Early Vocational Education and Training Programs for Young Aboriginal Learners: Perceptions of Practitioners and Young People. Occasional Paper

The perceptions of students, school and technical and further education (TAFE) staff involved in V Tracks, an early intervention program for Aboriginal school students are explored in this paper. The study identifies outcomes, challenges and recommendations for future program design. Overall, V Tracks was found to improve student engagement in school and provide greater insights into the available education, training and employment pathways for students. National Centre for Vocational Education Research's (NCVER's) Building Researcher Capacity program funded this paper, which is based on research undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice scholarship program. Appendix includes a section titled Tracks and Deadly Days: TAFE-schools initiatives to increase the retention and engagement of young Aboriginal learners in education, employment and/or training. (Contains 9 figures and 1 footnote.)