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Not just a dream - Aboriginal student pathways to higher level qualifications in TAFE NSW

The Hon. Adrian Piccoli MP, Minister for Education, recently launched the BVET report, Not just a dream: Aboriginal student pathways to higher level qualifications in TAFE NSW, alongside a companion set of TAFE good practice examples. The report, which makes a number of significant findings and recommendations to support Aboriginal student attainment, is available here.

National Skills Week 2012

National Skills Week was held from the 27 August to 2 September 2012. It was promoted widely in the media and included a range of events across the country. The Board was a sponsor of National Skills Week. For the final report of the event please click here.

BVET Regional Visit- NSW Central Coast and Hunter Region

On the 26 and 27 March 2012, the NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training undertook a visit to the Central Coast and Hunter Regions of New South Wales.
               
The Board visited a number of sites including a learning centre, workplaces and training facilities, and met with a range of representatives from industry, employers, community groups, training providers, and apprentices and trainees.

You can read a full report on the visit, with pictures, here: Central Coast Visit Report.

BVET Apprenticeships Report - A Fair Deal: Apprentices and their Employers in NSW, Integrated Research Report, Nov 2011

In 2010, BVET commissioned Quay Connection and associates to undertake a market segmentation study of apprentices and employers of apprentices. BVET was looking for a new perspective on apprenticeship non-completion – one that went beyond the statistics to understand motivations.

The research indicates that it is possible to identify groups of apprentices and employers with different levels of risk of apprenticeship non-completion. This means that we can differentiate those who are aware of what an apprenticeship involves and are clearly committed to it, from those who are in need of assistance, enabling better informed risk management.

A key message is that one size doesn’t fit all, and that services need to be tailored to the needs of different groups of apprentices and employers. The study also found that apprentices will trade short term costs for long term benefits in an apprenticeship, as long as the “deal” is fair. The research has identified the key elements of a fair deal, and the need for it to be more widely articulated and understood.

Click here to download a copy of the report (pdf)

Rethinking Skills in Vocational Education and Training, "From Competencies to Capabilities"

BVET has commissioned Leesa Wheelahan and Gavin Moodie to prepare a paper on skills. Their report argues that vocational training has to adapt to meet the needs of a changing society and economic conditions.
This paper advocates a shift from a narrowly defined competency basis to a capability framework in order to more effectively prepare students for broad occupations in loosely defined occupational streams, a feature which may underpin the next generation of vocational education.
Click here to download a copy (pdf)