The past two decades have seen some evolution towards a more nationally consistent vocational education and training (VET) system. One of the challenges is to find the right balance between national consistency and appropriate flexibility, to accommodate the regional and local industry requirements and learner preferences that best serve the needs…

This occasional paper provides the views of 17 "thought leaders" in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector. Their insight and opinions were sought to inform a larger research project focused on the student entitlement reforms that were introduced into the national VET system from 2012. These individuals offered a…

This research overview summarizes the work undertaken by Kaye Bowman and Suzy McKenna in exploring jurisdictional approaches to the implementation of student entitlements to vocational skills training, a key reform initiative in the National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform (NPASR) of 2012-16. The overview is a condensed summary of three…

Many older Australians are up-skilling or retraining to maintain gainful employment or pursue other interests. This study, a systematic review of existing research, set out to find evidence that skill development activities for the mature-aged lead to improved employment opportunities and improved productivity. It also looks at what factors act as…