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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

The Department of Employment, Education and Training commissioned this study to gain an indication of the extent to which competency-based training (CBT) was being implemented across Australia. The study was particularly relevant in the context of an approval by Ministers responsible for vocational education and training of a strategic framework for the implementation of CBT, with the aim of achieving substantial implementation of a CBT system by 1993. The study set out to survey, analyse, and report on the availability of CBT in the VET sector, as conducted in 1994 by TAFE and non-TAFE providers. Data was analysed by factors such as field of study, TAFE stream, national distribution, attendance modes, and student distribution. Show less

The authors present some of the challenges faced by teachers and trainers since the adoption in 1990 of competency based training (CBT). The challenges can be categorised under the following headings: organisation, management and delivery; curriculum; teaching and learning; and assessment, reporting and RPL. Also provided are ways in which teachers and trainers have met the challenges posed by the implementation of competency based training and RPL. 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

In 1996, Charles Sturt University's Group for Research in Employment and Training (GREAT) was commissioned by the Research Advisory Committee of the Australian National Training Authority (ANTARAC) to undertake research into the effects competency-based training (CBT) and recognition of prior learning (RPL) had on teaching and learning in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. This report describes the findings.

They are presented as follows: Chapter 1 briefly outlines the implementation of CBT and RPL in Australia, discusses relevant literature, and describes the research method used in the study; Chapter 2 discusses the manner in which CBT features were being used differently by different providers, in different industry areas, in courses at different qualification levels, and with different types of students and trainees; Chapter 3 describes in detail the teaching and learning effects of competency-based training and recognition of prior learning. The findings are organised under four headings: organisation, management and delivery; curriculum; teaching and learning interactions; and assessment, reporting and RPL; Chapter 4 is about what CBT means for different groups in the VET system. The implications of CBT and RPL for providers, curriculum developers, teachers/trainers, and students are outlined. Finally, some implications of the research study for the national VET system are suggested, and some fruitful areas for future research identified.

Appendix 1 is the 'Stages of Concern' questionnaire which was administered to a number of the teachers and trainers interviewed, to establish which aspects of CBT were concerning them at the time of the study; Appendix 2 lists the VET courses involved in the research, and also the submission received from VET practitioners; Appendix 3 lists the CBT features displayed by each researched course. Fourteen CBT features were identified in total; Appendix 4 contains the twelve case study reports in full; Appendix 5 presents, as a reference tool for teachers and trainers, some ways in which VET practitioners have responded to some of the challenges posed by CBT and RPL.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

This paper reports on research into the effects of recognition of prior learning (RPL) upon student outcomes in Universities’ VET teacher training. RPL was granted to teacher trainees because of previous experience teaching in TAFE, and student grades for both the subject where RPL was partly received and student performance in other subjects were compared. The results showed that students who received RPL tended to achieve lower marks; the reasons for the results are proposed and its significance for the VET sector discussed. Show less

This paper explores some aspects of moves to a closer relationship between higher education and vocational education and training (VET) courses. Such relationships may involve credit transfer, formal articulation or embedding of VET qualifications within university qualifications. A general discussion of the issues is followed by the results of a small-scale research study. Data were gathered from a number of students who have undertaken or are currently undertaking the Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training embedded within higher education courses at Charles Sturt University. Their views illuminate the advantages of embedding from a learner's viewpoint but some issues remain unresolved.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

Volumes of papers are indexed at TD/TNC 90.162 and TD/TNC 90.163. Selected individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 90.164 to TD/TNC 90.211. Show less

Funding was made available through the Australian National Training Authority Research Advisory Committee (ANTARAC) for a study into the effects of competency based training (CBT) and the associated practice of recognition of prior learning (RPL) on teaching and learning and on teachers’ roles. This paper describes some of the findings of the research project, carried out by Charles Sturt University’s Group for Research in Employment and Training (GREAT) in 1996. It concentrates on the effects of CBT on teachers and teaching and does not focus on the role of students and trainees. Show less

This book is an updated version of 'Making sense of training reform and competency-based training' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 54.08], which was published in 1997 by the same authors and was intended to explain the vocational education and training (VET) sector to those involved in it, or about to enter it, as practitioners.

The book examines the growth and change in the VET sector in terms of a number of tensions, including the interests of government and the interests of industry, the interests of the Commonwealth Government and those of the states, the interests of individuals and those of industry and the interests of industry and those of organised labour. It facilitates understanding of the VET sector by describing the complex issues of training reforms and the nature of VET curriculum in simple terms.

Part one of the book provides an overview of the evolution of VET in Australia, the reasons why large scale reform of the system was undertaken and a description of the major features of the VET system, including the most recent changes. Part two focuses on curriculum issues: the nature of competency based training and the way in which training packages are developed and delivered. In part three the implications of VET policy and VET curriculum for teachers and trainers are considered. Show less

This research paper has been produced as part of the ILO project, Apprenticeships Development for Universal Lifelong Learning and Training (ADULT), funded by the Government of Flanders. The ADULT project aims to explore how apprenticeship systems are being modernised and transformed to promote and enable lifelong learning and decent work for youth, adults, and older workers (both employed and unemployed). This research paper examines the attractiveness and potential attractiveness of apprenticeships to those who might seek to undertake one. This study is confined to formal apprenticeships, that is those which are overseen by governments and/other bodies. It considers apprenticeship as an option for adults as well as young people. It provides examples from across the world, from low-, medium- and high-income countries. The focus is on attractiveness to individuals rather than the attractiveness to employers of engaging with the apprenticeship system.

The paper explores reasons why apprenticeships are sometimes regarded as unattractive or low status career choices. It also highlights the experiences and lessons learned from the initiatives taken by various countries in improving the attractiveness of apprenticeships. These include structural changes and enhancements to apprenticeship programs, as well as better promotion of apprenticeships to potential apprentices and those who advise them.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less