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•Overall,thedatafrom2006to2010indicateanincreaseintheproportionofstudentsfromdisadvantagedgroups
participatinginandcompletingtheirtraining.
—Thereisevidencethatthetrainingexperiencecanbeausefulsteppingstonetowardsparticipationinthecommunity
andlabourmarket.
•Theproblemsfacingthedisadvantagedlearnerareoftenentrenched;trainingisnotthesoleanswer.Some
interventionsintensifyorentrenchdisadvantagewhentheydon’tresultinrealopportunities,whileotherswiden
participationandimproveoutcomes.Theresearchconsistentlypointstothefollowingthreeareasaseffectivein
leadingtoapositiveoutcome:
—an integrated partnershipsapproach,withadvicelinkedtootherservicesbeyondtheremitoftheVETsystem,
especiallytoidentifyworkopportunitiesandtoovercomethestructuralandpersonalbarriersaffectingboth
trainingandlabourmarketparticipation
—career guidance,withtheambitionsoftheindividualsupportedandthedevelopmentof‘lifeskills’encouraged,
sothattheindividualcanmanageeducationalandoccupationalpathways
—retention strategiesthatassistwithovercomingbarrierstocompletion,suchasextensivestudentsupportservices
andflexibleapproachestotrainingdelivery.
NATIONALCENTREFORVOCATIONALEDUCATIONRESEARCH
AtaglanceVOCATIONAL TRAINING AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
KE
Y M
ESSA
GE
S
AUTHOR: JO HARGREAVES
2 VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
SocialinclusionhasbecomeakeyfocusforpublicpolicyinAustralia,withgovernmentssupportinginterventions
thataimtoimprovethelivesofthosewhoaredisengagedordisadvantaged.Oneofthekeyareasofconcernis
raisingtheeducationallevelsofindividuals.
Vocationaleducationandtraining(VET)haslongplayedanimportantroleintheprovisionofpathwaysto
furtherlearningoremployment,aswellasproviding‘secondchance’learningopportunitiesforpeoplefrom
disadvantagedbackgrounds.
VETisseenasonewaytofacilitateinclusion,asitseekstoprovideindividualswithskillsthataredirectly
applicabletotheworkplaceandtogettingajob.ForothersaVETpathwaymayberequiredtohelpremove
barrierstoparticipationinfurtherlearningandtomeetawiderangeofneeds,inwhichcasethetraining
interventionmaynotnecessarilyleadtoastablejobinthefirstinstance.
Indeed,animportantmeansbywhicheducationfacilitatessocialinclusionisthrough‘socialisation’(Nilsson
2010),andsomecriticisethebroadconceptofsocialinclusionforhavingapaid-employmentfocus(Buckmaster&
Thomas2009;Preston&Green2008;Giddens2007citedinCEDEFOP2009).Socialisationcanrangefromgaining
confidence,self-respect,lifeskillsandinterpersonalskills,toengagementinthecommunity(Considine,Watson
&Hall2005;Wheelahan2009a;NationalVETEquityAdvisoryCouncil2009).
VETcannotbeconsideredapanaceaincombatingsocialexclusion.Whatmattersisthatsocialinclusionasan
overarchingconcept‘offersanopportunitytodothingsdifferently,basedonnewinsightsarisingfromamore
completepictureoftheissuesthataffecteducationparticipationandattainmentandthenatureoftheindividual
student’seducationexperience’(North&Ferrier2009).
ThisAt a GlanceexploresthecurrentpictureofdisadvantagedlearnersinVET—thosewhoareorcouldbeatrisk
ofbeingsociallyexcluded.Startingfromthepremisethathavingajobisoneofthemostdirectwaystoencourage
socialinclusion,thekeymessagesfromthispaperindicatethereremainsomeentrenchedproblemstoovercome
inachievinganinclusiveAustralia,andconsiderssomeofthechallengesandsuccessfulpractices.
