A review of twenty years of competency-based training in the Australian vocational education and training system
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Training and Development Vol. 14, no. 1 (2010), p. 54-64
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- Description: In this paper, the author reflects, both as an academic researcher and as a senior practitioner, on the experience of competency-based training (CBT) in the Australian vocational education and training system. She seeks to draw conclusions about the Australian experience using a typology drawn from the academic literature which focuses on the philosophical, educational, technical and market aspects of CBT. She concludes that, despite many improvements over the past 10 years, some potential problems remain. The system is controlled overly tightly by the interests of industry and it also exhibits some inflexibilities. Both of these act to disadvantage some groups of learners. Teachers and trainers do not have adequate skills to work skilfully and critically with CBT, leading to thin pedagogy and a narrow focus on assessment of individual items of performance. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Apprenticeships and ‘future work’ : are we ready?
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Training and Development Vol. 23, no. 1 (2019), p. 69-88
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- Description: The paper evaluates the readiness of apprenticeship systems to cope with five major developments affecting the future of work. The institution of apprenticeship has evolved over time in all countries, gradually adapting to changes in industrial processes, the economy, the labour market and education systems. This paper suggests, however, that recent changes in the economy and the labour market, and their concomitant effects on the likely future of work, have the potential to disrupt apprenticeship systems quite radically worldwide, and/or to make them less relevant in the 21st century. The paper draws on data from recent Australian and international research projects undertaken by the author, as well as the author’s engagement in Australian government exercises to discuss the future of apprenticeships. The research found that adaptations of systems and processes were being undertaken at company level and by stakeholders such as trade union or employer peak bodies. They were less frequently apparent, however, in government policy. The paper analyses the data to produce a framework of readiness for ‘future work’, but also queries whether adaptation of apprenticeship systems is necessarily desirable in all instances. Although the presence of multiple stakeholders in the system has previously been viewed as a strength of the system, it can also make even minor changes difficult to implement. This could prove to be a major impediment to apprenticeship’s future or could be a means of preserving its essential features. © 2019 Brian Towers (BRITOW) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Description: International Labour Organization, ILO with the assistance of the JP Morgan Chase Foundation.
Employer training in Australia : Current practices and concerns
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Callan, Victor , Tuck, Jacquiline , Smith, Andy
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Training and Development Vol. 23, no. 2 (2019), p. 169-183
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- Description: This paper presents and analyses results from a research project on current trends in employer training in Australia. While the formal vocational education and training (VET) system is well-researched, the everyday training that happens in workplaces is relatively under-researched in Australia. Using some of the results of an employer survey undertaken in 2015, the paper describes and analyses employer-based training across a range of industry areas. The survey included groups of questions on a range of matters, including the reasons why employers train, and how these relate to employers' perceptions of their operating environment, and the structures they have in place to manage and organize training. Detailed data are provided about three specific forms of training: in-house training and learning; the use that employers make of external providers of training; and employers' use of nationally recognised training - training from the VET system. Finally the paper reports what managers said about the barriers to providing more training. The paper analyses the findings in relation to the literature and also identified changes over time in training practices in Australian companies. Implications for training policy and practice, as well as for future research, are identified.
Learning to control : Training and work organization in Australian call centres
- Authors: Smith, Andy , Smith, Erica
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Industrial Relations Vol. 50, no. 2 (2008), p. 243-256
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- Description: The organization of work in call centres has been the centre of study and debate for a number of years. This article explores the adoption of nationally-recognized training (based on formal qualifications) in Australian call centres, which is now becoming quite widespread, and its relationship to work organization and human resource management practices. The article draws on a national research project that explored the take up of nationally recognized training by Australian employers. A number of call centres were included in this study that forms the basis for the present article. One of the major attractions for call centre employers, apart from the financial incentives involved in adoption, is the close fit between nationally recognized training and work organization. Because of its on-job nature, such training fits the close quantitative controls that characterize almost all call centres. Because of its integration into the workplace and into work organization, nationally recognized training seems to be moving human resource management processes towards an increased emphasis on employee development.
The expansion and contraction of the apprenticeship system in Australia, 1985-2020
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Vocational Education and Training Vol. 73, no. 2 (2021), p. 336-365
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- Description: This paper chronicles and analyses the expansion and contraction of the Australian apprenticeship system from 1985 to 2020. The system expanded from a small number of occupations, mainly in craft and manufacturing areas, to include many other occupations, notably in the different types of service sectors. The expansion was achieved primarily through a new type of apprenticeship, known as a traineeship, to augment the existing more traditional apprenticeships. Since 2012, the system has contracted considerably, and the participation rate of women has been affected disproportionately. The period of expansion of the system was book-ended by two major government-instigated documents, in 1985 and 2011. In 1985 a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry into Labour Market Programs proposed the introduction of traineeships, and in 2011 an Expert Panel on Apprenticeships sought to reduce numbers through the application of specific criteria for government support, which primarily affected the occupations served by traineeships. Two sources of evidence are used to examine the expansion and contraction of the apprenticeship system: data from the national apprenticeship statistics collection maintained by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) and key government reports over the 35 years. A brief overview of COVID-19-related developments in 2020 is included. © 2021 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.
The psychological contract in apprenticeships and traineeships: Comparing the perceptions of employees and employers
- Authors: Walker, Arlene , Smith, Erica , Kemmis, Ros Brennan
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Employment Relations Review Vol. 18, no. 1 (2012), p. 66-81
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- Description: This paper compares the perceptions of Australian apprentices/trainees and employers of apprentices/trainees in relation to the psychological contract: the unwritten mutual expectations employers and employees have of each other. A random sample of apprentices and trainees (N = 219) and employers of apprentices and trainees (N = 262) from Victoria and Queensland, Australia completed surveys. Information was collected about perceived employer, employee and training obligations and how well they had been met. Overall it was found that apprentices/trainees and employers rated similar individual employer, employee and training obligations as being the most and least important. Training obligations were perceived by both parties as being the most important obligations overall. Differences between the groups mainly related to perceptions of the extent to which obligations were met, particularly employer obligations. Despite significant differences, the overall mean ratings suggest that the psychological contract is being met well for both parties. Implications of the research for psychological contracts and for apprenticeships/traineeships are discussed.
- Description: C1