Workplace Development

Nearly 12 months after it was established, the Apprenticeships Reform Advisory Group has delivered a suite of recommendations that could change Australia’s apprenticeship system. Apprenticeships are gaining a lot of attention at present in various states, at the national level, and internationally too. There’s too much going on to pack into one brief newsletter article […]

The Australian Youth Development Index gives us a handle on how young Australians are faring. There’s good news generally, and sobering news as well. The Population Clock at the Australian Bureau Statistics (ABS) has the number of people living in Australia at just over 24.1 million. Of that number, 6.3 million are 10-29 years of

As Australia’s population is aging and are staying in the workforce longer, VET has a role to play in engaging/reengaging mature age workers. In 2012 the CSIRO released Our future world: Global megatrends that will change the way we live which identified six critical changes that will influence Australia’s future. What makes these changes critical

Governments across Europe have devoted a good bit of thinking time to designing professional development arrangements for VET teachers and trainers. The designs vary markedly, as is demonstrated in Professional development for VET teachers and trainers a Briefing Paper released in July by CEDEFOP (the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training).  Despite the

Pathway programs are now a key element in Australia’s attempts to improve access to undergraduate studies for disadvantaged students. A recent report examines the effectiveness of sub-bachelor pathways and enabling programs. The 2014-15 Budget, the Commonwealth government proposed to uncap sub-bachelor programs and provide Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) for students enrolled in them. The proposed

Applied research is gathering momentum in the TAFE sector. An earlier newsletter article (RedSpace: thinking) looked at Red:Space, TAFE Queensland’s Centre for Applied Research and Innovation, and reported on a recent Innovation and Applied Research Roundtable held at Canberra Institute of Technology and hosted by TAFE Directors Australia and the LH Martin Institute. Applied research

LH Martin Institute report, Profiling institutional diversity across the Australian VET sector provides an insight on the changes that have occurred over time as policy has evolved, particularly the evolution of contestable markets. The Institute’s study was supported by TAFE Directors Australia and the Australian Council for Private Education and Training. The report’s key finding are:

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released an online report on 22 June 2016, entitled Qualifications and Work, Australia, 2015. The report tells a story about what happens in the workplace with the qualifications you deliver. There’s an employment benefit. In 2015, 61 per cent of Australians aged 15-64 had a post-school qualification. If you

For 25 years or so the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc) has provided advice and resources to tertiary education providers about how to make the most of all that information technology can bring learning and teaching. Over time Jisc has expanded its remit to support the training sector too. Recently Jisc’s publications provided case