Search Results

Australian companies are competing within an increasingly globalised and competitive world. In response to these pressures, companies have had to improve performance and better utilise human resources. This has been addressed with the development of New management practices (NMPs), in an attempt to foster the knowledge and creativity within companies' workforces. In Australia, in 1994/5, the single most important factor driving training provision at the enterprise level was quality improvement. This paper provides an overview of the development of NMPs and the implications for training. It presents data from a survey conducted in 1998, distributed to 3415 Human Resources managers. Decisions to implement NMPs are usually taken at senior level and are also implemented from the top down. The study proposed that training practices depend upon several factors, new management practices, human resource practices, the business and training environment and the nature of the organisation. The survey examined the adoption of new management practices in Australian enterprises and the impact of their implementation on training practices and outcomes. The research confirmed some of the conclusions reached by earlier studies undertaken in Australia, and overseas, and also resulted in a number of new and unexpected conclusions. The disengagement of enterprises from the VET system is highlighted as a major concern. The decentralisation of training and the increasing provision of training by untrained workplace trainers raises issues about the type and quality of training being provided and points to an emerging role for training providers acting as consultants to enterprises. Workplace change is a major driver of enterprise training and changes within Australian workplaces are not slowing. This study confirms the evolutionary and continuous nature of change, leading to a continuing demand for training and the emergence of new training needs. The policy question is not so much about how to encourage employers to invest more in training, but to make sure that the investment results in the best possible outcomes for enterprises, individuals and Australia as a nation.

The volume of papers is indexed at TD/INT 59.531. Show less

The largest database on enterprise training in Australia was created by a project jointly commissioned by the Office of Training and Further Education (Victoria) (OTFE) and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA). Researchers were drawn from the Group for Research in Employment and Training (Charles Sturt University) (GREAT) and the Research Centre for Vocational Education and Training (University of Technology, Sydney) (RCVET). Case studies and a survey were used to determine what employers hoped to achieve with their training. Project outcomes should assist those who design and provide training to meet the needs of industry. In general, the motivating factor for training is workplace change. The change could involve new ways of working, quality assurance programs, or new technology. The type of training required reflected internal factors unique to each enterprise.

The four-volume ‘Enterprise training: the factors that affect demand’ (TD/VIC 41.02) contains the project report. Show less

The aim of this research project was to identify the training behaviour of individual enterprises in manufacturing (electronics and food processing sectors) and the building and construction industries. Thirty detailed case studies were undertaken as part of the study, along with an industry analysis and a literature review. Each case study examined three specific areas: current training practices; training decision making in the enterprise; and the determinants of training for the enterprise. Key findings from the research are presented and summarised under six headings: competitive pressure and the role of training; the diversity of training outcomes; importance of quality assurance; the mix of enterprise and individual training needs; national training reforms; and the role and functions of the ITAB (Industry Training Advisory Boards) network. Show less

This paper reports the findings of a study which examined the training and learning experiences of older people through an analysis of extant statistical data supplemented by interviews with older workers. The paper concludes that, despite the prevalence of the negative stereotype of older workers as learners, older people take a more tactical and instrumental approach to their learning.

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

Context: In most countries, there is a significant increase in the number of students at risk - as a result of social conditions and also the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic when many students experienced isolation and lack of live communication with their study mates. The increase in the number of students at risk in vocational education and training (VET) has motivated many academic researchers to examine factors influencing the rise in the number of students at risk and share good-practice identified.

Approach: Research findings in academic publications on good practice in working with students at risk in VET using qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative research methods, interviews of students, and focus group discussions with representatives of teaching staff in Latvia were used. A survey of VET teachers working with at-risk students was used as quantitative research methods.

Findings: An excellent and innovative finding was identified as a practice of designating a group mentor - representative of teaching staff devoting his/her full-time workload for individual support and conversations with students at risk. Students have mentioned that it was beneficial and important for them, as often their family members could not provide such support. It was also noted that well-furnished classrooms and other facilities matter a great deal as motivating factors, as well as involvement of students in sports activities and student governance bodies.

Conclusions: Training and seminars for teaching and support staff for work with at-risk students is highly relevant for organising successful work with at-risk students in VET. It is highly recommended to have representatives from teaching staff specifically designated to provide individual consultations regularly and upon a specific need for students at risk on a broad spectrum of issues related to their personal life and studies at school.

