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Old dogs, new tricks: training mature-aged manufacturing workers

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for im ... Show more
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for improving training for mature-aged workers may be offered. Design/methodology/approach – Six expert interviews were carried out by telephone, and three case studies involving company site visits were completed. Each company case study involved interviews with managers, trainers and mature-aged workers. The study was confined to the manufacturing industry. Findings – Mature-aged workers bring many advantages to workplaces and some employers show a definite preference for them over younger workers; but in some cases training needs to take account of lack of confidence and literacy and health issues. However, there is great diversity among mature-aged workers. Research limitations/implications – The research is confined to shop-floor workers in manufacturing, and does not address training of mature-aged managers and professionals. The research is small-scale but provides new insights, and importantly the voices of the workers themselves. Practical implications – The paper identifies managerial and training practices that can immediately be implemented. Originality/value – The paper identifies some issues that can be taken up at a policy level as well as within companies. For example, the preference for qualification-based training at a national level is not necessarily consistent with what mature-aged workers prefer.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Smith, Andrew; Selby Smith, Chris

Date: 2010

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Journal of workplace learning

Subjects: Industry; Teaching and learning; Workforce development ... [+] Show more
Learning and training in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships

The number of young people commencing apprenticeships and traineeships whilst at school, and monitored by their sch ... Show more
The number of young people commencing apprenticeships and traineeships whilst at school, and monitored by their school, has grown considerably, encouraged by State and Federal governments, since the first participants began in 1997. There has as yet been little research into the nature of the training given to, and learning experienced by, such young people; most published literature has related to organisational issues. This paper reports on a research project funded by the National Research and Evaluation Committee [NREC] into learning and training in school-based new apprenticeships (SBNAs). A questionnaire was sent to a large sample of all SBNAs in three States: Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, using a survey instrument adapted from a previous NREC study, 'School students' learning from their paid and unpaid work' (report indexed at TD/TNC 68.01). The results present an overview of SBNA employment, training and learning practices which will provide an important basis for development of policy and practice in this area.
Published abstract.
The collection of papers is indexed at TD/TNC 73.601. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 73.602 to TD/TNC 73.621. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Wilson, Lou

Conference name: Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association Conference

Date: 2003

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Apprenticeship; Traineeship ... [+] Show more
On the right trac

TRAC (Training for Retail and Commerce) is a work experience scheme set up by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum, which re ... Show more
TRAC (Training for Retail and Commerce) is a work experience scheme set up by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum, which requires employers to pay for their placement students, and also requires them to assess students formally for Higher School Certificate (HSC) marks. Although the project began in the retail trade, office administration, hospitality, and communication and media strands are now offered. This article describes the scheme, and its successful outcomes. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Date: 1994

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; New South Wales

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Australian training review

Subjects: Secondary education; Industry; Research ... [+] Show more
Work placements in vocational education and training courses: evidence from the cross-sectoral literature

This report is a review of the literature, available research and current Australian practice relating to work plac ... Show more
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

Authors: Smith, Erica; Harris, Roger

Corporate authors: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)

Date: 2001

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: Review of research

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Students; Workforce development ... [+] Show more
VET teachers and training packages

This article addresses the extent of teachers' knowledge about Training Packages and their attitudes towards and ex ... Show more
This article addresses the extent of teachers' knowledge about Training Packages and their attitudes towards and expectations of them. It presents information from current research about competency-based training and reports on teachers and Training Packages. The effects that Training Packages will have on teachers and managers work and staff development, is also discussed.
In conclusion it is reported that awareness of Training Packages in mid-to-late 1998 was fairly low. They represent a big change in the way in which VET will be delivered and will therefore require a great deal of staff training. Show less

Authors: Lowrie, Tom; Smith, Erica

Date: 1999

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Australian TAFE teacher

Subjects: Workforce development; Teaching and learning; Skills and knowledge ... [+] Show more
From training reform to training packages

This book is an updated version of 'Making sense of training reform and competency-based training' [available in VO ... Show more
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

Authors: Smith, Erica; Keating, Jack

Date: 2003

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Assessment; Pathways; Teaching and learning ... [+] Show more
In defence of training

This article comments that it is currently unfashionable to use the terms 'training' and 'teaching', and that all s ... Show more
This article comments that it is currently unfashionable to use the terms 'training' and 'teaching', and that all sectors of education and training have been replacing them with the term 'learning'. It is further contended that these moves indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of the relationship between training and learning and the article intends to show that purposeful learning in the vocational education and training (VET) sector and within organisations can rarely be achieved without training. Show less

Authors: Smith, Andrew; Smith, Erica

Date: 1998

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Australian training review

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Teaching and learning
When employers become training providers: what are some institutional issues?

This paper reports on some findings from a major national research project into a fairly new development in Austral ... Show more
This paper reports on some findings from a major national research project into a fairly new development in Australian vocational education and training (VET): the offering by enterprises, as training providers, of qualification-based training to their workers. The research was undertaken within enterprise registered training organisations (enterprise RTOs); these are companies or other non-educational organisations that have been accredited to offer qualifications, primarily to their own workers.
The paper uses findings from the project to explore the institutional infrastructure associated with employer decisions to become enterprise RTOs and maintain that status. Three aspects are examined. Firstly, the paper reports how enterprise RTOs interact with the national VET system, in terms of compliance with national quality and reporting requirements. Secondly, it examines the internal infrastructures set up within the companies to operate the enterprise RTO itself and to carry out training that results in a national qualification. Thirdly it explores the impact upon workers (who are also learners) of this way of delivering training. The project found that the processes required to operate as an enterprise RTO were very complex and demanding, and that the enterprise RTO was regularly required to prove its worth to the broader company. In an unanticipated finding, it emerged that during the project's life, changes in the economic and business environment affected the companies within which enterprise RTOs operated, affecting the operations and structure of the RTOs.
Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica; Walker, Arlene; Smith, Andrew

Conference name: International Conference on Researching Work and Learning

Date: 2015

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Conference paper

Subjects: Providers of education and training; Industry; Management ... [+] Show more
On the right TRAC: employers' views of a schools-industry partnership

TRAC (Training for Retail and Commerce) was established by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum. It is an employer-school pr ... Show more
TRAC (Training for Retail and Commerce) was established by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum. It is an employer-school program which requires employers to pay for their placement students and to assess students for Higher School Certificate (HSC) marks.
Erica Smith explores the reasons behind the dramatic success of the program including its professional approach, the focus on improving skills, not job-seeking, the liaison between schools and industry and the criteria used for selecting students. Show less

Authors: Smith, Erica

Date: 1994

Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; New South Wales

Resource type: Article

Journal title: Training agenda: a journal of vocational education and training

Subjects: Secondary education; Industry; Research ... [+] Show more
Best of 2020: highlights from Seasons 4 and 5

In 2020, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) invited expert vocational voices from the vo ... Show more
In 2020, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) invited expert vocational voices from the vocational education and training (VET) sector to share their views, stories, experiences and insights on a range of hot topics. This podcast is a roundup of interesting snippets and research findings from across the eight podcast episodes released during the year. Full of short and sharp insights from each of the guest speakers, it covers off some of the best bits of Seasons 4 and 5.
Edited abstract from publisher's website. Show less

Authors: Davis, Steve; Walker, Simon; Griffin, Tabatha; Shreeve, Robin ... [+] Show more

Date: 2020

Geographic subjects: Australia; Oceania

Resource type: Webinar or podcast

Series name: Vocational voices

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Providers of education and training; Skills and knowledge ... [+] Show more