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Most of the 14 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries have been attempting to make the transition from school to work pathways more attractive, open and flexible, and to increase the opportunities to combine vocational learning with general education. And while many of the pathways policy initiatives adopted by these countries share similar rationales and objectives, they differ in that each is influenced by the existing education and labour market structures and approaches to policy making. This article looks at vocational education and training (VET) in schools in Australia in the context of what lessons can be learnt from other countries. Show less

On-going economic and social changes have increased the importance of up-to-date skills and knowledge. A growing share of economic activity is knowledge and information intensive, and the complexities of modern society require people to be open to new ideas and adept at new ways of doing things. Those who are not able to anticipate and adapt to change are likely to become increasingly marginalised in economic and social life. Concerns such as these have fuelled considerable interest in the lifelong learning concept in recent years. What is not so clear is what lifelong learning actually means, and what policy actions may be necessary to bring it about. This paper attempts to identify the major elements of a lifelong learning framework, and the policy priorities that it implies. The discussion is illustrated by comparisons of Australia's educational participation and attainment with that of other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Show less

This paper reviews options for providing additional funds for a tertiary institution and for improving efficiency in the use of funds. It reviews the context of the funding for VET and higher education in Australia and specifically for the Northern Territory, then considers some possible ways of increasing funding or reducing the costs of providing education and training. Ways in which public funding could be expanded are discussed, as is private funding, and finally ways of increasing the efficiency of delivery and hence reducing the cost per [equivalent full-time student unit] EFTSU or per student hour.

Abstract from Trove website. Show less

On Track is a Victorian Government initiative designed to ensure that all students are on a pathway to further education, training or employment after leaving school. It involves making contact with Year 10 to 12 students in the year after they leave school to map their initial destinations and the factors involved, and offering assistance to school leavers who appear to be experiencing a problematic transition. In addition, a longitudinal component follows the post-school experiences of a sub-set of school leavers over a four-year period. The results are provided back to schools, tertiary providers, regions and [Local Learning and Employment Networks] LLENS to assist with program development. The project, which was launched in 2003, was the first of this scope to be undertaken by an Australian government. In 2008 around 33,300 completers of Year 12 or a vocational equivalent were interviewed, along with 4,700 early leavers. The paper provides an overview of the main trends in Victorian school-leaver pathways since 2003 and key results from the 2008 survey, and discusses their policy implications.

Published abstract. Show less

The case for public expenditure on education is based on its contribution to the good of society over and above the benefits received by the individual educated. These benefits can be economic, the benefits of a larger pool of educated labour that allow for rapid economic development, and social, including the benefits of more committed law abiding citizens and the relief of poverty. The key questions discussed in this paper are: How much should governments spend on education; Who and what should their spending be directed to; and How can they ensure that their spending is effective. Data from the World Education Indicators (WEI) and the various OECD indicators show that there is considerable variation on these matters. Some of the issues considered in this paper are: (1) The level of public expenditure on education and its distribution in relation to need; (2) Where expenditure can yield most benefits; and (3) The incentives and system level organisation and guidelines to ensure that expenditures are used effectively. The paper suggests that it is necessary to develop a system which has incentives to use resources effectively, and to direct more of them to where they are most needed. At the same time there is a need to be able to identify and quickly remedy areas of poor performance. The four features identified by the OECD mentioned earlier indicate the matters that the central authorities in any system need to address: (1) monitoring for weaknesses; (2) giving support where most needed; (3) setting system level standards and expectations; and (4) devolving responsibility where appropriate. Show less

This publication was written for a Working Group established by the ANTA Research Advisory Council. The review involved consideration of VET policy concerns, the major statistical data collections, a survey of and interviews with researchers who are extensive data users, the data problems in four major research areas, and discussions on developments with national data collection agencies. For conference paper, see TD/TNC 50.33 . Show less

The National Education Performance Monitoring Taskforce (NEPM) is developing key performance measures for national reporting in a number of areas relating to the National Goals for Schooling. Goal 3.6 relates to student participation, retention and completion/attainment, i.e. schooling should be socially just so that all students have access to the high quality education necessary to enable the completion of school education to Year 12 or its vocational equivalent, and that provides clear and recognised pathways to employment and further education and training. In this context the Taskforce contracted the consultants to develop a framework that provides a conceptual basis for developing nationally comparable measures of student participation, transition, retention and completion/attainment. This report identifies the next steps that need to be undertaken if the framework is to be introduced. They are: development of a transition strategy for the new framework; data development; identification and development of 'leading' measures; and integration of the range of NEPM Taskforce performance measures with the framework.

Excerpt from executive summary. Show less

The concept of pathways has been a powerful organising idea in Australian education and training over the past ten years. Two related trends have been affecting young people: a rapid decline in the number of full time jobs available to 15-19 year olds; and increasing education participation rates among 15-24 year olds. There is a growing recognition that a successful transition to work depends on having a sound foundation for further learning as well as having the skills that the labour market requires now. This paper attempts to provide an overview of the main features of education and training pathways in Australia and the policy challenges they give rise to.

The volume from which this paper was indexed is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 68.13; individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 69.21 to TD/TNC 69.35. Show less

Paper contributed to the Australian College of Education Silver Jubilee Conference entitled 'The human face of technological change'.

Selected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 87.1019 to TD/TNC 87.1033. Show less

This project addressed the economic outcomes of participation in vocational education and training as well as the differences in participation in TAFE by groups from various social and educational backgrounds. The ACER's 'Youth in transition' survey provided a data base, as that survey was a longitudinal study of the educational attainments of two cohorts of young Australians. Project conclusions covered these areas: the relationship between level of training and earnings, by gender; articulation between TAFE and universities; relationship between cost of vocational education and income rewards; disincentives to undertaking vocational education; equity of participation in TAFE; and policy development requirements in regard to designing and delivering curriculum that is relevant to the labour market as well as the balance between the numbers of persons trained and the labour market demand for those persons.

Tabular data included qualifications by family and school background as well as by gender; weekly take-home earnings by highest level of educational attainment and by gender. This project was funded by the ACER and by ANTA's Research Advisory Council (ANTARAC). Show less