Vocational Education and Training (ROVE): Te Pukenga aspirations and promises / Selena Chan; Bridging life transitions: role of VET in supporting lifelong learning / Sarojni Choy, Leah Le and Stephen Billett; Journeying through VET: a case study of foundation skills learners / Michelle Circelli and Zhenyuan Li; Strategies that increase online student engagement with content / Deniese Cox; School career practitioners and the guidance provided to students pursuing STEM careers in VET institutions / Melanie Evangelista; Delivering on quality VET delivery / Hugh Guthrie; Using behavioural messages to retain vulnerable apprentices and trainees / Derek Hennessy, Zuleyka Zevallos, and Michael Lau; Where to from here?: implications of a pandemic on VET training delivery / Sheila Hume and Tabatha Griffin; Towards ensuring quality in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Bangladesh: achievement and future direction / Md Shahadat Hossain Khan; Digital capability for workforce skills: evaluating and enhancing the digital readiness of Australia's vocational education and training products / Claire Mason, Erin Knudsen and Michael Wyndham; Enabling VET's applied research capability to support Australia's transformative future / Allison Miller; The future skills needs of service-based industries and VET's role in delivering the skills / Silvia Munoz; Pathways from VET courses: insights from the VET National Data Asset (VNDA) / Damian Oliver and Nicky Wonder; Inequality in Australia: what can vocational education and training do to address it? / Don Perlgut; Vocational to higher education postgraduate pathways: short cycle upskilling for employed VET graduates / Craig Poole (coauthored by Richard Pursey, Anne Moore, Joe Growth and Lachlan Seawright); Reimagining digital skills for the manufacturing sector: an industry case study / Sharon Robertson, Philip Clarke and Geethani Nair; Understanding recent developments in VET and higher education: Australia and the UK / Erica Smith; VET teaching during 2020: COVID and beyond / Erica Smith and Daryl South; An employer led training model achieving results for Anangu workers employed by Regional Anangu Services Aboriginal Corporation (RASAC) on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands) / Madonna Tomes and Janet Skewes; Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) and TAFE NSW: a collaboration case study in rural allied health and vocational education / Nerida Volker; Multiple VETs and future realities: a worked example of policy discourse analysis / Don Zoellner. Show less