Search

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has endorsed a "Closing the Gap" agenda designed to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. The agenda is distilled in a series of targets, one of which is the goal of halving the gap for Indigenous students in Year 12 attainment or equivalent (Certificate II or above) attainment rates by 2020. One of the proposed measures for monitoring progress towards achieving this target is apparent secondary school retention. This paper reviews estimates of recent changes in the gap in apparent Year 12 retention between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students using data from the MCEECDYA National Schools Statistics Collection. It also provides some alternative estimates of Year 12 participation using ABS experimental estimates of the Indigenous population. It uses these estimates to explore the increases in Indigenous Year 12 retention required to halve the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and places these in the context of recent changes in the Year 12 retention of Indigenous students. A table is appended presenting an estimated resident Indigenous population. (Contains 4 tables.)

This report presents estimates of the private rates of return for students studying for vocational education and training (VET) qualifications in Australia. Estimates of rates of return are commonly used by governments, businesses and others to compare the merits of different forms of investment where costs or benefits or both are distributed over time. The approach results in a single number that can be interpreted as an interest rate: the higher the interest rate, the higher the rate of return and the better the investment. This report summarises the costs and benefits of studying for a VET qualification. It finds that generally students have an adequate economic incentive to enrol in VET. The best returns were for students who study higher-level qualifications (certificate III upwards), and do so part-time. This study provides valuable insights into the private returns from undertaking VET. However, many interesting questions remain, including whether these rates have changed in recent years, how they compare to the return from university level study and the exact nature of the interrelationship between the year left school and the level of VET qualifications.(Contains 18 tables and 4 figures.) [This work has been produced on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments, with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The author/project team was funded to undertake this research via a grant under the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) Program.]

This support document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Approaches to Measuring and Understanding Employer Training Expenditure," and is an added resource for further information. As outlined in the report, the research for this study was based on interviews and case studies, analysis of other research and a range of statistical materials. The form of the interviews and case studies is outlined in section A. These cover retail trade, construction, manufacturing, and community services and health. A report on the case studies is included in section B of this document. (Contains 3 tables.) [For the full report, see ED503373.]

Industry policy emphasises the importance of competition between firms as the basis of efficient markets and as a stimulus for improved firm efficiency. Yet research has shown that much can be gained from cooperation among firms in a range of activities, especially those involving the transfer of knowledge, such as training. These cooperative arrangements are common in the more regulated training systems of Germany and France. Recent reforms in the United Kingdom have sought to improve the level and quality of training by promoting, within a less regulated training environment, cooperative training activities among employers. This study focused on cooperation among firms when training their employees. Specifically, it examined jointly conducted training by two or more firms and sought to discover the characteristics of these firms, the kinds of business practices that support such cooperation, the kinds of training that are delivered jointly and the benefits that arise from such training for the participating firms. This report presents the results of a survey of 598 Australian manufacturing firms in five industries: (1) clothing and footwear; (2) engineering; (3) information technology; (4) scientific and medical equipment; and (5) processed foods and beverages. The survey was conducted between August and November 2005. The response rate of 21.0% to the survey means that caution is required when interpreting and using the results. Comparison with other studies suggests that the sample may be biased towards firms that provide training, which means that the estimates of the level of inter-firm cooperation in training may be too high. Any bias should have less effect on comparisons among firms that provide training and on descriptions of the benefits and barriers to cooperation in the provision of training. Appended are: (1) Additional tables; and (2) The questionnaire. (Contains 14 tables.) [This work has been produced on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments, with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The author/project team was funded to undertake this research via a grant under the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) Program.]

A skilled and flexible workforce is increasingly identified by governments as key to economic development. With the emergence of a global market in both educational services and labour, agreements on mutual recognition and transparency of skills and qualifications have become important elements of international co-operation. They are often included in broader bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. This paper discusses steps taken in the European Union (EU) to improve the mobility of labour between EU countries. (Contains 6 footnotes.)

