Search Results

The recent focus on the skilling of the Australian workforce brings into prominence the need for women to have access to the full range of vocational training opportunities. This report provides a national overview of TAFE women's access courses and documents their successful outcomes, reviewing courses in each state/territory. It examines requirements of and courses for women with special educational needs - such as Aboriginal women, women from non-English speaking backgrounds, socially disadvantaged women, deaf women, female prisoners, sole parent pensioners. The NOW (New Opportunities for Women) program in WA is evaluated. Women's access issues, implications and future directions are discussed. Show less

This report highlights the major impact that award restructuring has on women workers. It is well understood that award restructuring will have a major impact on all workers. But in the case of women workers, this impact will be even more significant. For women, the restructuring process will either reinforce the existing division of labour by sex or it will mean the revaluing of women’s traditionally undervalued skills. Award restructuring will impact on women differently because women are concentrated in specific industries and occupations, and because unlike male workers, 39 per cent of women work part-time. At each stage the award restructuring process will have to be monitored and adjusted to ensure its responsiveness to women workers and to their particular position in an industry’s workforce. These guidelines have been designed to assist in that adjustment process. They provide specific strategies which can be applied to industry level to reduce the division of men and women into different occupations, classifications and skill categories. Like award restructuring itself, the guidelines are ultimately about removing barriers and increasing flexibility.

Excerpt from published preamble. Show less