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A common complaint from business and industry is that employees entering the workforce are not "job ready." They often lack the practical skills, maturity, and workplace experience to perform well in their roles, leaving employers to fill the gap by providing training either at their own expense or with public funding. In contrast, a new employee with previous experience as a volunteer in an emergency services organisation comes into the workplace with an understanding of teamwork, a demonstrated sense of community and responsibility, and an appreciation of the role of organisational culture, thus accelerating their emergence as an asset to their employer. This case study of the South Australia Country Fire Service (SA CFS) examined key factors in the resourcing and efficacy of training for volunteers. It was undertaken as a joint initiative of Government Skills Australia (GSA), the SA CFS and the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). The SA CFS delivers nationally endorsed and non-endorsed training to their volunteers, all funded from the annual operational budget it receives from the South Australian Government. It maintains a training centre at Brukunga in the Adelaide Hills and several regional training resources across the state. The SA CFS is a registered training organisation. The research sought views through qualitative and quantitative sources, interviewing brigades, employers and key industry stakeholders--242 volunteers responded to the quantitative survey. The core hypothesis for this research was that SA CFS volunteers who trained under the Australian Qualifications Framework's (AQF) Public Safety Training Package are taking skills and knowledge gained in roles as firefighters, trainers and incident managers into their paid employment. Formal transferrable skills revealed in the case study included safety and first aid, truck driving, equipment use (e.g. using a chainsaw), training and assessment. Such skills have valuable alignment with jobs in Agriculture; Food and Forestry; Mining; Public Administration and Safety; and Health Care and Social Assistance industry areas. Other generic skills acquired informally are in management, leadership, communication and logistics. The SA CFS training model is not funded to recognise these latter skills. The data gathered also show that the SA CFS provides pathways for young people through its programs for cadets; the inclusion of SA CFS volunteering in the South Australian Certificate of Education for Years 11 and 12; and the provision of nationally accredited units in operational training. This is important given the need to recruit and retain new, younger volunteers in the emergency service sector. The findings indicate that volunteers are more strongly aware of the benefits of SA CFS training to the workplace than their employers. Their skills acquisition and transfer have multifaceted, multi-directional benefits: volunteers who are drawn from a broad range of industries bring professional skills to the brigade and transfer knowledge among the volunteer cohort; they also take skills imparted during their volunteer experience back to the workplace and to their communities. Greater recognition of this process is warranted, especially in order to elucidate the overall gains for both employers and the community from the activities of the SA CFS as a learning organisation. Appended are: (1) Survey Questions; and (2) Employer Telephone Interview Survey Script.

This study uses the PIAAC data to examine the relationships between education system characteristics (e.g. early tracking and vocational education orientation) and distributions of adult numeracy skills. It also investigates the effects of postponing the tracking age and easing university access for students on a vocational track on the average skills and different percentiles of the skills distribution. Correlational analysis suggests that education systems with more students enrolled in vocational tracks have on average higher levels of numeracy skills and more compressed skills distributions between the 50th and 90th percentiles. Further analysis suggests that postponing the tracking age among 14 European countries does not have a significant effect on the average skills of the population. However, it increases skills for individuals at the 10th, 20th, and 30th percentiles of the skill distribution. Expanding university access is associated with an increase in numeracy skills, particularly for individuals at the bottom three deciles of the distribution.

Five years after implementation, the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAA40104, and hereafter also referred to as the Certificate IV) remains a pivotal qualification in the national vocational education and training (VET) system. Under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) it is the qualification required by both workplace trainers/assessors and trainers/assessors working in classroom situations in registered training organisations (RTOs). Graduates with this qualification are in a position to have a significant influence on the quality of VET delivery. Consequently, opinions abound regarding the content and delivery of the qualification. There is a small but growing body of research, reports and conference papers that focus on the implementation of the qualification (Alexander 2007; Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board 2008), its fitness as the benchmark for trainers and assessors in the national VET system (Innovation Business Skills Australia 2006; McRae 2008; Smith 2007; Robertson 2008, 2009) and more recently the experiences of those who have undertaken the qualification (Down, De Luca & Galloway 2009; Clayton 2009). This paper aims to contribute to this body of research by exploring the goals of a sample of Certificate IV candidates and their expectations of the course, and comparing their initial intentions with their actual outcomes. As the author works in the adult and community education (ACE) sector in New South Wales, the sample was drawn from among the 25 NSW ACE providers with the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment on their scope of registration. The research findings will be useful for registered training organisations who are seeking a procedure for examining and comparing intent and outcomes. This paper provides a brief overview of current research and reports on the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and other literature relating to the measurement of learner intent and outcomes. The paper then discusses the findings that emerged from the data collected for this research. Appendices include: (1) Online survey questions; (2) Phone interview questions; and (3) Profiles of phone interviewees. (Contains 2 tables, 9 figures, and 1 footnote.)