ThewholeareaofequityisessentialtothewholenotionofVET.Itprovidesopportunitiesforaverybroadsliceofoursocietyandprovidesanotherchanceformanywhohavereallybeenfailedbytheothereducationsectors,whetherit’stheschoolsectororthehighereducationsector. (Karmel2010a)
INTRODUCTION
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL INCLUSIONBeingsociallyincludedmeansthatpeoplehavetheresources(skillsandassets,includinggoodhealth),opportunitiesandcapabilitiestheyneedto:
• Learn:participateineducationandtraining
•Work:participateinemployment,unpaidorvoluntaryworkincludingfamilyandcareerresponsibilities
• Engage:connectwithpeople,uselocalservicesandparticipateinlocal,cultural,civicandrecreationalactivities)
• Haveavoice:influencedecisionsthataffectthem.
Resourceshelptosupportcapabilitiesandopportunities,enablingpeopletomakechoicesabouthowtheywishtoparticipateinsociety.Inturn,participation,suchasinwork,trainingorconnectingwithfriends,canhelptobuildpeople’sresourcessuchasworkexperience,qualificationsorsupportnetworks,whichassistsfurtherparticipationandopportunities(AustralianSocialInclusionBoard2010a).
AT A GLANCE 3
WhiletheVETsystemcanjustifiablyclaimthatanumberofdisadvantagedgroupsarewellcateredfor,the
availabledatamaskacomplexstory.Itisonethingtotalkaboutparticipationandanothertotalkaboutoutcomes
andachievement.
Thedatainthissectionfocusonthefollowingsixdisadvantagedgroups:
•Indigenousstudents
• studentswithadisability
• studentswhospeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome
•studentsfromthemostsocioeconomicallydisadvantagedbackgrounds(SEIFAquintile1)
• studentswiththehighestlevelofprioreducationalattainmentoflessthanYear12(lessthanYear12includes
studentswitheducationalattainmentoflessthanYear10,Year11orcertificatesIandII)
• studentswhoarethemostgeographicallydisadvantaged(ABSRemotenessIndex—remote/veryremoteareas).
Exploringnotionsofequitythroughthesebroadgroupsmayprovideafocusforanalysisatanaggregatelevel
butthedataarenotrefinedenoughtocapturethecharacteristicsofindividualsortounderstandtheeffects
ofmultipledisadvantage.Beingdisadvantagedinmorethanonelifeaspectcompoundsthedifficultiesthat
individualsface.Forexample,whenitcomestoextendingVETprogramstohomelessyoungpeople,providers
musttakeaccountofthepatternsofcumulativedisadvantagestemmingfromhistoriesoffamilybreakdownand
behaviouralorhealthproblems,aswellaseducationalproblemssuchaslowlevelsofliteracyandnumeracyand
limitedengagementwitheducationalinstitutions(Considine,Watson&Hall2005;North,Ferrier&Long2010).
TargetingVETonthebasisofclientclass,race,familytypeordisabilitycreatesdeadweightlosses(somewhoarenotreallythevictimsofexclusionwillbenefit),whereaspeoplewhodonotfittheprofilebutarevictimsofexclusionarenottargetedbysuchlearningopportunities.Tailoringbyskills,learningneedsandlearningcapacitiesissubstantiallydifferentfromtargetingbysocialcharacteristicsandprobablymoreappropriateinmodernisingVET.Evenapparentlyhomogenousgroupsofsociallyexcludedareheterogeneousintermsofskillandqualificationneeds. (CEDEFOP2009)
Anotherdifficultyinanalysisisthelackofprecisedata.Relianceonself-identificationofdisadvantagethrough
enrolmentprocessesisrecognisedasamajorweaknessinthesystem.Although90%ofTAFEinstitutesexpress
concernaboutthisinformationgap,theresearchindicatesthatonly19%havededicateddata-gatheringprocesses
relatingtodisadvantageandeducationbarriers(Volkoff,Clarke&Walstab2008).
