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Training packages have been fiercely resisted by many in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Now they are here to stay, with 70 packages already endorsed, the challenge is for players at all levels in the VET system to work with them. This paper sets out the views of those working with training packages, from the academics who view them as ticky-tacky boxes constraining workers within narrowly defined fields of activity, through the bureaucrats and teachers who must, through gritted teeth or alternatively with pleasurable anticipation, implement them, to the 'enthusiastic campaigners' who have tried to win hearts and minds to the concept of a workers' paradise where anyone can gain a qualification through learning in his or her daily work. 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

Excerpts from printed abstract used with the permission of the copyright holder.

Volume one of these proceedings is indexed at TD/TNC 68.31, volume two is indexed at TD/TNC 68.32 and individual papers may be found from TD/TNC 68.17 to TD/TNC 68.29 and TD/TNC 68.33 to TD/TNC 68.100. Show less

In common with a number of other countries, Australia’s vocational education and training sector has implemented a system of competency-based training (hereafter CBT) in which competency standards serve to provide learning and skill development outcomes for training. It seems that a main attraction that helped motivate the introduction of the CBT system was the assumption by some that such a system was ‘failsafe’ in that achievement of the learning and skill development outcomes would guarantee that the learner was workplace competent. However there were always convincing conceptual reasons for denying that the achievement of standards-based learning and skill development outcomes would be equivalent to being workplace competent. This paper aims to explain these reasons and to address the implications of this gap for the improvement of vocational training. It has two parts: firstly, the conceptual basis for anticipating that there would be such a gap between standards-based learning and skill development outcomes on the one hand and workplace competence on the other, is outlined; secondly, a range of empirical evidence is presented that illustrates the diversity of factors that together constitute this gap.

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This project addresses a major research gap: the lack of any large scale research into the overall learning experiences of young people in workplaces. The four research questions devised for this study are: (1) What is the extent and nature of the way in which Year 10 and Year 12 school students experience the workplace? (2) What is the nature and relative importance of learning gained from these experiences? (3) Are there variations in the way in which different equity groups access these experiences and learning? (4) What effects do such experiences of the workplace have on later access to employment and higher education? A literature review, mainly of Australian material but including some works from the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK), was carried out. A questionnaire which received 1451 responses was administered to Year 10, 11 and 12 students in 13 schools in New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia (SA). Case studies were carried out in five schools including interviews and focus groups with students and teachers, as well as interviews and focus groups with employers. This report outlines the findings from each stage of the research process and draws some conclusions, which have clear policy implications, from the findings. Show less

At this time most young people leave school having had some experience in workplaces either through work placements arranged through their schools or as part-time workers. This paper presents the findings of a research project which examined the different types of learning experienced by students in the different modes of experiencing the workplace. The project also examined whether some students find access to such work experience more difficult than others.

The volumes of collected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 69.351 to TD/TNC 69.353. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 69.354 to TD/TNC 69.445. Show less

This paper reports a qualitative study of young people in their first year of full-time work. Interviews with young people, their TAFE teachers (where appropriate), their parents and their employers gave a rich picture of the young people's experiences. The focus of the study was on what the young people learned and how they learned it and this paper emphasises in particular the importance of learning opportunities in career choices and in subsequent job satisfaction. The importance of the existence of a contract of training is emphasised.

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This report is a review of the literature, available research and current Australian practice relating to work placements. Its purpose is to draw together findings on work placements from three educational sectors in order to inform policy and practice in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector. The review has uncovered many gaps in the literature, indicating the need for further research in the VET sector. It is suggested that a major gap is the lack of a scoping study carried out in the school sector. Many critical challenges in work placements are highlighted, such as resourcing, professional development, tensions between workplace and provider cultures, variations in quality of workplace learning environments and equity in access. Show less

Self paced learning (SPL), an alternative to face-to-face teaching, seen as being advantageous to students and their employers as well as being less-resource intensive, is becoming an increasingly common method of teaching in vocational education and training (VET). This article looks at SPL from a student viewpoint and is based on qualitative research examining experiences of SPL in Office Administration subjects of students from a non English speaking background or who have no regular access to computers. The paper provides information on the participants’ impressions of SPL, the advantages of SPL and the challenges experienced by the students. The findings indicate that although the majority of students showed enthusiasm for this mode of study, many students find this type of learning difficult. This was because of the inability of teachers to give adequate individual support and the lack of suitable preparation courses for students entering SPL for the first time. The authors suggest that these issues can be addressed by injecting further resources but that this would make SPL less attractive to VET providers who see it as a cost effective method of training. Show less

This study explored the changing role of staff development for vocational education and training (VET) teachers and trainers in Australian public and private registered training organisations (RTOs). Substantial reforms in the VET sector over the past decade have had considerable impact on the work of teachers and trainers. In this context of rapid change, the nature, direction, delivery, access and funding responsibility of staff development are undergoing transformation. The purpose of the research, therefore, was to examine current staff development provisions, research a range of issues relating to the staff development of VET teachers and trainers and make recommendations in the light of the new education and training environment. Show less