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The Victorian Department of Education and Training (Higher Education and Skills Group - HESG) prioritises improving the quality of delivery in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, yet there is not a systematic approach to the professional development (PD) of teachers. The aim of this study tour was to investigate PD approaches in North America, with a view to informing improvements in the Victorian model. In March/April 2017, the author attended the TESOL conference in Seattle, USA and met with innovative practitioners and researchers in Calgary, Canada and Minnesota, USA where she deepened her understanding of PD and pedagogical approaches, as well as PD models. The overarching theme of effective PD approaches observed by the author is that PD needs to be sustained, rather than occasional one-off events, in order for teachers to engage in systematic reflection. Teachers should be actively engaged in their own PD, with opportunities to be collegiate and to consider how research can inform classroom practice. Pedagogical approaches to teaching EAL/Literacy learners which were observed centred around implementing teaching strategies which increase the level of rigour in the classroom. Effective teachers need to ensure that every activity has a purpose which relates to skill building for the learner. Numeracy should be embedded in EAL/Literacy lessons and pronunciation should be taught explicitly, as well as incidentally throughout a lesson. The model of PD for teachers of EAL/Literacy teachers in Minnesota, USA is a very systematic one which could inform the approach in Victoria. This Fellowship can inform improved PD approaches in the Learn Local sector specifically and in the VET sector more broadly.

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This report provides an overview of the medical laboratory science workforce in Victoria in 2017. It is based on survey responses from 523 individual medical laboratory scientists (approximately 50 per cent of estimated number of medical laboratory scientists in Victoria), three focus groups involving 13 participants, and surveys from 160 employers and managers of organisations that provide pathology services in Victoria.

The medical laboratory science workforce in Victoria is older and female-dominated. Respondents predominately worked in either the public sector (66 per cent) (State, Commonwealth and jointly funded) or with large multi-sited private laboratories (24 per cent); a small number worked for small specialised laboratories and not-for-profit laboratories. The majority were employed in hospital-based laboratories (81 per cent). The majority of respondents (72 per cent) worked in one of the five core areas of laboratory science: haematology, transfusion science, microbiology, anatomical pathology and clinical biochemistry, or in a multidisciplinary core laboratory. Advanced roles were carried out by 54 per cent with the most common roles being in blood banking, identifying new developments, the clinical scientist role and molecular genetics interpretation. The majority of respondents were permanent employees, worked for one employer and in a laboratory that provided 24 hour/seven day a week services. Formal multi-disciplinary team structures were common and very few respondents were sole practitioners.

Participants in this research reported a low level of job satisfaction with only slightly more than half reporting somewhat or extremely satisfied. Higher levels of dissatisfaction were reported by employees of private large multi-sited pathology laboratories than by those in the public sector. Career advancement opportunities, opportunities to do research, income and work/life balance were all factors in this dissatisfaction. Almost 2/3 of respondents (64 per cent) indicated they intended to stay in the profession for less than 10 years. These figures were also disproportionately higher for private sector employees. Key areas of concern were under staffing, lack of jobs for new graduates and low morale. These have been longstanding concerns having been identified more than 15 years ago. While there has been a steady increase in new graduates, there are few and potentially reducing numbers of jobs available to these graduates, as well as for intermediate and more senior professionals. Advancements in technology have changed the way many medical laboratory scientists roles function, but understanding from those outside of the profession of the limitations of this technology is a concerning problem for the profession.

The main issues facing the profession included a high level of dissatisfaction with income level, career development opportunities, job prospects and career pathways; the need for some form of registration, certification or accreditation to ensure appropriate levels of education and quality are maintained in the workforce, particularly with an increasingly privatised world where saving money appeared to be the main objective; and the impending 'brain drain' that is likely to occur with the retirement of many senior scientists and few people coming up through the ranks to replace them. When these issues are matched to the concerns that new graduates are having difficulty getting jobs, it provides for a somewhat dismal view of the future of the profession.