HOW IS SUCCESS MEASURED?
Overall,thedatafrom2006to2010indicateanincreaseintheproportionofstudentsfromdisadvantagedgroupsparticipatinginandcompletingtheirtraining.
– Thereisevidencethatthetrainingexperiencecanbeausefulsteppingstonetowardsparticipationinthecommunityandlabourmarket.
AUSTRALIA’S FOCUS ON PRODUCTIVITYThereisadivideemergingwithintheworking-agepopulation:whileagrowingnumberofAustralianshaveabachelordegree,asignificantnumberofotherslackanynon-schoolqualification.In2009,ofthe7.8millionpeopleaged15—64yearswithanon-schoolqualification,83%wereemployed,comparedwith64%withoutanon-schoolqualification(ABS2009).BycomparisonwithOrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD)andEuropeanUnioncountries,Australiahasagreaterproportionofadultswithonlyverybasiceducation,aswellasagreaterproportionwithatertiarylevelofeducation(BrotherhoodofStLaurence2007;AustralianSocialInclusionBoard2010b).TheOECDadvocatesthatchangestopatternsofparticipationineducationwillboosttheproductivityofacountry’seconomy(Machin2006).Withthisinmind,theAustralianGovernmentsuggeststhatanadditionalyearofeducationmayraiseproductivityby3—6%(CommonwealthofAustralia2009).
4 VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
KEY TARGETSSkillsAustraliahassetambitiousworkforceparticipationtargets,suggestingthata69%workforceparticipationrateisneededby2025toliftproductivityandimprovesocialinclusion(SkillsAustralia2009).
TheCommonwealthGovernmentandtheCouncilofAustralianGovernments(COAG)haveagreedthattheywillmonitorprogresstowardsachievingspecifictargetsforattainmentandparticipation,including:
• HalvetheproportionofAustraliansaged20to64yearswithoutqualificationsatcertificateIIandaboveby2020.
• Doublethenumberofhigherqualificationcompletions(diplomaandadvanceddiplomas).
• 20%ofhighereducationenrolmentsattheundergraduatelevelwillbeofpeoplefromlow-SESbackgroundby2020.
• RaisetheproportionofyoungpeopleachievingYear12orequivalentqualificationto90%by2015.
• 40%ofall25to34-year-oldswillholdaqualificationatbachelorleveloraboveby2025.
From2006to2010theproportionofstudentsstudyingaVETcourseacrossalldisadvantagedgroupsincreased,except
forstudentswithadisability(nochange)andstudentsfromremoteorveryremoteareas(-0.1percentagepoints).
ThelargestincreaseswereforstudentswhospeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome(2percentagepoints)
andstudentswithlessthanYear12prioreducationalattainment(1.8percentagepoints).Thelargestproportionof
studentsparticipatinginVETcomprisesthosewithahighestlevelofprioreducationalattainmentoflessthanYear12
(figure1).Inrelationtoachievement,theLoadPassRateistheproportionofsubjectspassed.Between2006and2010
thisincreasedforeachofthestudentgroups(figure2).
EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES
Theproportionofgraduateswhoimprovedtheiremploymentcircumstancesaftertraininghasdecreasedby
4.4percentagepointsfrom2006to2010andby3.8percentagepointsforstudentsfrommostdisadvantaged
backgroundsfrom2007to2010(figure3).
MOVING TOWARDS HIGHER-LEVEL TRAINING OUTCOMES
TheCouncilofAustralianGovernmentsisfocusingonincreasingtheproportionofindividualswithhigher-level
qualifications—certificatesIII—V,diplomasandadvanceddiplomas.
