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

Figures in a new landscape: the experiences of workers and learners in a new VET system

In this paper, the author begins from the premise that Australian vocational education and training (VET) has under ... Show more
In this paper, the author begins from the premise that Australian vocational education and training (VET) has undergone considerable and rapid change since the late 1980s. The paper draws on research carried out by the author over the last five years, beginning by briefly describing the changes in Australian VET. In particular, the paper looks at the experiences of participants in the VET sector who are under 30 years of age and thus were not participants in the 'old' system.
The three volumes of conference proceedings are indexed from TD/TNC 72.49 to TD/TNC 72.51; selected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 72.08 to TD/TNC 72.11 and TD/TNC 72.52 to TD/TNC 72.100. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Conference name: International Conference on Post-Compulsory Education and Training

Date: 2002

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Students; Governance ... [+] Show more
Training packages: debates around a new curriculum system

The vocational education and training [VET] system in Australia has been rocked by continuous change for the past 1 ... Show more
The vocational education and training [VET] system in Australia has been rocked by continuous change for the past 15 years. The three most radical changes have been the move to competency-based training, the privileging of industry as opposed to students as the most important stakeholder group, and the opening up of government funding to private providers as well as to TAFE, the public provider. In 1997 training packages became the basis for all future curriculum in the Australian VET system. Like any curriculum change, the introduction of training packages has aroused controversy but so far there has been only a limited amount of empirical research. This paper summarises the debates about training packages, using the existing body of research and comment, interviews with key national and State figures in training package development, and the author’s experience as a director of a State Industry Training Advisory Board involved in the development and review of several training packages. The paper identifies some of the basic underlying difficulties with training packages which, it is argued, stem from their being written for the workplace while their primary field of application is in educational institutions.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Date: 2002

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Issues in educational research

Subjects: Assessment; Quality; Research ... [+] Show more
Lifelong learning at work: how it begins

The theme of this paper is lifelong learning and the importance of work as a major site for learning. The paper dra ... Show more
The theme of this paper is lifelong learning and the importance of work as a major site for learning. The paper draws on the results of three research studies, one relating to new full-time workers, one to part-time student workers and one to young people undertaking school-based new apprenticeships. It suggests some reasons why some young people, some types of employment contract and some workplaces appear to offer better opportunities for establishing lifelong learning habits than others.
The volume of collected papers is indexed at TD/TNC 75.267. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 75.268 to TD/TNC 283. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Conference name: International Conference on Training Employability and Employment

Date: 2002

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Youth; Apprenticeship; Research ... [+] Show more
Theory and practice: the contribution of off-the-job training to the development of apprentices and trainees

This article uses the findings from a qualitative study of Australian young people in their first year of full-time ... Show more
This article uses the findings from a qualitative study of Australian young people in their first year of full-time work to examine the nature and utility of off-the-job training in apprenticeships and traineeships. The findings confirm the conclusions of earlier studies about the importance of off-the-job training as a supplement for workplace learning. It was found that, while initially not attaching much value to off-the-job training, the young people gained more of an appreciation, during the course of the year, of what off-the-job training had to offer. Other findings about off-the-job training included: the superiority of face-to-face training as opposed to other forms of delivery; the importance of young people’s relationship with their off-the-job trainers; the ‘implicit contract’ of expectations of the parties to the training contract; the different viewpoints of the parties; and the dissatisfaction of those in traineeships with the lack of intellectual challenge in their competency-based curriculum.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Date: 2002

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; New South Wales

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Journal of vocational education and training

Subjects: Apprenticeship; Traineeship; Providers of education and training ... [+] Show more
The new child labour?: the part-time student workforce in Australia

This paper reports on the findings about part-time school students' working from a research project, in two Austral ... Show more
This paper reports on the findings about part-time school students' working from a research project, in two Australian States, into school students' experiences in workplaces. The findings, from a survey and case studies, indicate that over half of Australian school-children in Years 10 and above are engaged in formal paid work. The majority of students who wish to work do not appear to experience much difficulty finding jobs, although those from certain minority groups are less likely to work than the average. Nearly two-thirds of student-workers are employed in the retail and fast food industries. The paper argues that more attention needs to be paid to student part-time working, as it is now the normal form of entry to the labour market.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.
This paper reports only on the findings associated with paid part-time work. The full results of the research project are reported in 'School students' learning from their paid and unpaid work' by Erica Smith and Annette Green (indexed at TD/TNC 68.01) and 'School students' views on their working and learning in the workplace' by Erica Smith and Lou Wilson (indexed at TD/TNC 70.13). Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Wilson, Lou

Date: 2002

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; South Australia ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Australian bulletin of labour

Subjects: Students; Providers of education and training; Secondary education ... [+] Show more
School students' views on their working and learning in the workplace

This report contains additional and analysed material from the study reported in 'School students' learning from th ... Show more
This report contains additional and analysed material from the study reported in 'School students' learning from their paid and unpaid work' (TD/TNC 68.01), a project designed to determine the extent and learning outcomes of school students' engagement with workplaces. This report discusses the qualitative comments which students made about their workplace experiences in response to a number of open-ended questions. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Wilson, Lou

Date: 2002

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Youth; Students; Vocational education and training ... [+] Show more
The relationship between organisational context and novice workers’ learning

This article reports on findings from a longitudinal study, carried out during 1998-9, of the learning and training ... Show more
This article reports on findings from a longitudinal study, carried out during 1998-9, of the learning and training experiences of 11 Australian teenagers in their first year of full-time work. Interviews with the young people over the course of the year were supplemented by interviews with parents, employers, and college teachers where appropriate. The working and training environments, and the learning experiences of the young people are described. The relationship between performance and learning is discussed. The article provides an insight into the lived experiences of young people attempting to learn about work within an organisational context.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Date: 2002

Resource type: Article

Journal title: International journal of training and development

Subjects: Youth; Research; Employment ... [+] Show more
Learning and training in school-based new apprenticeships

This publication reports on a project that set out to examine learning and training in school-based apprenticeships ... Show more
This publication reports on a project that set out to examine learning and training in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, in particular school-based New Apprenticeships, where young people are employed and engaged in a contract of training while still involved in full time or part time school studies. Surveys were sent to a sample of these students in the three states with the highest numbers in such arrangements: Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. The research methodology is described and a profile of the respondents detailing their reasons for undertaking school-based New Apprenticeships is given. The working environment and the nature of school-based New Apprenticeships are discussed. The authors look at links with schools and how the respondents combined their school-based apprenticeships with their school work. The comments of the respondents relating to work based learning and on the job training are analysed and the conclusion of the publication draws together the research findings and, while concluding that the overall findings are very positive, identifies some problem areas for future action. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Wilson, Lou

Date: 2002

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; Victoria ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Apprenticeship; Qualifications; Traineeship ... [+] Show more