Debate continues to feature prominently in many countries on such notions as skills, skill shortages and employability. Clearly such notions remain significant internationally in the rhetoric of both economic reform and training policy and practice. However, the problem remains of differing perceptions. The purpose of this comparative study was to…

Using a case study, this article identifies the factors that are important in the effective implementation of mixing self-paced and lock-step learning (a specific type of blended learning (BL)) in the context of training military technicians. Due to budget and time constraints, the training authorities in most worldwide organisations, and in…

Little has been published in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) literature on the topic of pre-apprenticeships, which are a loose type of preparatory courses for apprenticeships available in some trades. Nevertheless, pre-apprenticeships have been in existence for several decades. With continuing concern over skill shortages in…

Current trends in workforce development indicate the movement of workers within and across occupations to be the norm. In 2009, only one in three vocational education and training (VET) graduates in Australia ended up working in an occupation for which they were trained. This implies that VET enhances the employability of its graduates by…

As Australia's economy recovers from the economic downturn, attention is turning once again to skills shortages. To gain insights into the labour market for tradespeople, this report investigates changes in supply, demand and how adjustment occurred through the varied economic conditions of the past 20 years. It concludes that there was no overall…

An evaluation of the automotive engineering pre-apprenticeship course, as found in technical colleges in New South Wales, Australia, was conducted to gather information from pre-apprentice and day-release students concerning student background factors, teaching processes within the course, outcomes of attendance in the course, and course…

A project was conducted in Australia to identify the training needs of the emerging industry required to support the development of the high performance areas of the automotive machining and reconditioning field especially as it pertained to auto racing. Data were gathered through a literature search, interviews with experts in the field, and…

A project was conducted to derive a comprehensive list of the performances of a competence mechanic to satisfy the planning needs of automotive engineering lecturers, curriculum committees, researchers, course designers, and staff developers. A list of 127 tasks together with information about their relative importance and the frequency with which…

One of a series of work-based interviews about occupations in Australia, this booklet presents a personal interview with a service station owner about his job. The following questions are answered: what the garage owner does, why he chose the field of employment, how the business has been run, goals for the future, what he does and doesn't like…

A study examined whether there were any differences in the performance of apprentices trained in off-the-job, on-the-job, or in-plant training programs. A 1984 apprentice intake sample of over 500 apprentices and information supplied by 16 in-plant training centers and 9 colleges were used to collect data on the job performance of apprentices in…

A pilot study assessed the effectiveness of two selection profiles that were designed to evaluate candidates for admission into prevocational hairdressing and automotive mechanics programs. The selection profile, which was developed by the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) National Centre for Research and Development, consisted of the…

These two issues contain abstracts of 127 and 118 documents, respectively, related to the field of technical and further education that are available through the Australian Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Clearinghouse system. These types of materials are included: research reports/technical reports, evaluation studies, curriculum materials…

A study explored learning and assessment experiences of Australian apprentices and trainees (A&Ts) using focus groups of 66 stakeholders in every state and territory; case study analyses of 20 diverse sites; and a national questionnaire of 595 A&Ts in motor mechanics and hospitality work. Stakeholders viewed apprenticeships and…

This paper examines trends in occupational mismatch in the metal, building, vehicle, and electrical trades and questions whether the process of award restructuring that began in the late 1980s has created incentives for unskilled blue collar workers to pursue skill-based career paths in the trades. Chapter 1 discusses the paper's aim and history…

This compilation of 137 document abstracts provides technical and further education (TAFE) teachers, counselors, researchers, and administrators with resumes of materials that have been accessed by the TAFE Clearinghouse. The following types of materials are included: research and technical reports, evaluation studies, curriculum materials, and…