Australia

Citation

(2009), "Australia", Education + Training, Vol. 51 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2009.00451gab.002

Australia

Article Type: Research News From: Education + Training, Volume 51, Issue 7

Can VET make a difference?

Getting back into the workforce can be challenging for Welfare to Work recipients, but VET can improve the employment outcomes for some. A paper released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), examines data from the Student Outcomes Survey to look at whether VET does increase the job prospects of Welfare to Work recipients.

Dr Tom Karmel, Managing Director, NCVER said people who completed certificate III and above had a better chance of securing employment. “While our research found that training is associated with substantial increases in employment in a number of cases, it is far from being universal”, Dr Karmel said:

The partial completion of a qualification or the completion of certificate I or II is not likely to assist people from these welfare groups in getting a job. Substantial training makes the difference. If someone already has a good chance of employment then further training will not make much difference to their job prospects. In short, VET can make a difference, but not any VET, and not for all individuals.

To download a copy of welfare to work: does VET make a difference? Visit NCVER's web site: www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2105.html

A related working paper from the NCVER reports on the findings from the first year of a three-year program of research by the University of Sydney's Workplace Research Centre. The overarching aim of the research is to investigate how, if at all, VET can make a difference in improving productivity and workforce participation. The authors describe four domains of social and economic practice in which to frame the second and third year's research, and the key challenges for workforce development in two particular industries: meat processing, and early education and care:

Evesson, J., Bretherton, T., Buchanan, J., Rafferty, M. and Considine, G., “Understanding vocational education and training, productivity and workforce participation: an issues paper”, available at: www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr07506.pdf

Student transfer: a step up, a side step or a new direction?

Student transfer between the VET and higher education sectors is the subject of a research overview, released by the NCVER. Dr Tom Karmel, Managing Director, NCVER said students have been transferring between the education sectors for years; and for a diverse range of reasons:

For both younger and older people, transfer is a by-product of education and training decisions driven by careers and interests. Transferring from VET to higher education is more common for younger people, while movement in the other direction is more likely to occur later in a person's career. Students who transfer between the sectors do face certain challenges such as getting used to a new learning environment and the different expectations of the sectors. While student transfer is nothing new, it appears to be growing. Transferring with credit means an individual can complete a second qualification in less time. VET diplomas, in particular, offer a pathway into higher education. The extent of student transfer between the VET and higher education sectors is also large. Students go on to VET for various reasons including a desire to acquire particular skills or because they want to strike out in a new direction.

For a copy of Student Transfer: At a Glance, visit the web site: www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2144.html