Purpose: This paper explores how education and training systems can support a digitally-enabled workforce for the Australian manufacturing sector. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on interviews with 17 sector-level manufacturing stakeholders from industry, government and education/training organisations. Semi-structured interviews…

Secondary school English is shaped not only by complex institutional and discursive forces but also by the mundane reality of available resources. Among the resources used by teachers are commercial textbooks. Classroom textbooks can play a significant role in determining what gets taught in English lessons. They can also influence assumptions…

The Advancing Science and Engineering through Laboratory Learning (ASELL) for Schools program has been instrumental in getting schools across Australia to reconsider the effectiveness of the laboratory learning activity (LLA) in science education. In Victoria, the ASELL for Schools project has collaborated with another nationally funded program,…

"Research Messages 2021" highlights the diverse range of research activities undertaken over the past year by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). In 2021, research was shaped both by the VET (vocational education and training) reform agenda, and issues emerging from the pandemic. The 2021 national VET research…

This article explores findings from an investigation into the publishing experiences of Australian authors of inclusive Young Adult (YA) fiction. A total of seven authors, each publicly identifying as part of a marginalised community in Australia, were interviewed. This paper concentrates on the findings of semi-structured interviews with two…

This project is focused on the second element noted by the Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) to streamline the national vocational education and training (VET) system so that it can better respond to the needs of industry -- faster development of qualifications. It looks at the vocational qualification development processes in different…

Australia's education system has served the nation well, but must continue to evolve to ensure competitiveness in a world racing towards the future. The report recommendations presented seek to optimise the ways industry partnerships can assist in the provision of contemporary, internationally competitive Science, Technology, Engineering, and…

This article seeks to provide a school perspective on the nature and quality of the partnerships which schools form with businesses in order to deliver work placements and workplace learning in Australia. It found that the ability of schools to engage with external partners depended on the ability of school leaders to define and communicate the…

This is a report of the first year of a three-year project entitled "Vocations: the link between post-compulsory education and the labour market." The project's aim is to research how pathways can be improved within education, within work, and between education and work. There are three strands in the project; the first strand is…

The purpose of this project was to provide innovative and cutting edge genetics materials for 14-17 year olds (Year 10-12) in Australian schools, which aimed to engage students and encourage evidence based decision-making. In 2008, an Australian School Innovation in Science, Technology and Mathematics (ASISTM) project called "Genetics…

This document covers the data terms used in the "VET in Schools, 2007" report. The primary purpose of this document is to help users of the report understand the specific data terms used in it. Terms that appear in the report are listed in alphabetical order with the following information provided for each: (1) Definition: a brief…

This document covers the data terms used in the "VET in Schools, 2006" report. The primary purpose of this document is to help users understand the specific data terms used in the report. Terms that appear in the report are listed in alphabetical order with the following information provided for each: (1) Definition: a brief explanation…

Few studies have tracked youth transition beyond the immediate post-school period or have looked at the longer-term outcomes of post-school programs. This study reports the findings of a case study investigating links between an industry-specific school vocational education and training (VET) program and subsequent work transitions to the building…

Mobile learning is variously viewed as a fad, a threat, and an answer to the learning needs of time-poor mobile workers, so does it have a place in delivering mainstream learning? Based on a 2005 comparative research project, commissioned by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, the paper reports on research into Web-based information…

This study is about the school-to-work transition arrangements in place in South Korea and South Australia, and the improvements that are required to enable students to better make this transition. It represents the work of researchers from the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET) and the National Centre for…