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Disparity in educational and career outcomes between rural, regional and remote (RRR) students and their metropolitan counterparts persists despite successive federal and state government initiatives. In this paper, we will present a study that highlights one important, yet overlooked, avenue to improve outcomes for RRR students: early-stage careers education. Informed by interviews conducted with RRR principals and deputy principals from Victoria and Queensland (n = 10), we present a new approach to the delivery and content of careers education in RRR contexts. The approach advocates for a purposeful programme from Year 7, which includes the engagement of key influencers such as parents/carers, peers and local industry, as well as tailoring activities to also reflect regional job trends and pathways. The broader implications of our findings to curriculum design are also presented and challenge the prevailing approach of Year 9/10 as the optimal period to immerse careers education.

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It is now widely recognised that the creative industries constitute an important and growing global economic sector (Cunningham, 2007). Career development programs for the creative industries sector are an international priority (Guile, 2007) which faces several key challenges. These challenges relate to the unique nature of the creative industries. In the creative industries it is thus of critical importance that tertiary work-integrated learning programs focus on more than just training students to become employees: they must also focus on developing the experience and employability of students who will undertake non-conventional career paths. One challenge for work-integrated learning programs in the creative industries is that there is little professional tradition of internships; many employers are not experienced in work-integrated learning participation, and many academics are not familiar with work-integrated learning. This paper reports on the results of an evaluative research program undertaken one year after the launch of the Queensland University of Technology’s (Brisbane, Australia) Creative Industries Transitions to New Professional Environments work-integrated learning program, focusing particularly on key themes and issues identified in interviews with the program’s industry partners and academic staff.

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In this article, the author begins with a look at the factors that have resulted in the formation of the 'skills gap' in Australia. The concept of 'skills gap' and the two major factors affecting it, the fertility rate and the training rate, are explored. The discussion then examines models of addressing skills shortages in Australia, and one model in particular being implemented by the Australian Technical College - North Brisbane, where the college, the supervising registered training organisation, and the employer are collaborating to deliver successful outcomes for both industry and the student-apprentices. The model involves a '2+2' approach where the student-apprentices undertake two years of study at the college, including substantial components of workplace learning whilst completing their Senior Certificate, providing opportunity for higher education pathways. The final two years of the apprenticeship are spent in the workplace with the employer on a full-time basis.

This article is part of a thematic edition of Vocal entitled 'What works for vocational education and training in schools in terms of developing connections, building capacity and enhancing collaboration'. Articles are indexed from TD/TNC 94.144 to TD/TNC 94.150 and from TD/TNC 94.264 to TD/TNC 95.276. Show less

This paper centres on the development of the Vocational Graduate Certificate in Applied Biotechnology (Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals) at Southbank Institute of Technology (SBIT), which has taken place over the last 12 months. The paper comprises: an introduction and definition of vocational graduate qualifications; a focus on the intensive skills audit performed in industry that informed the writing of the qualification and demonstrated/confirmed its need; a defining of the valuable role played by the Queensland Pharmaceutical & Nutraceutical Industry Forum (QPNIF) in bringing industry, education and training stakeholders together in a cohesive and collaborative manner to identify skilling shortages; a summary of the curriculum development phase with industry writers, including emphasis on the challenges of encoding higher level skills and knowledge into units of competency format; an elaboration of the delivery model and Cadetship Scheme that has been developed in association with the Department of Education, Training and the Arts and the Department of State Development; and a conclusion including signalling of SBIT's plans for development of [Vocational Graduate Diploma] VGD of Applied Biotechnology.

Published abstract.

