Category: VET

Posted on

Second chance education: barriers, supports and engagement strategies

Author: Harry Savelsberg, Sylvia Pignata, Pauline Weckert
University of South Australia

Edition: Volume 57, Number 1, April 2017

Summary: Second chance education programs are now a well-established presence in institutions seeking to provide access and equity pathways for socio-economically disadvantaged groups. This paper focusses on the strategies used to support positive engagement in second chance equity programs, drawing upon evaluation research data from four TAFE sponsored programs. Interviews were held with service providers involved in the programs’ development and delivery, and focus groups were held to gather information from program participants. The findings highlight the complex and often multiple barriers facing participants and the importance of delivering programs with sustained and tailored approaches. While tangible educational and/or employment outcomes were delivered, it was the associated social and personal development that made these programs especially successful. Hence, there is a need for equity programs to be holistic, scaffolded, and tailored to practical and vocational pathways.

Keywords: Vocational pathways, second chance education, access and equity

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail Share a copy of this abstract.

This article is part of AJAL, Volume 57_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

Posted on

Book review: Teaching International Students in Vocational Education: New Pedagogical Approaches

The Work: Teaching International Students in Vocational Education: New Pedagogical Approaches byLy Thi Tran,
ACER Press, Camberwell, Victoria, Australia, 2013

Reviewer: Jonathan Tyner

Edition: Volume 55, Number 1, April 2015

In Brief:  Dr. Ly Thi Tran is a Senior Lecturer at Deakin University in the School of Education at Melbourne. In her new book, Teaching International Students in Vocational Education: New pedagogical approaches, she writes about the impact of the Asian Century in Australia and how the influx of international students seeking education has changed………

 

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail  Share a copy of this abstract.

This article is part of AJAL, Volume 55_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

Posted on

Do actions and methods in guidance for older workers exist in Spain?

Authors: María José López Sánchez and José Antonio Belso Martinez, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche

Summary:  Older people suffer discrimination in the labour market, in that their chances of finding employment if they lose their jobs are small, and the longer someone is out of the labour market, the harder it is to return. Although they often do possess the technical and transferrable skills required, these are not always recognised. Those who remain in work also encounter discrimination. They are unlikely to receive ongoing training and encouragement for career development, especially if their existing skills and qualifications are at a low level.

This paper is focusing on the Spanish situation, looking at the actions and methods in careers guidance for older workers. For this purpose 52 websites of Spanish trade unions were visited during 2010. Using the main findings of 131 questionnaires from 48 employers’ organisations, 41 trade unions and 28 public employment services from across the country, we look at guidance from a macro and micro perspective: how guidance is provided and who the main beneficiaries are.

We conclude that in the Spanish labour context, there is a specific need to improve the coordination and effective publicity regarding existing guidance services and their accessibility. Evidence shows that those who make least use of the careers guidance services are the older workers aged 50 to 55 years, and no special attention is given to meeting their needs.

Keywords: Old workers, careers guidance, active labour market policies, social partners, Spain

 

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail  Share a copy of this abstract.

This article is part of AJAL, Volume 54_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

Posted on

Educational biographies in Germany: From secondary school general education to lifelong learning?

Author: Harry Friebel, University of Hamburg

Summary:  This article addresses the change in the transitional process from secondary school general education to gainful employment within the framework of societal modernisation processes in Germany.
We analyse the relationship between the options for and restrictions upon individual educational mobility under the conditions imposed by the various socially institutionalised educational segments, which comprise a structure of opportunity.
The database for our study consists in the longitudinal findings of the “Hamburg Biography and Life Course Panel” (HBLP) from 1980 to 2007, which examined the processes of vocational education mobility for a sample of the Hamburg graduating class of 1979.
How do these people manage their educational strategies? What do they experience in terms of vocational education and continuing education within the institutional structure of opportunity? Do the career paths differ after gender?

Keywords: Vocational training, Educational Biography, Vocational training mobility, Continuing education, Vocational education policy, Germany

 

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail  Share a copy of this abstract.

This article is part of AJAL, Volume 54_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

Posted on

Case studies in e-RPL and e-PR

Authors: Roslyn Cameron, Curtin University and Allison Miller, Vanguard Visions Consulting Pty Ltd

Summary:  The use of ePortfolios for recognition of prior learning (e-RPL) and for professional recognition (e-PR) is slowly gaining in popularity in the VET sector however their use is sporadic across educational sectors, disciplines, educational institutions and professions. Added to this is an array of purposes and types of e-RPL and e-PR models and practice. The aim of this paper is to build on the conceptual framework developed by Cameron (2012) for e-RPL and e-PR and to provide case studies for each of the four types developed within this framework: e-PR for Professional Accreditation; e-RPL for Workplace Recognition; e-RPL for Access and; e-RPL for Self Recognition. We use the case studies to explore the four types and the two dimensions or continuums central to the framework. The vertical dimension is a continuum between RPL as process and RPL as product and the second horizontal dimension is a continuum between formal learning contexts and low learner control as opposed to informal learning contexts and high levels of learner control. The case studies have aided the further development of the framework and its theoretical and practical applications.

