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28th National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference ‘No Frills’

28th National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference ‘No Frills’: 10-12 July 2019

NCVER and co-hosts TAFE SA are delighted to invite you to Adelaide this July for #NoFrills2019.

Presenters and delegates from across Australia and around the world will come together to explore the theme: The student journey: skilling for life.

The world of work is evolving, driven by rapid technological change in an increasingly global society. It’s almost certain that the skills we develop today won’t be enough to operate or compete effectively in the workplaces of tomorrow.

While every student’s journey is different, more and more research points to how workers must become lifelong learners so they can grow and evolve with their jobs.

VET plays a critical role in making this happen. For more Information, please click here.  

Employers need to do more to prepare for the digital future

Employers need to do more to prepare for the digital future of work or risk being left behind, according to a new report released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

The report Skilling the Australian workforce for the digital economy also reveals the degree to which digital technologies are being adopted in Australian workplaces is highly variable despite most employers acknowledging their importance. For more Information, please click here.  

International onshore VET graduate outcomes 2018

New data reveal 84.5% of international onshore students who completed a vocational education and training (VET) qualification with an Australian provider were satisfied with the overall quality of their training.

The report International onshore VET graduate outcomes 2018, compiled by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), provides a summary of the outcomes of international students who completed their VET qualification in Australia in 2017.

The report uses data collected in mid-2018 from the National Student Outcomes Survey.

Satisfaction levels were steady or fell slightly, with 87.5% saying they’d recommend their training (down 1.3 percentage points from 2017) and 84.8% saying they’d recommend their training provider (similar to 2017).

In terms of employment outcomes, 56.2% of international onshore VET graduates improved their employment status after training.  Of those employed before training, 21.0% were employed at a higher skill level after training.

For graduates looking for work after training, 92.4% reported facing at least one barrier, down 2.7 percentage points from 2017. The most commonly cited barrier was not having permanent residency or a work visa (47.6%), up 2.7 percentage points from 2017.

Around 47 600 international onshore VET graduates were invited to complete the survey, which collects information on students’ reasons for training, employment and further study outcomes and satisfaction with training.

It also provides information on the type of visa held by students.

International onshore VET graduate outcomes 2018 is now available from www.ncver.edu.au/publications.

Work Health and Safety – Training Products

Project 1G – Work Health and Safety (WHS) has been submitted to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) for consideration. These WHS training products have been endorsed by the relevant Project Working Group and the Business Services Industry Reference Committee.

However, it is important to note that these materials have not yet been approved by the AISC – the committee is due to consider this work at its next meeting in June. If the Case for Endorsement is approved, the training products will be uploaded to training.gov.au within the pursuant eight weeks.

For more Information, please visit

https://www.skillsforaustralia.com/project-page/business-services-workplace-health-and-safety/

The role and function of small VET providers ”

EXTRACT

Given the number of smaller providers in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system, this research aims to provide a better understanding of the role and function of these smaller providers in meeting the needs of learners.

We categorised registered training organisations (RTOs) into three sizes: small providers (those with fewer than 100 students enrolled in VET); medium providers (with between 100 and 999 students); and large providers (with 1000 or more students). We selected providers who remained in the same size category in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Schools were excluded from our analysis because they are RTOs in only some jurisdictions.

Accordingly, the findings reflect VET delivered by non-school RTOs with a stable number of students, in terms of their size category, between 2015 and 2017 (‘stable’ providers). These stable small providers made up 24% of providers within the scope of this research but had fewer than 1% of all students in 2017.

The analyses focused on training activity that occurred in 2017, which was the most recent data available and also ensured that students who were enrolled over multiple years were only counted once.

SOURCE: Patrick Korbel and Kristen Osborne. “The Role and Function of small VET Providers.” NCVER, 30 April 2019.

For more Information, please visit https://www.ncver.edu.au/research-and-statistics/publications/all-publications/the-role-and-function-of-small-vet-providers

Unique scholarship opportunity for VET experts

The Fulbright Program, in partnership with the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training, is offering funding for Australian VET experts to undertake research and/or training anywhere in the U.S. for 3-4 months.

The Fulbright Professional VET Scholarship suits employees within the vocational education and training sector, or training leaders in business and industry. It involves the undertaking of an educational program concerning current vocational education and training policy or practice, such as a short course and/or research. The outcomes of the scholarship must inform and benefit the wider VET sector in Australia.

Examples of those who may apply include:

• employees, including teachers, managers, and administrators, of public and private registered training organisations and those who teach vocational education and training in dual sector universities.
• people who are leading vocational education and training strategies within their business.

Preference will be given to those who have a record of achievement and are poised for advancement to senior levels.

Past awardees: Sean O’Toole (NSW Department of Family and Community Services to the State University of New York); Caroline Smith (Skills Australia to Rutgers University); Damien Pearce (Canberra Institute of Technology to the John Jay School of Criminal Justice).

Applications close Monday 15 July 2019.