Search Results

OECD’s Education Committee, together with its Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee, endorsed a new activity on policies for information, guidance and counselling services in 2000. The main aim of the activity is to understand how the organisation, management and delivery of these services can help to promote key policy activities such as lifelong learning for all and active labour market policies. Fourteen OECD countries were involved in this activity: Australia; Austria; Canada; the Czech Republic; Denmark; Finland; Germany; Ireland; Korea; Luxembourg; the Netherlands; Norway; Spain; and the United Kingdom. Information about these countries was gathered using a national questionnaire, country visits, commissioned papers and meetings of national experts and policy makers.

This paper, jointly commissioned by the OECD and the European Commission, considers different approaches to measuring outcomes from career information and guidance service delivery. It provides models of different approaches, discusses available evidence on using these approaches, and outlines policy and research implications for the collection of such evidence in future as well as for the effective sharing and dissemination of such information.

Documents from the OECD review of career guidance policies are indexed from TD/TNC 73.122 to TD/TNC 73.151. Show less

The 1997 Kennedy Report, 'Learning works: widening participation in further education' (indexed at TD/IRD 88.23) sets out the agenda for change to increase access to post-16 learning and to improve the quality of learners' achievements in the UK. This brief article is one of three which looks at whether the Kennedy Report has worked. It provides the view of the Association of Colleges (AoC) who believe that while much has happened to move the widening participation agenda forward, there is still much that needs to be done, particularly in measuring success. They see developing a reliable and consistent way to measure distance travelled by all learners as the most critical factor and suggest that value-added will be an incentive for organisations to deliver the agenda.

The other two articles are indexed at TD/TNC 71.675 and TD/TNC 71.676. Show less

We develop new indices of skill and skill use, drawing on the alley of skill and skill-use questions in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). We demonstrate that the proposed skill and skill use indices explain the wage gap between males and females, as well as the gap between immigrants and natives. We also show that the skill use index captures the side effect of parental-leave policies on females that conventional labor-market outcomes fail to capture. We discuss how the newly developed indices can be merged to conventional survey data.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey includes 12 items that assess different psychosocial characteristics of work. However, these items are not drawn from an established scale and, therefore, we do not know the best way to combine the items, or indeed the validity of doing so. The current study uses several different statistical methods to develop measures of the psychosocial characteristics of jobs using these items. Consistent with previous research and theory, the results show that the 12 HILDA survey items reflect three key components of psychosocial job adversity: job demands and complexity, job control and job security. This factor structure was consistent across the seven waves of the survey data available for analysis. Based on the current findings, we plan to use the psychosocial job quality items to investigate the relationship between job adversity and physical and mental health over time.

Published abstract. Show less

Most people would agree that an objective measurement of skill in work is not possible. Many perceptions of what is skilled work privilege 'male' over 'female' occupations, and pre-1950 industrial and craft jobs over more recently-established and service sector jobs. Theories of social construction of skill centre around claim-making by interest groups, structural conditions that allow or prevent such claims, and the institutionalisation of those claims. As skill cannot be measured objectively, the social construction of skill takes on immense significance in defining what are worthy and non-worthy occupations, and the training that is available and valued within those occupations. Show less

Farmers and horticulturalists undertake a range of tasks including maintaining records, using computers, maintaining accounts, mixing and using chemicals, purchasing and using equipment - all within an occupational health and safety framework. Since little research has been undertaken in these industries, this project aimed to measure the level of current literacy and numeracy skills in the industry and to propose strategies to encourage more people to improve their skills. This report includes details of the survey used, discussion of the results and proposed strategies and recommendations. Show less

In June 2016, the Department launched Marrung: Aboriginal Education Plan 2016-2026 (Marrung) [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 139.356]. Marrung is a 10-year integrated plan, developed in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal community including the Department's principal partner in Koorie education, the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI). In 2018, the Department commenced the implementation of Marrung action 8a: 'Develop options for a revised approach to supporting Koorie learners engage and participate successfully in VET [including] through the redesign of the existing Koorie VET workforce'. This discussion paper is an overview to support meaningful conversation and consultation. The paper explores the evidence that shows a revised approach is needed to support Koorie learners to engage and participate successfully in vocational education and training (VET). It focuses on: changes in the characteristics of Koorie communities in Victoria; enrolment trends for Koorie learners across the spectrum of VET providers; current supports designed to increase Koorie engagement and participation in VET; and success enablers, and barriers for improving Koorie learner outcomes.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

This paper examines the relationship between a firm’s training motives and the quality of apprenticeship training. Data on training quality and training motives are obtained by interviewing former apprentices. The paper employs a novel measure for training quality based on subjective survey data on the firm’s training effort. It is found that firms that train apprentices because of a future need for qualified workers provide better quality training than firms that do not have future benefits from training.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Better understanding of skill mismatch can help policy-makers in their efforts to match skills and jobs in Europe. Skill mismatch is a complex phenomenon affecting individuals, enterprises, economies and societies; it does not only refer to skill gaps and skill shortages, but also to skills exceeding job requirements. This report aims to structure the currently scattered evidence on skill mismatch by analysing seven important questions. It provides a broad overview of skill mismatch and the factors that contribute to it, analyses its economic and social costs, and argues why skill mismatch should be a concern for national and European policy-makers. As information across different countries is currently limited, the report also discusses how skill mismatch can be better approached and measured in surveys, with the aim of enabling more detailed and sound analyses in the coming years.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The increased migration of skilled workers globally has led to a focus in the immigration literature on the economic costs of unsuccessful labour market integration. Less attention has been given to the consequences of employment difficulties, such as those related to over-education, on aspects of immigrants' subjective well-being. Although a large proportion of immigrants experience over-education, studies examining the relationship between over-education and life satisfaction tend to concentrate on the general population. These studies find a negative relationship between over-education and life satisfaction. Since immigrant and Canadian-born (non-immigrant) workers may experience over-education differently, it is important to examine this relationship in both groups. This study examines how over-education is associated with life satisfaction among university-educated immigrant and non-immigrant workers in Canada, and accounts for differences in the degree of over-education in each group.

Results indicate that over-education was negatively associated with life satisfaction among immigrants and non-immigrants, although the effect was weaker in the immigrant population. Income was the main factor mediating the negative relationship between over-education and life satisfaction among immigrants. Furthermore, this relationship weakened with immigrants' increased residence in Canada. This may suggest that over-education is less influential in immigrants' assessment of life satisfaction over time, or the effect of over-education is weaker among earlier arrival cohorts. Results also indicated that the negative relationship between over-education and life satisfaction was weaker for immigrants from developing countries compared with those from developed countries.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less