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The Australian government recognises that a strong Australian Apprenticeship system is essential to sustain a strong economy. Accordingly, an Expert Panel was appointed to provide recommendations to the government on possible ways to reform the system to ensure that it can meet Australia's skills needs into the 21st century. The panel examined apprenticeship training arrangements, including current incentives, and suggested principles and evidence to improve outcomes for both apprentices and industry. The work of the panel was underpinned by a study on related economic costs and benefits, including research undertaken by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). This report is the first of four prepared by NCVER for the panel and it is intended to provide a background to the other reports which focus on specific aspects of the apprenticeship and traineeship system. The report is structured around four individual papers. The first is a history of apprenticeship and traineeship in Australia. This is followed by a characterisation of apprentices and trainees - apprentices and trainees of today cover a much broader span of individuals than the common perception of an apprentice being a young man in blue overalls. While not strictly part of an apprenticeship or traineeship, prevocational training exists as a pathway into an apprenticeship or traineeship rather than for its own sake. It thus makes sense to consider them alongside the apprenticeship and traineeship system, which is what is done in the third paper. The report concludes with some estimates of the cost of the system to the government. Show less

The Commonwealth Government’s National Industry Skills Initiative established a series of Working Groups to investigate skills shortages in particular industry sectors. The Electrotechnology Working Group prepared a report on skill shortages in electrotechnology in 2000 (indexed at TD/TNC 67.202) leading to the formulation of an Action Plan to be implemented by an industry Task Force over a period of two years. The plan focuses on three specific projects: a careers project; an employer engagement survey; and a Group Training Targeted Initiative Program. This report has been prepared by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on the second project for the Electrotechnology Working Group. The report specifically examines the triggers of employer engagement with apprentices in the electrotechnology sector against the background of increasing levels of new apprenticeships. The project involved a literature review, a statistical analysis of trends in industry and new apprentice trends, a qualitative interview phase with firms in the industry, and a survey of employers in the industry. The research revealed that the two key drivers of apprentice employment in this industry are firm size and the availability and/or continuity of work.

This National Industry Skills Initiative document is copyright Commonwealth of Australia reproduced by permission. Show less

'Shaping our future: Australia's national strategy for vocational education and training 2004-2010' (indexed at TD/LMR 85.685) is the Australian government and industry's collective strategy to ensure: 'industry will have a highly skilled workforce to support strong performance in the global economy; employers and individuals will be at the centre of VET; communities and regions will be strengthened economically and socially through learning and employment; and that Indigenous Australians will have skills for viable jobs and their learning culture will be shared'. As part of the process in developing this strategy, the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) commissioned the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to undertake a series of meta-analyses of research on 12 different vocational education and training (VET) topics. This report is the meta-analysis concerned with establishing a coherent policy approach to the relative contribution of individuals, industry and government to the costs of VET. The report looks at the key issues associated with the funding and financing of VET, and at the role played by government, employers and individuals.

The 12 meta-analyses from this strategy are indexed from TD/ANTA 80.06 to TD/ANTA 80.17 Show less

'Partners in a learning culture' (indexed at TD/TNC 63.292) is a five-year (2000-2005) national strategy which aims to link improvements in vocational education and training (VET) provision for Indigenous peoples to improved employment and community development outcomes. The strategy is supported by a blueprint for implementation (indexed at TD/TNC 62.913) which also specifies 25 performance measures for monitoring and measuring the effectiveness of the overall strategy. As part of the implementation of the blueprint initiative, Ministers agreed to a mid-term review seeking qualitative and quantitative evidence of activity and outcomes, both from those implementing actions as well as Indigenous learners either already in the VET system or wishing to access the system. This review was undertaken in two phases. Phase one involved a survey of the agencies that are signatories to the blueprint, interviews and focus groups with stakeholders, and an analysis of statistical information about the participation of Indigenous people in VET. The research from this first phase is reported in two 'stand-alone' documents: a stakeholder consultation report; and a statistical analysis report. This document is the stakeholder consultation report from the first phase. It reflects the views of those agencies that have been assigned specific responsibilities for implementing the blueprint. The findings indicate that the overall vision and the four objectives of the strategy remain relevant and overall progress is satisfactory, with some significant achievements. These include: 62% of the individual actions which the partner agencies committed to take are in progress or completed; ANTA, the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and most State Training Authorities have established, or are in the process of establishing, system-level mechanisms for ongoing Indigenous advice and direction to guide the VET system’s response to the needs and aspirations of Indigenous peoples; and the Australian Indigenous Training Advisory Council (AITAC) is developing increasing capacity to advise the ANTA Board on Indigenous VET issues within the system and beyond.

The statistical analysis report from this first phase of the review entitled 'Indigenous students in VET: a statistical review of progress' is indexed at TD/TNC 74.12; the phase two report is indexed at TD/TNC 80.04. Show less

