Competency-based training (CBT) is the key training approach used in the vocational education and training sector in Australia. Competency-based training is an approach to vocational education and training (VET) designed to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve competency. It focuses on an individual's mastery of skill, whereby an…

The science laboratory is a politically entrenched space where complex power relations interplay while social agents learn about the rules and routines to ensure safety, precision and reproducibility in research work. This paper presents a case study of two Singaporean students undergoing apprenticeship in a 3-year school-based School Scientist…

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused one of the worst economic crises since the Great Depression. Although countries responded quickly to support displaced workers with assistance packages and funding for education and training, additional measures might be needed. Each country's economic recovery will most likely depend on how well its workforce is…

Streamlining the vocational qualification development process in Australia is a current priority of the skills ministers of both the Australian Government and state and territory governments. This research summary explores the development processes associated with vocational qualifications in selected countries and compares them with the current…

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…

This article discusses peer apprenticeship learning (PAL) as situated within networked learning communities (NLCs). The context revolves around the diffusion of technologically-mediated learning in Singapore schools, where teachers begin to implement inquiry-oriented learning, consistent with 21st century learning, among students. As these schools…

Vocational education and training (VET) is a major policy topic for countries all over the world, who are eager to learn from the best examples where participation in VET is high and youth unemployment is low. Policymakers want to know how strong VET systems manage challenges like rapid technological change, matching labor market demand for…

This handbook, first published in 2014, aims at helping policy makers and social partners understand some of the ways in which learning in the workplace can be encouraged and how its quality can be improved. It is also intended to help them understand some of the ways that such learning can be organised in a structured manner so that it benefits…

Intermediaries--also referred to as bridge builders, boundary spanners, conveners, and other names--fill the critical role of connecting all the parties in the system to empower people with the skills required in the labor force. Those parties generally include employers, educators, workers, and prospective workers. Within these categories may…

This research by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for Sutton Trust examined the English education system and its apprenticeship programs. BCG reported that the UK is failing nearly half its young people by providing inadequate vocational opportunities. BSG presents key findings that include: (1) more than four in ten people have only low level…

IN 1964 SINGAPORE HAD A POPULATION OF 1,844,200. EDUCATION IS FREE FOR THE 6 PRIMARY YEARS. SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS ATTEND AN ACADEMIC SECONDARY, A SECONDARY COMMERCIAL, OR A SECONDARY TECHNICAL SCHOOL. A 2-YEAR PREUNIVERSITY, A POLYTECHNIC, AND A TEACHERS' COLLEGE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE. UNSUCCESSFUL PRIMARY STUDENTS RECEIVE 2 YEARS ADDITIONAL WORK AT A…

This publication documents important statistical data on the technical education and training activities under the purview of the Institute of Technical Education, Singapore. Section I on technical education and training in Singapore highlights major developments in 1992 and provides flowcharts of the former vocational training system and the new…

This annual report of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) that was established in April 1992 in Singapore begins with the Chairman's Statement (Tay Eng Soon). It describes developments that have taken place to consolidate ITE's training framework: full-time institutional training, apprenticeship, and continuing education and training. The…

The history of technical and vocational education in Singapore goes back only to the mid-1960s, when it received attention in response to the policies of industrialization adopted when Singapore became an independent republic. Establishment of the Industrial Training Board (ITB) in 1973 was the first significant step toward formalizing vocational…

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in Singapore provides skills training to school leavers through the institutional training and apprenticeship modes. The strengths of apprenticeship training are: provision of more occupational choices; greater effectiveness in meeting specific needs of industries; and opportunities for young people to…