This study extends previous research on university attrition and course completion by its focus on the reasons for attrition and tracking the subsequent enrolment and other outcomes of students who discontinue their university studies. It also looks at older students as well as students from younger groups. It finds that attrition from first year university undergraduate degree courses is lower than has been suggested by previous research if movement of students between universities and courses and potential re-entry are included as retention. First year attrition from university may be less than 10%, depending on the proportion of students who follow through their intention to re-enrol later. It also found differences in both characteristics and drivers for students who drop out of university study altogether and those who change courses or universities. Some students discontinuing their studies had simply found a pathway to employment other than through university study. Students' comments on their reasons for dropping out highlighted that it is often a combination of reasons that leads to the decision to discontinue. Sometimes one problem, such as a marriage breakdown, would trigger a series of consequences--financial, employment and health--that proved fatal to successful study. Many students who either discontinued or changed universities were found to gain some benefits from their year of university study and are more likely to judge their first year experience positively than negatively. In addition, leaving university did not necessarily mean the end of study. (Contains 50 tables, 20 boxes, and 1 figure.)

This report investigates the future supply of and demand for certain types of skilled labour at the trades and sub-trades levels that will be required for these projects up to 2010. In particular, it focuses on skilled labour in the mechanical, fabrication and electrical trades and mobile plant operators and construction workers in the sub-trades. The research for this report included: a review of the other studies of skill needs in Western Australia; discussions with individual company and organisation representatives as nominated by CCI as the project manager; analyses of some participating companies' data; analyses of state and national data on employment trends and labour turnover; and detailed study of the skilled and semi-skilled occupations of interest for this project. Following an Introduction, the rest of the report is structured as follows. The second chapter presents a short review of previous research that has examined problems of supply and demand for labour in the resources sector in Australia, but particularly in Western Australia. Chapter 3 contains a summary of views on the risks of skills shortages and their management by the participating companies. The chapter also includes analyses of the estimated demand for different types of labour for a number of projects being considered by some of the participating companies. Chapter 4 provides analyses of employment and training trends and skills shortages issues at the state and national level as a context for this study. Chapter 5 presents the analyses of the demand for and supply of labour in the selected occupations that are of particular interest for this study. The final chapter contains some concluding remarks. Findings include: (1) Western Australia needs at least 3,450 apprenticeship commencements in the metals trades in 2005 and 2006 to meet projected demand; (2) Western Australia needs an extra 2,400 electricians and 700 workers in other electrical trades to meet demand through to 2010; and (3) Western Australia needs an additional 900 mobile plant operators; 200 crane and lifts operators and 200 scaffolders, riggers and steel fixers and erectors to fill expected new jobs through until 2010. Companies that participated in the consultations identified skilled labour shortages as an important risk currently affecting project planning. To manage this risk they have implemented strategies to improve efficiency in the use of existing labour and reducing future demand; recruitment and retention; and skill formation. Although commencements of apprenticeships in the mechanical and fabrication and electrical trades have increased substantially in Western Australia in the last few years, the authors conclude that additional increase is needed to meet projected demand. Detailed statistical tables on Australian migration are appended. (Contains 30 footnotes, 31 figures and 39 tables.) [This report was commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia.]

