Review of the Radio/Electronics Trade courses: 1983: an industry/occupation analysis of the client group and some contextual matters

This paper was prepared as context for the review of the Radio Basic Trade course. The aim of the research was to identify the client group that could be served by a revised course. The document identifies the industry sectors and occupations that could be served by a revised Electronic Basic Trade course. It also questions the appropriateness of the current title of the declared vocation, i.e. Tradesman Radio, particularly in relation to the impact of changing technology in electronics.

The major data sources for the document were the [Australian Bureau of Statistics] ABS census data and student college record cards. The major findings included the following: (1) four major occupation categories could be served by a new course: Electronic Fitter; Radio [television] TV Mechanic Repairman; Radio TV Transmission Technician and Mechanic; and Office Machine Mechanic; (2) these occupations are distributed over a wide range of industry categories; but greatest concentration occurs in the Wholesale-Retail division and sections of the Manufacturing division; and (3) the word ‘radio’ is no longer appropriate to describe the trade course.

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