Published abstract. Show less

The nature of work has been the subject of significant change in recent years. More people are experiencing multiple changes in career as the security of employment once offered by large enterprises and the public sector has disappeared in the wake of downsizing. At the same time as the expectations of people regarding their working lives are changing, people are living longer and healthier lives. The old assumptions about people retiring from work completely at the age of sixty or younger, and living lives unconnected to the world of work are giving way to a situation in which an increasing number of older people prolong their working lives well past the conventional age of retirement. Changes in career and the desire of many to remain active in the workforce longer are two of the most important forces reshaping the training and learning experiences of older Australians. These workforce demographics have great significance for the training and learning of older people. As older workers remain in the workforce longer and are increasingly subject to career change, access to training and learning opportunities will become more important to them. As older workers remain at work and as the population ages, the necessity for reorienting the Australian training system towards reskilling of older, adult workers will become increasingly important. The study examines the labour market situation and training opportunities facing older Australians to assess if older Australians have equitable opportunities and access to training compared with younger members of the labour market. The study explains the role training and learning has played in the participation of older workers in the workforce and identifies specific training issues facing older Australians.

Volumes of collected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 64.481 to TD/TNC 64.483. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 62.625 to TD/TNC 62.632 and from TD/TNC 64.484 to TD/TNC 64.541. Show less

In this paper it is suggested that there is a strong and persistent belief in Australian training policy circles that Australia is a poor performer by international standards in the provision of training, in particular enterprise training. This paper reviews the evidence used to underpin this belief, as well as looking at why enterprises train their employees. The paper then looks at Australia's future training needs, and concludes that despite the apparent decrease in expenditure levels on industry training in recent years, there is considerable evidence to show that Australia is developing a culture of training and learning in its enterprises.

Selected papers from this conference are indexed from TD/TNC 62.34 to TD/TNC 62.38. Show less

This paper explores the state of industry training in Australia and the forces that are shaping the emerging demand for training in Australian firms. It presents a synthesis of statistical data collected on industry training in the last ten years on the determinants, past and future, of Australian enterprise training. It has been a commonly accepted view in Australia that employer investment in training is low and lags significantly behind that of the country's major international competitors. This view has largely derived from successive studies of employer training expenditure in Australia and from rather unreliable international comparative data that suggest that the level of employer training expenditure is low and has declined since the mid 1990s. However, this pessimistic view of Australian investment in industry training is not borne out by recent surveys of training practices within Australian firms and of employer attitudes towards the vocational education and training (VET) system. These surveys show that the majority of employees receive some form of structured or unstructured training in their workplaces and that the majority of firms provide training. Moreover, firms who use the VET system to meet their training requirements are satisfied with the way the system operates and with the training that the system provides. This more optimistic view of industry training in Australia is also confirmed by qualitative studies in recent years that have shown a significant level of commitment to employee training amongst Australian firms and a high level of innovation in the way that firms meet their training needs. The paper argues that there is a convincing body of research evidence that demonstrates that there is a high and continuing level of investment in training by Australian firms.

Published abstract.

The two volumes of collected papers are indexed at TD/TNC 64.287 and TD/TNC 64.355. Selected papers from volume one are indexed from TD/TNC 64.288 to TD/TNC 64.320; selected papers from volume two are indexed from TD/TNC 64.321 to TD/TNC 64.354. Show less

Competency based training, a new national framework for training and the introduction of new forms of apprenticeship and traineeship training have impacted on the way training is carried out in Australia. This book, aimed at both students of training and development and the practitioner, examines the main issues in the practice of training and development. It covers the role of the training and development practitioner and the process of training, looking at needs analysis through to design and evaluation. The chapters are: Training and development in Australia; The Australian training system; Learners and learning; Training and organisations; Analysing training needs; Designing training programs; Delivering training; Assessment and evaluation in training; Management development; Towards the learning organisation; Coaching, counselling and consulting. Each chapter contains a summary and discussion questions. Show less

This brief article looks at some of the factors that drive training in Australian enterprises. The author begins by emphasising that much of the research into training issues focuses on how training is done, rather than research into and understanding of the operation of training within Australian enterprises, resulting in policies that do not adequately address the real needs of industry. As a result of this lack in research, the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) and the Office of Training and Further Education (OTFE) in Victoria decided to fund a major research project to examine how and why employers trained their employees. The project, Industry Training Studies involved both qualitative and quantitative research conducted over a period from 1994 to 1996, and included forty-two case studies of private sector Australian enterprises. The research was carried out by a team of researchers from the Group for Research in Employment and Training (GREAT) at Charles Sturt University and the Research Center in VET at the University of Technology, Sydney. This article outlines the study and presents a model of enterprise training. Show less