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This report presents the findings of a survey of students who participated in programs funded by the Enterprise & Career Education Foundation (ECEF) during 2001 and left school in that year. Of the 42,000 questionnaires issued, 14,306 responses were received, providing a clear picture of outcomes for those young people when they left school in terms of employment, unemployment and further study. The report also examines the links between work placements and industry, apprenticeships and traineeships, and other kinds of training. The majority of respondents (74.3%) were in either full time work or full time study. Of the employed respondents, 40.2% were working in the same industry sector as their work placement and 40.7% were in apprenticeships and traineeships. For the 1999, 2000 and 2001 cohorts, female respondents were significantly more likely to be in full time study and less likely to be in full time work than their male counterparts. From 2000 to 2001, the proportion of respondents with a disability in full time study increased from 27.5% to 40.8%. Although the rate of unemployment in this group was almost halved during this period, they were significantly less likely to be employed on a full time basis. The proportion of Indigenous respondents studying full time was lower than the overall percentage of respondents in full time study. The rate of unemployment in this group was higher than the unemployment rate of respondents in general. Show less

This study is an evaluation of the developmental needs of business leaders. Altogether, 190 leaders, representing 22 nationalities, participated in 12 four-day training sessions. The first aim of this study was to identify the key developmental concerns of leaders; the second was to determine what kinds of training methods the leaders preferred; and the third was to design a form that could be used for further training. Fourteen developmental areas were identified. The key areas that needed development were related to interaction, coaching, giving and receiving feedback, and everyday work skills. Artificial experience building and tailor-made training were preferred over lecturing. In further training, activating methods need to be used and demographics taken into consideration.

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Community colleges have a role to play in providing support for students as they exit vocational or career preparation programs. As colleges have been challenged by an expanding transfer function, it is important that colleges understand student expectations. Such understanding helps to both serve students enrolled in programs and to meet the unique needs of local business and industry. Through an examination at two community colleges, students in vocational programs agreed most strongly that they wanted to be able to evaluate teachers and have support for finding a job. Additionally, most students believed that they would stay in the jobs they received immediately after graduation for the remainder of their career. However, they recognized that they will need to return for additional training in the very near future.

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This paper will try to show how a graduate tracer study, if used effectively, can be an important tool for obtaining valuable information to assess the quality of [vocational and technical education and training] VTET programs and subsequently use for management as well as policy decisions. A graduate survey was carried out on the graduates from construction related programs offered by VTET in Brunei Darussalam graduating from the year 1999 to 2008 with the objectives of generating comprehensive information on labor market outcomes of these graduates, their transition from VTET to work and to get their views and opinions on the quality and relevance of their training to their present job. The questionnaire survey was carried out between the months of March and April 2009 with a respond rate of about 60 per cent.

The study shows the trends and patterns in employment, unemployment and further studies of the graduates covered in the 10 year period. The study also yields some interesting facts during their transition from VTET institutions to the world of work. It also explores the opinions of the graduates on the relevance of the programs attended to their present job in light of their employment experiences and analyses the changes they think would improve the link between VTET and employment. Lastly, a few recommendations were suggested on how the information could be used for quality management of VTET programs.

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The aim of this study is to investigate and compare rural and urban returns to additional vocational education after completing formal education in the Philippines. We estimate the returns to additional vocational education after formal education in formal employment and also rural/urban disparities for each industry sector. The investigation of the wage effect is based on the Mincerian Earnings Function, initially using [ordinary least squares] OLS estimations and then correcting for sample selection bias using the Heckman method. Preliminary findings confirm that the wage effect is associated with additional vocational education for those completing secondary education, and the effect is more pronounced in rural than in urban areas. Thus, our principal finding is that vocational education is potentially more useful in rural areas, especially for those completing secondary education in the Philippines and especially considering that only about 6 per cent of the workforce has completed any vocational education.

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The International Specialised Skills Institute (ISSI) is an independent, national organisation that works with Australian governments, industry and education institutions to enable individuals to gain enhanced skills and experience in traditional trades, professions and leading-edge technologies. Fellows travel overseas and, upon their return, are required to pass on what they have learned through a detailed report, recommendations for improvements and delivering training activities.

The purposes of this fellowship were to: gain insight into future trends for the Australian meat industry, based on current European trends; provide advice on alternative training qualifications and models for meat retailers (butchers); and gain insight into potential models for post-trade training for Australian butchers. The author visited butcher shops, meat departments and food halls in supermarkets/department stores and training organisations in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Denmark over a five-week period in 2012. Show less

This paper investigates employment effects of further vocational training, short classroom training, as well as One-Euro-Jobs for lone mothers receiving Unemployment Benefit II (UB II) in Germany. Lone mothers receiving UB II participate in these active labor market programs at very high rates. As soon as their youngest child is aged three or above, their program entry rates are as high as for childless singles. This paper examines whether lone mothers can actually profit from participating in these programs, given low levels of childcare provision. The empirical analyses are based on administrative data. A timing-of-events approach is used to control for possible selectivity in program entries. Separate models are estimated for entries into minor employment, regular contributory employment in general, and regular contributory employment connected to a complete exit from benefit receipt. Findings are that lone mothers profit especially strongly from participating in vocational training programs in terms of entering regular contributory employment in general as well as regular contributory employment connected to a complete exit from benefit receipt. Presumably, they can particularly benefit from updating their job skills after interrupting their employment for some time to care for their children. Effects of short classroom training programs are somewhat smaller, and One-Euro-Jobs have small positive effects for some, but not all, groups of lone mothers.