Thispolicyapproachissupportedbythedata,whichindicatethathigher-levelVETqualificationsresultinpositive
economicreturns,whilethebenefitforanindividualcompletingalower-levelqualificationislesscertain.For
example,variousstudiesconfirmthatgraduatesatorabovecertificateIIIlevelhavefarbetteremployment
outcomesaftertraining(Long&Shah2008;Leigh2008;Karmel&Nguyen2007;Wheelahan2009a;NCVER2010).
Stanwick(2005)foundthat,fortheminoritywhocompletealower-levelqualification,justoverathirdreportedno
job-relatedbenefitfromthecourseandonly28%ofcertificateIand40%ofcertificateIIholdersunder25wentonto
completeafurtherqualificationatthesameorhigherlevel.
Typically,thesestudieshavebeencarefulintheirconclusionsnottocompletelydismissthevalueofcompleting
alower-levelcertificate.Theynotethatthosemayactasasteppingstonetofurtherstudy(Long&Shah2008),
ormayofferotherlesstangiblebenefits,suchasimprovedself-esteemorfoundationskillslikeliteracyand
numeracy(Dawe2004).Aslower-leveltrainingisacriticalentrypointfordisadvantagedlearners,theimportance
ofbridgingandprevocationalpathwaysshouldnotbelostinthefocustoachievestrongerparticipationinhigher-
levelqualifications(NationalVETEquityAdvisoryCouncil2010).
PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT
AT A GLANCE 5
Allthissuggeststhatwestillneedtoknowmoreaboutthestrategieswhichwillprovidethedisadvantaged
learnerwithaccesstoandcompletionofhigher-levelVETqualificationsand,whereappropriate,throughthese
qualifications,accesstohighereducationopportunities(Karmel2008;Wheelahan2009a).Thecaveatisof
coursethatoutcomesneedtobeworthwhile.
Duringtheeconomicdownturn,youngpeoplewithlowlevelsofeducationwerehardhit,withunemploymentratesforthosewhohadnotcompletedhighschoolrisingbyalmostfivepercentagepointsinOECDcountriesbetween2008and2009.Forpeoplewithtertiarydegrees,bycontrast,theincreaseinunemploymentlevelsduringthesameperiodwasbelowtwopercentagepoints.(OECD2010)
Figure 1 Students in disadvantaged groups as a proportion of all VET students, 2006–10
Notes: The VET Provider Collection contains data on publicly funded training programs delivered by government-funded and privately operated training providers.
For SEIFA population, the categories of ‘No SEIFA’ and ‘No usual residence’ have been excluded.
LessthanYear12includesstudentswitheducationalattainmentoflessthanYear10,Year11orcertificatesIandII.
Source: NCVER, VET Provider Collection, 2006–10.
4.0
6.1
13.1 13.8
4.6
36.0
4.3
6.1
13.9 15
.1
4.8
37.1
4.3
5.9
14.6 15.1
4.6
37.8
4.4
5.9
14.9
14.8
4.4
37.3
4.6
6.1
15.1
14.8
4.5
37.8
40
30
20
10
0
Percen
tage
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Indigenousstudents
Studentswithadisability
StudentswhospeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome
StudentsinSEIFAQuintile1(mostdisadvantaged)
Studentsfromremoteandveryremoteareas
StudentswithlessthanYear12educationalattainment
6 VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
Figure 2 Load pass rate for all VET students and students in disadvantaged groups, 2006–10
Notes: The VET Provider Collection contains data on publicly funded training programs delivered by government-funded and privately operated training providers.
For SEIFA population, the categories of ‘No SEIFA’ and ‘No usual residence’ have been excluded.
LessthanYear12includesstudentswitheducationalattainmentoflessthanYear10,Year11orcertificatesIandII.
Source: NCVER, VET Provider Collection, 2006–10.
