Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Young Victorians - A Way Forward

7/27/2019 Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Young Victorians - A Way Forward

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Vocational Education and Training (VET)

and young Victorians:a way forward


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2 VET and young eole: a aer by the Youth Aairs Council of Victoria

Vocational Education and Training (VET) and youngVictorians: a way forward

ISBN: 978-1-875261-05-5

Published February 2013

Youth Aairs Council of Victoria (YACVic)

Level 2, 180 Flinders Street

Melbourne

Victoria 3000

Ph: (03) 9267 3799 Fax: (03) 9639 1622

website: www.yacvic.org.au

email: [email protected]

Further coies of this ublicaon are available by

contacng YACVic: [email protected]

PDF versions can be downloaded from

www.yacvic.org.au

Youth Aairs Council of Victoria

The Youth Aairs Council of Victoria gives ermission

for excerts of this reort to be reroduced on thecondion they be fully referenced and acknowleged.

Acknowlegdements

Thanks to: the Victorian Rural Youth Services network,

Women in Adult and Vocaonal Educaon, the

Brotherhood of St Laurence, the Country Educaon

Project, the Victorian Council of Social Service, UB Tec,

the Naonal Centre for Dairy Educaon, the McAuley

Chamagnat Programme (Notre Dame College), and

the Local Learning and Emloyment Networks in

the Goulburn Murray, North Central, Baw Baw, East

Gisland, South Gisland / Bass Coast and South

East regions, for their arcular assistance.

Youth Aairs Council of Victoria

The Youth Aairs Council of Victoria (YACVic) is the

eak body reresenng the youth sector in Victoria.

YACVic rovides a means through which the youth

sector and young eole can voice their oinions

and concerns in regards to olicy issues aecng

them. YACVic works with and makes reresentaonsto government and serves as an advocate for the

interests of young eole, and organisaons that

rovide direct services to young eole. YACVic also

romotes and suorts the arciaon of young

eole in debate and olicy develoment areas that

most aect them. YACVics resources are rimarily

directed towards olicy analysis and develoment,

research and consultaon, and to meeng the

informaon, networking, educaon and training needs

of our constuency. YACVic is funded by the Oce for

Youth, Deartment of Human Services.


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VET and young eole: a aer by the Youth Aairs Council of Victoria 3

Contents

Introducon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Execuve summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

What will the changes do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Who will be most aected? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

How do we build a strong future workforce? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Victorian policy context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Subsidies and cas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Student access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Analysing the changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Why consider young people? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

An ageing oulaon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Parciaon of young eole. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Implicaons for young people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Rates of arciaon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Level of arciaon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Study athways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Places of study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Vulnerable grous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Implicaons for rural and regional Victoria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Rural disadvantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Regional imacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Implicaons for young women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Gender disadvantage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

How to create a strong future workforce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Data collecon and analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Resources to deliver equity outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Provision of informaon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Reform to address gender inequity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Recommendaons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Data collecon and analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Resources to deliver equity outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Provision of informaon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Reform to address gender inequity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Examples of VET provision in rural and regional Victoria for young people facing disadvantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

UB Tec (University of Ballarat, Technical Educaon Centre) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

The McAuley Chamagnat Programme (Notre Dame College), Shearton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Networks and artnershis, Goulburn Murray region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Naonal Centre for Dairy Educaon Australia, Terang camus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Endnotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38


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Introduction

In 2012, the Victorian Government released its

report Refocusing Vocaonal Training in Victoria. This

signicant new direcon in Vocaonal and Educaon

Training (VET) olicy and racce will have arcular

imacts uon young eole exeriencing, or at risk

of, disadvantage.

Given the imortance of engaging young eole

in athways to skills develoment and meaningful

emloyment meaningful both to themselves and

the Victorian economy this is a crical area of ublic

olicy for the Youth Aairs Council of Victoria (YACVic).

