Reforms to Australia's vocational education and training sector have had a significant impact on practitioners' work in public and private providers. Roger Harris, Michele Simons, Berwyn Clayton analyse practitioners' perceptions of, and reactions to, the changes. The scope of these changes has been substantial and has required shifts to practitioners' habits, norms, skills and knowledge...

Vocational education and training provides a broad range of benefits, according to the initial findings of a recent nationwide survey of Indigenous Australians who undertook training in 2003. High numbers of students reported that training helped to improve their confidence/self-esteem and become more involved in their communities, as well as improving their workplace skills and...

The number of people undertaking a traditional apprenticeship in the trades is at its highest level since 1992. In the 12 months to September 2004, the number of traditional apprentices in-training was 132,000 and the number of people commencing a traditional apprenticeship rose strongly by 26 per cent over the year.

Vocational education and training (VET) programs for young people in Australia have significantly expanded over the past decade. This publication provides an overview of research into the VET options available to school-aged people. It also details the emerging social benefits and outcomes of undertaking recognised VET options. The challenges which face the implementation of vocational...

Innovation, from high profile scientific discoveries to lower profile changes in processes or practices, is crucial to Australia's economic development. However, its impact on the wider community is usually relatively small. Promotion of innovation across all sectors is required to produce the biggest changes. Richard Curtain focuses on the roles of the vocational education and...