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When enterprises decide to employ apprentices and trainees they do so as alternatives to other forms of labour, such as already-skilled workers or unskilled workers who will not be offered contracts of training. In their decisions, particularly in the increasingly tight Australian labour market, they will consider specific labour shortages which may be at the entry level or may be at more senior levels, and they think about whether apprenticeships and traineeships may help to meet those shortages either immediately or in the future. This paper uses a number of case studies carried out as part of an international research project to examine this decision-making process and the reasons that employers give for placing their trust in the New Apprentice system to attract and develop the right sort of worker to meet their current or projected shortages.

Published abstract.

Available papers from the 9th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference are indexed from TD/TNC 86.226 to TD/TNC 86.262. Show less

Research into school students and their experiences of the world of work, both during their school years and the first few years post school, has offered some insights in to some of the factors influencing the decisions young people make about their career options and pathways. This paper will explore some of the data from a research project which in itself was a follow-up study to two previous projects, one with a range of school students and one with school-based new apprentices. While the study was designed to find out the effect of workplace experiences while at school on post-school pathways, qualitative findings suggest that each individual has a unique context, story and blend of circumstances which produce the individual's pathway. This is the focus of this paper. The research also offers some valuable insights into the types of experiences, guidance and support that young people could find more useful in terms of finding out more about work and study options and possibilities.

Published abstract.

Available papers from the 9th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference are indexed from TD/TNC 86.226 to TD/TNC 86.262. Show less

Purpose - To report on research that examines the impact of the adoption of nationally-recognised training by enterprises in Australia. Design/methodology/approach - The project involved a mix of methodologies including focus groups, employer survey and case studies. Findings - The research found that there had been a higher than expected adoption of nationally-recognised training by Australian enterprises in recent years and that enterprises were using training packages to support other human resource management activities apart from training. Research limitations/implications - The case studies were confined to four industry areas of hospitality, manufacturing, arts/media and call centres. Originality/value - This paper fills a significant gap in the research literature on the use that enterprises make of nationally-recognised training.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

This article explores some different ways of providing vocational qualifications, specifically for young people who do not go directly to university from school. The examples of Germany and Australia are discussed and show that historical, political, economic and social factors influence the preferred modes of training and their relative perceived status. Advantages and disadvantages are outlined for each mode of provision. Various remedies to address the disadvantages identified for the different modes are explored.

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This paper provides an overview of the Australian apprenticeship and traineeship system followed by a case study of a large construction company that re-conceptualised its apprenticeship system in the State of Victoria to produce future senior managers for the company. A number of features of the apprentice systems in the company combined to produce good outcomes, but the paper also identifies some areas that needed improvement.

Published abstract.

The volume from which this paper is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 110.560. Show less

This study examines how learners and the processes of learning are understood and presented in a sample of courses leading to the attainment of the Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training (since replaced by the new Certificate IV in Training and Assessment). It considers the implications of these findings for the development of teaching and learning in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. The study involved an analysis of 16 case studies in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Seven of these sites were public registered training organisations (RTOs), four based in capital cities and three in regional areas. The remaining sites comprised nine private RTOs and two enterprise-based organisations, both located in capital cities; three community based organisations, two in capital city locations and one in a regional area; two commercial training organisations, one in a capital city location and the other regional; and two government-funded organisations located in the higher education sector. The case study sites were therefore spread across a number of locations, as well as across a range of different types of RTOs. The research demonstrated considerable diversity in the types of courses leading to the attainment of the Certificate IV qualification, as well as a variety of ways in which the qualification was contextualised to meet the requirements of the organisations and individuals involved. In enterprise contexts the Certificate IV was understood as a business process that contributed to wider organisational and strategic goals, with an immediate focus on developing human capital for the enterprise. Learners and learning were understood in context-specific ways; this stands in contrast to circumstances where the audience for the Certificate IV was more non-specific, and topics related to learners and learning were approached in more general terms. The authors suggest that future discussions need to examine ideas on how teaching and learning might embrace the learner-centred, work-centred and attribute-focused approaches now acknowledged as important for the future of the VET sector. Discussions also need to consider more seriously the impact of characteristics such as gender, race and ethnicity on learning, and the ways in which learning might best be understood and organised to take account of these learner attributes. Show less

This paper explores the implications for assessment of embedding qualifications from the vocational education and training (VET) sector within university qualifications. As VET qualifications are now all competency based, assessment in the two sectors is quite different, since universities have generally eschewed competency-based training and assessment. A general discussion of the issues is followed by the results of a small-scale research study carried out in the VET discipline area itself, with participants drawn from the AVTEC [Australian Vocational Education and Training Teacher Educators’ Colloquium] list of VET teacher-educators. Telephone interviews were conducted with nine Australian university academics involved with such qualifications; and data were extracted from a broader study of students who had undertaken the Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training embedded within degrees and graduate diplomas in VET at one of these universities. It is clear that there are many assessment challenges involved with the practice of embedding, which have not yet been systematically addressed.

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This article examines the increased incidence of work-related qualifications for women in areas of work served by the vocational education and training (VET) system in Australia. Until 20 years ago, qualifications were generally available only for areas of work usually undertaken by men, apart from a few specific ‘women’s occupations’ such as childcare and hairdressing. Now, as a result of the period known as ‘training reform’, industry training packages cover most areas of work and so qualifications are more widely available to women as well as to men. In particular, the increased incidence of employer-based accredited training, and the availability of traineeships for part-time work, have increased access for women to qualifications. Analysis of national VET and apprenticeship and traineeship figures is supplemented by evidence from a national research project. Women’s voices describe the importance to them of gaining qualifications, but a critical analysis is also offered of the nature of the training offered in these new qualifications.

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In Australia as elsewhere, the national government is keen to improve pathways between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education. The limited availability of such pathways is often attributed to a lack of will on the part of universities. VET teacher-education in Australia has been grappling since 1998 with the challenges imposed by a VET-sector qualification at Certificate IV level that has become, through government regulation, a ‘licence to practise’ in VET teaching. This paper uses the discussions within the national community of VET teacher-educators and a case study in one university to illustrate the difficulties that exist in laying pathways and guiding students along them. It draws on the debates that have taken place in AVTEC, the Australian VET Teacher Educators’ Colloquium, the author’s research into assessment issues in embedding the Certificate IV within university courses, and preliminary data from an evaluation of students’ reactions to authentic and deep embedding. These data are used to argue that difficulties in cross-sectoral integration are real and are derived from different approaches to pedagogy and evidence requirements, rather than being manufactured by education providers anxious to maintain their boundaries. The VET teacher education community holds unique expertise in this area and therefore the work done in its own courses is of substantial significance.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of AARE.

Selected papers from the 2006 AARE National Conference are indexed from TD/TNC 89.545 to TD/TNC 89.550 and from TD/TNC 89.701 to TD/TNC 89.710. Show less