85
80
75
70
65
80.7 81.182.2
83.583.9
79.279.4 80.1
80.6 80.9
76.9 77.177.9 78.2
78.9
76.276.8 77.4 77.5
73.6
70.2
66.6
74.4
69.4
67.8
74.5
70.4
69.8
71.3
70.9
Percen
tage
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Studentsfromremoteandveryremoteareas
TotalVETstudents
StudentsinSEIFAQuintile1(mostdisadvantaged)
StudentswithlessthanYear12educationalattainment
StudentswhospeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome
Studentswithadisability
Indigenousstudents
75.1 75.1
77.7
72.4
71.9
AT A GLANCE 7
Figure 3 Proportion of all VET graduates and graduates in disadvantaged groups who improved their employment circumstances after training, 2006–10
Note: 2006 data not available for students in SEIFA Q1. Less than Year 12 includes students with educational attainment of less thanYear10,Year11orcertificatesIandII.
Source: NCVER Student Outcomes Survey 2006–10.
2010
62.4
54.7
48.6
55.8
62.6
58.8 62
.057.3
46.1
55.6
61.7
58.9
57.1
62.9
59.8
44.2
55.159.9
58.4 59.5
59.8
56.3
42.9
51.9
61.5
56.1
53.9
100.0
90.0
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
Percen
tage
2006 2007 2008 2009
Allgraduates
Indigenousstudents
Studentswithadisability
StudentswhospeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome
Studentsfromremoteandveryremoteareas
StudentswithlessthanYear12educationalattainment
StudentsinSEIFAQuintile1(mostdisadvantaged)
58.0
50.2
40.2
49.8
61.0
55.1
53.3
8 VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
INTEGRATED PARTNERSHIPS Theresearchhighlightsseveralbarriers
preventingmeaningfulengagementin
bothtrainingandthelabourmarket.
Thesecanbegroupedas:
•individual:relatedtohumancapital,
suchasskills,educationandwork
experience
•structural:suchaschildcare,transport
andlabourmarketconditions,such
asavailabilityofjobsandquality
employment
•personal:suchasdisabilities,
healthandmentalhealthproblems,
substanceabuse,childrenwithhealth
orbehaviouralissues,andhousing
instability.
Whenmoreimmediateneedssuchas
housing,healthandfinanceshavetobe
addressed,attendingatrainingcourseis
notapriority.Pocock(2009)suggests—
inrelationtolow-paidworkers,although
thisisapplicablebroadly—thatthesituationneedsmorethan‘addingvocationaltrainingandstirring’.Research
fromtheBrotherhoodofStLaurenceshowsthat,whereindividualshadstrongsocialnetworksandresources,
trainingandformalcredentialsassistedthemtosecureemployment.However,formanyotherstudentstraining
isonlypartofthesolution.Withoutsupportormentoring,acertificateorqualificationisnotsufficienttoenable
themtoacquireandkeepajob(Bowman&Souery2010).
Unemploymentordisengagementfromthelabourmarketimpedesthebenefitstobegainedfromskills
development.Supportmechanismsbeyondtheclassroomarerequiredtoensureasuccessfultransitiontothe
workforce.Evenshort-termworkortrainingopportunitiescanincreaseengagementwithothers,improveself-
esteemanddignityandprovideworkexperienceandskillswhichenhancefutureemploymentprospects.Asthe
AustralianSocialInclusionBoard(2011)notes:‘Obtainingmeaningfulandsatisfactoryemploymenthadthemost
dramaticpositiveimpactonpeople’slivesbutobtainingsomeformofemployment(eveniflessthansatisfying)
couldhavestrongandpositiveimpact’.
Forthelong-termunemployed,thesituationisdifficult.ArecentevaluationofAustralia’sEmploymentServices
citesastarkreality:aroundhalfofthoseparticipatinginprogramsaimedatthelong-termunemployedwillnot
gainworkatall(Fowkes2011).‘Theirsenseofexclusion,ofhelplessnessandofshameisreinforcedbytheway
thatlabourmarketassistanceoperatesandthepublicdiscoursearoundunemployment.’Fowkescallsforamajor
overhauloflabourmarketprograms,sothatthefocusisonbuildingindividualcapabilities,notjustinterms
ofvocationalskills,butintheabilitytomakeeffectivedecisions.Breakingdownemploymentandindustrial
structuresthatimpedeaccesstoworkanddevelopingnewtypesoflearning/workexperiencepathwaystobridge
thegapareneeded(Fowkes2011).
