Review of Employment-Based Training Models

Employment-based training (EBT) is training for paid employees which is integrated within a work setting, related to their role, and provided or supported by employers. It can be nationally recognised or non-nationally recognised. It can be structured, or unstructured. For many employers, the crucial aspect of EBT is whether the training helps with productivity and profitability. This review, which is supplemented by insights from interviews with employers in the healthcare and social assistance, construction, and information technology industries, explores alternative approaches to EBT; for example, cadetships and internships, higher apprenticeships, and on-the-job structured training such as mentoring. While these approaches are not necessarily new, their application often has implications for vocational education and training (VET) content and delivery. The interest in these forms of EBT are attributable to their fit-for-purpose designs. This review complements recent National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) work "Work-Based Education in VET" (ED609681), which explored the benefits and challenges of including a work component in VET programs (excluding apprenticeships and traineeships), and a forthcoming report, which focuses on whether programs containing workplace-based delivery led to better outcomes for students, compared with those programs without the workplace-based component.