Entry to vocations: strengthening VET in Schools

Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 2001

This article examines the impact of an initiative designed to integrate vocational education and training in the senior school leaving certificate in the Australian state of Victoria. Drawing on two studies of senior secondary school students conducted by the Educational Outcomes Research Unit at the University of Melbourne, it attempts to assess whether, on the basis of data available to date, the VET in Schools programme has been a success. The article describes the programme's features and the way it has attempted to integrate general and vocational education within a common leaving certificate -the Victorian Certificate of Education. It presents data comparing the attitudes to workplace learning of students enrolled in the VET in Schools programme and students not enrolled in the programme. Finally, it presents data on the labour market and study destinations of students graduating from the programme. The article finds that the programme has been remarkably successful in terms of enrolment growth, positive attitudes to workplace learning and successful transitions to work and further study.

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.

Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS) is playing an increasing role in the senior secondary education of Australian young people. Now more than ever before, large numbers of students in their final years of schooling are using and relying on VETiS programs to not only facilitate their school completion but also to enhance their successful transition to jobs and further study. As users of VETiS, they have expectations that the vocational skills and qualifications they attain will be building blocks for direct entry to sustainable employment and further and higher level study. With increasing numbers of young people selecting a VETiS pathway, the question must be asked, to what extent can current models of provision build effective foundations for access to the career and training futures to which VETiS students aspire. This paper draws on findings from a current three year NCVER funded study of models of VETiS to analyse the capacity of VETiS to play an effective role in youth transitions. The discussion of the efficacy of VETiS for young people is centred around three key themes: the contested purpose of VETiS; the uneasy fit of VETiS within structures of senior secondary education; and the complexity of the inherently cross-sectoral nature of VETiS delivery.

This article is a critical review of policy and literature relating to vocational education and training (VET) in schools in Australia. Over the past decade in Australia, VET in schools has grown considerably so that not only are nearly half of senior school students now involved, but also VET in schools represents around 10% of total VET activity. In both schools and the VET sector itself, VET in schools was originally marginalised and this article explores its movement from the margins towards the mainstream in both spheres. An overview of the growth of VET in schools in Australia, along with other vocational developments in schools, is given, along with discussion of some of the benefits and challenges of VET in schools, both from a schooling perspective and from a national skills formation perspective. The consequences of the move from margins to mainstream have not yet been fully digested and debate rarely moves beyond consideration of implications for the school sector. The article moves beyond these narrow confines to raise broader questions for the VET sector.

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...

The viability of VET in Schools as an effective pathway to work and further education for Australian students is critical to the lives of young people and deserving of detailed policy scrutiny. There is great variability in how it is delivered across schools and how it is incorporated into the senior secondary certificates across the various Australian jurisdictions as well as inconsistency in the level of workplace learning involved. Providing students with an alternative pathway to higher education is vital, but what can be done to strengthen the outcomes of VET in Schools programs for students? The culmination of nearly three years of investigation into this issue, this report highlights important themes and structural changes for strengthening VET in Schools. The author tests these changes through consultations with stakeholders, who include representatives from departments of education and training, boards of study, industry, schools and vocational education and training (VET) providers. This report is part of a wider three-year program of research, Vocations: the link between post-compulsory education and the labour market, which is investigating the educational and occupational paths that people take and examining how their study relates to their work.

The Australian Educational Researcher, 2007

While vocational subjects have always been part of the school curriculum, formal vocational education and training (VET) in the last two years of secondary education has been a policy focus for the last decade. In the Australian context, VET in schools is defined as courses that lead to industry recognised qualifications under the Australian Qualifications Framework while at the same time contributing to the standard Year 12 certificate. The number of students doing such courses has increased dramatically and is now close to one in two. The article looks at some history, the characteristics of the courses, the success of the policy in terms of school retention and labour market outcomes, and remaining challenges.

1998

These proceedings consist of 46 papers on the influence of vocational education and training (VET) research on policy and practice. These papers are grouped into these categories: impact of research; equity in participation; partnerships and stakeholders; practice and practitioners; research and policy; learning, work, and organizations; and VET, markets, and the economy.

2012

Vocational education and training Participation achievement and pathways, 2002

This brief looks at findings on participation in VET in school programs, pathways associated with these programs and how students who do not complete their high school education can be helped by VET courses post-school. The highlights include: VET in schools programs provide greater choice and opportunities to meet the ranging needs and interests of students; VET in schools subjects were undertaken by approximately one quarter of those students who completed Year 12; VET in schools programs have value for all students in preparing them for the transition from school to workplace or further education and training; VET programs play an important and growing role in providing pathways for young people who do not complete Year 12; and young people in areas of high unemployment and those who are least job ready in terms of educational attainment are least likely to participate in VET. This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.