Language, literacy and numeracy are necessary for greater workforce participation, productivity and social inclusion. Being able to measure the level of proficiency in these skills, and any changes in the level of skills, is important for getting a sense of how well language, literacy and numeracy programs are working. Two measurement tools used in Australia are the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALLS) survey and the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). This paper outlines a National Centre for Vocational Education Research study which will investigate whether it is possible to map the performance levels of the ALLS to the performance levels of the ACSF in order to gain more frequent information than is currently available about the literacy and numeracy progression of adult learners against national goals. Appended are: (1) About the ALLS survey and the ACSF; and (2) Delphi method and descriptions of ALLS items. (Contains 1 table and 9 footnotes.)

The Survey of Employer Use and Views of the VET System is designed to provide detailed information on the way employers interact with the vocational education and training (VET) system and their satisfaction with these dealings. The aim of the survey is to provide information enabling the Australian Government and state and territory governments to monitor, over time, employer engagement and satisfaction with vocational education and training in meeting the skill needs of the workforce. The survey also identifies and ranks the factors that influence employer engagement and satisfaction with vocational education and training. As part of the review of the survey, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) is consulting with users to identify their information requirements and how the survey may be modified to better meet their needs. This paper has been prepared to: (1) confirm the survey is collecting data relevant to policy and information requirements; (2) provide information on data items currently collected in the survey; (3) determine the most suitable scope and methodology for ongoing surveys; and (4) canvas ideas on options for 2013 onwards. Appendices include: (1) Excerpt from the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development; and (2) List of data items available from the 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011 surveys. (Contains 5 tables and 1 footnote.) [For related report, "Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: Employers' Use and Views of the VET System, 2009", see ED507550.]

Partnerships between literacy teachers and community service workers have the potential to engage people with low literacy levels in learning. Through interviews and surveys with these two groups, this paper explores their views on literacy, how it impacts on their work, and their ideas about partnerships with each other. Overall, partnerships are viewed more favourably by literacy teachers than community service workers. In addition, if partnerships are to proceed, both groups need to develop a greater awareness and appreciation for each other's roles. This research was undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice Program and was funded as part of NCVER's Building Researcher Capacity initiative. Appended are: (1) Definitions; and (2) Survey. (Contains 9 tables and 2 figures.)

Building the research capacity of the vocational education and training (VET) sector is a key concern for the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). To assist with this objective, NCVER supported an academic scholarship program, whereby VET practitioners are sponsored to undertake university study at honours, master's, or doctorate level. NCVER then published a snapshot of their research. The author received an academic scholarship in 2009 to assist with her doctoral studies at the University of Melbourne. The author is an English as a second language teacher of adult migrants and international students at Holmesglen in Melbourne. Her research explores how studying English as a second language can help adult migrants to integrate into Australian society. A survey was distributed to migrants at the commencement of their English studies at the Jarrah Language Centre to gather demographic data. Fourteen were selected from this group to be interviewed four times over a period of approximately two years to garner a sense of their post-course experiences, their level of integration and any changes to their circumstances during that time. Findings include: (1) Not being competent and confident in using English was seen by migrants and language centre teachers and staff as the biggest barrier to integration; (2) Most migrants undertook English as a second language classes to improve their spoken English and valued the speaking opportunities provided in their classes, but they would like more opportunities to speak everyday English in class; (3) Migrants found undertaking English language classes valuable in helping them to move into mainstream study and employment. By the time of the last interview, most migrants were either in full- or part-time work or were continuing with mainstream study; and (4) English as a second language programs, on their own, are not enough to ensure gaining permanent employment. Instead, they are a pathway to further study or low-level jobs. Having a language centre located in a TAFE institute also encourages movement into further study. Appended are: (1) Surveyed migrants' countries of birth; (2) Surveyed migrants' highest completed level of schooling; (3) Interviewed migrant profile, July 2007; and (4) Interviewed migrants' post-2007 English as a second language course goals and outcomes, mid-2008 and January 2010. (Contains 8 tables and 15 footnotes.)

An analysis of student verbatim responses in the Student Outcomes Survey provides suggestions for how the vocational education and training (VET) system could be improved. Eight major domains are discussed: course relevance and design; staff attributes and behaviours; teaching and learning practices; access to courses; facilities and services; assessment practices; learning resources; equipment and materials; initial information provision; and administration and learning support services. Aspects of training questions are appended. (Contains 11 tables and 6 footnotes.) [For Support Document, see ED507620.]

