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Five opinion pieces were released in 2013: (1) 'Cultural identity a factor in Indigenous education' by Howard Salkow (released 22 April); (2) 'Schools play a role in impacting tertiary entrance rankings and university enrolment' by Tom Karmel (released 1 June); (3) 'Teaching numeracy in VET' by Tom Karmel (released 22 July); (4) 'Skilling numeracy practitioners' by Howard Salkow (released 14 August); (5) 'Inconsistent university policy and practices impact VET graduates' by Howard Salkow (released 28 November). Show less

The 17th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association Conference (AVETRA) Conference was held on 22-24 April 2014 at the Outrigger Hotel, Surfers Paradise, Queensland. The theme was 'Informing changes in vocational education and training (VET) policy and practice: the central role of research'. The keynote sessions were as follows: Developments and anxieties and the completion agenda in American post-secondary education system / Thomas Bailey; Continuing education and training in Singapore: Skills, innovation and productivity / Soon Joo Gog; Apprenticeship: not just a learning experience / Erica Smith. The pre-conference workshops preceding the concurrent sessions were: Becoming a researcher through higher degree research studies: challenges and strategies / Sarojni Choy and Ros Kemmis Brennan; Writing and reviewing for the 'International Journal of Training Research' / Roger Harris, Berwyn Clayton and Steven Hodge; VOCEDplus: the resource of choice for VET researchers / Rose-Anne Polvere; Pedagogies that engage marginalised groups / Tony Dreise and Sally Thompson; The practitioner hub / Michele Simons, Linda Simon and Melinda Waters; Problem?: what problem?: refining your research question / John Stanwick and Michelle Circelli.

The presentations were: Learning a trade: apprentices' perspectives on workplace learning / Selena Chan; Sustainable employee driven innovation program in a VET workplace: a case example / Helen Gray; VET providers delivering associate and bachelor degrees: issues and impacts / Victor Callan; Work(er) driven innovation / Raymond Smith; Delineating personal and institutional facts to elaborate the goals and processes of vocational education / Stephen Billett; Rethinking innovation in VET practices: putting socio-material approaches to research to work / Melinda Waters; The ageing population: what are the implications for adult and community education (ACE) and VET? / Sally Thompson; Spaces for learning: restor(y)ing identities and perspectives through reflective autobiography / Jennifer Miles; Successes and stumbling-blocks: the role of research in informing changes to workforce development practices in industry / Roger Harris; Delivering higher education in VET: the experiences of VET teachers and managers / Rosalind Carter; Outcomes of incorporating e-learning in school VET delivery: how has Gen Y benefited from the 1:1 laptop program? / Catherine Ryan; When art becomes food: an application of Bourdieu's distinction to hospitality pedagogy / Andrew Dolphin; Historical influences on vocational education and training (VET) in Vietnam / Thi Hanh Ho; VET in Victoria: policies that abandon disadvantaged learners / Sally Brennan.

Learning pathways for economic enterprise in remote Aboriginal communities: are certificate IIIs the ticket? / Eva McRae-Williams; Measuring the cost and benefits of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) training in the workplace / Justin Brown; Codes of conduct and its impact on ethical action in vocational education and training / Sonal Nakar; Safety beyond classroom training to workplace learning for workers in perilous work environments / Kristine Yap; A marriage prearranged: contextualised leadership training meets national training frameworks / Jill Hadley; Midlife blindness and employability: the correlation between societal perceptions of blind people and those who support their employment / Bruce Blackshaw; Footprints to pathways: reconciliation action planning in industry to sustain indigenous employment in Queensland (QLD) / Bronwyn Ewing; Distance-based learners navigating between remote and real-time learning contexts / Hilary Timma; Successful transitions into the labour market for equity groups / Linda Pfeiffer; Recognition of prior learning (RPL) 'traveling' to vocational education and training policy: RPL as an example of educational policy marketisation and Europeanisation / Marin Gross; Where are the female trades teachers?: a study of views on increasing the number of female trades teachers / Linda Simon.

