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This report represents the findings from an Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) funded enquiry into women’s place as leaders and managers in Australia, in preparation for the twenty-first century. Following from some of the work done for the Karpin report, this project undertook: (1) an exploration of the existing literature from 1990 to the present, relating to the role gender plays in training and selection processes for leaders and managers; (2) to identify the cultural construction of successful female executives and managers based on the personal views of women leaders and managers in Australia and overseas; and (3) to gather observations from women in senior, middle and frontline or supervisory positions and from large, medium and small businesses and to contextualise findings. Many of the observations relate to women and men who seek positions of power in business and the community. The recommendations are clustered round themes of globalisation, social responsibility, and reconceiving roles for managers and leaders. Show less

The 1995 Karpin report (indexed at TD/TNC 43.53) identified 27 areas of improvement for Australian institutionalised leadership and management development and five levers of change: globalisation; lifelong learning; an enterprise-focused culture; diversity in the workforce; and ‘best practice’ procedures. This project investigates institutionalised leadership, management and women and considers the following questions: What does literature tell us about workers in the 21st century and what are the implications for women decision-makers and decision-makers in general? How are global issues impacting on how we should lead and manage? What should we expect of our decision-makers? How did the women surveyed manage their careers and how did they define success? What recommendations for preparing managers and leaders can be drawn from the various areas of the investigation? The investigation found that: in terms of creating diversity within institutionalised leadership, recruitment practices and social circumstances still encouraged the status quo; refocusing Australian business and its leaders was unlikely to provide expanded opportunities for women in leading and management; the skills women were seen to have were often aligned with skills sought for lower management positions; women’s skills were comprehensive and suited to roles carrying greater responsibilities; while some effective strategies were in place, not all existing approaches to preparing women to lead and manage served women well; and for women to be appointed to positions of high responsibility, they should successfully reflect a recognisable management approach suited to the company’s and industry’s current style and values. The contents are: Introduction to the project; Karpin report and women; Global issues; Heroes and quests; Leadership, management and women; Many women, many views; Corporatising education and training; Women and work success: the competitive/cooperative dilemma; Women, their careers; Just managing? Show less

This article reports on a study that is concerned with surveying the aspirations of some students in an Australian technical and further education (TAFE) college and of developing strategies to address issues arising from the surveys. The study is essentially a series of surveys, though it has an action learning aspect because of its developmental nature; it describes problems, actions taken to solve them and subsequent review of those actions. It is a work in progress that began three years ago by seeking to understand why students in the health section of the Community and Health Services Training Centre at the college undertook their studies. The paper begins with some background matters and is followed by an account of the methods employed in the surveys. Next, some of the findings are displayed and discussed. Finally, an outline is given of some of the changes implemented as a result of the investigation process thus far.

Published abstract.

Available papers from the 8th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference, 'Emerging futures: recent, responsive and relevant research', are indexed from TD/TNC 81.564 to TD/TNC 81.610. Show less

Some communities in rural and regional Australia have become known as ‘learning communities’ as they concentrate on learning to promote social cohesion, regeneration and economic development in the face of challenges, many of which are generated as the globalised knowledge economy emerges. In 2001, the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) launched its learning communities pilot national project to encourage the development of learning communities and learn more about them. Ten rural and regional communities received funding to undertake a learning audit as the initial stage of becoming a learning community. As part of the project, each community completed an audit of their learning strategies and capacity to become a learning community. These audits consistently reveal a number of common themes that are seen as being essential for the sustainable development of learning communities. This is the story of the Peel Region in Western Australia (WA). Show less

In 1995, a consortium comprising a number of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Colleges and university representatives was funded by Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) to investigate recommendations for curriculum, to prepare women leaders and managers for the twenty-first century. The investigation had its beginnings in early 1994. Based upon the earlier enquiry, the 1995 project investigated social, political and economic perspectives of the topic. A broad set of recommendations was developed. The next generation of the project is to focus on various components within the recommendations and decide upon viable audiences and products for 1999. The consortium model created spin offs into linked areas of activity, for example two Western Australian (WA) TAFE Colleges won funding to investigate leadership programs for people represented within diverse groups. Another link was created with a longitudinal study about gender inclusivity and organisational culture, involving two WA TAFE Colleges with the four WA public universities. In terms of describing a model to represent activities linked with the investigations, it appears to be an evolutionary process, with replications which have links back to the early discussions and theories but with changes created through new information gains.

Published abstract.

The volume of collected papers is indexed at TD/TNC 60.88. Show less

This chapter examines the history of adult literacy provision in Western Australia between 1973 and 1999, and the changes in policy discourse that have occurred. It is divided into four sections: (1) the situation of adult literacy provision in technical colleges in the mid-1970s and subsequent changes; (2) the impact of increasing national policy influences and funding, post-1990, including literacy and language in vocational education and training (VET); (3) factors that might have impacted on adult literacy development, coordination and articulation; and (4) fundamental issues that have pervaded the Western Australian scene over the last 30 years. The conclusion discusses reasons why adult literacy provision has become situated within the VET sector.

The volume of collected works is indexed at TD/TNC 75.295. Selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 75.296 to TD/TNC 75.299. Show less

As part of Western Australia's Regional Development Policy, collocation of services in regional Western Australia (WA) have been developed to ensure that regional WA communities have access to quality services. This initiative has involved fostering working relationships amongst stakeholder groups to increase the number and quality of services delivered to regional communities, to reduce capital and operational costs at local, state and national levels, and to promote superior services in some of the smaller communities. In this paper, the authors discuss the development of the Peel Education and TAFE campus. Challenger TAFE and its two education partners, the WA Department of Education and Murdoch University, are in the process of producing a new concept in joint campus delivery of education and training in Peel, WA. This concept builds on existing Australian models of education and VET campus collocation by incorporating the policy directions of a range of decisions made at both Commonwealth and state levels into its planning process.

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

The aim of the project reported here was to identify characteristics of a learning community and the type of vision and values that have been associated with effective lifelong learning and to consider how these might enmesh with existing planning and priorities of the City of Mandurah and the wider Peel region in Western Australia. A second feature of the investigation was to identify how the Peel Education and TAFE Campus could value-add to existing goals and initiatives in the region so that it could effectively support regional development and industry and community effort. For the purpose of this project ‘community’ was given a broad definition to include service organisations, voluntary groups, Indigenous people, other ethnic groups, arts and music groups, as well as a collective term for citizens within the region. The project provided opportunities for discussion to occur but it was decided that it should not take a directive role because there was the danger that this could be perceived as campus self-interest rather than an effort to understand community and industry needs. Because formal and non-formal education are the main activities of the Peel Education and TAFE Campus it was also important that the learning community vision was not dominated by campus activities and views which could have created an imbalance. At the same time, a lead agency required the resources to sustain learning community effort. The planning group debated the issue, particularly considering whether to target their resources and therefore have a greater chance of producing a positive outcome or whether to spread the resources more widely, in a spirit of fairness. A working group is now assisting the City of Mandurah in planning a community consultation forum to decide future directions.

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 and from TD/TNC 73.681 to TD/TNC 78.689. Show less