At the 18th meeting of Ministerial Council on Education (MCEETYA) (12th-13th May 2005), Council urged the Australian Government to: (1) increase per capita assistance to ESL-NA students with high educational needs, in particular, refugees and humanitarian entrants; (2) provide a new per capita allocation so that specific ethnic and cultural issues faced by those children and families entering into Australia under the refugee and humanitarian category can be addressed; and (3) expand the visa classifications eligible for new arrivals funding. Ministers Nelson and Hardgrave noted the points raised but indicated that a more evidence-based discussion of the issue was warranted to justify any Australian Government increase in funding. The MCEETYA Schools Resourcing Taskforce (SRT) convened a working party of Australian Government, Victorian Government and Catholic Education Commission representatives to work with the SRT secretariat to investigate this issue. A survey of the government state and territory education systems and Catholic education systems across Australia was conducted in March 2006. The survey was structured to collect data about the different modes of delivery of ESL tuition provided by an education system for its newly arrived students. Financial and non-financial data were collected in the survey. All states and territories participated except the Northern Territory. The Catholic Education Commission (CEC) provided data on two dioceses with substantial ESL-NA students. This report includes: (1) an overview of the existing policy settings for providing ESL tuition to newly arrived students, and of recent permanent and temporary immigration trends; (2) a national mapping of the services and different modes of delivery of ESL tuition provided by a system for its newly arrived students; and (3) an analysis of the current per capita costs of providing ESL tuition to newly arrived students and information on the adequacy of current provision for both groups of newly arrived students based on survey data. The Australian Government has expressed reservations about the methodology and conclusions drawn in this Discussion Paper. While these reservations remain, the critical importance of English language skills in improving workforce participation, productivity and aggregate economic outcomes for Australia, and to the well-being of individuals, is readily acknowledged. The Australian Government recognises the need to build on such common ground with further work to ensure areas of significant and specific ESL need are addressed. Appended are: (1) Visa Sub-Classes Eligible to Receive Commonwealth ESL-NA Program Funding; (2) Visa Sub-Classes Ineligible to Receive Commonwealth ESL-NA Program Funding; (3) SA Typical and Agreed Patterns of Entry and Exit Scales: DECS--ESL Scales; and (4) Survey Instrument. (Contains 19 tables, 9 figures and 63 footnotes.)

We assess the relationship between general literacy skills and health status by analysing data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an international survey of about 250,000 adults aged 16-65 years conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 2011-15 in 33 countries/national sub-regions. Across countries, there seems to be a strong and consistent association between general literacy proficiency and self-rated poor health, independent of prior socio-economic status and income. General literacy proficiency also appears to be a mediator of the association between self-education and self-rated poor health. While the literacy-health association is robust over time, it varies in magnitude across countries. It is strongest for those with a tertiary or higher degree and does not appear to exist among young adults (ages 25 to 34 years). Future studies are required to understand the contextual factors that modify the general literacy proficiency-health association.

Using the qualitative research method known as folknography, the authors led a research team to the heart of Illinois farm country to ask the question "What are the perceptions of the people of the Midwest concerning math and math education?" A review of the literature includes Canadian and Australian references on the topic, as well as information from the United States, and the targeted geography and population is described. Research followed the pattern of a similar study conducted in Appalachia in 2004. A preliminary survey was planned to gather benchmarking statistical data and to open respondents up to the possibilities of a folknographic interview. Folknographers entered the field in May 2006 to perform focused and intensive field research. Findings include: (1) belief that young people can not perform simple math; (2) perception that too much technology has a significant and negative impact on developing minds of students; (3) connection between acquiring math knowledge and achieving a dynamic career; (4) recollections of tyrannical or cruel math teachers; (5) desire for a school or school system that makes learning math an exciting and motivating experience. Folknographic narratives are included to illustrate each finding. Bibliography is included. Four appendixes conclude the document: (1) Perceptions of Math in the Mid-West Interview Questions: Adults (18-55); (2) Perceptions of Math in the Mid-West Interview Questions: Seniors (55-Over); (3) Perceptions of Math in the Mid-West Interview Questions: Youth (Ages 10-17); and (4) Perceptions of Math Survey Mid-West. (Contains 4 charts.)