Failure to launch: a case of career transition from trade to teacher terminated / William Blayney; Can creative thinking skills help adult migrants complete a community VET course? / Joanne Maxwell; An authentic approach to facilitate vocational and technical education students' transition from education to work / Adeline Goh; Efficiency of Australian TAFE providers / Peter Fieger; Pouring new VET into old academic bottles / Stuart Middleton; Informing VET policy and practice: what research tells us about how senior vocational teachers view change / Jennifer Davids; Financial literacy education in the vocational education and training sector / Levon Blue; Amplifying the voice of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander VET stakeholders using research methodologies: volume 1 / John Guenther; A different journey: youth in learn locals / Louise Ellum; Co-creating innovation through shared expertise: principles underpinning the epistemology and scholarly contribution of a portfolio-based professional doctorate / Philip Thomas; The value of including languages other than English in vocational courses / Ivano Buoro; Working with cultural and linguistic diversity in manufacturing workplaces: a critical perspective / Keiko Yasukawa; Mimesis and vocational education / Stephen Billett; Guided learning: contemporary workers' experiences and benefits / Sarojni Choy; The Fulbright experience: a VET scholar's reflections / Damien Pearce; Where is the lifelong learning in Australian regional communities? / Rob Townsend.

Education for sustainability: an enabler of quality VET pedagogy? / Gitanjali Bedi; What do senior figures in Australian VET and industrial relations think about the concept of skill in work? / Erica Smith and Andy Smith; The role of vocational disciplinary knowledge in building VET teacher capabilities / Chris Corbel; New Zealand's first tertiary high school: student perceptions of their learning experiences in the first two years / Colleen Young; Expertise and the representation of knowledge in training packages / Steven Hodge; 'I don't just wear it... I live in it': pushing the boundaries: pedagogical practice in the hair and beauty industry / Roslin Brennan Kemmis; Adult community education and the older citizen / Ainslie Lamb and Ronald Browne; Workplace-based learning in Swedish upper secondary apprenticeship education / Ingrid Berglund; Assessment of unskilled adults' prior learning: fair to whom? / Vibe Aarkrog; Learning to integrate literature into essays: the challenge for new undergraduate VET trainers / Ann Kelly; Teacher professionalisation in relation to retention strategies / Bjarne Wahlgren; Challenges to the career development of socially disadvantaged young people not in education, employment and training: implications for vocational intervention / Patrick Danaher; Online learning communities: bridging the divide between theory and practice / Leo Gregorc.

A case of contemporary workplace learning: experiences of the teacher education practicum in vocational education and training in schools / Helen Keen-Dyer; Constituting VET professional development in contemporary times / Stephen Billett; Teaching fractions to indigenous adult learners enrolled in a civil construction course: knowledge and action in tandem / Bronwyn Ewing; Competencies for event planning and management: challenges to Thailand's vocational education sector / Apiramon Ourairat; Credit transfer rates at a regional university on the pathway towards dual sector status / Roslyn Cameron; Casual teacher perceptions of VET work / Katrina Kavanagh; Novice VET teacher learning through mentoring / Susanne Francisco; Competence-oriented curriculum reform in Austrian business schools and business academies / Christiane Schopf; Donor supported technical and vocational education and training (TVET) reforms in Bangladesh: perceptions, challenges and concerns from lived experiences of piloting teachers in transition / Tony Holland; Innovation: transgressive movements in working with knowledge in crossdisciplinary settings / Lorraine White-Hancock; National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) funded research for the research theme 'Students and individuals' (1999-2012) / Roslyn Cameron; Staff perspectives about gamefully designing Charles Darwin University / Alicia Boyle; Justice, employment and vocational education in the aged care and disability services sector / Mary Leahy.

How does VET research make an impact?: paths across the rickety bridge / Llandis Barratt-Pugh; Learning on the margins: experiencing low level VET programmes in a UK context / Liz Atkins; Models of continuing education and training: VET practitioner perspectives / Darryl Dymock and Raymond Smith; Geographical dimensions of imagined futures: post school participation in education and work in peri-urban and regional Australia / Susan Webb; Does education and training for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders lead to 'real' jobs?: evidence from the 2011 Census / John Guenther; Self-directed learning and apprenticeships: an emerging grounded study / Damien Pearce; Professional learning strategies which may have contributed to the improvement in VET lecturers' skills and their motivation for further learning / Anne Dening; Workplace change and learning: perceptions of workers / Mark Tyler and Darryl Dymock; VET practices and practice architectures / Stephen Kemmis; Practitioner research: do we value a culture of inquiry in VET? / Linda Simon 'Disadvantaged' older workers: exploring their experiences pursuing training opportunities to increase employability / Rebecca Meyers; Digital connectivity for networked learning: lessons of the learner experiences of farmers for the Australian vocational education and training system / Patrick Danaher; Deviating from the norm: promoting innovative student pathways / Helen Weadon.

