"VET partnerships powering a dynamic workforce" is the theme for the 33rd National Vocational Education and Training (VET) Research Conference 'No Frills.' In keeping with the conference's theme, this discussion paper focuses on Australia's workforce demands and the importance of equipping the workforce with necessary skills through…

Australia's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on the ability of employers to fill the skills shortages resulting from lower migration and upturns in economic prosperity associated with ongoing technological change. The national vocational education and training (VET) system is best placed to support employers to meet these skill…

This support document contains a literature review for the project entitled: "Engaging More Employers in Nationally Recognised Training to Develop Their Workforce. Research Report" (ED616445). The aim of the overall research project is to identify strategies to improve employer uptake of nationally recognised training in the current…

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Engaging More Employers in Nationally Recognised Training to Develop Their Workforce. Research Report" (ED616445) and is an added resource for further information. This support document reports on the outcomes of the interviews with representatives of the…

Purpose: To identify a skilled micro-credentialled training pathway for agricultural careers. Design/Methodology/Approach: A survey consisting of open ended and Likert-type ratings questions regarding workforce skills requirements, training priorities and training delivery preferences was administered with 17 agricultural business managers and…

Delivering training in regional, rural and remote (RRR) Australia is not easy. Australia is a large, diverse country, and ensuring that training is suited to individual locations, which are unique in their landscapes, economies, industries and cultures, is challenging. There is an ongoing policy interest in making sure that the vocational…

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Engaging More Employers in Nationally Recognised Training to Develop Their Workforce. Research Report" (ED616445) and is an added resource for further information. This support document reports on the outcomes of 35 interviews with employers in five…

Small businesses are characterised by resources constraints; therefore, their managers need to know the exact nature of additional benefits, beyond knowledge and skill acquisition, that might accrue from employee participation in different types of learning activities. However, research that simultaneously examines the attitudinal and behavioural…

National Indigenous training and employment policy falls under the auspices of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS), an initiative which covers all facets of Indigenous social, economic, health and well-being across multiple Australian Government departments. Two of the main aims of the Jobs, Land and Economy component of the IAS are to…

The key drivers of employer investment in workforce training include improving the quality of a product or service, the adoption of new technology, and to meet legislative, regulatory or licensing requirements. Various types of training -- accredited, unaccredited, informal -- are accessed by employers to fulfil their training needs. This report…

In simple terms, it's about new ideas being put into practice, and it underpins human progress, while in economic terms it can drive long-term productivity growth (Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science 2017). The opportunities underpinning the largest growth 'will come from knowledge-intensive companies that innovate and…

The Skills for Jobs White Paper and funding and accountability consultation set out the Government's plans to introduce a greater focus on the outcomes of learning, including a new Skills Measure that looks at the employment and other outcomes that learners achieve. Will this give colleges and providers greater freedom to deliver for learners, or…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the HRD practices of multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in Australia to understand the value that MNEs place on investment in their human capital, particularly managerial talent. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on a representative sample of 211 MNEs operating in Australia, this paper…

In Australia, like many western countries, there has been a convergence of education policy around a set of utilitarian and economistic approaches to vocational education and training in schools. Such approaches are based on the assumption that there is a direct relationship between national economic growth, productivity and human capital…

Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and automation are transforming the world of work. Developing the appropriate digital skills in the workforce is an important component in Australia's effort to compete in this rapidly emerging global digital economy. This research explores the current digital skills demand-and-supply…