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The Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) commissioned the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at the Loughborough University to examine the concept of ‘employment sustainability’ in order to facilitate the design, assessment and evaluation of labour market policies. The research comprised three main elements: a literature review; qualitative interviews with key agents and policy actors; and an examination of existing data sets. This report seeks to help the development of policies designed to achieve the Government’s goal of employment sustainability. The sections of the report are: Defining employment sustainability; Measuring employment sustainability; Factors associated with employment sustainability; Issue in the design of policy; Policies to promote employment sustainability; Policy opportunities and limitations.

A more detailed report of this study is published in ‘Staying at work: thinking about a new policy agenda’ indexed at TD/TNC 67.433. Show less

The focus of this report, which uses longitudinal data to map the dynamics of the youth labour market and to identify factors that are important in securing full-time work, is on the transition to full-time employment of young people who do not go to university. The study reports on the education and labour market activities of a national sample of youth on their leaving school and analyses the influences of social and demographic factors, school and other educational factors, and initial experiences in the labour market on their post-school activity four years after leaving school, focusing on factors influencing being in full-time employment four years after leaving school. The following research and policy issues are addressed: the general youth labour market situation; the influence of social background factors; the effects of education, including school leaving status and vocational education; and the role of prior labour market experiences. The report contains an executive summary, six chapters and five appendices. Following the introduction, chapter two sets the scene for subsequent chapters by presenting and examining the activity profiles of the group of school leavers who did not go to university; chapter three looks at the pathways of young people in the years leaving school to examine the extent of year-to-year movement in and out of activities; chapter four examines the correlates of activities in the first and fourth years after leaving school, investigating social and socioeconomic background, education and training, and labour market experiences; chapter five explores the influences on securing full-time work using a base model comprising factors found in the previous chapter to have significant influence on being in full-time work in the fourth year after leaving school; and the final chapter addresses the policy and research issues. The report does not support ‘crisis’ accounts of the youth labour market and disputes claims that young people who are not fully engaged in full-time work or study are ‘at risk’ of an unsuccessful school-to-work transition. The findings indicate that: 61% of young men and 45% of young women were in full-time employment in the first year after school; by the fourth year, 77% of young men and 64% of young women were working full-time; the effects of post-secondary vocational education other than apprenticeship and traineeship were mixed; full-time study in the first year after leaving school did not increase the odds of being in full-time work in the fourth year; and among those already in full-time work, a TAFE certificate or diploma tended to further increase the chances of staying in full-time work. Show less

Career Development Loans (CDLs) are unsecured, deferred-repayment loans for vocational education and training courses of between two weeks and two years in length. The aim of this research was to explore the views and attitudes towards CDLs among training providers, and in particular to assess the ways in which CDLs could be used more widely within specific groups of providers. It looked at a number of areas including the characteristics of different groups of training providers, whether training providers were involved, or not involved, in CDLs and their reasons for this, finding out more about training providers' experiences with CDLs, understanding more about types of course that training providers provide, exploring training providers' views on the funding of training via CDLs, exploring whether training providers promote sources of funding other than CDLs and examining training providers' future role in relation to CDLs. Show less

This research study, funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), has identified the capabilities that characterise effective academic leaders in a range of roles and has produced resources to develop and monitor these leadership capabilities. It has identified that the core focus for leadership in the current operating context faced by our universities has to be on achieving effective change management and implementation. The approach has been to build upon a decade of studying professional capability, development and change leadership in a range of contexts. The study undertook an extensive international literature review, an online survey, and a series of national and international sector feedback workshops that tested the veracity of the results and identified their key implications. The study found that there was agreement that, in the current context, effective change implementation is a central challenge facing Australian higher education and its leaders, and that developing organisational and individual capabilities to manage change is a key priority. Show less

Informal learning is defined as the learning that takes place in the work context, relates to an individual's performance of their job and/or their employability, and which is not formally organised into a program or curriculum by the employer. It may be recognised or unrecognised by the parties involved and may or may not be specifically encouraged. This report explores informal learning in the workplace and investigates how it can contribute to the success of companies, especially small and medium sized companies, and how it can enhance the employability of employees. The report is structured into five sections. The first provides a general introduction and background for the project. The second provides an overview of the national policy context and background to informal learning. The third sets out the working definitions of informal learning and employability for this study with a synopsis of the literature review. The fourth presents the main findings of the study, combining the literature review with employee discussions, employer interviews and company case studies. The fifth summarises the issues arising from the findings and considers the practical implications. Finally, a number of recommendations are made for the various stakeholders of informal learning. Show less

The purpose of the Review of Years 9 to 12 in Tasmania was to 'identify opportunities to improve attendance, retention and attainment outcomes' (Contract between ACER and the Tasmanian Department of Education, 2016). The Tasmanian Government is currently implementing significant reforms to improve students' retention and attainment in Tasmania's schools. There is a concern in the Tasmanian community however, that their students' performances are among the lowest in the nation. Reasons nominated for these results include weak literacy and numeracy levels; low attendance rates; high anxiety around transitions between Year 10 and Year 11 by some students, especially among those living outside of the larger cities; students seeking alternative education options; and family, financial, health and carer based issues. It is against this backdrop that the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was commissioned to undertake an independent review of Years 9 to 12 concerning the following issues: student and workforce data; curriculum policy and provision (including vocational education and training (VET); and design and delivery for Years 9 to 12 (which includes the three Tasmanian education sectors: the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office (TCEO), Independent Schools Tasmania (IST) and the Department of Education (DoE)).

