Search Results | VOCEDplus, the international tertiary education and research database

As clear as mud: defining vocational education and training

In this paper it is argued that neither a simple definition of vocational education and training (VET) nor qualific ... Show more
In this paper it is argued that neither a simple definition of vocational education and training (VET) nor qualification levels are helpful. It discusses what does constitute VET in Australia. It suggests that VET is distinguished from higher education (HE) by different funding and regulatory arrangements, and teaching and learning styles. What confuses the issue is that many providers deliver both higher education and VET courses. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

Conference name: TAFE Governance and Regulations Forum

Date: 2011

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Qualifications; Finance ... [+] Show more
School-based apprenticeships and traineeships

Vocational education and training (VET) has been seen to be an important element of school education for some time ... Show more
Vocational education and training (VET) has been seen to be an important element of school education for some time now. More recently, school-based apprentices and trainees have been given more prominence as an element of VET in Schools, partly as a response to skill shortages in a wide range of areas. The purpose of this short paper is to provide data on school-based apprentices and trainees to enable a judgement to be made about how this policy push is unfolding. After providing some context on the policy environment relevant to school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, this paper provides data on how many and what areas are covered, and goes on to look at attrition and completion rates. To provide a comparison group, data on apprenticeships and traineeships among young people are also given, noting that they form a very important entry point into the labour market for a large proportion of young people. The study found that despite a concerted policy push, the number of school-based apprentices and trainees is small and highly concentrated in Queensland and Victoria, among retail and hospitality training packages, and at the certificates I and II level. Attrition is lower among school-based than all young apprentices and trainees, both within the first six months and year, and at both certificate I and II and certificate III and above levels. With regard to the proportion completing their training, completion rates for certificates I and II are higher for school-based contracts than for all young apprentices and trainees, but substantially lower for certificates III and above. Completion rates in hairdressing, metal and engineering, and automotive certificates III and above are particularly low among school-based apprentices and trainees. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Mlotkowski, Peter

Corporate authors: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)

Date: 2008

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: NCVER occasional paper

Subjects: Apprenticeship; Traineeship; Policy ... [+] Show more
Educational outcomes of young Indigenous Australians

Improved educational outcomes are seen as a key lever for addressing the disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australia ... Show more
Improved educational outcomes are seen as a key lever for addressing the disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australians. Poor educational outcomes have been observed at all levels of education, from early childhood through to tertiary education. While the increase in school retention rates of Indigenous Australians in recent years is encouraging the more critical issues are whether there have been improvements in educational performance at earlier years for Indigenous students and the extent to which educational performance at say, Year 10, is flowing through to education outcomes such as Year 12 completion.
The data used in this project come from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth (LSAY), including both the 2006 and 2009 student cohorts. The first wave of each LSAY is the [Programme for International Student Assessment] PISA survey. One of the advantages of PISA scores is that they allow overtime direct comparisons and between-cohort comparisons. The subsequent waves of LSAY allow [the authors] to follow the students throughout their compulsory education and beyond. The latest wave of LSAY was released in 2013 for the 2012 wave of both cohorts. The 2009 cohort has (mostly) left school in the last LSAY observation window. This makes it the first year when a full comparison between the 2006 and 2009 cohorts can happen. The data allow [the authors] to conduct a full set of comparisons between Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students in the two cohorts up to their choice of tertiary education.
Excerpts from publication. Show less

Authors: Mahuteau, Stephane; Karmel, Tom; Mavromaras, Kostas G.; Zhu, Rong

Date: 2015

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Indigenous people; Youth; Outcomes ... [+] Show more
The Tasmanian Polytechnic: some thoughts from a research perspective

This paper presents some thoughts on the concept of the Tasmanian Polytechnic, drawing on a range of research mostl ... Show more
This paper presents some thoughts on the concept of the Tasmanian Polytechnic, drawing on a range of research mostly undertaken by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). It first considers a number of 'goals' that are clearly relevant to judging the success of the endeavour: Year 12 retention (or its equivalent); the completion of Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications; university entrance; transition to the workforce; and 'second chancers'. It then makes a number of observations on relevant issues. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

Corporate authors: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)

Conference name: New Polytechnic Education: Why? What? How? Conference

Date: 2008

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; Tasmania

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Performance; Secondary education ... [+] Show more
Opinion pieces 2008

Five opinion pieces were released in 2008: (1) 'Using VET to increase workforce participation' by Mark Cully (relea ... Show more
Five opinion pieces were released in 2008: (1) 'Using VET to increase workforce participation' by Mark Cully (released 19 February); (2) 'Tasmania's polytechnic 'adventure' provides challenges for traditional measures and assumptions' by Tom Karmel (released 27 May); (3) 'Higher level VET qualifications and the tale of two sectors' by Sandra Pattison (released 3 September); (4) 'Learning, more than earning, the key to keeping staff' by Tom Karmel (released 22 November); (5) 'Doing the maths: why traineeships proliferate in low paying jobs' by Mark Cully (released 24 November). Show less

