VET in Schools: A Post-Compulsory Education Perspective

National Centre For Vocational Education Research, 2004

The Journal of Educational Enquiry, 2009

Pressure for schools to adopt a more vocationally oriented approach to the education of young people is by no means new, especially in times of economic dislocation. White has demonstrated considerable similarities in public policy responses to periods of youth unemployment in the 1890s, 1930s and 1990s (White 1995). In each case, demands for increasing vocational relevance were placed on education systems, at least until the peak of the crisis was perceived to have passed. Australian education systems at the beginning of the twenty-first century are once more in a period in which great hope is placed on an expanded vocational dimension to school students' learning. Some of these initiatives are purely schoolbased and rely on school-oriented certification and recognition, such as the various State Higher School Certificates (HSC), School Certificates (SC) and Senior Certificates. Others attempt to utilise recognition arrangements under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQ...

Pressure for schools to adopt a more vocationally oriented approach to the education of young people is by no means new, especially in times of economic dislocation. White has demonstrated considerable similarities in public policy responses to periods of youth unemployment in the 1890s, 1930s and 1990s (White 1995). In each case, demands for increasing vocational relevance were placed on education systems, at least until the peak of the crisis was perceived to have passed. Australian education systems at the beginning of the twenty-first century are once more in a period in which great hope is placed on an expanded vocational dimension to school students' learning. Some of these initiatives are purely school-based and rely on school-oriented certification and recognition, such as the various State Higher School Certificates (HSC), School Certificates (SC) and Senior Certificates. Others attempt to utilise recognition arrangements under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), which is intended to apply to programs in the national vocational education and training (VET) sector, primarily oriented to vocational preparation of adults. My work in this paper builds on recent research on the Australian and overseas experience of VET in Schools and Work Based Education. I argue that not all innovations under the VET in Schools rubric are equally valuable. I suggest that programs and policies which depart from the traditional educative role of schools in favour of an unduly narrow concept of 'training' or work-relevance are likely to be self-defeating; that work itself may be a rich source of student learning and development; and that VET in Schools initiatives too frequently represent an evasion of a pressing need for more deep-seated reform of schools and schooling.

When VET in schools in Australia was introduced in its current iteration in the 1990s, it was primarily designed for students in the post-compulsory years of schooling -Years 11 and 12. However, the possible advantages of VET for students in at-risk groups prone to early school leaving has led to its adoption lower down the secondary school. This introduction of VET into the junior years of schooling is a controversial topic and researchers have approached the issues from a wide range of theoretical standpoints. This paper reports on a research project that gathered together data from the literature, policies and practices in State and Territory education systems, overseas countries' experiences relating to the advantages and disadvantages of offering in VET in schools to students in their junior years of high school. The complexity and diversity of opinions and research results are explored in this paper, and are summarised in a table that represents the strengths, weaknesses, ...

The Australian Educational Researcher, 2008

This paper addresses the issue of Vocational Education and Training in Schools-an issue that has recently attracted significant political attention particularly in light of current national skills shortage in Australia. Specifically, it investigates secondary school students' perceptions of VET in Schools [VETiS]. It also explores the factors influencing their decision-making in relation to VETiS-that is, why one might choose, or choose not, to enrol in a VETiS course of study. In view of the findings presented, the paper argues that VET, and more particularly VETiS, is experiencing an "image problem"-one underscored by the need for curriculum design and delivery reform-and suggests that there is much work still to be done on the VET agenda.

Centre For the Economics of Education and Training Monash University, 2004

This paper reports on research examining a number of ways in which participation in vocational education and training (VET) in schools might be associated with different post school pathways. The paper describes levels of participation, examines post-school destinations, and presents evidence that there are gender differences in these destinations that are associated with the level of participation in VET in schools.

Variations in VET Provision across Australian Schools and Their Effects on Student Outcomes, 2006

This report looks at the impact of vocational education and training (VET) provision on school completion rates and on initial post-school outcomes for different groups of students. Schools were grouped into seven types with three broad models: (1) school model with workplace learning; (2) TAFE model with workplace learning; and (3) VET without workplace learning or no VET. The findings were that the 'TAFE model' seemed to promote positive post-school outcomes while the 'school model' promoted better completion rates for participants. This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.

2012