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This publication is a collection of summaries of all research projects published or completed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in 2008. The summaries are clustered under the five broad themes used by NCVER to organise all of its vocational education and training (VET) research and analysis. The five themes are: Industry and employers; Students and individuals; Teaching and learning; VET system; and VET in context. Twenty-seven pieces of work are included and each summary provides an abstract of the research project, highlights of the findings and details of how to access the full research reports.

Australian vocational education and training: research messages 2007 is indexed at TD/TNC 92.09; Australian vocational education and training: research messages 2006 is indexed at TD/TNC 88.07; Australian vocational education and training: research messages 2005 is indexed at TD/TNC 85.06; Australian vocational education and training: research messages 2004 is indexed at TD/TNC 81.03. Show less

An apprentice or trainee is a person undertaking vocational training through a contracted training arrangement. This publication provides estimates of apprentice and trainee activity for the quarter ending 30 September 2008. Highlights of this report include: in the 12 months to 30 September 2008, compared with the previous year, commencements increased by five per cent to 289 300, completions increased by four per cent to 149 900 and cancellations and withdrawals increased by six per cent to 138 800. There were 429 500 apprentices and trainees in-training as at 30 September 2008, an increase of three per cent from the previous year. Of these, 201 900 (47 per cent) were in trades and 227 600 (53 per cent) were in non-trades. Show less

The teaching of generic employability skills has been identified globally as significant to a country’s economic security, and its importance as a capacity-building tool for labour markets into the future has been highlighted. In 1992 Australia identified seven key generic skills that should be taught and assessed, known as the Mayer key competencies. This paper investigates how well the Mayer key competencies are understood by trainers and looks at the potential difficulties associated with implementing a system of teaching and assessing the new employability skills. This research reviews and analyses a small although diverse group of trainer responses to generic employability skills. The competency-based training system, implemented through the use of national training packages, explicitly requires training and assessment in employability skills. It considers why vocational education and training (VET) teachers experience difficulties in delivering the generic employability skills embedded in industry training packages. It suggests that the interpretation of generic skills should not be left to trainers and that a national strategy that is clear concise, comprehensive and implementable must be developed.

This paper is the result of a 2008 NCVER New Researcher Award. Show less

This user guide has been developed for users of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data. It consolidates existing technical documentation and other information into one document. The guide aims to address all aspects of LSAY data including: how to access the data, data restrictions, variable naming conventions, the structure of the data, documentation, classifications and code frames used, weights and derived variables. Show less

This publication presents information about the destinations of apprentices and trainees approximately nine months after leaving their training. The findings relate to apprentices and trainees who completed their training (completers) between October and December 2007, or who cancelled or withdrew from an apprenticeship or traineeship and have not returned to finish (non-completers) during this period. This publication presents employment outcomes, reasons for non-completion, satisfaction with the apprenticeship or traineeship, and further study destinations. The figures in this publication are derived from the ‘Apprentice and trainee destination survey’. This is the first time the survey has been conducted.

Published abstract. Show less

In late 2008, NCVER commissioned six people to write essays about competition in the Australian training market. Most were from outside the vocational education and training (VET) sector. In order to ensure their ideas were tied into current concerns within VET, NCVER went on to invite six insiders to respond to the essays. The results from both groups are contained in this volume. It should be noted that the participants in this exercise do not entirely agree with each other. But there is general acknowledgement that the risks associated with the state determining the supply and demand for training mean that governments cannot retreat from the training market. However, the role of the state, relative to that of individuals and employers, remains contentious. Papers and their responses include: Markets and central planning in meeting labour market needs: lessons from higher education / Andrew Norton, discussant: Leslie Loble; A market for vocational education and training in the Australian Federation / Mark Burford, discussant: Pat Forward; Competition policy and the VET sector / Richard Denniss, discussant: Megan Kirchner; Contestability, information asymmetry and quality signals in a competitive training market / Terri Seddon, discussant: Robyn Tudor; Improving information flows for users of post-secondary education / Nicholas Gruen, discussant: Gerald Burke; Possible governance structures and autonomy of TAFE institutes / V. Lynn Meek; discussant: Michael Keating. Show less

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and work. This series of documents provides supporting information for the LSAY data set of the 2003 cohort at wave 6 (2008). It includes the questionnaire, codebook and frequency counts. Show less

This paper investigates how technical and further education (TAFE) institutes evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency. The authors interviewed nine TAFE institute directors and 59 of their senior and middle managers in South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Key messages derived from the paper include: (a) externally imposed requirements for funding accountability and regulatory compliance are the main drivers of institute processes and systems for monitoring and evaluating effectiveness and efficiency. This applies both to institutes within centralised governance arrangements and to those in devolved governance systems; (b) regardless of governance structures, strong managerial leadership is critical to the evaluation of effectiveness and efficiency; (c) TAFE institutes engage with employers and industry bodies to better understand training demand, but employers do not always speak with one voice; and, (d) TAFE institutes have a general understanding of their markets and business. This may help them to survive in a more competitive environment, but they will require more robust systems for working out the cost-efficiency of their operations. Show less

This user guide has been developed for users of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data. It consolidates existing technical documentation and other information into one document. The guide aims to address all aspects of LSAY data including: how to access the data, data restrictions, variable naming conventions, the structure of the data, documentation, classifications and code frames used, weights and derived variables. This user guide was last updated in October 2012. Show less

This publication provides a national framework for the collection and dissemination of information considered necessary for consistent and accurate measurement of apprentice and trainee activity in Australia. This document presents a set of file specifications that are the authoritative national reference for definitions, context, file structures, relationships and rules for the Apprentice and Trainee Collection. Show less