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This article addresses the extent of teachers' knowledge about Training Packages and their attitudes towards and expectations of them. It presents information from current research about competency-based training and reports on teachers and Training Packages. The effects that Training Packages will have on teachers and managers work and staff development, is also discussed.

In conclusion it is reported that awareness of Training Packages in mid-to-late 1998 was fairly low. They represent a big change in the way in which VET will be delivered and will therefore require a great deal of staff training. Show less

The authors present some of the challenges faced by teachers and trainers since the adoption in 1990 of competency based training (CBT). The challenges can be categorised under the following headings: organisation, management and delivery; curriculum; teaching and learning; and assessment, reporting and RPL. Also provided are ways in which teachers and trainers have met the challenges posed by the implementation of competency based training and RPL. Show less

This publication reports on an investigation, commissioned by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) through the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) and carried out by Charles Sturt University’s Group for Research in Employment and Training (GREAT), which examined the impact that competency based training (CBT) has had on the role and responsibilities of instructors across the vocational education and training (VET) sector. The following five questions were investigated in the study. What is the quality and nature of CBT instruction in a range of providers across Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels, industry areas and geographical locations? To what extent are levels of understanding of CBT by instructors in the VET sector common across a range of locations? How have instructors adapted their practice to accommodate CBT, and how have new practices evolved? What are some of the staff development issues present in CBT? What type of staff development model can be applied to instructors in the VET sector when introducing an innovation like CBT? The range of techniques used in the investigation process included a literature review, a nation-wide survey of instructors, detailed case studies of six VET providers who use CBT, and two focus groups with staff development personnel and new instructors. Show less

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is currently receiving extensive policy and public attention, and is considered critical for the Australian economy. This Foundations Paper supports action to improve education for disadvantaged Australians in STEM. It outlines current approaches to STEM education internationally. A Framework for action for STEM education in disadvantaged communities is then presented.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

In 1996, Charles Sturt University's Group for Research in Employment and Training (GREAT) was commissioned by the Research Advisory Committee of the Australian National Training Authority (ANTARAC) to undertake research into the effects competency-based training (CBT) and recognition of prior learning (RPL) had on teaching and learning in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. This report describes the findings.

They are presented as follows: Chapter 1 briefly outlines the implementation of CBT and RPL in Australia, discusses relevant literature, and describes the research method used in the study; Chapter 2 discusses the manner in which CBT features were being used differently by different providers, in different industry areas, in courses at different qualification levels, and with different types of students and trainees; Chapter 3 describes in detail the teaching and learning effects of competency-based training and recognition of prior learning. The findings are organised under four headings: organisation, management and delivery; curriculum; teaching and learning interactions; and assessment, reporting and RPL; Chapter 4 is about what CBT means for different groups in the VET system. The implications of CBT and RPL for providers, curriculum developers, teachers/trainers, and students are outlined. Finally, some implications of the research study for the national VET system are suggested, and some fruitful areas for future research identified.

Appendix 1 is the 'Stages of Concern' questionnaire which was administered to a number of the teachers and trainers interviewed, to establish which aspects of CBT were concerning them at the time of the study; Appendix 2 lists the VET courses involved in the research, and also the submission received from VET practitioners; Appendix 3 lists the CBT features displayed by each researched course. Fourteen CBT features were identified in total; Appendix 4 contains the twelve case study reports in full; Appendix 5 presents, as a reference tool for teachers and trainers, some ways in which VET practitioners have responded to some of the challenges posed by CBT and RPL.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less