Skilling Australia's current and future workforce is the theme for the 32nd National Vocational Education and Training (VET) Research Conference 'No Frills.' In keeping with the conference's theme, this discussion paper explores the resilience of the Australian VET sector and how it can continue to foster adaptability in the face of ongoing change.

Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) aims to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all". In relation to Early Childhood Education (ECE), SDG Target 4.2 aims to "ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary…

Digital technology has long been ubiquitous in many communities within Australia and internationally, thereby requiring suitable digital proficiencies. While a majority of Australian children experience digital literacies as part of their everyday lives, limitations in access disadvantage others. In educational settings, there is a clear need for…

There is a growing body of evidence highlighting effective pedagogical approaches for educating First Nations students around the world. Despite this evidence, and a plethora of culturally-inclusive aligned policies and professional strategies, many Aboriginal students continue to receive inequitable and poor-quality schooling in Australian…

This article considers the realm of knowledge in early childhood education (ECE); what knowledge is valued, and how different types of knowledge position children and educators. To this end, two different examples of practice informed by different types of knowledge are provided: one from an educator working in a long day care service (Duncan) and…

This paper reports on Indigenous early career researchers' experiences of mentoring in Australian higher education, with data drawn from a longitudinal qualitative study. Interviews were conducted with 30 Indigenous participants. A consistent theme in the findings and contemporary critical literature has been a reaction against institutionalised…

A knowledge-rich curriculum is a common feature of educationally high-performing countries and an important step towards achieving Australia's education goals. It provides the foundation for excellence and equity in the education system by prioritising and explicitly outlining the essential knowledge and related skills students should be taught…

The current historic COVID-19 Pandemic moment has thrown into sharp relief the need for flexible and rigorous higher education that meets upskilling and reskilling needs of global workforces. Discussions of micro-credentialing predate the Pandemic but have received increased focus as potentially assisting in addressing perceived skills gaps.…

Sessional staff are commonly excluded from opportunities which can enhance their professional development, despite being responsible for the majority of university teaching. For educators teaching in widening participation or enabling programs, this can create additional separation or feelings of being 'illegitimate'. This article interrupts such…

While open textbooks offer opportunities to enhance inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA), it is often seen as an afterthought in open textbook publishing processes. By examining existing literature, this paper dispels myths surrounding open textbooks and IDEA, including that openness does not equal inclusion, access or…

Child observation is a critical component of quality pedagogy in early childhood education and care (ECEC). The ORICL (Observe, Reflect, Improve Children's Learning) tool was co-designed by ECEC researchers, policymakers, leaders, and practitioners to support this work. Educators rate the experiences of individual children, and responses of…

Recently, an increasing number of students from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds (SRABs) entering universities in settlement countries such as Australia and Germany have necessitated the establishment of a variety of supports, both as formal programs and informal ad-hoc networks. However, to date, little attention has been paid to the…

In 2018 we published a chapter entitled "Middle Grades Schools and Structures" (Ellerbrock et al., 2018a) in "Literature Reviews in Support of the Middle Level Education Research Agenda" (Mertens et al., 2013). Building on the earlier work of Ellerbrock et al. (2018a), this chapter reviewed literature between 2000 and 2018 that…

This book provides a critical review of research in mathematics education published in or about the Australasian region in the four years from 2020 to 2023. Research in Mathematics Education in Australasia 2020-2023 (RiMEA 2020-2023) is the eleventh edition of the four-yearly review of mathematics education research in Australasia. It is compiled…

Inclusive education in Australia incorporates education to support a wide range of students' physical abilities, social conditions and culture-religious constructs. The case study described here focuses on religious inclusivity in the application of pedagogical strategy within the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Visual Arts…