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This report presents the findings of the Victorian TAFE Association's (VTA) feasibility study into a dual pathway vocational education and training (VET) diploma qualification. The aim of this qualification is to provide students with a range of competencies and generic subjects that meets recognised industry standards, but also offers employment opportunities and enough generic or academic development to meet the requirements for entry into higher education. Data was collected using face to face interviews and electronic submissions from key stakeholders. The original proposal which is included in this report suggests that such a qualification could be a pathway for Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) students into further education. However, the study found that it is unlikely VCAL students would undertake the suggested diploma as it stands because they are more motivated towards employment. There may, however, be a growing demand for such a generalist course. The report recommends that the Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA) convene a working party which would consult the key stakeholders with a view to developing an effective course and qualification. Secondly, it recommends piloting at least one dual pathway diploma level course. Show less

A study conducted by the Group Training Association of Victoria (GTAVic) into the information required by employers from vocational and education and training (VET) students reports on results when recruiting applicants. GTAVic conducted a survey of employers across a range of industries. The key messages from the report include: (1) employers' information needs from certification and student results are pragmatic; they scan certification and results reporting to see the highest level of schooling achieved, whether any subjects or units are relevant to the job and if there have been any practical elements to the learning, for example, a work placement; (2) information in VET certificates and related student reporting is only one element, and often a minor one, in a comprehensive range of the information needed by employers; and (3) overwhelmingly, the employers responding to this survey confirm that certification is not accepted as a stand alone indicator of a candidate's ability. It is regarded as a signal of the potential for further learning and skill development, but not usually as a signal of immediate competence. Show less

A local learning centre in a small rural town typically can play a critical role as a focus for ongoing lifelong learning. In many cases it provides the only ongoing public access to ICT as well as to adult and sometimes vocational education programs. However ACE in small rural towns is not currently or usually oriented to the particular and different learning needs of most men. While men have a keen desire to learn, an adult and community education (ACE) provider setting seldom meets men’s particular learning needs, preferences or styles. Men are typically only occasional users and marginally attached to ACE - not only as learners, but also as teachers, coordinators or on management committees. The physical space, the decor, the programs, the staff and pedagogies are typically female and sometimes perceived as hostile to men. Many men don’t relate positively to ACE or know enough about ACE to use it and consequently don’t feel comfortable going there. Most men want learning provided in less formal, less structured, practical group settings, locally and on site through organisations they know and feel comfortable within. Men generally learn best by doing and through practice in familiar situations, through organisations and people they know and trust rather than via abstracted learning ‘about’ something in simulated situations. Men, particularly older men with typically negative previous experiences of school and formal learning, generally prefer to learn through being involved in an activity in real and familiar situations. ACE tends not to be welcoming to or comfortable for such men. Men who are most likely to be ‘put off’ by ACE are older or with the most need (and with fewest opportunities) to learn elsewhere. However even younger men with good ICT skills tend to have dismissive, uninformed and negative attitudes towards ACE and are also less likely to learn through leadership and active involvement in other organisations. Recommendations are provided that seek to address identified issues of gender equity - particularly the need for local incentives to encourage learning by men as well as women in small rural towns, based on men’s identified learning preferences.

Excerpts from executive summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Social partnerships are increasingly seen as a means by which both government and non-government agencies can identify and respond to localised need. This paper reports the findings of the first phase of the project that aims to inform how best social partnerships can be formed and developed to support vocational education and training (VET) at the local level. This phase sought to identify key principles and practices that will underpin this aim, using the experiences of 10 existing social partnerships. A key finding was the importance of partnership work. This is detailed through five dimensions of partnership work, and principles and practices that were identified and verified as most likely assisting the development and transformation of social partnerships over time. The dimensions of ‘partnership work’ comprise (a) cultural scoping work, (b) connection building work, (c) capacity building work, (d) collective work, and (e) trust building work. The principles that manifest with subtle differences at the initial and later stages of partnership work include developing and maintaining (a) shared goals, (b) relations with partners, (c) capacity for partnership work, (d) governance and leadership, and (e) trust and trustworthiness. The specific implications for VET will be explored in the next phase of this project.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

Volumes of papers are indexed at TD/TNC 90.212 and TD/TNC 90.213. Selected individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 90.214 to TD/TNC 90.264. Show less

The main focus of the paper is to examine and unravel the discourses emerging from the vocational education and training (VET) and adult and community education (ACE) sectors in the light of policy discourses that serve to construct 'community' in economic terms. The paper seeks to highlight current changes taking place in ACE as Victorian government policy discourses move to place vocational outcomes as a priority for adult community and further education (ACFE) funding. The paper draws from empirical data taken from five participating ACE coordinators from four ACE organisations, two in the Melbourne metropolitan area and three in regional Victoria. The data highlights a cautionary tale of the potential exclusion of some ACE participants who do not fit within current government policy priorities.

Published abstract.