YACVic is the eak body and leading advocacy

organisaon for young eole in Victoria and the

services that suort them. Our vision is for a

Victorian community in which all young eole

are valued as acve arciants, have their rights

recognised and are treated fairly and with resect.YACVic has worked for and with young Victorians and

the services that suort them for over 50 years. We

romote young eoles equal access to educaon,

jobs and suort services wherever they live. To this

end, YACVic hosts the Victorian Rural Youth Services

iniave, a network of services concerned with young

eoles wellbeing in rural and regional Victoria, who

have also contributed their insights to this aer.

This reort seeks to idenfy the imact of the VET

changes on young eole in Victoria, and to suggest

future direcons to deliver the best ossible outcomesfor young Victorians and their communies.


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Executive summary

In 2012, the Victorian Government announced

changes to the Vocaonal Educaon and

Training (VET) system that is exected to have a

disrooronate imact on young eole, arcularly

those from disadvantaged backgrounds and

vulnerable grous and regions, including rural andregional Victoria.

The changes come at a crical oint for Victoria, as

the states oulaon is ageing, with around one

in four Victorians exected to be aged over 65 in

2050.1 Our future roserity will rely on increasing

both labour force arciaon and roducvity; yet

currently a signicant number of young Victorians the generaon crical for the workforce of the future

are not engaged in full-me work or educaon.

Invesng in the skills, wellbeing and caacity of young

Victorians has never been so imortant.

What will the changes do?

The full imacts of the recent VET changes in Victoria

are sll to be roerly assessed, and it is likely that

some will be osive. However, already there have

been cuts to courses and sta at a number of roviders,

and concerns are being raised about the imact of the

loss of TAFE base funding uon vital suort services

for students exeriencing disadvantage.

VET is a signicant athway to engage young eole

in educaon and the workforce, notably for those

who are keen to go into a trade aer leaving school,those who have not remained in convenonal

schooling, and those who are facing disadvantage or

instability at home. Their successful transion through

VET has imortant imlicaons for Victorias future

roducvity and economic growth.

Without intervenon, it is likely that many young

Victorians will deart or no longer consider the VET

system. This is because young eole are more likely

to be studying at junior levels or in courses that are

deemed to be less valuable and are likely to receive

lower subsidies, be oered at fewer locaons and cost

more to aend. The removal of course cas and the

re-seng of concession fees are also likely to increase

costs borne by students.


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Who will be most aected?

The VET changes are likely to disrooronately aect

those young eole who are already at a disadvantage,

including:

young Indigenous eole

those who have been in the child rotecon or

youth jusce systems

young eole with a disability or mental health

problem

those who have le school early and/or have

oor literacy and numeracy, and

recently arrived refugees.

They are also likely to hit two disnct grous: young

eole from rural and regional Victoria, and young

women arcularly those from rural and regional areas.

VET students from rural and regional Victoria are

more likely to be dealing with socio-economic and

educaonal disadvantage, so tend to go into VETwith relavely low levels of revious qualicaon

and are more likely to take Cercate courses at

junior levels. Access to VET is already much lower in

rural and regional areas, where growth in the sector

has not been as big or fast as metroolitan areas

have exerienced.

Gender is another imortant element that has long

aected access to and success rates in VET. Young

female students esecially those without a Year 12

qualicaon are disrooronately likely to achieve

lower qualicaon levels and develo more limited or

insecure career athways. Young women in rural and

regional areas are arcularly vulnerable.

How do we build a strong future workforce?

This reort rovides examles of some of the many

innovave local iniaves that are engaging more

vulnerable young eole in educaon and training.

Local brokerage bodies have also been suorng VET,

by forging strong collaborave relaonshis between

the dierent layers roviders, schools, suort

services and businesses and building local exerse

and caacity.

Iniaves and collaboraons which have demonstrated

success in using VET to imrove outcomes for young

eole should be suorted and exanded.

The VET changes risk exacerbang disadvantagealready being exerienced by vulnerable young

eole. However with further intervenon some of

these imacts could be ameliorated, and could instead

rovide the imetus to tackle entrenched issues.

