Enterprises' commitment to nationally recognised training for existing workers
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Pickersgill, Richard , Smith, Andy , Rushbrook, Peter
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Book
- Full Text: false
- Description: This report aims to provide a clearer understanding of how and why enterprises use nationally recognised type of training. It finds that an enterprise's decision to engage in recognised training is not made lightly and decisions are made afresh each time a new training need arises. Successfully embedding training in enterprises involves a three-phase process - engagement, extension and integration. In most cases, it is dependent on: positive initial engagement; extension of training through a 'VET evangelist' who 'sells' the benefits of recognised training and persuades management; and, integration of competency standards associated with recognised training into many human resource processes. The availability of funding strongly influences whether enterprises use recognised training. However, one of the key reasons why more enterprises have not taken up this training is lack of awareness.
- Description: 2003006167
Part-time working by students : is it a policy issue, and for whom?
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Patton, Wendy
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Education and Work Vol. 26, no. 1 (2013), p. 48-76
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper uses data from interviews with representatives of national and state organisations that have a policy interest in student-working in Australia. The interviewees included representatives from employer bodies and trade unions as well as government organisations. The data are used to discuss these stakeholders' perceptions of the main advantages and disadvantages of working by young full-time students and the ways in which organisations in the business and educational sectors have adapted their policies and practices for student-working. The analysis is then used to inform a discussion about whether this is a legitimate area for public policy formulation and if so, what principles might underpin such policy and what some policies might look like. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Pre-apprenticeships in three key trades
- Authors: Dumbrell, Tom , Smith, Erica
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Book
- Full Text: false
- Description: This report looks at whether pre-apprenticeships increase the potential supply of tradespeople, with a special focus on electrotechnology, automotive and engineering students. It found that pre-apprenticeships have been used in Australia for many years and are widely regarded as a valuable strategy for increasing the supply and quality of potential apprentices. Pre-apprenticeships are favoured by employers because they weed out unsuitable candidates and improve retention, while apprentices see them as a useful way of gaining experience in the trade.
- Description: 2003006164
The development of employability skills in novice workers through employment
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Comyn, Paul
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Generic skills in vocational education and training: Research readings Chapter p. 95-108
- Full Text: false
- Description: This report focusses on employability skills that young people entering work for the first time, or novice workers, need. It examines the nature of the skills that employers seek when recruiting young people and the processes and techniques which can be used in the workplace to develop these skills. The report synthesises the findings of a comprehensive literature review and 12 case studies.
- Description: 2003007585
The importance of the psychological contract for effective learning in apprenticeships
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Walker, Arlene , Kemmis, Ros Brennan
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Assuring the acquisition of expertise: Apprenticeship in the modern economy Beijing Normal University 26th-27th May, 2011 p. 141-144
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper looks at apprenticeship learning and training from a new standpoint – the psychological contract. The notion of the psychological contract is commonly used in the human resource management field to understand the nature of employment relationships. It has not previously been applied to apprenticeships in any systematic manner. This paper reports on a research project that applied a preexisting instrument to apprentices and employers and also included qualitative case studies in nine companies.
The psychological contract in apprenticeships and traineeships: Differing perceptions
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Walker, Arlene , Kemmis, Ros Brennan
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Full Text: false
- Description: As with any contract of employment, the mutual expectations of the employer and the apprentice/trainee are very important. Apprenticeships and traineeships have greater expectations than other employment contracts of employment because of the training component of the contract. This paper reports on some of the findings of a major NCVER-funded national project examining mutual expectations in apprenticeships and traineeships through the concept of the psychological contract. The paper focuses on the differences between employers and apprentices/trainees, in the expectations each party has of the other and in the extent to which the expectations are perceived to have been met.