Abstracts of all presentations are included in the conference program booklet. Available papers from the conference are in VOCEDplus from TD/TNC 116.1619 to TD/TNC 116.1623, TD/TNC 116.1625 to TD/TNC 116.1632, TD/TNC 116.1635, TD/TNC 116.1641 to TD/TNC 116.1650. Show less

Keynote presentations: Modernising South Australia’s vocational education system / Adrian Smith; Developing the skills of the 21st century workforce: the evolving education and training system of China and India / David Finegold; Hands on and hands up / Robyn Archer. Refereed presentations: VET pathways in Tasmania: collaborating for successful participation / Anne Langworthy; Indigenous VET expectations and outcomes: evidence from the 2006 [Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth] LSAY / Nicholas Biddle; Life after qualification: the [continuing professional development] CPD needs of UK and Australian VET teachers / Richard Lander-Clarke; Pathways, student motivations and human capital theory / Nick Fredman; ‘Way beyond my realm’: using educational pathways to build confidence and capacity / Mary Leahy; Conceptualising a role for VET within the senior secondary certificates / Kira Clarke; Skills recognition in Australian rail: emerging opportunities in a safety critical industry / Lisa Davies and Anne Morrison; What do VET students and graduates think about ‘skills for sustainability’? / Mike Brown and Fabian Sack; The odd couple: can skills recognition in VET cohabit with university learning? / Mark Doran and Alicia Toohey; First year apprentices’ experiences of workplace learning / Selena Chan; Deepening the analysis of labour market segmentation / Serena Yu. Presentations: Skills development in post-conflict countries: Afghanistan as a case study / Robert Duffy and Richard Pickersgill; The VET data transparency agenda explained / Sandra Pattison; Making the links between quality training, graduate destinations and building alumni in TAFE / Kate Dempsey; Initial pathways and transitions for apprentices and trainees with disability / Stian Thoresen; Boosting productivity and workforce participation: the interdependence of workers, employers and VET / John Buchanan; How to leverage the power of data and analytics to achieve enhanced student outcomes? / Nathan Banks; The effectiveness of peer learning in a vocational education setting / Flip Leijten; Diversity in pre-apprenticeship programmes / Phil Toner; ‘Getting the real picture; preparing early for university study’: a pilot for VET to HE transition / Janelle Davis; Hurdling the great divide: investigating enabling factors in construction industry transitions between VET and HE / Jane Carnegie; The importance of [language, literacy and numeracy] LLN skills to improving life and work outcomes / Blanca Camacho and Lynn Sendy-Smithers; The changing perspectives of adult literacy within Australia / Julianne Krusche; A change in the wind?: adult literacy policy and practice / Kate Perkins; Migrant women in regional Australia: the role of education and training in improving social inclusion / Denise Beale; Willingness-to-move: analysis using choice modelling / Aaron Nicholas; Neighbourhood effects of participation in education and training: implications for social exclusion / David Johnston; Improving workforce planning and development: perspectives of sessional VET practitioners / Natalie Jacques; Building capacity for scholarly practice in mixed sector institutions / Melanie Williams; Return on training investment: an industry perspective / Amanda Thomas; Beyond subject matter knowledge: the role of cultural competence in promoting academic success for minority groups / Eva Ritter; Determinants of mature age entry into education and training and its impacts / Domenico Tabasso; Beyond the policy: what did [Productivity Places Program] PPP deliver in SA? / Jeremy Phillips; Navigating VET: the experience of ‘at risk’ youth / George Myconos; Outcomes from workplace learning in school-based VET / Cain Polidano; Playing the odds: how does the [Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning] VCAL influence school leaving? / Sheldon Rothman; Teachers’ perspective of attributes and practices that enhance Indigenous students’ completion rates / Anne Bowden; Certificate IV in Aboriginal cultural heritage management: preliminary evaluations / Maddy Maitri; Support Indigenous educators in their work with children from birth to age five in remote Australia / Christine Tayler; Campus carbon footprint management: an Australian VET perspective / Penny Johnston; Productively independent: three decades of national research capacity / Don Zoellner; From TAFE to polytechnic / Amanda Torr; ‘Good teacher’?: effects of mentoring program on new teacher retention in TAFE-industry training / Mani Nallasamy; Extent to which subject-matter experts selected by industry can add criteria to frameworks of industry training packages / Hayden Downing; The art of the possible: measuring the impact of applied research / John Stanwick and Jo Hargreaves. Show less