Ultimately,goodresultswilldependonsupportfromotherpartsofthesystemoutsidetheboundariesofVET.
Reformintermsofmakingthesystemmoreequitablerequiresanintegratedapproach,withadviceandadvocacy
linkedtootherservices(Wheelahan2009a;Nechvoglod&Beddie2010;North,Ferrier&Long2010;NationalVET
Theproblemsfacingthedisadvantagedlearnerareoftenentrenched:trainingisnotthesoleanswer.Someinterventionsintensifyorentrenchdisadvantagewhentheydon’tresultinrealopportunities,whileotherswidenparticipationandimproveoutcomes.Theresearchconsistentlypointstothefollowingthreeareasaseffectiveinleadingtoapositiveoutcome:—anintegrated partnershipsapproachwithadvicelinkedtootherservicesbeyondtheremitoftheVETsystem,especiallytoidentifyworkopportunitiesandtoovercomethestructuralandpersonalbarriersaffectingbothtrainingandlabourmarketparticipation
—career guidance,withtheambitionsoftheindividualsupportedandthedevelopmentof‘lifeskills’encouragedsothattheindividualcanmanageeducationalandoccupationalpathways
—retention strategiesthatassistwithovercomingbarrierstocompletion—notonlybarrierstoparticipation—suchasextensivestudentsupportservicesandflexibleapproachestotrainingdelivery
THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO FOSTER SUCCESS
AT A GLANCE 9
EquityAdvisoryCouncil2009;Pocock2009).Sinceeffortneedstobeputintodevelopingrelationshipsbetween
stakeholders,stronginstituteleadershipandenthusiasmarecrucial.Inclusivenessstrategiesmustbeembracedby
mainstreamstafftoensurethatthesocialoutcomesapproachisnotmarginalised(Volkoff,Clarke&Walstab2008).
CAREER GUIDANCE
ResearchusingdatafromtheLongitudinalSurveysofAustralianYouth(LSAY),asurveywhichtracksyoungpeople,
highlightsboththeneedforyoungpeopletohaveaplanfortheirlivesandtheimportanceofaspirations.Thismay
soundobvious,butthequalityandvalueofcareerguidancewillaffectthepathwaystaken.Apersistentchallenge
isthetendencyofschoolteacherstoencouragestudentstowardsVETinSchoolssubjectswhenthey‘don’tknow
whatelsetodowiththemortheycan’tdoanythingelsewiththem’(Gale2010).
TheresearchindicatesthatonlyasmallproportionofeligibleTAFEanduniversitystudentsaregainingaccess
toavailablecareerservices(Harris,Rainey&Sumner2006).Akeyissueiswhethertheadvicebeingoffered
isactuallytailoredtotheaspirations,achievementsandabilitiesoftheindividual,orwhethertheadvice
isrestrictedtotherangeofpathwaystheadvisorisfamiliarwithorwhichmayservetheinterestsofothers
(Guthrie,Stanwick&Karmel2011).
Careeradvisorsneedtopayspecialattentiontohelpingindividualstotakethestepsnecessarytomeetingtheir
goals.Thisisespeciallythecaseforstudentsfromlowsocioeconomicbackgrounds,whomaynothavesupportor
rolemodelsoutsideschoolorVETthatencouragetheircareeraspirations.Theadviceprovidedneedstotakeinto
accountup-to-dateinformationoncourses,joboutcomesandthescopeofopportunitiesaffordedbytherangeof
pathwaysonoffer(Sikora&Saha2011;Hillman&McMillan2005;NationalVETEquityAdvisoryCouncil2010).