Key areas of consideration for the medical laboratory science workforce going forward include: (1) Review the impacts of privatisation on the medical laboratory science workforce with particular emphasis on the effect on quality of service, standards and available depth of skills; (2) Review the increased creation of technologist versus scientist positions, and the need to ensure there are knowledgeable, experienced scientists in the workforce for quality service provision and to support, mentor and educate new young scientists; (3) Provide more opportunities for career development and a clear career progression pathway, taking into consideration the need for secure employment; (4) Review the staffing levels in laboratories and the concerns associated with lack of jobs for new graduates; (5) Review the supply and demand for the profession in light of the technological changes that are occurring. Producing an increasing number of new graduates who are unable to find employment is problematic for the graduates and the future of the profession; (6) Encourage the development of a stronger voice for the profession to improve the professional recognition and understanding of the medical scientist role; (7) Consider of the need for some form of registration or certification to protect both the profession and the public, particularly with the diverse educational pathways to employment; and (8) Explore with the profession, additional ways to address the 'impending brain drain', concerns that the profession is 'dying', and low morale given the increasing importance that is being placed on the pathology testing within medical diagnoses.

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[This] Fellowship investigates improved and innovative ways to support new educators as they enter vocational and higher education. This work has been influenced by experts in both the USA and Canada. The report investigates four interrelated components: (1) To improve the educational experience for new educators; (2) To improve educational experiences for students who share learning communities with new educators; (3) To upskill leaders to work effectively and provide organised structures to support new educators in areas of high impact; and (4) To offer organisations an approach to retain new educators and avoid time and money in the continuous cycle of employment and reemployment.

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The conference was convened by the Lifelong Learning Network, which is a policy research network based at the University of Canberra. Changes taking place in higher education are intimately related to changes taking place in the organisation and practice of staff development in universities both in Australia and internationally. In Australia, in particular, these changes are stimulating discussion about practices and principles underpinning staff development, so that future directions can take into account the needs of this relatively new profession. The author of this paper provides a brief overview of the current issues in staff development and describes an approach adopted by Victoria University, based on some of these principles and practices. The Assessment for Learning Teams (ALTs) project is described to illustrate the process used in the delivery of activities, and conclusions about the nature and scope of staff development are drawn.

The collected papers of the conference are indexed at TD/ACT 59.13. Show less

This report provides an overview of the exercise physiology workforce in Victoria in 2017. It is based on survey responses from 430 exercise physiologists, representing 50 per cent of exercise physiologists with Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) status in Victoria at the time of the survey (ESSA, 2017); two focus groups involving a total of seven participants; two individual interviews; and surveys from 119 employers and managers of organisations that provide dietetic services in Victoria. When contrasted with 2017 data from Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) (ESSA, 2017), the respondent cohort included an over-representation of female respondents, but an accurate representation of individuals aged 35 years and under and those aged 55 and over.

The Victoria exercise physiology workforce is young and includes slightly more females than males. The profession saw high levels of growth in the early years of this decade. More recently, this rate of growth has reduced in the context of ESSA introducing more stringent training requirements for eligibility for AEP status. Research respondents reported working across public, private and not-for-profit sectors, although the largest single employment sector was the private sector (48 per cent). Across respondents' roles over time, there was a slight increase in individuals employed in metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria and a reduction in those employed in other parts of Australia. Participants' showed movement away from the private sector across their careers and towards the public sector. This shift is likely to reflect not only individual professional choice but also an increase in funding of public exercise physiology positions over time.

Work-life balance, continuing professional development opportunities and support, and career advancement opportunities were the most frequently identified variables relevant to employment choices. However, the proportion of respondents satisfied with these variables in their current employment was significantly lower than the proportion noting the variables to be very important. Lack of a career pathway and poor progression opportunities was a strong and recurring theme. Although 59 per cent of respondents reported being somewhat satisfied with their current work situation, only 23 per cent reported being extremely satisfied. Even so, more than half the respondent group indicated an intention to stay in the profession for more than 10 years from the time of the survey. Contributors to job satisfaction included making a positive difference to the health and quality of life of clients, having the chance to work across diverse clinical domains and service sectors, exercise physiology being valued in the workplace, contributing to the development of a new and growing workforce, and recognising small signs of improvement in career pathways for exercise physiologists.