Keywords: e-RPL, e-PR, recognition of prior learning, professional accreditation, eRecognition, VET, ACE

 

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail  Share a copy of this abstract.

This article is part of AJAL, Volume 54_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

Posted on

Willing and enabled: The academic outcomes of a tertiary enabling program in regional Australia

Authors: Lisa Andrewartha and Andrew Harvey, LaTrobe University

Summary:  This paper examines the achievement levels of students undertaking the Tertiary Enabling Program (TEP) at La Trobe University. The TEP is an alternative pathway program that traverses multiple institutions, campuses, and disciplinary areas, and is designed to prepare a diverse student cohort for tertiary study. The Program integrates several sources of support, including tutorials, mentoring, and counselling. We found high overall achievement levels, indicating success in teaching and supporting students with variant needs. Nevertheless, there was substantial variation in achievement between subjects, campuses, and student groups. Variable achievement is likely to reflect differing levels of prior educational attainment and preparedness among students. However, results also highlight the complexity in managing a Program across multiple sites, subjects, and institutions. We suggest further comparative research into curriculum and teaching practice of enabling programs nationwide to enable more effective benchmarking and expansion of these pathways.

Keywords: under-represented students, widening participation, enabling program, tertiary preparation, alternate pathway

 

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail  Share a copy of this abstract.

This article is part of AJAL, Volume 54_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

Posted on

Experiencing English and cultural learning during study tours

Author: Associate professor Shin Yu Miao, Department of Applied Foreign Languages, Ling Tung University, Taiwan

Edition: Volume 46, Number 3, November 2006

Summary: Significant aspects of my doctorate in adult education, which I studiedover the past few years, were related to the exploration of English and cultural learning through study tours. Now, with the hard task done, and thesis completed, it is motivating to reflect on these aspects and their systematic application.

Keywords: study tour

[wpdm_file id=247]

Posted on

An evaluation of resilience and employability in disadvantaged adults

Author: Linda Rainey, Centre for Research in Education, Equity and Work, University of South Australia

Edition: Volume 46, Number 3, November 2006

Summary: This article analyses the evaluation of a pilot program for long-term, unemployed people conducted at a TAFE institute, and designed to improve their employment prospects. The process undertaken for measuring inferred resilience and employability is described. Tracking of 49 program participants’ perceptions of relevant skills, attitudes and learning, together with objective observation, assessment and program outcomes, were employed to obtain a measure of enhanced resilience and employability. The study will be used to assist in the design of future programs for this target population.

Keywords: inferred resilience,

[wpdm_file id=243]

Posted on

Social capital outcomes: The new focus for adult literacy and numeracy courses

Authors: Stephen Black, Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE; Jo Balatti, James Cook University; & Ian Falk, Charles Darwin University

Edition: Volume 46, Number 3, November 2006

Summary: Since the early 1990s in Australia, adult literacy and numeracy courses in vocational education and training (VET) have been focused on human capital outcomes, that is, on developing the literacy and numeracy skills believed to improve the economic performance of individuals, enterprises and the nation generally. However, some researchers have expressed the concern that these outcomes are insufficient in explaining the socio-economic impacts of these courses. This paper reports on a recent study of the social capital outcomes of adult literacy and numeracy courses (Balatti, Black & Falk, 2006). The findings indicate that it is a complex mix of findings of both human and social capital outcomes from these courses that results in socio-economic impacts. The authors contend that social capital outcomes should be recognised and accounted for, along with human capital skills, in a reframing of adult literacy and numeracy policy and practice.

Keywords: human capital, social capital, VET,

[wpdm_file id=240]

Posted on

Issues in using self-evaluations in adult education and training

Author: James A Athanasou, Faculty of Education, University of Technology, Sydney

Edition: Volume 45, Number 3, November 2005

Summary:  This paper focuses on two key aspects of self-evaluation in adult education and training through the perspective of (a) a social-cognitive framework which is used to categorise those factors that enhance self-efficacy and self-evaluation, and (b) the accuracy of self-evaluation. The social-cognitive framework categorises the factors that enhance self-evaluation, namely, social messages (e.g. comparison with others, feedback from others, social and cultural stereotypes), personal factors (e.g. the ability level of the rater, the standards and goals of the rater) and situational factors (e.g. the content area being evaluated). The paper reviews the accuracy of self-evaluations and concludes (a) that there is prima facie support from previous meta-analyses for their accuracy, (b) that the accuracy of self-evaluations is likely to be underestimated, and (c) that a focus on individual rather than group comparisons may be more useful for adult education. The educational value of formative self-evaluation for adult education and training contexts is supported.

Keywords: social-cognitive, adult education

[wpdm_file id=232]