'The national custodian': How interest groups and academics combine to restrict access of working people to qualifications
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: The value and voice of VET research for individuals, industry, community and the nation
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: An Australian ‘Expert Panel on apprenticeships’ worked during 2010-11 to propose sweeping changes to the Australian apprenticeship and training system which would have removed the access of workers in large segments of the economy to publicly-funded training. One suggestion was the establishment of a ‘national custodian’ who would decide which occupations were to get funded training and which were not. The eventual policy outcomes of this attempt, by a combination of interest groups and academics, to ‘guard’ access to funded training, are not yet known. However a minor policy change has already removed employers’ incentive payments for Certificate II qualifications. A similar process has been taking place during 2011 in England, where similar alliances are opposing the expansion of the apprenticeship system to broader sections of the economy. This paper analyses policy documents, and statements by academics and people from other research institutions, to examine, and attempt to theorise, their attempts to deny funded training to workers. These arguments are tested against the broader apprenticeship literature and the implications of these seemingly elitist arguments on the policy objective of social inclusion through VET.
Choosing VET as a post-school activity: What are some influences on non-metropolitan students?
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Foley, Annette
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: AVETRA 21 Virtual conference: recover, rethink, rebuild: all eyes on VET, 19-23 April 2021
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper draws on data from recently-completed research funded by the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) and undertaken in the State of Victoria, in six non-metropolitan communities: three in rural/regional areas and three in peri-urban areas. The rationale for the research was that, despite decades of effort, education outcomes for rural and regional areas in Australia remain well under the Australian average (Napthine et al, 2019), partly because so many young people need to leave home to attend tertiary education (McKenzie, 2014). There is almost no specific research on peri-urban areas. For this paper we have extracted data, from selected phases of the project, specifically to find out why young people may or may not make VET choices. The method for this paper comprised analysis of data from each site, consisting of: • Interviews with VET-sector organisations; • ‘Snapshot surveys’, completed, prior to interviews and focus groups, by 80 young people in schools and 32 in their second-year out; • Publicly-available government ‘On-Track’ data (DET, 2018), of young people in their first year out of school. Recent related literature looks at VET choices in terms of the perceived and actual financial rewards of VET choices (e.g. Norton & Charastidtham, 2019); or in terms of the perceived status of VET choices (e.g. Billett, Choy & Hodge, 2019). Our research showed a complex picture with a number of factors (personal, environmental, cultural background and geographic) influencing choices; and also a perception that VET means apprenticeships, almost to the exclusion of traineeships or full-time VET. The agency of individual schools and of VET providers or apprenticeship organisations was also found to be important. The findings have clear implications for both policy and practice.
Enterprise RTOs in Australia: An overview from research data
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Smith, Andy , Walker, Andrew
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: AVETRA, Sydney, 8th-10th April, 2015
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper reports on overview data from a national research project funded through the Australian Research Council Linkage program. The research question for the project as a whole was 'How do qualifications delivered by enterprises contribute to improved skill levels and other benefits for companies, workers and the nation?' The research was carried out with the support of the Enterprise RTO Association. Enterprise registered training organisations (RTOs) are companies that are accredited to deliver qualifications to their own workers. These 250 RTOs have to meet the same registration and quality standards as institutional training providers. The project as a whole included qualitative and quantitative components. It included longitudinal case studies in eight enterprise RTOs. This paper reports on part of the quantitative research. It presents findings and preliminary analysis of two surveys of enterprise RTOs (2012 and 2014), and a 2013 learner survey undertaken in the case study RTOs. The enterprise RTO surveys included a range of questions about the enterprise itself, and about the RTO's qualifications, learners, and training methods. The learner survey asked respondents about their views about training and outcomes. The response rates for the surveys were 35.7 per cent and 26 per cent respectively, with a representative distribution across industry areas. The paper provides a snapshot of the operations of enterprise RTOs and the views of those gaining qualifications in this context. Published abstract.
