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This paper reports on the findings of a research project that elicits the main factors impacting on the performance of workplace assessors in the oil and gas industry. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the significance of the role of workplace assessors and the subsequent impact upon workforce engagement. One model of employee competency assessment currently utilised in the Australian workplace, is performed by suitable employees who have been identified and trained as internal workplace assessors. This qualitative action research project aimed to discover the scope of the internal workplace assessor role beyond the primary focus of technical skills assessment. The selected cohorts for this project were employed in the upstream oil and gas industry working in a variety of geographically isolated locations. Through questionnaires, face-to-face interviews and focus groups, the data gathered have been utilised to gain further insight into the role of the internal workplace assessor in the oil and gas industry by gathering perceptions from the assessors and of those currently being assessed.

This paper explores the impact of a student learning activity involving service learning. As part of a vocational course in the Academy of Health Sciences at a Western Australian TAFE (Technical and Further Education) institute, Allied Health Assistant (AHA) students participated in a service learning program focused on work-based learning in residential aged care. Students delivered a therapy program for residents at the facility, and then completed evaluation questionnaires on conclusion of the study. Of 121 students completing the questionnaires, 91% thought the experience challenged their way of thinking, while only two percent disagreed. The majority of students (93%) reported the experience interesting and engaging and a similar percentage (93%) reported that they felt better prepared to enter the workforce. The major themes in qualitative analysis related to the positive learning experience, increased confidence for future working career, improved knowledge and practice of aged care, and improved resident and student quality of life.

While needs analyses underpin the design of second language analytic syllabi, the methodologies undertaken are rarely examined. This paper explores the value of multiple data sources and collection methods for developing a needs analysis model to enable vocational education and training teachers to address the needs of Australian Aboriginal students from remote communities who speak Australian English as an additional language (EAL). Adopting a task-based approach to needs analysis, data were gathered from educators, students, potential employers and Aboriginal community members using interviews, observation and document collection. The findings highlight the benefits of a needs analysis for triangulating multiple data sources and methods to identify the actual target tasks, including social workplace interactions as well as cultural issues. These findings have implications for all language needs analyses, particularly for EAL students from non-Western cultures.

This paper discusses how the management of educational change can be affected by the fundamental beliefs about the formation and communication of knowledge that stakeholders bring to the process of implementing change. A curriculum change designed to embed vocational education into the senior years of secondary schooling was investigated from the perspective of the teachers, principals and consultants (the implementers) whose task it was to implement policy derived from the Australian National Training Agenda. The practitioners' impressions were sought regarding a range of matters including their expectations, experiences and perceptions of management strategies supporting their work. Using a qualitative approach that included a purposefully designed questionnaire, the study gathered data from structured and unstructured questions and post-script interviews. The data from the study indicated that continuation of the initiative was uncertain in many sites, despite its popularity with students and teachers. The most prominent criticisms related to resources and staff development. Respondents reported inadequate access to, or provision of, industry standard equipment and facilities, ongoing professional development for teachers and financial support. The belief systems of administrators did appear to influence the management strategies that underpinned implementation. Judged against current theorising, these strategies were not as efficacious as they might have been.