Information from the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) indicates that training within New Apprenticeships is more flexible than traditional apprenticeships and traineeships. The ability of employers and employees to select a training provider of their choice, providing that it is registered in their state or territory, is known as "User Choice." Results of a survey undertaken by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) in 2001 indicated very high levels of support for User Choice, but also indicated that User Choice was not always meeting expectations. As a result of the survey, ACCI developed proposals designed to strengthen User Choice. The project reported in this paper investigated these proposals with two main aims: (2) To explore the gap between the User Choice arrangements proposed by ACCI and User Choice as it is currently practiced; and (2) To seek the views of the States and Territories about ACCI's proposals, including any potential issues or problems that might arise in implementing them. (Contains 5 tables.)

In the Australian higher education scene the importance of recognizing effective teaching is gaining increasing prominence. Issues of academic accountability and the increasing scarcity of financial resources for higher education have added pressure to the debate about what constitutes quality in higher education. Central to this debate is the issue of the extrinsic rewards available for teaching competence or teaching excellence. Within the older universities, excellence in research within traditional disciplines has been rewarded by research grants and by promotion procedures much more than excellence in teaching has been. Within the post-1987 universities there are pressures to develop high level research profiles. This study looks at one strategy which has been used in an attempt to redress the research/teaching imbalance and promote quality in higher education, namely that of awards for teaching excellence. An analysis of survey responses from 37 Australian institutions of higher education about how they viewed teaching awards is reported, together with comment on the possible benefits and drawbacks of these awards. Suggestions are made for modifying them in a way which deals with the criticisms of some existing programs. Contains 17 references. (Author/GLR)

This technology survey provides an overview of the educational technology options specifically available in the distance education and open learning arena. It examines technological options and their delivery modes in the context of each application. For each option, a definition is provided. Costs are estimated for each application; and advantages, disadvantages, and availability in Australia are sketched. The following technologies are explored: (1) facsimile transmission; (2) computer mediated communication; (3) audio; (4) audiographic; (5) computer assisted instruction; (6) videoconferencing; and (7) television and teleconferencing. The review of available applications makes it apparent that many organizations in Australia have dabbled in the area of educational technology, but few have evaluated the options formally in terms of their appropriateness for course requirements and learner needs. Three appendixes list features of educational technology, applications, and journals and special interest groups dealing with educational technology. (Contains 54 references.) (SLD)

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the link between age and proficiency in information-processing skills, based on information drawn from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). The data reveal significant age-related differences in proficiencies, strongly suggesting that proficiency tends to "naturally" decline with age. Age differences in proficiency are, at first sight, substantial. On average across the OECD countries participating in PIAAC, adults aged 55 to 65 score some 30 points less than adults aged 25 to 34 on the PIAAC literacy scale, which is only slightly smaller than the score point difference between tertiary educated and less-than-upper-secondary educated individuals. However, despite their lower levels of proficiency, older individuals do not seem to suffer in terms of labour market outcomes. In particular, they generally earn higher wages, and much of the available empirical evidence suggests that they are not less productive than younger workers. Older and more experienced individuals seem therefore able to compensate the decline in information processing skills with the development of other skills, generally much more difficult to measure. On the other hand, proficiency in information-processing skills remain a strong determinant of important outcomes at all ages: this makes it important to better understand which factors are the most effective in preventing such age-related decline in proficiency, which does not occur to the same extent in all countries and for all individuals. Two broad interventions seem to be particularly promising in this respect. First, it is important to ensure that there is adequate and effective investment in skills development early in the life-cycle: as skills beget skills, starting off with a higher stock of human capital seems also to ensure smaller rates of proficiency decline. Second, it is equally important that policies are in place that provide incentives to individuals (and firms) to invest in skills across the entire working life. In this respect, changes in retirement policies can not only have the short-term effect of providing some reliefs to public finance, but have the potential to radically reshape incentives to stay active, to practice their skills and to invest more in training, thus helping to maintain high levels of proficiency. One table, Age Differences and Age Effects, is appended.

Three perspectives from which to study the implementation of educational innovation are explored in this document. Using the comparative policy perspective, the author compares and analyzes federal programs supporting educational change in the United States and Australia. Noting that Australia is more homogeneous, centrally organized, and oriented toward society seen collectively than is the United States, the author discusses how the increasing role of the federal government, the various forms of federal involvement, the relationships between different levels of government, the governmental policies on parochial and private education, and the "doctrine of transferability" affect educational change in both nations. From an organizational perspective, the author focuses on the implementation of innovations in schools as organizations, citing the results of a survey of the innovative projects funded by the Australian Schools Commission in Western Australia that had been underway for at least 2 years by 1976. This research explored four categories of characteristics possibly affecting the implementation of innovations: those of the innovation itself, the implementation strategies employed, the organizational settings, and the personnel involved. Finally, the author discusses how personal involvement in a series of case studies helped develop an interactionist perspective on the less objective characteristics of educational change. (PGD)

