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This new course is designed to provide students with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to perform effectively the duties of a Crime Scene Examiner with a level of scientific awareness sufficient to enable them to communicate effectively with scientific or other experts and to present forensic evidence concisely and accurately to courts of law.

Students must have successfully completed the NSW Police Training course and have two years of experience in the NSW Police Service General Duties. Show less

The Conference focused on the development and use of competency standards both in Australia and overseas and the link between business, enterprises and the workplace and vocational education and training.

The Conference proceedings are divided into three streams (volumes): (1) Standards and the workplace (see TD/NSW 42.29); (2) Implementation for outcomes (see TD/NSW 42.30); (3) International dimensions (see TD/NSW 42.31).

The opening address by Jane Diplock broadly describes the [Australian National Training Authority] ANTA agreement and the roles of the Board of Vocational Education and Training (BVET) and the Industry Training Advisory Bodies (ITABs) in New South Wales.

The plenary address, by Bill Mansfield, 'Australia's future global competitiveness through competencies', backgrounds the economic imperatives for training reform, Australia's competency standards model, the ANTA review of 1994, industrial relations implications, industry and enterprise standards and the role of ITABs. He concludes by outlining the role Australia can play in supporting competency standards internationally.

The keynote speaker, Barry Nyhan, in his paper, 'Learning and the workplace: the future learning environment based on standards', reviews the changing face of work and cites examples of European companies and the position of competence development in the company strategies. Show less

A competitive training market is something that was mandated in the Australian National Training Authority Agreement. The case for such a market has neither been made nor debated publicly. However, its advocates have the power to impose it. In these circumstances, prudence demands that TAFE should prepare itself to operate in a market environment.

This discussion paper proposes that the framework for a VET system, and the participation of the TAFE sector within that system, should be based on:

a national VET quality assurance system which would safeguard the interests of clients;

conferring on TAFE institutions the same degree of independence as other training providers;

the establishment of a new national body - broadly representative of the major stakeholders - to provide advice on national directions, policy, and priorities.

The transition should be supported by a comprehensive package for TAFE of the kind that has been underwritten by the Commonwealth under its Labour Adjustment Programs. The LAP package would cover a number of integrated elements (including the development of a set of national competency standards for TAFE workers and delivering transitional staff development programs for all categories of TAFE staff) to facilitate the massive changes necessary to bring TAFE into a competitive training system. Show less

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to explore the contribution that an information literacy approach to the empirical study of workplace learning can make to how people understand and conceptualise workplace learning. Design/methodology/approach - Three cohorts of fire-fighters working in two regional locations in NSW [New South Wales], Australia were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. Constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed to work with the data; post-structuralism. Findings - Study findings indicate that an understanding of information literacy and information literacy practices contributes to workplace learning by highlighting the relationship between different modalities of information, and the relationship between workplace learning and professional identity. Information literacy is not solely confined to developing skills related to accessing information in textual or digital modalities, but requires access to social and physical sources of information. Originality/value - The information literacy approach contributes to a developing understanding of the role of workplace learning by highlighting the process as a catalyst for learning. This process is underpinned by ways of knowing about the types of situated information sources that are valuable for learning about practice and profession.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

This comparative study between the old Metal Fabrication and Welding (MF&W) trade course 7792 and the newly introduced MF&W trade course 3449, focuses on the data, discussions and recommendations which are likely to help establish what benefits or deficiencies this major change has had on the knowledge base of the current apprentices from the trade course. This is being accomplished by comparing the results from an exit test undertaken by stage III MF&W (Heavy) 7792 apprentices at the Hunter Institute of TAFE in 2001 and the results from exit tests for stage III MF&W (Heavy) 3449 apprentices in New South Wales (NSW) in 2004. These data are supplemented and complemented by an analysis of phone interviews with teachers of MF&W (Heavy) TAFE NSW conducted in 2005.

A comparison of the data collected from the stage III Metal Fabrication and Welding (Heavy) apprentices who completed the exit tests in 2001 with those who completed the exit tests in 2004 at TAFE NSW, showed that there was a decline in exit knowledge in the mean scores of the apprentices. When the results of institute one's relating to 2001 was compared with the results of 2004, the same pattern occurred, whereby it was shown that there was a decline in exit knowledge. This was due to the employers not understanding and embracing the change, or even favouring the changes. In 2004, there were no significant differences between the results of different NSW institutes. This indicates that the level of material taught on-the-job and off-the-job did not differ across the state. A majority of the MF&W (Heavy) teachers in NSW who were interviewed indicated that the course did not meet industry needs. The teachers expressed the opinion that the welding component was reasonable in its outcomes but felt that the fabrication part of the course lacked substance in the drawing interpretation, trade calculations and the computer aided drawing components of the course. They preferred the old method of teaching lock-step delivery over the competency based training (CBT) method and overwhelmingly indicated that the CBT method had not improved the learning outcomes of the apprentices since the changes that occurred in 1991.

The findings indicate that the on-the-job assessment of the apprentice's training was largely ineffective due to the reluctance of the employers to participate in the system. The teachers felt that this was due mainly to the fact that the employers 'tick and flick' approach (whereby the apprentices are given a pass for the competency without completing it) towards doing the assessments. A large majority of those interviewed indicated that the changes to the trade course that occurred from 2001 to 2004 did not result in any improvements in the knowledge base of the apprentices.

Author's abstract. Show less

The project involved compilation of an employer skills training capacity database for three automotive trades (automotive electrical, motor mechanical and panel beating) in the western Sydney region and an investigation of administrative procedures required to support a competency based trade training system in NSW. Findings and recommendations are included in the report. Show less

This submission outlines the New South Wales position as a contribution to the national perspective. It examines the implementation of the National Training Framework (NTF) within New South Wales, highlighting innovations and initiatives contributing to the quality of our vocational education and training system.

It suggests key principles for a revitalised and forward-looking national system: inclusive partnership; an explicit commitment to public provision of vocational education and training; strategies for growth and participation; comprehensive funding criteria; flexibility and diversity within a consistent national framework; quality; equity and social justice; and performance measurement and accountability. See TD/NSW 63.11 for an article about the submission. Show less

The following articles comprise this special feature: ‘What is a private provider?’ (Heather Benham); ‘Personal approach for personnel’ (Viv Caulfield); ‘Private council’ (Heather Benham); ‘To market, to market’ (Robin Ryan); ‘Catering for constant change’ (Catherine Carrick); ‘Taking pride in business training’ (Pamela Walsh); ‘Pipes and paint in the west’ (Dan McDaniel); ‘Workplace learning initiatives’ (Robin Sefton); ‘TAFE goes private’; ‘TAFE plus’; ‘Customising TAFE’ (Kay Pitts); and ‘Practical marketing skills’ (Carol Cheshire). Show less

This is a portfolio of graphic designs produced by the 1989 graduates of the Graphic Design Department of Randwick College of TAFE. It is a good example of competencies gained by students in the Graphic Design course. Show less

This paper, presented at the 'Skilling for a Small Planet' annual IVETA conference, examines the move from a Fordist to a Post Fordist era and suggests the need for a new curriculum framework for vocational education. The competency based training (CBT) system which has evolved through the Fordist era and indeed is based on Taylorist ideas, is not appropriate. The concept of a curriculum framework is presented as a means to fully analyse the curriculum aspects of the CBT system and arrive at an alternative system.

The new curriculum framework that needs to be devised should be based on the significant body of literature on cognitive psychology and approaches occurring in other countries. The framework as presented contains all the major aspects of curriculum to help formulate the new approach. In particular, the goals and objectives of vocational education need to be reconsidered. Show less