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) was asked by the New South Wales (NSW) government to review the state’s skill base and identify the future challenges for the vocational education and training (VET) system over the next 20 years. IPART commissioned this report to examine the following issues relating to the matching of skill development to employment opportunities: (1) To what extent are those with VET qualifications working in occupational groups consistent with the skill level of the training they have undertaken? (2) What is the educational attainment of those employed in occupational groups which typically require skill development through VET? (3) What have been the employment outcomes for recently qualified VET students, and how close an alignment is there between the area of study and subsequent area of work? (4) What is the employment status and occupational distribution of people who attained a VET qualification some time ago? (5) What is known about the reasons why people with VET qualifications may not be employed in areas where the skills acquired can be deployed? (6) To what extent are the responses to questions 3, 4 and 5 related to differences in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level of VET qualifications? (7) To what extent are the responses to questions 3, 4 and 5 related to differences in the balance between the specific and generic components of the training undertaken? Findings indicate that: in the six months following training, around seven in 10 VET graduates are employed at the same or a higher skill level than their training, or enrolled in a course at a higher level than their training; there is a great deal of persistence in employment status from pre- to post-training, which means VET is failing to deliver for many students in need; the distribution of employment post-training bears closer correspondence to the overall workforce distribution of employment than it does to the intended areas of training, suggesting that demand holds sway over supply and that the generic skills delivered through training are valuable to employers; efficiency and utility are highest where there is a match between the intended occupation of the training and subsequent employment, and is lowest of all when the student is unemployed post-training; and destination surveys are a rich resource that can aid policy makers in making decisions on the allocation of training places, and for informing prospective students as to the potential outcomes from training. The contents are: Key messages; Executive summary; Introduction; Vocational education and training in NSW: participation and outcomes; Workforce skills profile; Employment destinations; Conclusion.

Documents relating to this review are indexed from TD/TNC 87.382 to TD/TNC 87.387 and at TD/TNC 88.51. Show less

The Victorian Government Ministerial Statement, 'Knowledge and skills for the innovation economy', will reposition Victoria's vocational education and training (VET) system to support the achievement of the Victorian Government's goals and targets for education. The statement outlines the strategies for transforming the VET system from one that relates to an industrially based economy to one that helps firms to compete in the innovation economy, and communities and individuals to gain the skills they need for the future. Seven knowledge and skills projects were undertaken in the process of developing the Ministerial Statement and managed through the Office of Training and Tertiary Education (OTTE) within the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DE&T). Project two, 'Building skills to meet future needs' was undertaken by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to analyse key trends in the supply of skills, the extent of current and emerging skill gaps, and strategies for raising the quality and flexibility of skill supply to meet future economic, industrial and social needs (reports of other projects are indexed from TD/VIC 70.03 to TD/VIC 70.07 and at TD/VIC 70.14). This paper examines the forces driving the need for innovation, such as the growth of the knowledge-based economy, technological advances and the opening up of international trade and investment, and evaluates how they have affected the supply of and demand for skills in the Australian context. It is concluded that, in terms of the requirements for skills in Victoria, the general trend is towards higher levels of skills in most occupations, with a marked increase in demand for generic skills that enhance the adaptability of the workforce and increase its ability to respond to change. The factors influencing this trend and reshaping the demand for skills in Victoria are technological advances, the transformation of the nature of work, demographic change, and industry and occupational restructuring.

The Ministerial Statement is indexed at TD/LMR 86.31. Other reports from Project two, 'Building skills to meet future needs', are indexed at TD/TNC 70.285 and TD/TNC 70.287. Show less

This report presents the findings of a two-year study conducted over 2000-2001 to assess the effectiveness of vocational education and training (VET) programs in helping students to meet their objectives in choosing to undertake training at a TAFE institute in South Australia. The study found that TAFE training had immediate and long-term benefits for those in employment, those entering or re-entering employment, and those seeking a career change. Findings from the study suggest that students regard TAFE programs and the TAFE environment highly and appreciate the opportunity it provides to upgrade their skills and knowledge and improve their employment prospects.

A pilot study of a small cohort of 1997 graduates was undertaken prior to the commencement of this longitudinal study. The report from this pilot study is indexed at TD/TNC 77.511. Show less

'Shaping our future: Australia's national strategy for vocational education and training 2004-2010' (indexed at TD/LMR 85.685) is the Australian government and industry's collective strategy to ensure: 'industry will have a highly skilled workforce to support strong performance in the global economy; employers and individuals will be at the centre of VET; communities and regions will be strengthened economically and socially through learning and employment; and that Indigenous Australians will have skills for viable jobs and their learning culture will be shared'. As part of the process in developing this strategy, the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) commissioned the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to undertake a series of meta-analyses of research on 12 different vocational education and training (VET) topics. This report is the comprehensive bibliography referencing the sources of information used in the creation of all 12 meta-analyses, with almost 300 pieces of national and international research listed.

The 12 meta-analyses from this strategy are indexed from TD/ANTA 80.06 to TD/ANTA 80.17 Show less

The Allen Consulting Group, in conjunction with the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), was appointed by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) to undertake this project to develop a strategy to support the universal recognition and recording of employability skills. The project objective was to develop the strategy relevant to schools, vocational education and training (VET), higher education and the broader community, including workplaces, so that it could be used by individuals to build, value and demonstrate attainment of employability skills to a diverse audience. The purpose of this paper is to provide a platform for further consultation to inform the development of the strategy. Chapter one provides the project background; chapter two considers the continuum of approaches that can be adopted, within a universal recognition and recording strategy, towards the definition, development, demonstration and assessment and recording of employability skills; chapter three sets out a preferred option for the universal strategy and explains why it has been selected and the benefits of the approach; and chapter four contains issues surrounding the implementation of the preferred option that will provide the basis for discussions to be held at the national stakeholder forum. Show less

This report aims to identify and analyse good practice case management models in school to work (STW) programs. It provides a brief summary of the literature on the recent development of STW programs in order to place the focus on case management in its broader context. A number of examples of STW programs from Australia and overseas are examined to identify their elements and to highlight instances of good practice in case management. These case management models: (1) aim to support young people’s transition from school to work to further training; (2) have links between education and service providers; and (3) may include specific models for targeted groups such as Indigenous students, students in rural and remote locations, students with a disability, and young people in detention. These models are described in terms of their aims, target groups, rationales, and good practice case management strategies. Where possible, outcomes, evaluation processes and participating agencies are documented. Diagrammatic representations of case management models and other resources are provided where available. A good practice case management model flow chart has been developed and is included in appendix one. Show less