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This article appears in Chapter 2 - Re-engineering, which presents some options on how to re-engineer technician education and training (TET) systems and institutions. It is concerned with the wide-ranging changes affecting TET institutions as they move from an predominantly industrial to a predominantly information age. The author contends that the institutions must respond quickly to ensure that the workforce is equipped to deal with this 'knowledge society' by undertaking educational reforms so that workers can meet the changing demands of the new labour market. Jaijongkit proposes a model for marketing TET institutions covering both institutional reform and progressive marketing in keeping with a knowledge society. He maintains that in today's globalised markets, policymakers need to identify not only problems and possible solutions, but strategies to deal with the unforeseen. He sees strategic planning as vital and presents some examples for managers to develop, including scenario planning, ways of evaluating a TET institution's reputation and image, and ways of improving an image. He concludes that marketing TET is complex and will involve substantial reform.

The volume of collected papers is indexed at TD/IRD 88.87. Show less

The program for this conference was structured around sub-sessions focusing on particular themes. This paper was part of the sixth theme: ‘Program standards’. The 21st century is a new era in which information technology is developing rapidly and the demand from the labour market has broken the traditional concept of education. Vocational education and training as a life education is now regarded as a new type of educational system. How to help this system develop further is a major issue for research in China. In the ‘Project of facing 21st century and vitalising Education’, the State Ministry of Education advocates the vigorous development of higher vocational education and training. Based on the government policy of developing higher vocational education and infrastructure in western China, the school authority of Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) decided to found a new college at the beginning of 1999. The NPU-GL Information and Technology College draws on the teaching resources of NPU and financial support from two companies. From the experience gained in curriculum development, laboratory and training centre construction, the employment of teachers, and the quality control and evaluation of teaching in the institution over the past years, the authors explore a new pattern of higher vocational education and discuss some of the issues concerned.

Published abstract with additional information.

The volume of collected papers is indexed at TD/TNC 62.1018. Show less

The Australian Government commissioned Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) to undertake a capacity study on the workforce needs for Australia's transition to a clean energy economy. The study provides critical evidence and insights to support the workforce planning, policy development and program design needed to build a strong and vibrant clean energy sector.

This final report includes 50 recommendations aimed at ensuring Australia has the skills and workforce required to meet our clean energy ambitions. The report includes a holistic analysis of the existing and future needs of the clean energy workforce, training and education pathways, and opportunities to transform existing sectors through decarbonisation.

Edited excerpt from publisher's website. Show less

This paper is prefaced on three premises: (1) that the emerging knowledge economy will not be built solely on a 1915 concept of utilitarian competency based training but will require measurable outcomes in terms of skill, intellect and social meaning; (2) that life-long learning will probably not be about people returning to college, as most educators imagine, but will be driven by a real time delivery methodology; and (3) that these two factors will blur the distinction between open/distance learning and face-to-face learning although neither will endure in the way we currently deliver them. Based on these premises, the paper examines the changing landscape of education and training in the knowledge economy and identifies some barriers to Australia's transition thereto. In conclusion, 10 strategic alliances are posited to position education and training for the knowledge economy.

Excerpt from published abstract reprinted with permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The development of scenarios, or ‘collective brainstorming about possible future states-of-the-art’, has gained prominence as an additional strategy for educational planning and policy formation. Scenarios differ from traditional planning techniques in that they take the future as their starting point. This article analyses the technique of scenario development and explores in detail its potential value for vocational education and training (VET) in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The authors define scenarios and describe how they may be used in educational decision-making. The potential benefits and drawbacks are also discussed. The outcomes of VET scenario implementation in Estonia are used to illustrate the potential of scenario development as a tool for VET planning in transition economies, being based on the future rather than the past. The authors suggest that the technique be used in conjunction with traditional planning methods in CEE countries.