RETENTION STRATEGIES
Initiativestoaddressdisadvantagehavegenerallysoughttoincreaseparticipationandattainmentthrougha
mixtureofencouragementoroutreachprograms,specialarrangementsforentry,participationandassessment,
andbyprovidingvariousfinancial,academic,personalandsocialsupports(North&Ferrier2009).
Itisimportanttounderstandalearner’smotivationaswellastheirsocialdisadvantagewhenconsideringa
trainingintervention.
Persistenceisretentionturnedinsideout,puttinglearners,ratherthanproviders,attheheartoftheequation.Successthroughlearning—skilfullysupportedbypractitioners,whoinvesttimeandsensitivityindiscoveringlearners’reasonsandmotivationsforlearning—cancreatelearners’confidence,therebyreinforcinglearnermotivationandpersistence.(NationalResearchandDevelopmentCentreforAdultLiteracyandNumeracy2008)
Therearemanyreasonswhyanindividualmaydisengagefromlearning,includingcompetingprioritiesatworkor
athome,badpriorexperiencesofeducation,lackofknowledgeaboutcoursesandcareerpaths,lowaspirations,
lowliteracyandnumeracyandpoorself-esteem.Whilethereisnosimpleanswertowhysomeadultlearnerspersist
withtheirstudiesandothersdonot,thereisagrowingappreciationofthedeeplyentrenchedandcomplexnatureof
disadvantageandthedifficultiesassociatedwithengagingandkeepingindividualsinskilldevelopmentopportunities.
WORK THE PROBLEM AND THE ANSWER TheBrotherhoodofStLaurencehascollectedevidencehighlightingwherethebigemploymenthurdleslieforthedisadvantaged.TheysuggestthatAustraliaasanationhastoinvestmoreingettingpeoplebacktowork.Thefivetop-rankedcountriesintheOECDspendmorethan1.15%ofGDPonlabourmarketprogramscomparedwith0.32%inAustralia.Butitishowtheadditionalinvestmentismadethatiscritical.TheBrotherhood’sresearchsuggeststhatsuccessforhighlydisadvantagedjobseekersliesintheirparticipationinanintegratedpackageoftraining,workexperienceandhealthandwelfaresupportoveraperiodofnineto18months—alltiedtoajobofferfromanemployer.Thepackageprovidespeoplewiththefoundationskills,workexperience,accreditedtrainingandflexiblehelpthatallowsthemtolookafterchildren,dealwithhealthproblems,getadequatehousinganddeveloppersonalresilience(Nicholson2010).
10 VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
Inastudyofwhatworksinreachingandkeepinghard-to-engagelearners,NechvoglodandBeddie(2010)emphasise
theimportanceofputtingthelearneratthecentreoftheprocess.Determiningtheneedsanddesiresoflearners
andbeingabletomeetthesewillencouragethemtobelifelonglearners,notjustlearnersforaspecificend.
Researchconsistentlymentionstheimportanceofwide-rangingandadaptablelearningsupportinitiativesand
programsfordisengagedlearners.Theyaregenerallycharacterisedbymorestudentautonomy,smallclasses,less
regimentation,appliedlearningprinciplesandclosecollaborationbetweeneducatorstoensureeffectivepastoral
careandguidance(Myconos&Duizend2010).
Insummary,thepracticesthatfosterpersistenceandimproveskillsandemploymentoutcomesforthe
disadvantagedlearnerinclude:
•buildingastudent’sself-worth;forexample,helpingstudentstorecognisethattheyarecapableofattaining
learninggoals
•establishinggoals,whichshouldregularlyberevisitedandreassessed
•offeringextensivestudentsupportservices,withaccesstopastoralcareandmentoring;thesemayneedto
extendbeyondtheclassroomintotheworkplace
•nurturingcloserelationshipswithcommittedteachingandsupportstaff
• involvingexcludedor‘at-risk’individualsintheidentificationoftheirownneeds,thusencouragingautonomy;for
example,apersonalisedapproachtothedesign,deliveryandassessmentoftraining(withinagreedparameters)
•ensuringtrainingdeliverythatfeaturessmallclasses,lessregimentation,flexibilityincontentanddelivery
•ensuringnon-formalandembeddedlearningapproachestotheteachingofgeneric,literacyandnumeracyskills
•maintainingrespectforthelearningneedsandskillcapacitiesoftheindividual.
