Retirement of Executive Director
The founding Executive Director of CEET, Gerald Burke, retired at the end of 2008 after more than 40 years at Monash University. Gerald is still associated with CEET and continues his work with Skills Australia and other government bodies. Michael Long and Chandra Shah will be associate directors until a new executive director is appointed.

CEET 2008 Conference presentations

Is VET Vocational? – Tom Karmel, NCVER
Is vocational education and training narrowly vocational? This research compared what VET graduates study and the jobs they get, using data from NCVER’s Student Outcomes Survey.

South Australia’s approach to skills and workforce development - Michael Keating AC and Lise Windsor - Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal and DFEEST
The South Australian Government is implementing reforms to the state’s skills and workforce development system with the aim of developing a demand driven, customer focussed and flexible system. The release of a skills strategy (March 2008) was followed by a high level review of skills and workforce development. The presentation outlined the key elements of the reform agenda.

The relative payoff to VET and higher education - Michael Long – Powerpoint Presentation
There are widespread concerns over the possible effect of skill shortages and gaps on economic growth. Consequently, the extent to which people have a financial incentive to enrol for post school qualifications—and can contribute to the costs of their education—are pressing issues. This research examined the costs, benefits and returns for students who complete VET qualifications. The findings suggest that rates of return in some VET courses are significant.

Employer Cooperation in Training - Richard Cooney & Michael Long – Powerpoint Presentation
Do Australian firms co-operate to develop and/or deliver training? This research found that firm-supplied cooperative training is a feature of inter-firm cooperation but only a few Australian firms undertake this type of training. However there is little evidence of training networks and most firms co-operate through informal arrangements among a small number of partner firms.

Why qualifications are important - Jack Keating
What is the relationship between qualifications systems and national qualification frameworks (NQF)? What are their purposes? Qualifications systems focus on individuals and by discriminating between them are gatekeepers to occupations and employment. National qualification frameworks serve a different purpose—the national interest. The presentation discussed the tension between these tow objectives.

Inclusion and exclusion in VET and higher education - Fran Ferrier and Sue North – Powerpoint Presentation
The Australian government has adopted a ‘social inclusion agenda’ that aims to bring together social and economic policies in order to reduce disadvantage in the Australian community. Increasing participation and success in education and training is a key aspect of the social inclusion agenda. This work is investigating the relationship between social exclusion and education, with a focus on VET and higher education.

Key international developments affecting Australian education and training - Phillip McKenzie - Australian Council for Educational Research
Education and training in Australia operate in a global environment. There are significant numbers of international students enrolled in many Australian institutions and many institutions deliver courses overseas. Thus international students are a large source of revenue for these institutions. This paper discusses the potential impact of bilateral free trade agreements, other multilateral agreements on educational cooperation and the worsening international economic outlook on Australia’s international student education industry.

Financial arrangements to support relevance, quality and inclusion - Gerald Burke and Peter Noonan
Major policy objectives for VET include making the system more responsive to industry needs, ensuring quality, improving equity and fair sharing of costs. The paper discusses implications for the financing of VET of current policy proposals such as contestability, quality assurance, increasing employer contributions and income contingent loans for individuals.

Recent CEET reports

University IT graduates for ICT occupations in Victoria 2008 – 2022 – Chandra Shah, Gerald Burke and Sue North
Employment in ICT occupations is projected to increase by 30 percent from 103,000 in 2007 to 135,000 in 2022. By 2022 over 90 per cent of people in these occupations will have qualifications, with two-thirds at higher education levels. To meet requirements for people with qualifications an estimated 71,000 will need to acquire qualifications from 2008 to 2022—43,000 in higher education and 28,000 in VET.
Enrolments in IT courses in Victorian universities fell 20 per cent from 2001 to 2006, with the biggest decline in the number of domestic students. In 2006 nearly 60 per cent of people enrolled in IT courses were international students.
Graduates employed in ICT occupations have qualifications in a range of fields. In 2006, about 2,900 people who graduated from Victorian universities in 2005 were working in ICT occupations. Only about half had IT qualifications.
IT graduates work in a range of occupations. About 79 per cent of domestic graduates from Victorian universities were working in 2006—only 41 per cent in ICT occupations. Forty eight percent of international graduates were working, only 23 per cent in ICT occupations.
With commencements in IT courses at current levels Victoria will experience a shortfall of 3,700 graduates from 2008 to 2022. This could be reduced by attracting back to ICT occupations many IT graduates who are lost to other occupations – especially international students.

Higher Education in Diverse Communities: Global Perspectives, Local Initiatives (eds Fran Ferrier & Margaret Heagney)
The book consists of edited papers on student participation in higher education from Europe, North America and Australia. It covers topics on diversity, equity and student experiences and how higher education connects with communities.

Other reports

Pathways Through VET: Longitudinal Perspectives
Longitudinal data can provide unique insights into the pathways that young people follow and key influences on their educational and labour market experiences. This study suggests school leavers’ participation in VET programs improves employment prospects and earnings, but completing a program confers additional labour force advantages. The results vary by gender. Traineeships are particularly important post-school pathways for Indigenous Australians and for those living in rural and remote areas. The study underlines the importance of career advice in the early years of secondary schooling, when students form intentions about their future study and work.

Further information: VET Pathways Taken by School Leavers by David D. Curtis. Research report number 52 in the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) series. The report can be downloaded from: http://www.acer.edu.au/lsay/research.html