Our recommendaons include calling on the Victorian

Government to:

Create a unique VET Equity Fund to suort

young eole facing disadvantage to access VET

and rogress through vocaonal athways to

sustainable work

Ensure strong collecon and analysis of data

around young eoles exeriences in VET, to

inform an evidence-based aroach

Take acon to address gender equity within VET

Provide clear, useful and comrehensive

informaon to young eole about theiroons within VET.


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The Victorian policy context

From 2009, VET training in Victoria has been delivered

through a demand-driven model, where government

commied to rovide funding for registered training

for all eligible students those aged under 20 years

of age, or over 20 if they were undertaking training

at a foundaon level or at a level higher than theirexisng qualicaon. Since then, the VET sector has

grown considerably in enrolments, hours and training

roviders, mostly in the rivate sector. In 2011, around

597,000 Victorians were enrolled in VET at TAFEs,

other government instuons, community roviders

or rivate roviders u from 494,300 in 2009 and

520,000 in 2010.2

TAFEs received a higher hourly subsidy rate, on

grounds that their delivery costs were higher and

that they rovided a community suort role not

exected of rivate roviders. They also received

direct base funding which was tradionally used

to sulement sta wages (negoated throughenterrise bargaining), and to maintain facilies and

regional rovision.

In 2012, the Victorian Government announced

changes to the VET system in an eort to curb rising

costs, and to target subsidies towards courses judged

to deliver the greatest ublic and economic benets.

The changes are detailed below.

Subsidies and caps

From 2013, $1.2 billion down from $1.3 billion in

2012 will be allocated to subsidising training, with

all roviders (ublic and rivate) receiving the same

subsidy rates. Previously, there was a ca laced on

hourly fees, ensuring that roviders could only charge

students u to a certain rate for government-subsidised

training. This ca has now been removed and roviders

will be free to set their own rates. Addionally, TAFEs

will no longer receive funding for secic acvies

such as regional rovision, facilies maintenance and

honouring of enterrise agreement outcomes.3

Under the changes, subsidy levels to courses will vary,

with ve subsidy bands ranging from $210+ er

hour. Weighngs will be calculated according to an

assessment of the value of a course to the economy in

terms of jobs and roducvity, and where investment

is deemed necessary to smulate certain areas of

industry. Foundaonal and arenceshi courses

will aract higher subsidies; lower rates will aly to

courses at the diloma level and above (where student

loans are available), and at lower level cercates,

where the direct vocaonal benets are smaller.4


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0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Wholesale trade

Transport, postal and warehousing

Retail trade

Rental, hiring and real estate services

Public administra@on and safety

Professional scien@fic and technical services

Other services (includes automo@ve and beauty)

Mining

Manufacturing

Informa@on technology and telecommunica@onsHealth care and social assistance

Founda@on skills, educa@on pathways and LOTE

Financial and insurance services

Electricity, gas, water and waste services

Educa@on and training

Construc@on

Art and recrea@on services

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

Administra@ve and support services

Accommoda@on and food services

$

Subsidy - $ per hour (Note: this is only an average. Varia@on exists between courses in each area, according to

topic and qualifica@on level.)

Hourly $ subsidy for VET courses - mean subsidy for each course area(Based on subsidies listed in DEECD, Refocusing Vocational Training course subsidy list, Melbourne, 2012)


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Student access

Changes have also been made to student eligibility

and ayment oons. Young eole in state care, or

exing it, will now be eligible for zero fee traininglaces. Concession card holders will no longer

ay a xed concession fee; instead they will ay

a concessional rate of 20 er cent of their course

fees, for courses u to Cercate IV. (Diloma and

advanced diloma courses are suorted by income

loans through the federal FEE-HELP system.)

The revious racce of roviding a 1.3 loading

(mullied by the er hour course subsidy rate) for

any young erson under 20 who did not have a Year12 qualicaon has now been ghtened. It will only

aly to under-20s without a Year 12 qualicaon

who are also dened as being from low socio-

economic status (SES) backgrounds. The 1.5 loading

for Indigenous students will be retained, and there will

be a 1.05 loading for roviders delivering training to

regional areas.5

Analysing the changes

A new online one-sto-sho will be rovided for

students to assist them to choose courses and

roviders thus having them vote with their feet. A

market monitoring unit will be established to watch

for cases of uncomeve ricing.

