vet social inclusion au

•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).


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


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


TotalVETstudents





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






58.0

50.2

40.2

49.8

61.0

55.1

53.3


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).


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)

REFERENCES ABS(AustralianBureauofStatistics)2009,Education and Work Australia,cat.no.6227-0,ABS,Canberra.

AustralianSocialInclusionBoard2010a,‘AustralianGovernmentSocialInclusionPrinciplesforAustralia’,viewedMarch2010,<http://www.socialinclusion.gov.au/SIAgenda/Principles/Pages/default.aspx>.

——2010b,Social inclusion in Australia — how Australia is faring,CommonwealthofAustralia,Canberra.

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WiththeexceptionoftheCommonwealthCoatofArms,theDepartment’slogo,anymaterialprotectedbyatrademarkandwhereotherwisenotedallmaterialpresentedinthisdocumentisprovidedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution3.0Australia<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au>licence.

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ThisworkhasbeenproducedbyNCVERundertheNationalVocationalEducationandTrainingResearchandEvaluation(NVETRE)Program,whichiscoordinatedandmanagedbyNCVERonbehalfoftheAustralianGovernmentandstateandterritorygovernments.FundingisprovidedthroughtheDepartmentofEducation,EmploymentandWorkplaceRelations.

TheNVETREprogramisbaseduponprioritiesapprovedbyministerswithresponsibilityforvocationaleducationandtraining(VET).ThisresearchaimstoimprovepolicyandpracticeintheVETsector.ForfurtherinformationabouttheprogramgototheNCVERwebsite<http://www.ncver.edu.au>.

Theviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisdocumentarethoseoftheauthor/projectteamanddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsoftheAustralianGovernmentorstateandterritorygovernments.

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