This article is part of a special issue of the journal entitled ‘VET in transition: renewal, reform or reconstruction?’ The articles are indexed from TD/INT 60.109 to TD/INT 60.115. Show less

The Dearing Commission of 1997 investigated higher education (HE) in the United Kingdom (UK) in response to the changing environment in which HE had to operate. The Commission developed four main purposes for HE within which the issue of skill was raised. Key skills were identified as communication, numeracy and information technology skills. In addition, the Commission recognised that flexibility, adaptability, the ability to work in teams and self-manage personal and career development were skills increasingly required by the individual at work. This article examines the appropriateness of the concept of key skills, as defined by the Dearing Commission, in HE in the UK. The author begins by describing the elements of the changing environment in which HE operates in the UK and then discusses the changing ways of working in HE which may result from this environment. The Commission proposes the management of learning, not teaching and HE institutions not based on research. It is suggested that institutions must increase effectiveness and introduce work practices that meet the needs of individual students. The concept of ‘skills’ in itself is examined and key skills in particular as a specific change in HE. The Commission proposes that key skills, cognitive skills and subject specific skills be developed in every program offered by an institution. In conclusion, the appropriateness of this change to the system is explored.

This article is part of a special issue of the journal entitled ‘VET in transition: renewal, reform or reconstruction?’ The articles are indexed from TD/INT 60.109 to TD/INT 60.115. Show less

This publication combines in one volume the final report of the independent Commission on Colleges in Their Communities with case studies, and a comprehensive international literature review conducted by the Centre for Enterprise (CFE). It recommends ways in which further education colleges can, through partnership working and a shared agenda, help to harness community energies towards positive outcomes for health, happiness and social cohesion. The contents are as follows: Part one, ‘Full report’: Introduction from the Chair of the Commission of Inquiry; Executive summary; Our process and timetable; Our approach; Context: colleges in their communities; What we found; What we would like to see; How we think this can be achieved; A shared agenda; Appendix one: contributors to the inquiry; Appendix two: acknowledgements. Part two, ‘Final literature review’: Abstract; Acknowledgements; Introduction; The FE college; Policy context; Identifying the needs of communities; Meeting the needs of communities; Impacting on communities; Governance and accountability; Conclusions; Appendix one: the causes of complexity in the skills system; Appendix two: typology of organisational learner engagement; Appendix three: roles and responsibilities of employer-led bodies in England; Appendix four: types of employer engagement. Part three, ‘References and bibliography’. Show less

Recent reforms to the skills system have changed the way training is delivered and funded in Victoria by offering more places through a broader range of training organisations. For training providers this means responding to market demand, managing new learner eligibility requirements, attracting new learners into higher qualifications under the Victorian Training Guarantee and contesting for funding. Business changes arising from the new skills system include increased compliance, payment in arrears dependent on successful data submission and changed fee structures. The Adult, Community and Further Education (ACFE) Board is implementing a number of initiatives designed to assist [adult community education] ACE providers in the context of these changes. A key focus of the 2010 ACE Providers Business Survey involved the impact of reforms to the skills system. The 2010 survey was undertaken approximately a year after changes were introduced. In this context, respondents were asked a series of questions about the impact on their organisation, opportunities provided, changes in programs/services and organisational changes. This report draws on data from the 2010 survey and CWCC’s other work/analysis with ACE providers and other community organisations.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

This publication features the stories and testimonies of 13 further education [FE] colleges and groups from across England, describing, in their own words, their approaches to self-intervention and improvement. The case studies depict the steps taken on journeys of improvement, as well as the systems used to maintain high standards and promote a culture of continuous self-improvement. The origins of this project lie in the seventh recommendation of the Skills Commission's 'The move to improve' report which called for examples of 'self-intervention' within FE colleges to be researched and case studies of good practice promoted across the system. While the analysis in 'The move to improve' took more of a 'systems' approach, concerned with intervention by regulatory bodies and externally driven failure regimes, here the focus is on how intervention takes place at college level.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

This article appears in Chapter 1 - Transforming, which deals with various concepts of leadership in the context of technician education and training (TET). Vergara begins by briefly looking at trade training in the Philippines over the past century, describing the American technological knowhow which formed the basis of the trade school curriculum. He describes the changes in policy following World War II, including the introduction of women into the programs and the experience of independence and foreign investment increasing the manufacture of goods. He then examines technology and the workforce, the skills now required as technology becomes more complex and the international competitiveness of today's industry. He evaluates educational reform in training, the Dual Training System (DTS), apprenticeships, and on-the-job training (OJT) and presents some ideas for the provision of high quality technological education through the national polytechnic system and community colleges.

The volume of collected papers is indexed at TD/IRD 88.87. Show less