Current research

Role of industry in teaching and learning

Project Funded by the Victorian Skills Authority and AVETRA ($23,760).

RAVE Researchers: Erica Smith and Paschal Somers

The way in which ‘industry’ is conceptualised in its relations with VET is problematic and contested. Input into VET policy is normally managed via representative associations and industry peak bodies; individual employing organisations (‘companies’) are rarely heard. Moreover, the very word ‘industry’ is a relatively impoverished way to describe the areas of practice for which VET prepares and upskills people. Some occupations do not have a particular ‘industry’ home; and some VET is not industry-based. The perceived narrowness of the term ‘industry’ affects VET’s status (see the current Parliamentary Inquiry), and also affects some VET practitioners’ self-esteem.

Yet the role of ‘industry’ is embedded in all aspects of VET policy, from national initiatives (macro) through to policy affecting local operations (micro). A more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the voice of industry and the ways in which it can best work with VET may result in industry and VET working as equal partners, rather than VET being merely a ‘servant’ of industry’ (Smith, 2023b).

This desk-based research project aimed to:

  • Outline the different ways in which industry can be defined and conceptualised across vocational education and training systems.
  • Outline the different roles that industry can play in VET systems.
  • Outline different models for industry involvement in the development and delivery of teaching and learning.
  • Identify potential models that could be contextualised or implemented in the Australian and / or Victorian system.

The project used five activities to explore the topic. These were:

  1. Review of the academic literature.
  2. Review of the grey literature: case studies and models.
  3. Australian case studies and models.
  4. Skills Councils and other high-level industry involvement: international and Australian data.
  5. Information about local-level VET curriculum and teaching collaboration.

The project has now concluded.

Outputs

The project report is linked from the Victorian Skills Authority web site at https://www.vic.gov.au/applied-research-and-vet-0 and can be seen at https://avetra.org.au/VSA-Project-2

Two conference presentations were given on part of the findings from the project in July 2024, both on the different ways in which industry can be conceptualised. One was presented at the NCVER’s ‘No Frills’ Conference on ‘VET partnerships: Powering a dynamic workforce’ in Perth, and the other, presented virtually, at the ‘Thinking globally and acting locally’ conference of UALL/SCUTREA in London. The ‘No Frills’ NCVER conference presentation is attached (No Frills, pptx, 2.02mb).

Any enquiries should be directed to Erica Smith at e.smith@federation.edu.au

Skills for work, study, and life: Adult learning in Adult Community Education in Australia

Project Funded by the Deakin University Support and Development Fund ($29,000).

RAVE Researchers: Annette Foley. Other researchers Tracy Ollis Deakin University.

Adult community education (ACE) has recently been recognised by the Federal government minister for skills and training, Brendan O’Connor, as Australia's fourth sector of education. ACE has significantly contributed to providing formal and informal learning opportunities, often for hard-to-reach learners, older learners, those with English as a second language, early school leavers and other diverse groups, sometimes leading to pathways to further education or work (Nechvoglod & Beddie 2010). Some of the learners in ACE may have previous difficult experiences of the neoliberal education system, formal education, and schooling.

On the back of a national skill shortage (National Skills Commission, 2022) and the recent federal government summit on Skills (2022) in Australia and the need for hard-to-reach learners to gain skills for employment, the contribution of the ACE sector to the government work and skills policy agenda is more critical than ever. This mixed methods research aims to better understand the completion rates of pre-accredited and accredited programs to determine the effectiveness of these ACE programs for work and further education outcomes. The findings of the study will also highlight the significance of ACE for those learners who cannot gain employment or further education for complex reasons, including older learners. These learners can and do benefit from ACE in living healthier and more connected lives.

This research aims to provide an overview of adult learning in adult community education (ACE) settings in two states in Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.

Increasing the attractiveness of apprenticeships

Project for the International Labour Organization ($10,000 USD).

Researcher: Erica Smith

This 2021 project, funded by the International Labour Organization and the government of Flanders, forms part of a major ILO project ‘Apprenticeships Development for Universal Lifelong Learning and Training (ADULT)’. View the main project web page. The ‘attractiveness’ theme examines reasons why apprenticeships may be attractive ,and may not be attractive, to different groups in society, and to people who advise on career choices, and provides examples of initiatives in a range of countries to increase the attractiveness. The project as a whole includes researchers around the world, and is led by Jörg Markowitsch from Austria and Andrew McCoshan from the U.K.