The research revealed significant concern regarding lack of employment opportunities available for exercise physiologists. Participants explained that many of the roles that do exist are part-time and insecure (contract or casual). Those unable to secure employment as an exercise physiologist often worked in allied health assistant roles. This is believed to contribute to lack of recognition of exercise physiologists as autonomous professionals and perpetuates the poor professional and community awareness of the exercise physiology role, scope of practice, and evidence-base. Research participants reported pay rates lower than other allied health professions. Quantitative data indicated that one in four respondents were in a contracted position rather than a permanent role. Nearly a quarter of all respondents earned less than $40,000 and 68 per cent earned less than $70,000. Lack of equity in government and private health insurance rebates for exercise physiology services was identified as an important contributor to this situation.

Exercise physiologists were often employed in small numbers or in sole positions. In these circumstances, administrative and clinical supervision was often delegated to physiotherapy managers or professional from other disciplines. For many exercise physiologists (but not all) this made it difficult to access adequate profession-specific clinical supervision and compromised development of the role within their service. Participants highlighted the opportunity for more effective use of the available workforce and reduced clinical risk, if the roles, scope of practice, and differences between exercise physiologists, physiotherapists, and personal trainers were more clearly defined. Respondents emphasised the key role of exercise physiology in prevention of and responses to injury, illness, and chronic disease. However, respondents expressed frustration at the limitations on being able to contribute the professions' full potential due to inadequate attention to prevention and early intervention by [General Practitioners] GPs; inadequate understanding of the professions' role; and lack of rebates for clients at risk of chronic disease, in contrast to funding available for those with established chronic disease, disability or injury.

Key areas for future consideration for the exercise physiology profession include: (1) Improving community and professional understanding of the exercise physiology role, scope of practice, and evidence-base; (2) Developing employment opportunities, career pathways and progression opportunities that encourage exercise physiology as a long-term career choice; (3) Reviewing funding models and government and private health insurance rebates to align better with other allied health professions; (4) Establishing models of care and funding models that facilitate effective use of the knowledge and skills of exercise physiologists in prevention and early intervention; (5) Increasing knowledge of the employment destinations of exercise physiologists, not only in their early career but also over time; (6) Establishing opportunities for clinical supervision of exercise physiologists by other exercise physiologists, particularly for sole practitioners and professionals working in very small departments; (7) Achieving clarity regarding the points of differentiation and the similarities between exercise physiologists, physiotherapists, and personal trainers, and how the mix of roles can contribute most effectively and efficiently to achieving optimal individual and community health outcomes; and (8) Advocating for parity of pay and entitlements where exercise physiology is delivering professional services of an equivalent level of expertise and autonomy to other professions.

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In early 2005, the Adult Community and Further Education (ACFE) Board adopted the ‘ACE research strategy 2005-2007: putting research to work’ and placed a priority on broadening the benefits to the [adult and community education] ACE sector of high level research projects that had been commissioned by the Board and recently completed, and on supporting the implementation of the Ministerial Statement ‘Future directions for ACE in Victoria’. To achieve this, the Board provided support for the establishment of three Circles of Professional Research Practice, to be led by professional researchers, coordinated by ACE organisations and involving practitioners from interested ACE organisations. The Circles of Professional Research Practice were designed to provide opportunities for interested ACE practitioners and their organisations to come together to focus on one particular area of research, to raise their awareness of ACE research, to interpret, reflect upon and then apply research outcomes to their own situations. The goal was to maximise the practical benefit of high-level research for ACE organisations and support the implementation of the Ministerial Statement at a regional and local level. [The Circles] explore the most recent research projects funded by the Board: ‘The ACE experience: pedagogies for life and employment’ [report indexed at TD/TNC 79.106]; ‘Men’s learning through ACE and community involvement in small rural towns’ [report indexed at TD/TNC 87.601]; [and] ‘The ACE longitudinal study’ [final report indexed at TD/TNC 87.575]. This report is part of the first round of Circles to report to the ACFE Board in June 2006. It documents the activities of the Circle to increase participants’ knowledge and understanding of the 2005 research findings from two research reports from the ACE Longitudinal Study: ‘A community studies approach to researching strategic issues in ACE (Walstab and Teese, 2005) [indexed at TD/TNC 83.120]; and ‘ACE connects: building pathways to education, employment and community engagement (Walstab, Volkoff and Teese, 2005) [indexed at TD/TNC 83.119].

