1958-2008 : how access to VET qualifications has changed in Australia
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Education and Training Vol. 50, no. 1 (2008), p. 43-46
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a reflection on the growth in qualifications available through work, over the 50 years of Education and Training. Design/methodology/approach – The approach adopted is that of providing a viewpoint, reflecting back on the availability of qualifications today compared with the 1950s. Findings – The growth in the availability of qualifications has meant that a greater proportion of the workforce now hold qualifications, and particularly that people outside traditional trades can gain work-related qualifications. The changes have advantaged those in service industries and jobs previously not regarded as skilled. They have especially assisted women and have paralleled the increased participation of women in the workforce. However the current favourable situation has some fragility. Originality/value – This paper is one of a series commissioned by the journal on its 50th anniversary.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003006410
What do senior figures in Australian VET think about traineeships?
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 11th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper reports on the perceptions of key Australian stakeholders who were interviewed about the controversial issue of quality in traineeships. Interviews were carried out with thirteen people holding senior positions in State and national government departments, major employer and employee organisations, and peak bodies of intermediary organisations. The process was the initial phase of a national NCVER-funded project on identifying the features of high-quality traineeships. The interview transcripts were then analysed to draw out key themes. Themes included issues to do with pedagogy both on and off the job, workplace arrangements and work organisation, relationships between employers and training providers, progression to higher level qualifications and within careers, the intended strategic use of trainees by organisations, and the use of traineeships for equity purposes. On the whole, strong support was expressed for the traineeship system although there were some dissenting views. The research provided a useful backdrop for the fieldwork in the remainder of the project.
The crowded market: agencies dealing with apprenticeships in Australia
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Situated competence development through innovative apprenticeships: the role of different stakeholders p. 17-23
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In Australia approximately 3.5% of the working population is employed in apprenticeships and their newer counterparts traineeships (both of these are combined under the title of Australian Apprenticeships). While apprenticeships were originally intended for young school-leavers they are now open to people of all ages and to part-time as well as full-time workers. The huge growth in numbers, over 300% since the mid-1990s, has been the result of very conscious planning and financial investment by the Australian government. This paper, using data drawn from a series of research projects, analyses the different agencies that help to promote and manage the apprenticeship system. The paper points out both positive and negative effects of the large numbers of agencies involved.
Making training core business : Enterprise Registered Training Organisations in Australia
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Smith, Andy
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Vocational Education & Training Vol. 61, no. 3 (2009), p. 287-306
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper examines the Australian phenomenon of Enterprise Registered Training Organizations (RTOs). These are organizations that do not have training as their main business but that are accredited to deliver training and award qualifications, primarily to their own workers. Although Enterprise RTOs have been in existence in one form or another for around 15 years they have not been previously examined in the scholarly literature. The paper uses qualitative and quantitative data from two recent research projects to describe the nature and experiences of these RTOs and their workers. The findings are analysed using a framework recently used in an evaluation of the pilot of a similar English scheme: quality concerns, resource intensiveness, impact on the training market, and restriction to larger firms. The paper concludes that enterprise RTOs have been beneficial to workers and companies alike, although not without problems, and that the Australian system appears to present fewer risks than the proposed English system.
- Description: 2003007575