A list of the presentations from this conference may be found at TD/TNC 90.554; available papers are indexed from TD/TNC 90.555 to TD/TNC 90.578. Show less

The Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE (SQIT) provides a broad range of training courses to learners in diverse locations. It is also regarded as one of the most progressive TAFE institutes in Queensland with a significant growth in training activity over the past year, particularly in information technology, rural and building areas. SQIT has also been involved in videostreaming, an innovative online delivery method using a combination of video conferencing and online technologies to enhance student access to programs. Other achievements are highlighted, including technology upgrading, participation in programs to assist employment outcomes of young people in regional areas, and working with industry to provide training tailored to localised industry needs. Show less

In recognition of the need to lift Australia's Year 12 or equivalent completion rates, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to a National Partnership on Youth Attainment and Transitions in July 2009. The School Business Community Partnership Brokers program is one of the programs administered by the federal government as part of this partnership. The Partnership Brokers program aims to build partnerships to improve education and transition outcomes for all young people, with a particular emphasis on supporting young people to achieve Year 12 or equivalent qualifications. Partnership Brokers form locally relevant partnerships that harness community resources and share responsibility for young people's learning and development. They encourage the development of partnerships between education and training providers, business and industry, parents and families, and community groups. The Smith Family is the provider of the Partnership Broker program in six regions (Brisbane North and West, Brisbane South East and Redland City, Gold Coast and Darling Downs in Queensland, the Illawarra in New South Wales and Darwin and Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory). This report examines 11 partnerships that have been developed and supported by some of the Smith Family Partnership Brokers across the six regions in which it operates. The partnerships focus on improving student wellbeing, empowering communities, and introducing young people to the world of work.

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The Queensland Government released this discussion paper for public consultation. The discussion paper invited feedback from stakeholders to inform a new Queensland VET strategy. Stakeholder views were sought on key questions related to three themes: (1) meeting the need for skills through industry advice and market settings; (2) the role of providers in delivering VET services; and (3) encouraging all Queenslanders to participate in VET. Feedback from stakeholders will contribute to the development of a VET Strategy to build a Queensland VET sector that is flexible and responsive and provides pathways to job outcomes for students as well as delivering the skills employers need now and into the future.

Public consultation and submissions in response to the discussion paper closed in October 2018. A total of 45 responses were received via the Get involved online survey and 43 written submissions were received from a range of stakeholders. There were 158 attendees at the seven regional consultation forums held at the following locations: Central Queensland, North Queensland, Brisbane Metropolitan, Darling Downs South West, North Coast, South East Queensland, and Far North Queensland.

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Industry-school partnerships (ISPs) are increasingly being recognised as a new way of providing vocational education opportunities. However, there is limited research investigating their impact on school-to-work transitions. This paper reports on a government-led ISP, the Gateway to Industry Schools program, established in Queensland, Australia. The Queensland State government facilitated ISPs across three industry sectors: minerals and energy; building and construction; and aviation.

This research adopted a qualitative case study methodology and draws upon boundary crossing theory as means to understand the dynamics of each industry sector. The main finding was that as boundary crossing mechanisms are systematically applied by all partners there are mutually beneficial outcomes. ISPs who genuinely boundary cross are able to co-produce industry-based curriculums that prepare suitably employable school graduates.

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The study investigated teachers' purposes and approaches to communication for connectivity and integration of learning, informed by two research questions which examined teachers' approaches to connecting with those responsible for students' learning and integration when they are in the workplace; and what outcomes teachers expected to achieve through such communication. An online survey was completed by 95 vocational education and training (VET) teachers from Queensland, Australia, and the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. The findings show that teachers are well-connected and achieve multiple purposes when communicating with industry supervisors. Their main purposes of communication are to coordinate and cooperate to improve arrangements for students' learning, and to a lesser extent, to co-construct curricula. Communication to co-design learning activities and scenarios would further enhance the connectivity and integration. This research contributes to a gap in literature on teachers' purposes for communicating for connectivity and integration of learning.

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Industry school partnerships have emerged recently in Australia as a policy solution for the management of problems associated with integration into the global economy. This paper draws on governmentality theory to examine a transnational partnership, the Gateways to the Aerospace Industry Project, which has been mobilised to manage transition risk for young people in the state education system of Queensland, Australia. It argues that globalisation emerges as an effect of knowledge producing practices and programmes that seek to reconfigure the governmental spaces and subjectivities in and around schools and communities.

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