The Vocational Interest Survey (VIS) is a set of six questionnaires for measuring vocational interests. It is designed to be used in career counseling with persons 15 years and over, who want to explore and understand their vocational interests. Completion of this inventory requires: (1) active participation of respondents, (2) a setting where individuals can concentrate, and (3) an understanding of the goal of this assessment. The purpose of this paper is to outline some aspects of the administration and scoring of the VIS, with special emphasis on the relative preference index. The VIS comes with instructions for administering and completing the survey. The reading level for the instructions is estimated to be at year 5/6 level. The VIS is designed to be essentially self-scoring. The procedure for computing raw scores is the same for all scales. Based on a sample of 2,459 men and women, combined-sex norms were developed as percentile ranks for each of the six scales. The Relative Preference Index (RPI) is used to make statements about a client's level of preference on each subscale. The RPI is a variation of a mastery score that shows quantity of preference. It describes the level of performance rather than the relative standing in a group. It is cautioned that any questionnaire should be employed as only one aspect of the vocational guidance process. (JAZ)

The Vocational Interest Survey (VIS) is a set of six questionnaire scales for measuring vocational interest. It is designed for Australian users and is consistent with Holland's theory that there are six basic career categories. This paper discusses the development of the VIS and presents some technical data on the questionnaires. Items were provided by the users (in the form of free-association responses) rather than by psychologists. Based on those items, a pilot questionnaire was prepared, which contained three separate lists of 138 occupations, 105 study courses, and 152 activities. Complete-link clustering was used to develop six temporary groups of occupational items. The 105 items relating to study courses were then correlated with the six experimental scales. Further item-analyses were conducted to produce six combined jobs/study courses scales with maximum internal consistency. Finally, activity items were selected and added to the combined jobs/study courses. Reliability of VIS scales was assessed using measures of internal consistency, split-half reliability, and test-retest coefficients. In addition, the intercorrelations of the six VIS scales, the construct validity of the VIS, and the relationship between vocational interests on the VIS and career related characteristics were measured. The appendix provides a listing which summarizes the overall responses to each item. (JAZ)

A survey of a random sample of students from five tertiary institutions in Melbourne was conducted in 1986 to determine the nature and extent of their usage of their own university or college and other libraries. Questionnaires were mailed to 1,996 students, of whom 999 responded. The questionnaire sought information on: (1) students' backgrounds; (2) the types of libraries used; (3) the frequency of that usage; (4) the primary reasons for using academic and public libraries; (5) the resources and services used in these libraries; (6) the degree of satisfaction with services offered; and (7) the nature and extent of course-related usage of public libraries. Other comments were also solicited. A complex network of information sources used by students in fulfilling their course needs emerged from the study. Academic libraries were found to constitute the primary information source, with other sources, including public libraries, playing supplementary roles. It is noted that some of the traditional assumptions of the relative roles of different types of libraries are challenged by the data, and the final chapter explores some implications of these findings for planning library services in Victoria. Tabulated data are presented in 120 tables, and appendixes contain copies of the questionnaire and cover letter, a follow-up letter, additional cover letters, and respondents' comments. (82 references) (CGD)

The Vocational Interest Survey (VIS) is a measure of six vocational interests--practical, scientific, artistic, social, business and clerical--based on the model of interests proposed by Holland. Five broad design criteria for the development of the six interest scales are outlined, e.g., minimum reliability of 0.80. Each scale is organized into three parts: (1) occupational choices; (2) educational preferences; and (3) activity interests. Seven major applications of the VIS are described: individual assessment, diagnosis, selection and placement, guidance, prediction, evaluation, and research. A list of job names and courses for use with the VIS, and the six questionnaires are appended. (Author/JAZ)

This study attempted to determine how much parents were involved in Western Australian secondary schools and how satisfied they were with their involvement. Subjects included almost 2,000 families with children in one of sixteen secondary schools that were a sample of schools of differing sizes, in several types of communities in both rural and metropolitan locations. Subjects completed questionnaires brought home from school by children. Results indicated that scarcely any parents believed there was too much parent involvement in secondary schools. Only a small minority were seeking greater influence over school decision-making. Less than a quarter reported attending a parents' or citizens' meeting in 1977. More than 70 percent of parents said they were satisfied with the way the school kept them informed. Few parents wanted more use of school facilities. Although half the parents were willing to help at school, only a quarter had done so. Two schools in less affluent neighborhoods had low parental involvement, and parents in these districts wanted more involvement. The two schools with the most parental involvement were an affluent metropolitan high school and a school in a large country town. There was no evidence parental involvement varied with school size. (Author/JM)