The 21st No Frills Conference had more than 70 presenters participating within six breakout sessions over two days and eight pre-conference workshops. The program featured eminent international and national speakers and presentations that covered a broad range of research pertinent to the tertiary education sector. This is the guide to all the sessions and other events forming this year’s conference.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

In this article on Scottish Gaelic literacy there are parallels to be drawn with Aboriginal literacy here in Australia. Some pertinent questions are: (1) what are the benefits of teaching in the first language medium?; (2) how do we sustain or re-invigorate a language?; and (3) what are the difficulties for learners literate in a second language becoming literate in their first language?

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Articles featured in this article include: 'Community learning centres in Thailand' by Srisawang Leowarin (p. 7-28); 'The example of teaching permaculture' by Egay C. Dy (p. 29-36); 'Community-based learning: building capacities for change' by Ramon Mapa (p. 37-42); ''Ganokendra' - people's forum for lifelong learning and social development: the Bangladesh experience' by Ehsanur Rahman (p. 43-54); 'The potential of community learning centers in Cambodia: an approach by means of the world TERAKOYA movement' by Chiharu Kawakami (p. 55-64); 'It is time for Japanese 'Kominkan' to flower again' by Takaaki Iwasa (p. 65-74); 'Community education in Israel' by Asher Levy (p. 75-80); 'Some insights into community adult education in South Africa' by Farrell Hunter (p. 83-90); 'Literacy conscientization and the emergence of a critical mass in the Mopti region of Mali' by Boubacar Ba (p. 91-102); 'ECORA – community education through radio' by Jorge Aliaga Murillo (p. 105-122); 'Serving the people is reason to fight' by Betzabeth Zambrana Urizacari (p. 123-136); 'River-dweller populations in the Amazon region and the preservation of the traditional culture: dilemmas in a globalized society' by Valeria Vasconcelos O. (p. 137-146); 'Municipal commitment to continuing education and vocational training' by Klaus Hebborn (p. 149-160); 'The role of the South Caucasus adult education network in community education' by Nazaret Nazaretyan (p. 161-174); 'Promotion of integration through community based non-formal education' by Lali Santeladze (p. 175-187); and The Swarthmore Educational Centre in Leeds' by Tom Steele (p. 189-200). Show less

The 27th National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference 'No Frills' was co-hosted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) and New Zealand partners, the Industry Training Federation and Ako Aotearoa on 15-17 August 2018. 'No Frills' is a well-known annual national conference where researchers and practitioners in the vocational education and training (VET) sector come together to present, discuss and share information about key issues confronting the sector. By partnering with New Zealand, this year's conference provided an excellent opportunity to highlight international evidence for benchmarking policy best practice. The conference also provided valuable professional development opportunities to enhance research capacity and capability in the VET sector by incorporating activities on data and research analytics, and research practice. The 2018 conference program focused on Skills for a global future: working and learning together.

Edited abstract from publisher's website.

The available keynote presentation is: Creativity in VET / Lene Tanggaard, Aalborg University, Denmark.

The available Ministerial address is by the Hon Karen Andrews, Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills.

The available poster presentations are: A novel model to overcome technical report writing difficulties for first year engineering students / Md Aftabuzzaman, Melbourne Polytechnic; STEM in the workplace: industry perspectives / Jennifer Earle, University of Tasmania; Australian multi-industry pilot programs - to support better apprenticeship completion rates and employer engagement / Gary Workman, Apprenticeship Employment Network.