Itisimportanttoacknowledgetheextensiverangeofprogramsavailableandthevarietyofproviders—VET,
ACE(adultandcommunityeducation),welfare-to-work,thirdsectorandcommunityorganisations—whoare
workingsuccessfullywithsociallyexcludedgroups.Itisalsoimportanttorecognisethatthediversityofstudents
andprogramsacrossandwithinstateswiththeirdifferingbarriersandsupportrequirementscomplicatesthe
taskofidentifyingwhichspecificpracticesarebeneficial.Supportcantakemanyformsbutneedstocaterfor
learnerswhoselifeexperiences,capacities,motivations,resourcesandneedsarecomplex.Thiscanbeexpensive
(Nechvoglod&Beddie2010;NationalQualityCouncil2009).
FINAL COMMENTS
Whenitcomestothesocialinclusionapproach,whetheritspurposeistoimpartskillstogetajob,toimprove
self-esteem,tobreakdownbarrierstofurtherlearning,toassistwithacareerchangeortobuildorrebuildsocial
capital,thenthereisstillplentyforVETtodo.
Onechallengetobeaddressedisthestateofourdata.Disadvantageistrickytoidentifyandmeasure.The
lackofacompletecollectionofdataforallVETstudents—privateaswellaspubliclyfunded—hampersour
understandingofhowwellVETismeetingthechallengeofsocialinclusion.Whileimprovementstodatawillnot
solvedisadvantage,gooddataareneededtounderpinunderstandingandsensiblepolicyinitiatives.
IMPACT OF HIGH-LEVEL POLICY, MARKET AND FUNDING FRAMEWORKSThereformofeducationalinstitutionsandthewaytheyarepositionedinthemarketiscreatingopportunitiesforindividualsofallsocialbackgrounds.Whilesomepeoplecautionthatincreasedmarketisationanddemand-drivenfundingwillcompelprovidersto‘ditch’theirequityprogramsbecausetheyareexpensive(Wheelahan2009b),currentpolicysettingsindicatethattheroleofvocationalproviderscouldbecomeevenmoreimportant.Karmel(2010b)arguesthat‘second-chanceeducation’couldbeofferedbymanydifferenttypesofinstitutions,withfundingandregulatorymodelsasthekeydriver.HealsosuggeststhatpoliciestoexpandhighereducationviademandfundingandtoencourageindividualsfromlowsocioeconomicbackgroundstoparticipatewillhavesmallimpactontheVETsector(ProductivityCommission2010;CEDEFOP2009;Karmel&Lim2010).
AT A GLANCE 11
USEFUL RESOURCES NCVERresources:
• DisabilityandVETstatisticalcompendium<http://www.disabilityandvet.edu.au/>
• Indigenousstudentsstatisticalcompendium<http://www.indigenousvet.edu.au/>
• Researchrelatedtoaccessandequitygroups:<http://www.ncver.edu.au/students/31002.html>
FrameworkforthedevelopmentofanACEsocialinclusionstrategybyKayeBowman(January2011):<https://ala.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Framework-for-the-Development-of-an-ACE-Social-Inclusion-Strategy.pdf>
NVEACresearchpapers<http://www.nveac.tvetaustralia.com.au/nveac_research_papers>
AustralianGovernmentsocialinclusionwebsite<http://www.socialinclusion.gov.au/>
(allaccessedJuly2011)
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