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This introductory guide describes how organisations can improve their potential for learning through a competence-based approach and provides practical strategies for managers to use in helping their organisations develop into 'learning organisations'. The author examines how to organise the learning environment, make use of flexible learning materials, develop systems and procedures, use techniques from quality management, and establish a learning resource centre. The guide includes short case studies and checklists, and demonstrates how various competence-based standards such as Investors in People (IiP) and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) can provide the basic framework for successful learning organisations. Part one examines the structures within organisations that can be harnessed to develop and nurture a learning organisation; Part two addresses human resource development within the organisation; and Part three examines how the initiatives outlined in parts one and two can assist in gaining external recognition for the organisation and its staff through NVQ, IiP and ISO 9000 certification. Show less

This paper looks at a range of possible approaches to competency assessment in the professions. Wider issues associated with competency-based assessment, and the advantages and disadvantages of various assessment approaches are discussed. The chapters are: Overview; Conceptualising occupational competence: implications for assessment; Setting standards: implications for assessment; Choosing methods of assessment; Maintaining an assessment system.

A companion paper, ‘Establishing competency-based standards in the professions’ is indexed at TD/TNC 87.1474. Show less

This report was developed in the context of many changes in the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system. Focusing on cooperation with the business sector in vocational education and training (VET), the report reflects the following key findings: (1) Numerous guiding documents on the implementation of the VET Law were issued yet the implementation process of policies on cooperation with the business sector still encounters many difficulties; (2) The labour market had a strong effect on the TVET system; (3) The network of TVET institutes was considerably expanded, which means a need for the network restructure to ensure efficient operations of TVET institutes; (4) Admissions to TVET institutes increased in 2016 compared with 2015 but the number of admissions had not reached the planned target - TVET graduation and job placement achieved over 70 per cent; (5) The number of TVET teachers increased because of the unification of the TVET system, the qualification of the teachers was improved, yet teachers' occupational skills, computer skills and foreign language competencies were still limited; (6) There was still a limitation in the development of National Occupational Skill Standards (NOSS) and examinations and assessments of National Occupational Skills (NOS); (7) VET quality accreditation was inactive due to a lack of legal guidance for implementation; (8) Though financing VET has become a matter of concern, financial resources allocated to TVET institutes remain limited in practice; and (9) Cooperation with the business sector in vocational education and training was challenging for various reasons, however several pilot models of cooperative training have achieved certain successes.

Besides the foreword and key findings, the report consists of the following nine chapters: (1) Overview of vocational and education training policies; (2) Vocational education and training for the labour market; (3) Network of TVET institutes; (4) TVET admissions and graduations; (5) TVET teachers and management staff; (6) National occupational skills standards, assessment and certification of national occupational skills; (7) Accreditation and quality assurance; (8) Financing vocational education and training; and (9) Cooperation with enterprises in vocational education and training.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

'Training journal' provides current and practical information for those involved in workplace learning, training and development in the UK. The feature articles in this issue are: 'Training the trainer: developing, enabling and consulting' by Dominic Johnson (p. 14-17) which examines the growing trend among organisations of training employees to be in-house trainers and the importance of developing the character of the trainer, or their soft skills, through behavioural training; 'Creative solutions: setting the stage for changing your approach' by Michael Maynard (p. 24-27) which explores techniques that trainers can use to enhance people's creativity; 'Successful online learning: the five Ps' by Jim Flood (p. 30-31) which discusses the importance of presentation, pedagogy, promotion, preparation and props to a successful online learning experience. This issue also contains the second installment of a three-part series on National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and a short series on learning management systems: 'National Vocational Qualifications: a practical guide: part 2: roles and responsibilities' by Claire Llewellyn West (p. 8-12) which examines the roles of the assessors and verifiers, the people who make the NVQ system work; 'Learning management systems: part 2: the benefits they can promise' by Howard Hills (p. 20-22) which examines how an organisation can assess whether a learning management system is a worthwhile investment and how to justify the expenditure. The first parts in each of these series appeared in the January issue of 'Training journal', indexed at TD/TNC 72.474. Also included in this issue is news on recent events, reviews of resource materials for trainers, and surveys and trends on the UK government's training initiatives and workplace reforms. Show less

