Tuesday, February 23, 2021

#500: our milestone edition

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Edition #500 | 24 February 2021

2021: a year of big numbers

2021 is a year of milestones for NCVER. Established in 1981, NCVER has been in operation for 40 years. Our well-known annual National VET Research Conference 'No Frills' celebrates its 30th year, and here is edition #500 of NCVER News.

Much has changed since we launched NCVER News on 23 April 1999. The first edition highlighted research authored by NCVER Senior Research Fellow, Dr Josie Misko on The transfer of knowledge and skill to different contexts: an empirical perspective.

Fast forward 22 years and 499 editions later, and much has changed. Whether context-specific knowledge enabled the transfer of knowledge between different circumstances and conditions was a key research question in the 1990s. Today, a key issue exercising researchers is understanding what are the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation on the skills required by the labour market and how VET can respond to the challenges around training for new jobs and changing work patterns.

NCVER has been anticipating these changes and is committed to providing high-quality and timely information to enable governments and the training system to respond effectively to the fast-changing needs of the Australian economy.

RTO reporting closes in 2 days

Thank you to the many RTOs who have already submitted their fee-for-service annual AVETMISS data either directly to NCVER or via a state training authority (STA).

If you have yet to report your 2020 data, please note that there are only 2 days left until the collection window closes at 5pm (ACDT) on Friday 26 February 2021.

For more information, check out our latest Data Support Bulletin, visit our RTO Hub, or contact us at support@ncver.edu.au or 1800 649 452.

LAST CHANCE! Only 5 days left to submit your abstracts

In April 1999, when the 1st edition of NCVER News was released, the annual ‘No Frills’ conference was preparing for its 8th unveiling in Toowoomba, Queensland.

This year 'No Frills' turns 30 and we intend to mark the occasion with an exciting program, including some celebratory 'frills'!

The conference theme is Past informing the future and we are seeking abstracts covering a broad range of issues including how can the past inform the future, what's changed and what role can VET play in our economic recovery?

Due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, this special anniversary event will be hosted fully online and every effort will be made to maximise networking opportunities during the conference.

Presenting is a great opportunity for practitioners and researchers alike to share their research and knowledge; and presentations will be delivered virtually, eliminating the need to travel.

Presenters will also be given full access to the virtual conference experience at no cost.

ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT! Submissions close Monday 1 March 2021 Submit your abstract now!

If you've ever wondered how many 'No Frills' conferences you've attended or presented at, here's a historical archive!

VOCEDplus ‘Expert Search’ What? Why? How? Amazing!

Join NCVER Research Librarian Tracy Gamlin as she demonstrates the powerful VOCEDplus ‘Expert Search’.

You’ll learn how to:

Build complex search strings quickly and easily
Filter search results to refine and enhance your search results
Speak the language of VOCEDplus for optimal searching.

Date: Thursday 25 March, 1.30pm - 2.10pm ACDT
Cost: Free!

Further information and to register now

Defining industry and their role in the VET system

Industry’s role and engagement in the VET system is a hot topic, with the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) currently calling for submissions on industry engagement and qualifications reform by 1 March 2021.

NCVER research on the role of industry in the VET system, drawing on insights from national and international literature, is nearing completion. This is especially timely as various initiatives stemming from the Joyce Review and VET reform roadmap focussed on industry engagement have been kicked off over the last year, such as the Skills Organisation Pilots run by DESE.

Industry's role in VET governance: using international insights to inform new practices, due for release in April, focuses on the role of industry in VET leadership and governance arrangements. Defining who or what ‘industry’ is, and what industry interaction currently resembles at different levels of the VET system are also examined.

Previous NCVER research on industry's role and employer engagement in the VET system includes:

Employers, we want to hear from you

Employers across the nation will be contacted in the coming weeks to find out how they train their staff, and how effective this training is at meeting their skills needs.

First conducted in 2005 and run every 2 years, the Survey of Employers’ Use and Views of the VET system, managed by NCVER, aims to collect the views of up to 9000 employers between now and June this year.

New this year are questions about the impact of COVID-19 on the way employers have trained their staff and their future training plans. Results for this survey are released in October 2021.

Results from the last survey, published in 2019, told us that around half of employers made use of the nationally accredited VET system. Around 80% are satisfied with nationally recognised training.

Looking back...

As we commemorate the 500th edition of NCVER News, we journey back in time to 1999, when:

The three-year Senate Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education Inquiry into the Quality of Vocational Education and Training in Australia was underway:
- The report from the Inquiry, Aspiring to excellence: report into the quality of vocational education and training in Australia, was published in 2000
- NCVER’s submission to the inquiry
Both Queensland and Tasmania reviewed the quality of their traineeship systems:
- Independent investigation into the quality of training in Queensland's traineeship system: final report: 2 July 1999
- A risky business: review of the quality of Tasmania's traineeship system
Northern Territory commissioned a review of Indigenous education in Northern Territory:
- Learning lessons: an independent review of Indigenous education in the Northern Territory
KPMG Consulting, in association with NCVER and Darcy McGaurr and Associates undertook the Phase 2 evaluation of User Choice
The Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) commissioned a review to evaluate the effectiveness of two national projects on research:
- the Research and Evaluation National Project
- the Key Vocational Education and Training Research Centres National Project

The above documents are part of the VOCEDplus ‘Key research and policy’ special collection. This collection pulls together important tertiary education and training policy and research documents from various regions around the world into one easy to access location.

Highlights from the ACT 2020-21 budget

Typically delivered in June of each year, the release of the 2020-21 Australian Capital Territory (ACT) budget was delayed to February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the election in October.

Highlights from the budget pertaining to skills and training are now available in the Governance and funding section of the VET Knowledge Bank.

Latest industry updates

Over 140 industry pages have recently been updated on the AISC's National Industry Insights Report.

These pages provide data and analysis on training patterns and employment trends, and identify the skills projected to be in highest demand over the coming years. Information on the impact of COVID-19 is also included where available.

Read on to find out what you can discover on the following industry pages:

Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Design: The impact of COVID-19 has been catastrophic, with social distancing restrictions forcing venues to shut their doors. This has led to an unprecedented loss of income for those employed across this industry.
Automotive: Program enrolments for Automotive-related qualifications have increased from around 58,000 in 2015 to 68,600 in 2019, and were predominately in the Automotive Industry Retail, Service and Repair Training Package.
Construction: VET-related occupations in the Construction industry are expected to rise by 2024, with an increase of nearly 20% expected in for Architectural, Building and Surveying Technicians. In addition, government initiatives are aiming to increase women's participation in this traditionally male-dominated industry.
Manufacturing and Related Services: COVID-19 has raised awareness of the importance of domestic manufacturing. The Australian Government strategy, released in late 2020, focuses on scaling up high-value areas of manufacturing where Australia either has established competitive strength or emerging priorities.
Printing and Graphic Arts: Market demand has shifted away from print newspapers and magazines. As such, employment in this industry has fallen by over 50% between 2000 and 2020, with this downward trend predicted to continue. To combat this, workers are transitioning into multidisciplinary communications teams, rather than remaining employed by businesses that focus solely on Printing and Graphic Arts-related activities.

Learn more: visit our Portal and the NIIR industry directory for more information, or follow #NIIR2021 on Twitter for highlights