Available papers from the 8th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference, 'Emerging futures: recent, responsive and relevant research', are indexed from TD/TNC 81.564 to TD/TNC 81.610. Show less

The research undertaken in this project was designed to identify how vocational education and training (VET) practitioners view learning style differences between students and what sort of account they take of those differences in designing and delivering teaching. Part of that broader research question involved an identification of the methods that VET practitioners use to identify learner group and individual styles, and the forms of response that they make to those identified styles in their teaching. The research was also designed to identify forms of professional development that may be most useful to VET practitioners in their attempts to identify and accommodate learning styles. The research was undertaken in five TAFE institutes and one professional network of trainers in private and public registered training organisations. Research sites were spread between Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Participants in the research were teaching staff, students and management staff. Data collection methods included a questionnaire undertaken by teaching staff, focus groups of teachers, students, and management/support staff, and case studies of exemplary practice. Participants were largely self-selected. In general, the research revealed that there is considerable evidence that VET teachers pay attention to the learning styles of groups and of individuals, and most make a habit of assessing those styles through their observations of students as they learn and as they interact in class sessions. The data indicated a strong belief among teachers that learning styles matter and need to be taken into account when designing and delivering instruction to students. Student focus groups also indicated that learning styles are important to them. While teachers might refer to the learning differences between students or between groups of students as styles, preferences or strategies, most did not have a strong theoretical basis for their understanding. Self-directed learning was acknowledged not only as a desirable outcome of the education and training process, but also as difficult to develop in some students. The mutual relationship between intrinsic motivation and the students' capacity for self-directed learning was generally recognised. Furthermore, there was awareness that motivation could be increased by bringing course delivery more in line with students' interests, learning styles and preferences. Show less

The aim of this project was to examine and document the integrated approach to delivering language, literacy and numeracy skills in the community services industry. This study combines an overview of the Australian literature tracking the influences leading to the 'building in' of language, literacy and numeracy to vocational education and training (VET), with some observations of practices in three training sites in this industry in Victoria, through interviews with trainers/facilitators at the case study sites and analysis of teaching processes using the 'video stimulus recall' methodology, a methodology previously used in educational contexts where participants are replayed the videotape after the lesson to assist discussion about the events recorded. The research project addressed the following key questions: (1) How is literacy conceptualised in practice by registered training organisations and personnel in the VET system? (2) What literacy practices are developed in an integrated approach? (3) What teaching and learning strategies are employed? (4) What are the key factors that might describe the 'integrated model' of adult literacy delivery?

A qualitative research approach was used. The research proposal covered an investigation of three sites representative of common delivery modes in vocational education and training. Observations at the three training sites in Victoria suggest that a generalist vocational facilitator is equipped to deliver an integrated approach, provided there is a framework for conceptualising linguistic practices in the workplace context and within the training package, and strategies and activities to develop critical workplace communication can be facilitated. The literature review and the case studies demonstrated that the following features are central to successful integrated approaches to language, literacy and numeracy teaching within vocational programs: using a constructivist approach which acknowledges that learning is affected by the context in which it is taught, as well as by students' beliefs and attitudes; developing an explicit model of language appropriate to the context of the industry; using a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching; providing a framework for describing language, literacy and numeracy; conducting an analysis of the specific training package and workplace context; ensuring there is capacity to identify critical points of intervention; and considering the needs of learners. Show less

At the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, Victoria's (Australia) Maximum Security Women's Prison, women not only gain knowledge that may improve their basic skills and increase their employability, but just as importantly, learn to trust their own abilities to problem solve, enhance their self esteem and are empowered with a belief that change is possible. Involvement in Kangan Batman TAFE's educational programs allows women to see themselves and life differently. Education is for life and whilst our courses allow women to attain educational achievements, I believe that it is the social and emotional context in which these programs are delivered that makes it possible for women to maximise their life chances for the future. The journey that women embark upon as Kangan Batman TAFE students is one that encompasses pathways to empowerment and self-reliance by recognising and responding to their individual needs. Education gives women prisoners the opportunity to become more valued contributors to society and their families as well as raising their own self-esteem whilst incarcerated. The education centre staff at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre provides hope, support and encouragement to women prisoners throughout this process. This paper will discuss models of innovative teaching practice, and explore how it is possible to achieve such outcomes by leadership, patience, persistence and caring, set against the historical backdrop of Victoria's first privatised prison.

Published abstract reprinted with permission from ACEA.

The conference CD-ROM is indexed at TD/TNC 83.352. Selected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 83.353 to TD/TNC 83.377. Show less

The Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA) developed a draft Credit Matrix Model for recognising the complexity of learning units delivered across the three educational sectors in Victoria, namely senior secondary education, vocational education and training [VET] and the higher education sectors. This paper reports on the empirical validation of the complexity component of the model, in particular, the appropriateness of the domains and indicators of learning thought to capture increasing complexity. To examine the validity and reliability of the draft Complexity Model, the indicators for each domain were empirically tested and validated through survey techniques. Participants were requested to (a) supply background information about the unit of learning; (b) judge which of the indicators within each measure best captured the complexity of their unit; and (c) rate each measure on its perceived effectiveness in defining the true complexity of the unit. Two hundred and fifty four (n=254) people responded to the survey. Of these people, 31 per cent represented senior secondary education, 44 per cent represented the VET sector and 25 per cent represented higher education. Item Response Modelling was then used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the measures as well as to empirically develop and define levels of complexity within and across the measures. The data collected demonstrated the validity, accuracy and internal consistency of each Complexity Measure. The results also showed that the correlations among the five measures were significant, yet moderately positive, thus having direct implications for the factor structure that should underpin the Complexity Framework. Two variations of the framework were produced from this initial investigation: a six level structure and an eight level structure, each underpinned by the five domains: Application, Autonomy, Accountability, Problem Solving and Knowledge.

Published abstract.

Available papers from the 8th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference, 'Emerging futures: recent, responsive and relevant research', are indexed from TD/TNC 81.564 to TD/TNC 81.610. Show less

The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) was launched as a pilot program in 2001 and is growing in significance. As a recognised qualification, VCAL provides an applied vocational option for students in years 11 and 12, enabling them to participate in work-related experience, to develop literacy and numeracy skills, and to build personal skills that are important in both life and work. This article provides an overview of how one Victorian school for secondary students with a mild intellectual disability, is delivering VCAL through a hands-on program that uses applied learning principles. An important aspect of its implementation was through the evolution of the Personal Development Strand as it relates to the Student Transition Education Program (STEP) students, teachers and the school community. Show less