The labour market is one the most significant markets in modern economies. Today labour embodies increasing amounts of human capital in the form of skills, talents and knowledge. Migration of workers between regions and countries can contribute to efficiency. People are moving from areas in which they are underemployed or unemployed to areas in which there is greater demand for their labour. Frequently the movement of people is across national or other administrative borders. Differences between jurisdictions in the way in which they recognise experience, skills and qualifications can subtract from the efficiency of the labour market. This paper outlines steps taken in the European Union (EU) to improve the mobility of skilled labour between EU countries. The interface between qualifications and the labour market is being addressed by the creation of extensive electronic networks providing workers with more information about potential jobs and employers with more meaningful information about potential applicants. Mobility of labour can be further enhanced by improving the portability of social security, health and pension benefits. The EU has also recognised that migrants are a substantial proportion of the EU workforce. In terms of mobility, they may be better placed than residents to take advantage of regional shifts in demand for labour, and impediments to their mobility between EU countries reduces the efficiency of the contribution they can make. The experience in both Australia and New Zealand recognises the economic benefits to be derived from geographic and jurisdictional labour mobility and especially of those aspects associated with the recognition of skills. It is different from the EU experience in two regards: (1) Cultural differences present in Europe are far less apparent in Australia and New Zealand; and (2) Registration in one jurisdiction was a basis for eligibility for registration in all jurisdictions. The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA) and Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between the Australian Government and the governments of the eight Australian states and territories are cited as potential models for other countries considering a similar strategy. (Contains 7 footnotes.) [Partial funding for this paper was obtained from a grant from the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements.]

Analysis of the workplace training experiences of the 1995 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth at age 19 in 2000 (n=7,889, 58% response rate) focused on the 85% of respondents currently employed or employed during the last year. The following elements were studied: participation in training (reasons, outcomes, adequacy); background characteristics (socioeconomic, ethnic/indigenous, disability); education level; and employment (occupation/industry, working hours, status, tenure, earnings). One-quarter received in-house training, over one-third other training, and nearly half had taught themselves. Reasons for training included work changes (36.1%) and new technology (27.7%). For males (45.1%) more than females (38.8%), training resulted in promotion, pay raise, or increased responsibility; most felt their training was transferable to other employment. For males, lower socioeconomic status was associated with less training. Those from non-English backgrounds and workers with disabilities were less likely to participate. The relationship between higher educational qualifications and more training was stronger for males in in-house training. Both shorter and longer tenure was associated with lower training rates. Few relationships were found between background and satisfaction with or adequacy of training. Less satisfaction with training opportunities was associated with higher literacy/numeracy, completion of Year 12, full-time or no study, and lower-skilled occupations. (Contains 32 references and 13 tables.) (SK)

Leading-edge firms (LEFs)--at the forefront of their industry in terms of growth or market share--may influence skill development through diffusion of technology, products, or practices and use of market power to set standards or change customer businesses. Study of LEFs can identify the type and mix of skills needed in the industry. LEFs are likely to use work organization, recruitment, and training practices that suggest future employment trends. Case studies of two Australian LEFs were conducted through interviews with senior human resource managers at an automotive components manufacturer and an operator of textile mills. The car parts manufacturer experienced substantial production changes from 1997-2000, and skill levels of operators have increased significantly. Because the firm requires International Standards Organization certification, it has influenced supplier companies to upgrade skills. In the textile mills, work organization is driven by the need for lean inventory and production. In the auto company, flexibility is achieved through use of casual workers; in the textiles company, the continuous production process lends itself to full-time permanent workers. In both, the following were found: (1) flexible production has increased skill demands; (2) new work organization requires more management training for broader categories of workers; (3) the national training system has proven complex and frustrating to use; and (4) both are having difficulty recruiting young apprentices. (Contains 20 references and the questionnaire.) (SK)

The extent of employer-supported education and training in Australia was examined by analyzing data from the Training Expenditure Surveys (TES), which gathered information from firms, and the Surveys of Education and Training Experience (SETE), which gathered information from workers. The TES showed an approximately 10% decline in the hours of external training provided by employers from 1993 to 1996, whereas the SETE showed a more than 80% increase in the hours of employer-supported external training received by workers over a similar period. The different results yielded by the two surveys were attributed to the different definitions of external training in the two surveys and the different behavior of the components of external education and training. The SETE showed a substantial expansion of external training but a decline in the level of employer support for education. However, because the apparent expansion in external training has occurred through an increase in employer support for fees and materials rather than through provision of paid study leave, participation in employer-supported external training may well have increased while the hours of training for which employees are paid by employers has declined. Thus, the findings of TES and SETE do not negate one another. (MN)