Authors: Cully, Mark; Karmel, Tom; Pattison, Sandra

Date: 2008

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: NCVER opinion pieces

Subjects: Employment; Participation; Vocational education and training ... [+] Show more
A vocational education response to the pandemic

This proposal is to develop a [vocational education and training] VET qualification, the Diploma of Professional St ... Show more
This proposal is to develop a [vocational education and training] VET qualification, the Diploma of Professional Studies, that utilises existing training packages and also incorporates literacy, numeracy and digital competence skills. It is proposed that a stipend set at the Youth Allowance rate be incorporated. The qualification would be delivered only on a full-time basis, thus providing a substantive alternative to an apprenticeship or university degree (and resulting in high completion rates). The qualification would take two years (three years for nursing). The stipend would be available to all full-time students undertaking a VET diploma, including the proposed professional diploma in government identified high priority areas. It would be available to students who are not in receipt of other Commonwealth/state government allowances. The key target group is 18 to 22 year-olds who are not going to university. These students may have been disadvantaged because of the disruption to their education caused by the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] pandemic. They are a high risk group who could fall into unemployment.
The proposed diploma enables a student to exit at different stages. Each exit point enables students to leave with a qualification in a high demand employment area. A course outline in education and early childhood development is provided as an example. A student who completes a professional diploma would have the necessary underpinning skills and knowledge to proceed with credit into an applied higher education degree and/or employment. A critical component of the diploma is assessable work integrated learning (WIL). External assessment, particularly for literacy and numeracy skills to level 3 are part of the structure of the qualification. The proposal relies on state and Federal government co-operation. Implementation issues are discussed.
Published abstract. Show less

Authors: Burke, Gerald; Karmel, Tom; Mackenzie, Bruce

Date: 2020

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Qualifications; Youth ... [+] Show more
The likelihood of completing a VET qualification: a model-based approach

This paper estimates the completion rate of VET course enrolments with a mathematical modelling approach in order t ... Show more
This paper estimates the completion rate of VET course enrolments with a mathematical modelling approach in order to fill a gap in performance measures for the sector. The technique used is to track all VET course enrolments within a three-year window, centred on the year of interest. Then, using an absorbing Markov chain model for a VET course enrolment, to estimate the proportion of VET course enrolments commencing in the year of interest that will eventually be completed. This approach allows an estimate of the completion rate without the necessity to track course enrolments longitudinally over a long period of time. Course enrolments at certificate III level had the highest rate of completion at 33.5 per cent compared with other qualification levels. One of the distinctive characteristics of the VET sector is that many students wish to learn specific skills and have no intention of completing a full qualification. For these students a more sensible measure of success is the proportion of modules passed (the load pass rate). Overall, the load pass rate of 2005 enrolments was 79.1 per cent. Show less

Authors: Mark, Kevin; Karmel, Tom

Date: 2010

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Skills and knowledge; Qualifications ... [+] Show more
Measuring VET participation by socioeconomic status: an examination of the robustness of ABS SEIFA measures over time

At every five-yearly census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics recalculates both the SEIFA (Socio-economic Indexe ... Show more
At every five-yearly census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics recalculates both the SEIFA (Socio-economic Indexes for Areas) indexes and also recalibrates the borders and sizes of the geographic areas from which these SEIFA measurements are derived. The NCVER reports vocational education and training (VET) participation rates at least annually, and the question that arises is how well the SEIFA indexes perform over the interim years. The authors find that there is little distortion in the measurement of participation in the intervening periods.
Published abstract. Show less

Authors: Lim, Patrick; Karmel, Tom

Date: 2014

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: National Vocational Education and Training Research Program occasional paper

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Participation; Statistics ... [+] Show more
National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development Review, Productivity Commission: a reflection

This opinion piece contributes a response to the Productivity Commission's Review of the National Agreement for Ski ... Show more
This opinion piece contributes a response to the Productivity Commission's Review of the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development which was published on 21 January 2021. The paper comments on the key points of the review and provides reflection on issues currently impacting the vocational education and training (VET sector) including: marginalisation of educators, unevenness of qualifications, assessment, and the institutional structure of VET. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom

Date: 2021

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Apprenticeship; Governance ... [+] Show more
Interview with Tom Karmel on 'Attrition in the trades'

In this nine minute interview, Steve Davis talks with Tom Karmel about the report 'Attrition in the trades' [availa ... Show more
In this nine minute interview, Steve Davis talks with Tom Karmel about the report 'Attrition in the trades' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 104.36]. This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave their occupation with that of professionals. It also determines whether attrition is influenced by economic conditions, and if a trade can provide a good start to a career in the professions. The report concludes that attrition in the trades is no higher than in the professions; the rate of leaving particular occupations may vary, but overall the results between the two are very similar. The economic climate also makes little difference to the attrition rate.
Published abstract. Show less

Authors: Karmel, Tom; Davis, Steve

Date: 2011

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Webinar or podcast

Series name: Vocational voices

Subjects: Skills and knowledge; Industry; Research ... [+] Show more