Industry leaders will be invited to rovide feedback

about crical skills, training and market resonses

through an Industry Skills Consultave Commiee to

be aointed by the Minister for Higher Educaon

and Skills. Addional informaon will be gathered

by the Market Facilitaon and Informaon Division

of the Deartment of Educaon and Early Childhood

Develoment (DEECD) and secialist industry

consultaon teams.

Teams will artner with relevant government

deartments to address issues that need joint acon

(for examle, health and human services). Registered

training organisaons (RTOs) will be required to

rovide beer data, in artnershi with Naonal

Centre for Vocaonal Educaon Research (NCVER), to

make it as useful as ossible to industry, emloyers

and students.6


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Why consider young people?

An ageing population

Australias oulaon will age signicantly over the

next 40 years, with one in four Australians aged over65 years by 2045. Workforce arciaon is rojected

to decline from 63.5 er cent (2003-4) to 56.3 er cent

(2044-45), with a corresonding decline in economic

growth, while sending on health and aged care will

rise signicantly.7

Participation of young people

While the majority of young eole in Victoria are

fully engaged in educaon or emloyment, signicant

numbers connue to struggle. In 2012:

12.4 er cent of Victorians aged 15-19 were not

engaged in full-me emloyment or educaon,

with the rate higher for young women than men

12.1 er cent of Victorian school leavers were

unemloyed or had withdrawn from the labour

market

of the 15-19 year olds who were notin full-meeducaon, only 45.7 er cent were working full

me

rates of art-me work and withdrawal from

the labour market were higher for young

women than young men

the rate of unemloyment and withdrawal from

the labour market rises the earlier the young

erson leaves secondary school

the unemloyment rate for Victorians aged

under 25 aears to be around twice that forover-25s.8

Victorias future roserity and caacity to aord

increased health costs will rely on increasing bothlabour force arciaon and roducvity.

A signicant rooron of young eole need further

suort to engage roducvely with the labour

market. Failing to do so, as an ageing oulaon

redicts an economic slow-down, could have serious

long-term nancial and ersonal costs.

A strong and well-suorted VET sector can lay a vital

role in meeng this challenge, arcularly for students

with a vocaonal assion, who come from backgrounds

of socio-economic disadvantage, or who want or need

an alternave to academic schooling. VET can reare

them for the worklace, connect emloyers and future

workers, and boost literacy, numeracy and generalist

skills. VET in Schools (VETiS) has been eecve in

retaining students in schools who would otherwise be

at risk of leaving early, and encouraging students who

are not headed for university to consider other oons

for study and work.9


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57%

43%

Students aged 25 and over Students aged under 25

Implications for young people

Given rates and levels of arciaon and subject

choices, it seems likely that changes to VET subsidy

levels will have a disrooronate imact uon young

eole. When couled with the new concession rates

and the ghtening of loading allocaon for the under-

20s, there is a strong risk that most young eolestudying VET will face signicant cost increases and/or

reduced availability of their referred courses.

For young eole sll in secondary school, the

changes to subsidy banding will not directly aect

VET in Schools (VETiS). However, it seems likely that

subsidy changes will aect the caacity of instutes to

deliver training in schools and the funding caacity of

schools. Students may also queson the value of VETiS

if future athways into VET are limited.

Rates of participation

Young eole make u a signicant rooron 43

er cent of the VET student body in Victoria: 18.6

er cent of Year 12 graduates surveyed in 2011 went

on to comlete Cercates I-IV, and the rates were

slightly higher for young eole who le schoolwithout nishing Year 12.10While VETiS is increasingly

oular with secondary students, most young students

undertake VET out of mainstream school sengs.11

To ensure Victoria has the workforce it needs in future

and to allow young eole to make the most of their

lives, monitoring bodies that are set u to examine the

imacts of the recent changes to the VET sector must

address the secic eects on young eole.

