ICVET Promoting Emerging Practice, TAFE NSW International Centre for VET Teaching and Learning

SUNG Johnny, Raddon, Arwen & Ashton, David 2006, Skills Abroad: A Comparative Assessment of International Policy Approaches to Skills Leading to the Development of Policy Recommendations for the UK - Research report 16, Centre for Labour Market Studies, Leicester, UK

The researchers used the case study approach to review and evaluate sectoral approaches in Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Singapore, USA and Germany.

Some of the key themes were:

• Incentivising skill training and raising employers' demand for skills;
• Sectoral system effectiveness and political governance;
• Social partners involvement;
• Sectoral systems and economic development;
• Performance monitoring;
• Research capacity and the changing roles of sector bodies;
• Relationships with skills providers and national qualifications systems.

The literature review revealed that in many studies employers and sector bodies are overlooked. There is little discussion of their role in the training system or what the key issues are in the relationships among all the stakeholders.

This study reports on the different ways of engaging employers in raising their demand for skills, financing methods, sectoral system features, important issues for future developments, stakeholder roles and the relationship between sectoral bodies and vocational training and education (VET) providers.

UNESCO, 2006, Orienting technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for sustainable development: a discussion paper, International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNEVOC), Germany. Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), UNESCO-UNEVOC International Library of TVET discussion paper series 1, Bonn

This discussion paper was prepared to assist in the development of an Action Plan to promote TVET for Sustainable Development during the 2005-2014 United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

UNESCO’s recommendations on Technical and Vocational Education (adopted in 2001) took into account the notion of sustainable development. TVET should:

• Contribute to the achievement of the societal goals of greater democratisation and social, cultural and economic development, while at the same time developing the potential of all individuals
• Lead to an understanding of the scientific and technological aspects of contemporary civilization in such a way that people comprehend their environment and are capable of acting upon it while taking a critical view of the social, political and environmental implications of scientific and technological change;
• Empower people to contribute to environmentally sound sustainable development through their occupations and other areas of their lives.

VET Teacher Training

BUNNING, Frank & Shilela, Alison 2006, The Bologna Declaration and Emerging Models of TVET Teacher Training in Germany, Magdeburg: Capacity Building International, Germany (260 KB)

This publication covers the implications of the Bologna Process on TVET teacher training in Germany. The following areas are examined in detail:

• three identified models of TVET teacher training, (The Consecutive Model, The Top-up-Model, and The Blended Model)
• the advantages and disadvantages of these models
• opportunities offered by the new models
• transfer between programs
• shorter study periods
• enhancement of practical training
• internationalisation of the degree program

This study concludes that the demands of the Bologna Process are being met in Germany, but many institutions are running both the traditional degree program and the new two cycle programs.

This means that there are inconsistencies in the development of convergent programs. It also takes time before the new programs and degrees are understood and recognised by employers.

Learning Brokerage

YARNIT, Martin, Sachdev, Darshan & Zwart, Rosie, 2005 Understanding learning brokerage, Learning and Skills Development Agency, London

Learning brokerage can be described as ‘a chain of activities, each with its own contribution to matching learners or potential learners, and employers with learning providers.’

It takes many forms. It can occur through individuals or organisations, eg a union representative encourages colleagues to do training courses, personal advisors advise and send young or unemployed people to learning or find employment for them, or learning partnerships can act as a broker.

The document presents the impact of learning brokerage schemes in the workplace and in the community, summarises the key implications from the recent research and lists the main national brokerage initiatives and how these have influenced government policies.

THOMAS, Liz, Slack, Kim, Thexton, Wayne, Vigurs, Katy, Casey, Lorraine, Quinn, Jocey & Flynn, Noshin 2005, Learning Brokerage: Eleven case studies, Learning and Skills Research Centre, London

The case studies represent different sectors of the labour market and community: a volunteer art organisation, a registered charity organisation which assists homeless people across the UK, an IT course to meet the learning needs of Asian factory workers in Leicester, courses that were designed for individuals recovering from mental illness who wish to return to work and education, a service that provides information, advice and guidance to adults about employment, training and education and a community nutrition assistant (CNA) program that was set up to improve the health in relation to heart disease and stroke, and major problems with obesity and diabetes.

Ageing and Employment

Warwick Institute for Employment Research, 2006, Ageing and Employment: Identification of Good Practice to Increase Job Opportunities and Maintain Older Workers in Employment - Final Report, University of Warwick, Economix Research & Consulting, Munich

This report uses both theoretical and practical methodology (41 organisational case studies) to identify good practice and strategies to improve the employment opportunities for older people and recommends policy actions for retaining mature age workers longer. The authors investigate critical issues such as the economic and labour market conditions of older individuals, strengths and weaknesses of policy reforms, the relationship between age and productivity, working conditions, lifelong learning and its impact and the role of social partners.

Good practices can be considered at company level and institutional level.

Good practices have been adopted if they succeed to extend working lives for the current older worker, promote participation of older workers or if good practices can be transferred to other companies nationally and internationally.

Recommendations of the report are:

• Developing holistic approaches to age management,
• Increasing internal and external flexibility,
• Awareness-raising and networking, and
• Reforming the pensions system.