Environmental sustainability practices : how adults learn
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: SCUTREA (Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults) Adult Education 100: Reflections & Reconstructions, University of Nottingham, U.K., 2-4 July 2019 p. 97-106
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper reports on a small research project which investigated how adults in Australia learn about, and adapt to, developments in environmental sustainability practices. The project was based on two major changes in Australia in 2018: the cessation of free ‘singleuse’ plastic bags in many shops, particularly the major supermarket changes; and a gathering momentum towards more rigorous recycling practices. These changes, particularly the first, have affected the daily lives of most Australians. The research,consisting of a focus group, an expert interview and an on-line survey was undertaken with staff working for a regional university based at several campuses across the State of Victoria. This paper reports on preliminary results from the project, including analysis of the initial set of results from the survey. The results so far show that people learn from a range of sources, but some are much more common than others. Among media sources, two-thirds of the survey respondents learned from television, and around 40% from social media and the internet more generally; and among other sources, friends and family were information sources for two-thirds of people, while community information and public notices in shops or on litter bins were used by around half of the respondents. Some respondents were passionately engaged with the topic. The paper presents the responses to a number of key questions in the survey and analyses by age, and gender; and makes some suggestions about the effectiveness of learning sources on sustainability practices. The paper addresses the conference themes of formal and informal learning; adult political education; and community learning and engagement.
Getting down and dirty down under: Battling over trainer qualifications in Australia
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at Sixth International Conference on HRD Research and Practice across Europe: HRD addressing the value Leeds, United Kingdom 25th May 2005 Vol. 1, p. 1-15
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Getting down and dirty down under: Battling over trainer qualifications in Australia
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at Sixth International Conference on HRD Research and Practice across Europe: HRD addressing the value Vol. 1, p. 1-15
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
Good practice in apprenticeship systems: Evidence from an international study
- Authors: Kemmis, Ros Brennan , Smith, Erica
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Proceedings of the 2nd UPI International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education and Training
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Apprenticeships can be seen as the ultimate in co-operation between TVET providers and industry as they are based on a combination of work and study. Ideally they should provide appropriate skills for companies and also all-round occupational and generic skills. However there are many different actual and potential models of apprenticeship.This paper uses part of the work undertaken for a project funded by the International Labor Organization and the World Bank to compare and contrast apprenticeship systems in 11 countries, for the purpose of drawing out features of good practice. The project was undertaken to provide suggestions for the process of reform of the Indian apprenticeship system [Planning Commission 2009]. Experiences of other countries, both in the developed and the developing world, indicate that apprenticeship systems cannot be transplanted among countries; however, key features of countries’ systems can be identified and sensitively developed in other countries. The paper describes a method for undertaking this task, and the findings. Eleven individual country case studies, based on reports and literature, were produced by a team of national experts, and subjected to a cross-case analysis. The use of national experts was judged to be more effective than having people write on other countries’ systems; the latter method has proved in many instances to result in inaccurate reports, susceptibility to the influence of limited numbers of stakeholders and a lack of sophistication in analysing trends. The country case studies took into account agreed international benchmarks for describing, analysing and evaluating apprenticeships, based on the framework described in the recently-released memorandum by INAP, the International Network on Innovative Apprenticeship [INAP Commission 2012] and the framework developed by one of the authors in the International Encyclopedia of Education [Smith 2010]. The countries were selected to cover a range of variables. A cross-case analysis was undertaken which drew together data from the countries using a thematic approach and simple data display techniques [Miles and Huberman 1994]. The analysis covered both systemic issues and 'the life cycle of the apprentice'. The data were then further reduced to develop an identification of the features of a model apprenticeship system, and proposed measures of success and associated challenges, derived from the data.
Group training organisations: Bellwethers or shepherds?
- Authors: Bush, Tony , Smith, Erica
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at Evolution, Revolutions of Status Quo? VET in New Contexts
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Has Australia turned its back on international students?