This project addresses the nationally recognized need to develop and deliver a robust package of work-based assessment (WBA) tools for health professional students in diverse clinical settings as a means of testing their teamwork competencies and interprofessional collaboration in the workplace. Teamwork competencies are included as both graduate attributes in general and in healthcare curricula in particular but are rarely assessed. The authors provide an assessment framework that not only assesses students individually as team members but also considers a team as a single entity with a view to enhancing team performance. This partnership of one Canadian and four Australian universities reviews and evaluates existing WBA tools for teamwork across the health professions and develops a framework and instruments for formative assessment - including the iTOFT (individual teamwork observation and feedback tool) - that are valid, reliable, feasible and suitable for the provision of timely and constructive feedback to students. The authors will pilot the instruments at multiple sites and evaluate their educational impact over the project's three years. Show less

This report aims at bringing together European experience on the interpretation and implementation of standard ISO 9000 in education and training environments. Another aim of the document is to serve as an introductory guide for education or training establishments or institutions who might be considering certification. The focus of the study is on: the correct interpretation of the ISO 9000 standards specification for education and training providers; the experience gained with implementing such a quality assurance system; and the first results regarding added value, potential benefits and drawbacks. Show less

The ninth annual Australian Council of Deans of Education Vocational Education Group (ACDEVEG) Vocational Education and Training (VET) Teaching and Teacher Education Conference was held in Melbourne on 4 December 2023. The theme was 'Shaping VET teachers for Australia's future'.

The presentations are: VOCEDplus: a fabulous free resource for Australia's VET sector / Tracy Gamlin (NCVER); VET educator skills in AI and emerging technologies / Elissa McKenzie, Melanie Kyle (RMIT); What makes people want to become VET teachers? Research findings / Erica Smith (FedUni), Daryl South (CSU), and Annette Foley (FedUni); Transforming school-based VET teaching: a contemporary exploration of artificial intelligence / Lisa Seddon (Teacher Registration Board, Tasmania); Collaborative challenge-based learning: teaching and learning for the VUCA world / Melanie Williams, Angela Tsimiklis and Melissa Jennings (William Angliss Institute); Triple-qualified VET teachers: shaping sustainable, high-quality VET in schools / Dr Karen O'Reilly-Briggs (Box Hill Institute), Dr Rochelle Fogelgarn and Dr Jacolyn Weller (La Trobe); TAE22: Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Have we got it right, yet? / Rachel Fox (Kangan TAFE); From surviving to thriving: enhance teaching and learning practices / Owen Smith, Andrew Egan, and Engela van der Klashorst (VU); Change the Story / Katie Yates (Our Watch); How learner perspectives can inform VET teacher training / Anne Walstab (VU). Show less

Tocal College, as part of New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI), provides training in agriculture and related disciplines across NSW and Australia. Tocal College delivers a wide range of full time, short course, and distance education courses, along with publications and study support materials. The rural and related industries in Australia operate in a very complex environment and have many features which make training delivery unique and challenging. A particular challenge is servicing a clientele who are thinly dispersed over a very large part of Australia and providing relevant skills to clients who have high levels of skills and knowledge acquired on the job through informal learning. As a consequence of these needs, external delivery of training and skills recognition (i.e. recognition of prior learning [RPL]) have emerged as key services delivered by the college. This paper outlines the development of the Tocal College skills recognition system from a paper-based to fully electronic system while maintaining a commitment to assessment by personal interview, client support, empowerment and respect, and active case management. The process of 'going electronic' is evaluated from both the client and college perspective. The e-portfolio approach is proving to be a better way of delivering services, but it does still present some challenges to clients in regional and remote areas of Australia. Show less

This paper arose from interviews with assessors working with the Automobile Training Package and deals with uncertainty and pragmatism in assessment. It portrays the assessment decision making process as a discourse in which the assessor is less likely to rely on documented performance criteria than on conversation with peers, employers and even the learner being assessed. Finally the paper compares the definitions of quality incorporated into the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) with the perceptions of quality that emerge from the described assessment experiences of the automotive teachers and assessors.

The volume of collected papers is indexed at TD/TNC 66.434, individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 66.435 to TD/TNC 66.461 and a collection of Powerpoint presentations from the conference may be found at TD/TNC 66.462. Show less

Australia has declared its ambition to be within the ‘top five’ in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) by 2025. So serious is it about this ambition, that the Australian Government has incorporated it into the Australian Education Act, 2013. Given this focus on PISA results and rankings, [the authors] go beyond average scores to take a close look at Australia’s performance in PISA, examining rankings by different geographical units, by item content and by test completion. Based on this analysis and using data from interviews with measurement and policy experts, [the authors] show how uninformative and even misleading the ‘average performance scores’, on which the rankings are based, can be. [The authors] explore how a more nuanced understanding would point to quite different policy actions. After considering the PISA data and Australia’s ‘top five’ ambition closely, [the authors] argue that neither the rankings nor such ambitions should be given much credence.

Published abstract. Show less