Tinkering around the edges, but ignoring the huge cracks: a discussion of VET in Schools for young Australians

In 2012 the number of 15 to 19-year-olds participating in vocational education and training [VET] in Australia exceeded 488,100 (NCVER 2013). This included more than 242,000 students undertaking VET in Schools and more than 147,000 who had left school prior to completing a senior secondary certificate and who were undertaking vocational education at a TAFE institute or a private registered training organisation (RTO) (NCVER 2012a; NCVER 2012b). The VET landscape in which these young people learn is plagued by a lack of clarity, which makes a critical discussion of the role of VET for young people imperative. In seeking to understand how VET pathways can be strengthened for young people, the broader purposes of [Australia's] post-compulsory education and training systems should be considered. This discussion crosses policy silos and requires input from stakeholders with often contrasting and competing expectations of the purpose of vocational education for young people.

This paper, focusing on the role of VET in Schools for young Australians, proposes that there are three key challenges constraining productive policy change. Firstly, current discussions of VET for young people are often focused on curriculum alone, with little examination of the role of pedagogy. Secondly, a key issue in the broader discussion of the purposes of VET for young people is what can be described as a 'problematic certificate paradigm'. That is, there is an increasing focus on the attainment of entry-level certificates as the key policy measure of effective youth transitions, despite acknowledgment that these qualifications hold limited value in the labour market. Thirdly, policy discussions too often skirt the class-segmentation role that VET pathways can and do play. This paper draws on two recently completed studies, one funded by NCVER and the other funded by the Australian Research Council, to highlight the impact that these three challenges are having on the national discussion on how to strengthen vocational pathways for young Australians.

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