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...

In this paper Tom Karmel aims to establish the importance of vocational education and training (VET) to young people in South Australia in Adelaide and regional areas. It finds that VET, as a substitute of continuing school, is important in Adelaide and regional areas, although it is more important in non-metropolitan areas. Further, lower socio-economic...