Current Year
Phil Loveder presents the NCVER sponsored best paper by a new researcher award to Tom Short
1. Berwyn Clayton Award for Distinguished Service to AVETRA
2. Ray Barker Award for Distinguished Service to VET Research
4. New Researcher Paper of the Year
AVETRA Conference Paper of the Year and New Researcher Paper of the Year
Refereed conference papers will automatically be entered into the shortlisting for the AVETRA Paper of the Year. This on-going award is funded by AVETRA and is offered annually. The award will be presented at the AVETRA Conference. Eligibility: All nominees must be current AVETRA members. AVETRA reserves the right not to make an award if none of the applications received meets the criteria for award. Download the criteria for award for the AVETRA Conference Paper of the Year here.
2011
Stephen Black, Keiko Yasukawa
University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Beyond deficit approaches to teaching and learning: Literacy and numeracy in VET courses
Abstract
Literacy and numeracy skills (L&N), now framed nationally as ‘foundation skills’, are high on government and industry agendas, and a new National Foundation Skills Strategy is currently in the making. L&N support provided to students in vocational education and training (VET) courses is anticipated to feature strongly in this new strategy, especially in light of the national focus on increasing post school qualifications. Predominantly, current models of L&N support in VET courses can be seen largely as a ‘deficit’ approach in which individual students are identified, usually through a test or screen at the beginning of their course, as being in deficit of the L&N skills needed to complete their course. Students are often given the opportunity of obtaining assistance through attending additional ‘stand-alone’ L&N classes, a study centre, or a L&N teacher providing assistance in the vocational classroom. This paper considers other models of support, both in the research literature and in Australian case studies, which ‘integrate’ L&N with VET courses. This involves a variety of team teaching arrangements between vocational and L&N teachers in which the aim is to assist the whole student group and not just those identified with L&N ‘problems’. This approach may improve vocational learning by more directly linking L&N practices with vocational practices. It also avoids the negative labeling of students associated with the deficit approach, and may be seen as a more active pedagogy, encouraging change in VET practices. The paper is based largely on semi-structured, taped interviews with a total of fiftythree L&N teachers, vocational teachers and VET managers across most Australian states and territories. These interviews were undertaken by the authors as part of a Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) funded research project on integrated L&N support in VET which is due for completion in mid 2011.
AVETRA Early Career Researcher Award
Refereed conference papers will automatically be entered into the shortlisting for the NCVER Early Career Researcher Award Paper of the Year award as part of the refereeing process. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) sponsors this award to encourage new researchers, that is, within the first five years of their research career, to present at the annual conference and become actively involved in the Association. Funding for this award should not be assumed to be on-going.
2011
David McLean, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
A Victorian tale of two texts: Skills Reform and, the Multi Business Agreement.
Abstract
During 2008 in Victoria two influential texts were released within weeks of each other; texts that would have a significant impact on how Victorian TAFE institutes would organise both operational and human resources over the next four years. The texts were the new Victorian State Government Vocational Education and Training Policy, known as Skills Reform and the amended Victorian TAFE teacher employment conditions, the Multi Business Agreement (MBA). Skills Reform had many new policy initiatives stated to introduce a greater degree of market choice for the clients of VET providers. The MBA had pay rises with very minor changes to the core employment conditions of TAFE teachers and Senior Educators. While these two texts were created independently of each other, Skills Reform’s impact would need to be closely considered in relation to how a TAFE teacher’s work is organised from the MBA.
This paper argues that the core change agenda of Skills Reform is not to create improved access to training by broadening consumer choice but to directly reduce the cost of training in the public sector through productivity gains. This will be forced by the new activity based funding criteria and a falling financial return to institutes per training hour. This strategy will force TAFE institutes to significantly change the way a teacher’s work is organised, not driven by competition