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This document presents a case study of the Baillieu Library at the University of Melbourne's Parkville campus. The library instituted a new user-focused service delivery model and renovations of the building were undertaken. At the same time, attention was given to the professional development needs of the staff. Skills gaps were identified and suitable vocational training was sourced to realign the staff skills with the new service model. Show less

The TAFE frontiers project 'Flexible learning planning and management resources' identifies challenges presented by flexible learning to managers in vocational education and training (VET) and emphasises the role of managers in planning, managing and developing flexible learning from a strategic management perspective. The project produced a number of professional development resources released as part of the 'Building FlexAbility' series. This resource kit identifies challenges presented by flexible learning to managers in vocational education and training (VET) and emphasises the role of managers in planning, managing and developing flexible learning from a strategic management perspective. The kit is primarily for Victorian VET managers and addresses the key structural and operational management issues that flexible learning presents to VET organisations. However, the issues papers in volume three have relevance and value for managers across Australia. The kit comprises four volumes: (1) 'Overview' (13 p.) which provides a background to the research, definitions, methodologies, the structure of the kit, and findings and key issues from the research; (2) 'Voices from the field' (46 p.) which provides the background on the history of developments in flexible learning at the national and Victorian state levels, a literature review of research on VET managers, and views of VET managers about flexible learning issues; (3) 'Issues' (89 p.) which contains ten papers on Victorian VET issues based on related national and international research, moving from strategic through to operational-oriented topics; and (4) 'Resources and activities' (38 p.) which provides a range of resources for VET managers and other VET staff on flexible delivery as well as professional development activities.

Documents related to 'Building flexAbility' are indexed from TD/TNC 69.539 to TD/TNC 69.545. Show less

Victorian TAFE International (VTI) has been in existence for 10 years as a network of managers of international programs in TAFE Institutes and dual sector universities in Victoria. This paper examines VTI’s journey from a loose network of practitioners engaging in professional development meetings to working collaboratively as a genuine community of practice. In 2008 VTI made a commitment to collaborative partnerships and embarked on projects which required sharing across organisational boundaries in a manner which could be construed as antithetical to the notion of competition in the education market place and which had the potential to lay members open to charges of disloyalty to their employers and to the competitive model itself. The paper analyses data from interviews and surveys of VTI members in 2009 to highlight issues arising from the complexity of developing collaborative models of practice across organisational boundaries among competitive entities. Specifically it will explore issues around maintaining loyalty to one’s employer whilst also: sharing experience; intellectual property rights; gaining agreement to action from all members; facing the fear of sharing with peers and being found wanting; the impact of co-operation at manager level on organisational hierarchies; and lessons learned in challenging the primacy of the competitive model. It concludes that it is a difficult path to take and that there is a price to pay for working co-operatively across organisational boundaries. But ultimately, the research findings suggest that outcomes for international students are improved by a collaborative approach and the deepening of personal relationships that occur through collaborative effort, enhances learning within the network.

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This report is based on 21 individual staff profiles that describe the various ways these TAFE staff have gone about shaping their professional development in the Victorian state training system. It is divided into two parts, the first describing the project. It also provides discussion on what the profiles reveal about how people learn in relation to their work and careers. The second component comprises the learning profiles of TAFE people, in particular teaching staff, based on interviews with them. Show less