This Report provides the following: an analysis of current student performance and aspirational data, workforce characteristics, and curriculum provision and design in Years 9 to 12; a report on VET and vocational education and learning (VEL) in Tasmania's government and non-government schools; and specific recommendations regarding: participation and transition policies and procedures that align with the findings of the report and the Education Bill, future curriculum provision and design for Years 9 to 12, future workforce characteristics, and VET and VEL in Tasmania's government and non-government schools.

Excerpt from publication.

Follow-up stakeholder workshops were held in 2018 to discuss a way forward to implement the recommendations in this report. The 'Years 9 to 12 Review Workshops, 19-20 February 2018: report' is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.949. Show less

This qualitative study uses in-depth case studies within six occupational sectors to explore the outcomes of Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) and National Traineeships (NTs). The occupational sectors were construction, motor vehicle service and repair, information technology, business administration, retail and hospitality. The study aims to provide an understanding of the utilisation and enhancement of skills developed on MA and NT programs. It aims to give a clearer view of further training, career development and the progression into further or higher education undertaken by the young people participating in these programs. Show less

This report investigates the relationship between post-school plans, family background and having a lifelong learning orientation. It highlights the important role of vocational education and training such as TAFE as an alternative for students with no plans to study at university. Data was drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Youth (LSAY) and the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The study investigated the post-school plans of young people, with a particular interest in those from families of low socioeconomic background, the factors associated with the development of these plans, and the association between types of post-school plans and predispositions towards lifelong learning. The study suggests that the most important factors for predicting post-school plans are gender, ability and the vocational orientation of the student. An orientation to lifelong learning also has an effect but, according to the LSAY data, only a small one. According to the findings, financial disadvantage is not a barrier to post-school study when students choose to study at TAFE or to pursue other vocational options. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds were found to be more likely to realise their plans for tertiary education when those plans do not initially involve attending university. Four guiding principles for policy development are proposed: (1) the establishment of a national youth mentoring strategy to enhance support provided to young people by families, communities and schools to enable them to make successful choices about their future employment and/or study; (2) government funding to support schools to develop more diverse and flexible pathways into work and/or post-school education to improve outcomes for all students; (3) incentives for businesses to work with schools and tertiary institutions to provide increased opportunities for mentoring and more effective career counselling to ensure that students are better prepared to make choices about post-school work and study; and (4) improved family and community support systems to better support students’ transition from school to work and the development of positive attitudes towards lifelong learning. Show less

This paper looks at a range of possible approaches to competency assessment in the professions. Wider issues associated with competency-based assessment, and the advantages and disadvantages of various assessment approaches are discussed. The chapters are: Overview; Conceptualising occupational competence: implications for assessment; Setting standards: implications for assessment; Choosing methods of assessment; Maintaining an assessment system.

A companion paper, ‘Establishing competency-based standards in the professions’ is indexed at TD/TNC 87.1474. Show less

Childcare in the United Kingdom (UK) is an almost entirely gendered career, with male childcare workers representing approximately one per cent of those working in childcare. Although European legislation now requires that all jobs should be equally open to men and women without discrimination in terms of pay or conditions of service, equal opportunity of employment in childcare is challenged by very strong preconceptions about the roles of women and men in relation to caring for children. To assist in meeting this challenge, this research determined to what extent childcare is: (a) perceived to be a non-academic/vocational occupation; (b) the result of early specialisation, i.e. a career choice made early whilst at school; (c) highly gendered and perceived almost entirely as a career for women; (d) characterised by lack of career progression; and (e) inflexible and providing non-transferable skills. The research explored the perceptions of men and women undertaking training courses in childcare about themselves as future workers, their routes into training and future prospects, and the job itself. These perceptions were matched against those of their tutors and the providers where students undertook their placements. The research documents how these choices, perceptions and expectations were gendered. The findings indicate that the gendered nature of childcare is unlikely to change without national and local intervention. The recommended interventions are: public measures to address the role of men and women at home and at work; locating child abuse in the wider context of promoting children’s interests; upgrading training; positive recruitment policies; targeted financial support for students; changes to the regulation of childcare; and working in partnership with unions and professional organisations. Show less