See Recommendation 1

Percentage of Victorian VETstudents, by age(NCVER, Atlas of Australian Public VET,

Victorian data set, 2011)


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1%

2%

10%

16%

17%

11%

19%

24%

0%

65 years and over 60-64 years

50-59 years 40-49 years



14 years and under

123,700

46,500

0 40,000 80,000 120,000

VET students aged 15-19

(overall)

VET students aged 15-19

undertaking VET inSchools

l ll

l

Number of Victorian VET students aged 15-19 years(2010)

Percentage of Victorian VETstudents, by age(NCVER, Atlas of Australian Public VET,

Victorian data set, 2011)

Number of Victorian VET studentsaged 1519 years (2010)(NCVER, Australian Vocational Education and

Training Statistics: VET in Schools 2010,Table 1:

Number of VET in Schools Students and 15-19 year

old VET students, Victoria, 2006-2010)


13/40


Level of participation

The majority of VET students aged under 25 were

enrolled at a Cercate I-III level in 2011, comared

to a minority of over 25s, and young eole wereless likely than their older eers to be enrolled at

a Cercate IV or Diloma level.12 While students

may roceed to a higher level course later in life,

the emloyment rosects for those who do not

can be oor. In Victorias raidly changing economy,

emloyees are increasingly exected to have higher

levels of qualicaon and exible and adatable skills. 39.8

43

65

0 50 100

Students aged 45-64 years

Students aged 25 - 44 years

Students aged under 25

years

%

% of students in these age groups undertaking

Cer@ficate I - III

12.3

15.5

9.9

20.6

21.5

12.8

23.7

28

39.9

11.6

11.1

21.8

4.5

3.9

3.3

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45



Students aged under 25 years

%

Cer:ficate I Cer:ficate II Cer:ficate III Cer:ficate IV Diploma

Students undertaking Certicate I III(NCVER, Australian Vocational Education and Training

Statistics: Students and Courses 2011,Victorian data set)

Victorian VET students, by age group and study level(NCVER, Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: Students and Courses 2011, Victorian data set)

40


14/40


Study pathways

Young eole are more likely than their older

eers to be studying in a number of the areas now

vulnerable to lower subsidies, such as food services,

administraon and suort services, nancial andinsurance services, and sorts and recreaon.13

For a number of reasons, young eole may not make

the best decisions about study and work oons,

which can ut them at risk later. VET raconers

have exressed concern that many secondary students

interested in ursuing VET are oorly informed about

labour market condions, work athways, and how

much vocaonal study they will need to forge a viable

career.14 Many students and arents seem under the

imression that school-based qualicaons will beenough to guarantee secure emloyment aer Year

12, which is rarely the case.15

7.1

9

15.8

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18



Students aged under 25 years

%

% of students in each age group undertaking VET in food, hospitality and personal services

Young eole who are unable to achieve meaningful

qualicaons or training are at risk of oor economic,

social and family outcomes, and lost oortunies to

contribute to the wider community.


Students undertaking a VET qualication in food, hospitality andpersonal services(NCVER, Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: Students and Courses 2011,

Victorian data set)


15/40


Places of study

The recent changes to Victorian VET have been

exlained as a resonse to the large and unsustainable

growth of the sector. However that resonse should

ay aenon to regional dierences, and not treat

metroolitan exeriences as the norm.

Data released by Skills Victoria showed that while

enrolments at rivate roviders increased in all

regions between 2008-2011 (excet in Gisland),

the rate of growth was slower in all non-metroolitan

regions, excet Barwon. The majority of enrolments

in rivate Registered Training Organisaons (RTOs) in

Victoria are metroolitan-based.16


81%

19%

ll

Melbourne regions Regions outside of Melbourne

13.1

10.5

7.4

11.1

19.8

15

16.6

21.6

17.4

31.6

49.7

59

33

12.3

18.2

39.7

37.4

29.6

55.3

39.7

33.6

55.9

67.9

66.8

43.7

41.1

53

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Northern Metro

Southern Metro

Western Metro

Eastern Metro

Gippsland

Hume

Loddon Mallee

Grampians

Barwon South West

%

lll

TAFE Private ACE

Government funded enrolments atprivate RTOs in Victoria(Skills Victoria, Victorian Training Market Quarterly