- Authors: Smith, Andy , Smith, Erica
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at Creating and Sustaining International Connections: 41st annual conference of SCUTREA, the Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults Lancaster University 5th-7th July, 2011 p. 138-146
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
How lower-level and vulnerable workers benefit from employers' engagement with the national qualification system in Australia
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Smith, Andy
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at ACREWiKCL 2006, Socially responsive, socially responsible approaches to employment and work p. 1-22
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
Learning at a distance: How distance education students use their learning materials
- Authors: Smith, Andy , Smith, Erica
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at What a difference a pedagogy makes: Researching lifelong learning and teaching, Third International Conference, Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning p. 522-529
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Managing apprentices and managing PhD students: Current concerns and transferable tips
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: The value and voice of VET research for individuals, industry, community and the nation
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Apprenticeships and doctoral studies share many characteristics in common, such as the length of the ‘training contract’, and there has been considerable policy attention to both forms of ‘contracted training’ recently, with similar issues raised such as completion rates, timely completion, quality and so on. Companies that manage large numbers of apprentices or trainees face similar challenges to universities that manage large numbers of PhD students. The paper analyses four in-depth interviews drawn from larger research projects - two interviews with company managers responsible for apprentices and trainees, and two with Deans of Graduate Studies at Australian universities, who oversee the management of PhD students. The key points of policy documents in both areas are used to analyse the responses. Differences and similarities in management systems are highlighted, and good practices that could be transplanted between the two environments are identified.
Neighbourhood houses and men’s sheds, adult learning in community spaces. Transforming the future of education : the role of research
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Ollis, Tracey
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: AARE 2022 International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education, Adelaide, 27 November-1 December 2022, AARE 2022 International Conference proceedings
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Pedagogy not political pointscoring: How training providers teach international students
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: AVETRA 13th Annual Conference: VET Research: Leading and responding in turbulent times p. 1-12
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: 2009 was a bad year for Australia's international vocational education and training (VET) industry. Racism affecting international students on the streets and in the national media discouraged students from applying to study in Australia and made international education the centre of political controversy. In such an environment it has been easy to lose sight of the teaching and learning processes that are at the heart of VET for international students. This paper reports on part of a research project, funded by Service Skills Australia, that examined VET practitioners in the service industries. As part of that project the author carried out case studies in two registered training organisations (RTOs) that delivered training to substantial numbers of hospitality students and interviewed senior managers from four other RTOs. Staff and students alike reported on the benefits of having international students enrolled in their courses, and reported instances of good practice in pedagogy that have implications well beyond the international student cohort.
Preparation for post-school careers in rural and peri-urban Australia : connections with employers and labour markets
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Foley, Annette
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 6th International Conference on Employer Engagement: Preparing Young People for the Future, 1-2 July 2021, Virtual online
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Public policies on training and their provenance: An international comparison
- Authors: Smith, Andy , Smith, Erica
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at RWL4 p. 1-15
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
Social construction of skill viewed through the lens of training for the cleaning industry
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at AVERTA 12th Annual Conference: Aligning Participants, Policy and Pedagogy: Traction and Tensions in VET Research, Crown Plaza Coogee Beach, Sydney, New South Wales : 16th-17th April 2009
- Full Text:
- Description: Most people would agree that an objective measurement of skill in work is not possible. Many perceptions of what is skilled work privilege 'male' over 'female' occupations, and pre-1950 industrial and craft jobs over more recently-established and service sector jobs. Theories of social construction of skill centre around claim-making by interest groups, structural conditions that allow or prevent such claims, and the institutionalisation of those claims. As skill cannot be measured objectively, the social construction of skill takes on immense significance in defining what are worthy and non-worthy occupations, and the training that is available and valued within those occupations.
- Description: 2003007930
Teaching practices among college-based teachers of apprentices.
- Authors: Smith, Erica
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Modern apprenticeships: Widening their scope, sustaining their quality, 7th Research Conference of the International Network on Innovative Apprenticeship; US Bureau of Labor Statistics,Washington; 1-2 October, 201 p. 47-53
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper provides a glimpse into current teaching practices among teachers working with traditional trade apprentices (‘trade teachers’) at Australian public and private providers of vocational education and training (VET), which are known as Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). The research is drawn from a major national study funded by the Australian Research Council, designed to examine the effects of different levels of vocational teachers’ qualifications upon the quality of VET teaching. For this paper, data from trade teachers, in different industry areas, was drawn out from a major survey of VET teachers/trainers, which included questions about their teaching approaches, as well as from focus groups of trade teachers.
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.
The effects on young people's transition from school of formal contact with workplaces while at school
- Authors: Green, Annette , Smith, Erica
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at RWL4
- Full Text:
- Reviewed: