More than 1.1 million or 76% of 15 to 19 year olds nationally attended school, vocational education and training (VET) or university in August 2009, according to this statistical report. Developed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), this report provides a clear picture of how many young people studied in 2009 and...

The community services and health industries have experienced a period of growth in recent times. This report focuses on the sub-section, alcohol and other drugs, which has had difficulty recruiting staff. Through a survey of managers of alcohol and other drugs service agencies, the authors examine the potential for vocational education and training (VET) to...

This report looks at whether vocational education and training (VET) is equipped to meet the changing needs of the modern workplace. It finds that regulation and business needs drive changes in the way the training system operates. The system has advantages and disadvantages: it has strong mechanisms for identifying industry needs but too much bureaucracy...

Partnerships between literacy teachers and community service workers have the potential to engage people with low literacy levels in learning. Through interviews and surveys with these two groups, this paper explores their views on literacy, how it impacts on their work, and their ideas about partnerships with each other. Overall, partnerships are viewed more favourably...

Work practices, skill use and the nature of the workforce in the Australian red-meat-processing sector have undergone significant change over the last few decades. This report shows that training in the meat-processing sector is now oriented towards on-the-job induction and the learning of single tasks rather than having a trade-based approach (industrial butcher). This has...