Report Q1, 2012, p.26)

Enrolments per region at dierent provider types(Skills Victoria, DEECD, Victorian Training Market Quarterly Report, Q1 2012, Melbourne, 2012, p.26)


16/40


Vulnerable groups

A number of grous of eole already face arcular

risk of disadvantage within the VET system. They

include:

students with low levels of literacy and numeracy

Indigenous eole

women

students who live in rural, regional or remote

areas, or communies with high concentraon of

socio-economic disadvantage

students living on low incomes

students living with a disability or mental illness

students in the criminal jusce system

students from non-English-seakingbackgrounds, esecially recently arrived refugees

early school leavers

students who lack adequate transort

students who have had unsasfactory

exeriences of educaon in the ast, or who lack

social or cultural connecon to TAFE sta

students who lack a suorve home

environment, or who are the rst members

of their family to undertake ost-comulsory

educaon

young people aged 15 or younger who are

excluded or disengaged from school but are

too young to access the usual alternaves of

arenceshis, traineeshis and other ost-

school rograms.17

The biggest roblems faced by young students aged

15-19 concern housing, nancial suort, drugs and

alcohol, jusce and legal issues, and hysical and

mental health.18To address these issues, engagement

between TAFEs and outside suort bodies has been

found to be very imortant however, levels ofinstuonal suort for inclusiveness strategies were

found to vary a great deal between TAFEs.19

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are also

more likely to exerience literacy and numeracy

dicules. Currently VET funcons as a athway for

many eole whose learning dicules were notdealt with adequately in schools.20It is therefore

unsurrising that students from disadvantaged

socio-economic backgrounds have tended to be

over-reresented in junior level VET qualicaons

such as Cercate I-II, and under-reresented at

diloma level and higher. There are also indicaons

that young eole facing the very highest degrees

of disadvantage have trouble accessing VET even at

junior levels.21

It may be assumed that rivate roviders, lacking the

base funding that TAFEs used to aract, are less likely

on the whole to rovide strong suort for equity

aroaches. Here, the work of community brokerage

bodies can be esecially signicant, as this reort

demonstrates in later chaters.

See Recommendations 2, 3 and 4

Victorias Local Learning and EmloymentNetworks (LLENs) have observed that around 50

er cent of VET in Schools subjects chosen by

Aboriginal students between 2007-11 have fallen

into areas that will now be subsidised at the lowest

two band levels, in recreaon, retail, hositality

and business services. This raises concerns about

the future cost to schools using VETiS to maintain

engagement with Indigenous students, the costs

to students undertaking similar study outside

of schools, and/or the otenal loss of these

athways to re-engagement.

Goulburn Murray LLEN, Potenal Imact of

Vocaonal Training Reforms on Schools, 2012; North

Central LLEN, Refocusing VET, 2012


17/40


It is imortant that students facing disadvantage

do not become stuck in cycles of junior level study

without strong career rosects at the end. However,

this does not mean that junior courses should simly

be reduced in favour of Cercate IV and above.

Cercate I-II rograms, if well delivered, can lay

an imortant role in engaging individuals who have

been marginalised from school and emloyment, and

who may not have the skills or caacity to study at a

more senior level. When delivered eecvely, junior

qualicaons may lead to higher level study later.

Furthermore, for students facing serious disadvantage,

re-engagement with educaon and imroved quality

of life can be osive outcomes in themselves.22

In light of this, there is concern about the decision

to reduce subsidies for many junior courses. When

couled with the removal of cas for concession fees,

this seems likely to have disrooronately negave

eects on Victorias most disadvantaged students.

Monitoring the imact of the changes rovides an

imortant oortunity to re-evaluate how student

disadvantage is dened, and how best to suort

vulnerable students. The monitoring should also

secically assess the imact of the changes on

vulnerable grous and lead to a commitment to

address any subsequent inequity.


