Since the "Kangan Report" (1974), literacy and numeracy (L&N) issues have become an integral component of policy development in Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector. Debate in the literature is based on competing discourses: functional-economic and social practice. These discourses and globalization of the…

This overview paper highlights implications of keynote papers and discussion at the first National Issues Forum held by the Research Center for Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Australia. It discusses evidence that the school-to-work (STW) transition is a problem for an increasing number of young people and why. It outlines the…

Owners or managers of 181 Australian businesses employing fewer than 20 people in the construction, manufacturing, property and business services, and retail industries in 3 metropolitan and 3 nonmetropolitan locations were interviewed by telephone to identify how they used training to enhance their small business's success. Of those surveyed,…

This paper synthesizes issues and directions that a review of Australian apprenticeship and traineeship literature suggested. An overview discusses the paper's basis, which was a survey of 125 Australian references from 1985-99. Chapter 2 categorizes issues into seven groups, discusses them, and draws out salient themes. (The groups concerned…

Available research on access to postsecondary vocational education and training (VET) and equity for disabled people was reviewed to identify the barriers that continue to confront disabled students interested in pursuing postsecondary VET and the factors that contribute to disabled students' success in VET in Australia and internationally. The…

Recognition of the need for lifelong learning that is accessible to all Australians underpins the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system. The Australian Qualifications Framework is a nationally consistent framework that allows for credit transfer and articulation between Australia's schools, VET, and universities. The Australian…

Interweaving theory and commentary with case studies, this book explores a multifaceted approach to workplace education that develops workers' skills and integrates learning, language, and cross-cultural issues into work, communication, and management practices. Chapter 1 explores the changing world of work and implications for workforce skill…

Existing research on vocational education and training (VET) for entry-level employment in Australia was reviewed. According to the review, research on entry-level VET has enhanced knowledge related to the following: competence requiring knowledge and understanding as well as performance; graded standards-based assessment; problems of policy…

Non-metropolitan Australia is diverse in terms of population density, educational experiences of the population, and the occupations and industries it supports. Rural adults are less likely to have post-school qualifications and work in manufacturing, property and business services, or finance and insurance. They are more likely to be older, have…

Australia's Frontline Management Initiative (FMI) marks a political move toward workplace learning and provides evidence concerning development of managing identities and management of such workplace learning. The FMI was examined as a technology of identity within the discourse of enterprise and an instrument of textualization of the workplace.…

This publication is comprised of 12 position papers from the National Equity Workshop held at the University of Technology Sidney (Australia) at which participants summarized their positions on the way equity should be understood, their views on the strengths and weaknesses of current vocational education and training (VET) policy, and what they…

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…

Research examining issues of training provision for public and private training providers in Australia over the past 6 years was reviewed. Selected conclusions of the review were as follows: (1) national training reform has promoted competitive delivery of vocational and technical education (VET) by seeking to remove impediments faced by…

This part of the Australian newsletter from the National Clearinghouse on the Transition from School to Work is organized into eight sections. Following a description of the clearinghouse in the first section, the newsletter contains two sections of brief descriptions of current research projects and news items. In the fourth section, three books…

In 2001, 6,821 employers across Australia were surveyed regarding their views of vocational education and training (VET). The survey was the fourth such survey since 1995. In 2001, 80% of employers of VET graduates (compared with 83% in 1995) rated their satisfaction with VET as 6 or higher on a 10-point scale. The proportion of employees at the…