In this report, the authors examine a range of mechanisms to encourage individual contributions to and participation in vocational education, drawing on international examples, and present available findings about the effectiveness of these mechanisms in the Australian context.

This report consolidates two national studies on the TAFE workforce, and on VET professionals in private and public registered training organisations. The findings have important implications for workforce planning. Within the TAFE sector, the number of teachers aged over 45 is almost double the average for the Australian workforce, and the employment status is shifting...

Vocational education and training (VET) policy is increasingly focused on the importance of quality in each institution's capacity to deliver effective programs. Graham Maxwell, Peter Noonan, Mark Bahr and Ian Hardy address institutional-level monitoring and evaluation of performance and provide a comprehensive model which institutes can use for this purpose.

Tom Karmel provides an overview of the factors which influence and drive Australia's technical and vocational education and training sector. He details the objectives of Shaping our future, Australia's national strategy for the sector from 2004 to 2010, and key initiatives of the sector to meet the changing economic and technological environment. He also discusses...

Lifelong learning means different things to different people. This paper takes a pragmatic approach and examines adult engagement with various aspects of Australia's education and training system and the policy framework that underpins the system. Tom Karmel argues that Australia's policy framework for lifelong learning is relatively weak because the educational framework is very open...