The available presentations are: Research informing policy and practice in foundation level workplace training programmes / Anne Alkema, Industry Training Federation; Graduate profile outcomes Levels 1-6 / Helen Anderson, New Zealand School of Tourism; e-Assessments for learning: supporting learning as becoming / Selena Chan, Ara Institute of Canterbury; Towards a high-quality training and adult education in Singapore: preliminary findings on adult educators / Zan Chen, Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore; From school to VET: how do students transition and how can we help them? / Michelle Circelli, NCVER; Pedagogically framing VET online / Deniese Cox, Griffith University; Augmented reality training for welding / Geoff Crittenden, Weld Australia; Professionalising our practice / Karen Dymke, Thoughtfulworks; Literacy, social skills and the fourth industrial revolution / Lesley Farrell, University of Melbourne; Measuring 'soft skills' in young Australians / Cameron Forrest, NCVER; The aspirations for vocational education and training of students in regional and remote locations / Leanne Fray, University of Newcastle; Delivering a diploma of community services (alcohol and other drugs and mental health) in the remote town of Katherine (NT): a case study / Xenia Girdler, Global Reconciliation; Factors affecting modern apprenticeship completion in Scotland / Malcolm Greig, Skills Development Scotland; Australian VET policy: processes, stakeholders and issues / Hugh Guthrie, Centre for Vocational and Educational Policy, MGSE, University of Melbourne [the full paper is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.215]; Development of a contemporary model of personal vocational practice: its potential for students in vocational education and training / James Harrison, Otago Polytechnic; Skills for women tradies in regional Australia: a global future! / Stacey Jenkins, Charles Sturt University; Is vocational training failing to prepare fitness students for employment and future study? / Daniel Jolley, Curtin University;

Integration of life skills in government run TVET system (case from Kenya) / Ndungu Kahihu, CAP Youth Empowerment Institute [the full report is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.684]; I am capable: learner capability secondary tertiary context / Andy Kilsby, Otago Polytechnic; Factors influencing teachers' international enactment of Australian VET curricula / Louise King, Charles Darwin University; Demand for vocational skills: insights from internet job vacancies / Patrick Korbel, NCVER; Competing priorities in vocational education: teachers adapting to reforms / Patrick Locke, University of Sydney; 21st century skills for work and life and a move to the greening of economies for sustainable development / Rupert Maclean and John Fien; Show me the money! VET funding in the past and into the future / Kelly Marshall, NCVER; Unpacking VET completion: how do we arrive at VET completion rates, with a special focus on what is driving the likelihood of VET completion / Brad McDonald and Adrian Ong, NCVER; Video assessment of undergraduate midwifery students' practice skill / Carolyn McIntosh, Otago Polytechnic; Making a job versus getting a job, the future of work has changed! / Don McLaren, Telford Agricultural Institute; Working around the words: tutor strategies and the tutor voice / Emma McLaughlin, Wellington Institute of Technology; Right skills. Right time? The $4 billion annual cost of over-qualification affecting one in four Australian workers / Silvia Munoz, SkillsIQ; Australian VET courses for international students / Steve Nerlich, Australian Government Department of Education and Training; The role of VET in shaping the aspirations of Indigenous secondary school students / Sally Patfield, University of Newcastle; Developing tomorrow's skills and building community: innovations from Australia's adult and community education providers / Don Perlgut, Community Colleges Australia; The student as researcher / Henry Pook, Holmesglen; Harnessing existing skills and experience of recently arrived migrants and refugees: implementation and assessment of a novel student support program which informs on study and work pathways / Craig Poole and Christine Jolly, TAFE Queensland;

Youth Guarantee pathways and profiles: the role of foundation-level VET in preparing young people for employment / Adelaide Reid, Community Colleges New Zealand; International VET students 2017: demystifying the international VET training market / Marc Ruediger, NCVER; How do Australian youth find careers information? / Peta Skujins, Apprenticeship and Traineeship Information Service; Jobs Queensland / Caroline Smith, Jobs Queensland; Enterprise registered training organisations: training and learning practices / Erica Smith, Federation University Australia; The new work order / Alex Snow, The Foundation for Young Australians; Women in trades: how women have succeeded in trades where they are traditionally under-represented / Kylie Taffard, BCITO Lead Organisation in Women in Trades Research Consortia; The buried N in LLN: the challenge of numeracy and maths, crucial foundation skills for a global future / Dave Tout, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER); Analytics and insight: developing a tool to support building and construction apprentices' completion / Karen Vaughan, NZ Council for Educational Research; Work, innovation and learning in SMEs / Silin Yang, Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore; Slicing VET data differently: tropical seasonality and evidence-based policy / Don Zoellner, Charles Darwin University.

The available workshops are: Research and statistics at NCVER: the who, what and how / Genevieve Knight and Michelle Circelli, NCVER; and VOCEDplus: telling the VET story / Radhika Naidu, NCVER; The importance of VET practitioner research capabilities and networks - pros and cons in contemporary times / Linda Simon and Melinda Waters, Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA).

The 'No Frills 2018' discussion paper 'Skills for a global future' is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 131.19. Show less