The Impact of Research on VET Decision Making.

A project was conducted to examine the impact of vocational education and training (VET) research on decision making in VET in Australia. Data were collected from the following: a literature review; a symposium attended by state-, territory-, and national-level VET policymakers and planners and VET providers; semistructured telephone interviews with 50 VET decision makers on their use of VET research; nine case studies; and development of a background paper on overseas findings and perspectives. Direct awareness of research findings among key decision makers was low. Many had little or no awareness of sources of research information. Although senior decision makers frequently operated on the basis of briefing papers that most likely had a strong basis in research, they were generally unaware that research findings had any impact on their decision making. Because the volatile policy climate for VET and the time pressures on key players all tend to militate against the considered use of data as a component of decision making, many VET-related decisions were being made without referencing important research-based information. (Appended are the background paper for the Impact Project and the symposium program.) (MN)