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Teacher education in South Africa is undergoing a process of transformation at present. This must be considered in the context of broader changes - both political, economic and social -taking place throughout the country, and also the restructuring of the education system as a whole. In the past an imbalance has been apparent in South Africa’s education and training system, with a small segment of the population receiving well-developed and well-equipped services, and millions of others being functionally illiterate. Global forces have begun to have an impact on education reforms within South Africa, however, with globalisation, technological change, and new forms of work organisation influencing changes in higher education. This has seen employers and policy-makers calling for a transition from academic education to an emphasis on essential skills needed for the modern market place. It is recognised that these skills are different from those that were needed in the industrial era, with an increased proficiency required in adaptability, interpersonal and communication skills, creativity, problem-solving and a competence in teamwork. Other developments seen in South Africa have been an increasingly outcomes-based approach, a recognition of the importance of lifelong learning and progress made in the area of interdepartmental co-operation. These all have implications for teacher education programs in South Africa, as an improvement in the quality of education and training calls for an improvement in the quality of teacher education. It will be necessary for teachers to have: a solid foundation in the basic skills; a working knowledge of national standards; a strong science and technology orientation; a supportive attitude towards vocationally and skills-orientated education; a view of themselves as lifelong learners; and a strong international orientation. Show less

In the 2015-16 Commonwealth Budget, the Australian Government announced a $322 million Youth Employment Strategy under the Jobs and Small Business Package. The Transition to Work (TtW) service forms an integral component of the Youth Employment Strategy and was rolled out between February 2016 and May 2016. The TtW service helps young people aged 15 to 21 to get into work or education. TtW aims to increase the work-readiness of early school leavers who are finding it difficult to move from education into work by providing intensive pre-employment support to increase the work-readiness of young people and help them into work (including apprenticeships and traineeships) or education. The service also has a strong focus on helping young people to understand and to develop the skills, attitudes and behaviours employers expect.

The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business (the department) has overall responsibility for TtW, through providers contracted by the department to deliver the service. TtW operates separately from the Government's mainstream employment service, jobactive, and other targeted employment services. The major difference between TtW and jobactive is that TtW is a 12-month service that specifically targets early school leavers, aged between 15 and 21, who require intensive support to address the barriers they face to entering and maintaining employment. The department requires TtW providers to have experience in working with disengaged youth.

The evaluation of TtW has two stages: a formative stage and a summative stage. The formative stage focuses on the phased rollout and early referrals up to 31 July 2016 (the inflow period). The summative stage will be an in-depth assessment of the overall performance of referrals to TtW covering the phased rollout from February to May 2016 up to the end of March 2017. This interim evaluation report outlines evaluation activities undertaken during the formative stage, with findings primarily focused on: (1) the early implementation and operation of the TtW service; (2) engagement and retention of participants in TtW; and (3) early education, employment and labour market attachment outcomes. Overall, the evaluation found that TtW is an appropriate and well-received service for young people. It delivers high-quality services to the identified target groups in a flexible and effective manner. Despite some initial issues with the implementation of TtW, the service's operational processes appear sound. The strong evidence-based design underpinning TtW, together with funding arrangements that support intensive servicing presumably contributed to the positive outcomes achieved over the six month follow up period from commencement in services. Providers and participants suggested a number of changes to expand the eligibility for and participation in the TtW service and recommended ways that the department could improve the delivery of TtW.

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The Next Step Longitudinal study builds upon the annual Next Step survey, which has been conducted by the Department of Education and Training (DET) since 2005. The Next Step Longitudinal study informs understanding of longer term social and economic outcomes of the educational system and supplements the 'point-in-time' information provided by the annual Next Step survey. The 2016 Next Step Longitudinal study documents the study and work pathways that this group of young people have taken in the six years since completing school. Findings show that six years after completing Year 12: the majority of young people (9 1.0 per cent) were studying or in paid employment at the time of the survey; Bachelor Degree or higher programs were being undertaken by 23.2 per cent of young people; campus-based vocational education and training (VET) programs were being completed by 8.2 per cent of young people; employment-based training accounted for 4.6 per cent of young people, either in apprenticeships (3.4 per cent) or traineeships (1.2 per cent); full-time work, with no education or training, accounted for 41.6 per cent of young people with a further 13.3 per cent undertaking part-time work; the remaining 9.0 per cent of young people were either seeking work (5.5 per cent) or not in the labour force, education or training (3.5 per cent).

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