5

14.6

1.5

16.1

12.6

3.8

16.8

8.6

31.3

3.7

22.9

6.5

5.4

3.3

8.4

4.7

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Non-indigenous early school leavers

Non-indigenous Year 12 completers

Indigenous early school leavers

Indigenous Year 12 completers

%

Traineeship ApprenEceship CerEficate I-III CerEficate IV

Victorian Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people undertakingvocational study and training(DEECD, State of Victorias Children 2009: Aboriginal Children and Young People in Victoria, Melbourne,

2010, p.247)


18/40


Implications for rural and regional Victoria

Changes to VET have arcular relevance to rural and

regional communies in Victoria because of:

the signicant utake of VET in rural and

regional areas

the higher levels of disadvantage faced by rural

and regional VET students

the dierent forms VET can take in rural and

regional areas, and

limited rural and regional access to VET oons.

Utake of VETiS is arcularly high in rural and regional

Victoria, with over 40 er cent of VETiS students, living

outside of major cies. Around 34 er cent of general

VET students live in rural or regional areas.23

Meanwhile, some VET students relocate in order

to study, so changes to metroolitan VET rovision

are also likely to aect rural and regional students.

A longitudinal survey of Year 12 comleters who

deferred an oer of higher study noted that

aroximately 60 er cent of the non-metroolitan

students who later went on to aend a VET instute

did so at a metroolitan camus.24

Comared to their metroolitan eers, rural and

regional students tend to go into VET with lower

levels of revious qualicaons, including being more

likely to reort Year 9 or 10 as their highest reviousqualicaon.25As around 208,430 Victorian VET

students do not live in Melbourne, the concerns of the

rural and regional sector warrant closer consideraon.26

0%

3%

0% 0%

7%

27%

63%

Not known Overseas Very remote

Remote Outer regional Inner regional

Major ci@es

Victorian VET enrolments -% by student residential address(NCVER, Australian Vocational Education and Training

Statistics: Students and Courses 2011,Victorian data set)


19/40


Rural disadvantage

Disadvantage in relaon to VET is, in art, a

geograhical issue. Rural and regional young eole

and their families face a greater risk of nancialdisadvantage than their metroolitan eers, and are

less likely to be able to aord high educaonal costs.

The median weekly income for families with adolescent

children (both dual- and single-arent families) is lower

in rural Victoria than the state average.27

The Australian Bureau of Stascs Socio-Economic

Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) idenes comarave

levels of advantage and disadvantage in relaon

to factors such as income, educaonal aainment,

emloyment levels, and roorons of workforce in

relavely unskilled occuaons. Out of Victorias 79

local government areas, 14 of the LGAs ranked in the

boom 20 are rural or regional.28

Fewer rural and regional Year 12 graduates go on to study

at university than their metroolitan eers and more will

defer a university, TAFE or other higher educaon oer 15.5 er cent, comared to 8.4 er cent. This decision is

commonly made for nancial reasons.29

Whether they are studying in a metroolitan or

regional centre, or a rural locaon, transort is oen

highlighted as an obstacle for rural and regional

students, esecially those aged under 18.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Bachelor degree

Cert IV+

Cert IIII

Appren


20/40


Proportions of Victorian VET studentsper district, by highest previousqualication level(NCVER, Atlas of Australian Public VET, 2011. Excludes

VET in Schools where delivery is undertaken by schools.)

10.6 12.8 10.3 11.9 13.2 8.6 10.4 9.8 15.2 11.3 8

17.5

19.8

17.316.8

18.3

14.516.5 16

16.8

17.2

12.8

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Cent

ralH

ighlands

Mallee

Loddon

Wimme

ra

Goulbu

rn

Barwon

Wes

tern

District

Gippsla

nd

East

Gippsla

nd

Oven

sMurr

ay

Melb

ourne

%

l l l

l l ll l

l

Year 9 or lower Year 10

Rural and regional communies also tend to return

oorer than average educaon results during the

school years, including:

lower results for reading, wring and numeracy

in years 5, 7 and 9

lower rates of retenon of Year 10 studentsthrough to Year 12

fewer 19 year olds who have comleted Year 12

or equivalent.

Addionally, young eole in rural and regional

areas are less likely than the state average to have

arents with Year 12 or equivalent qualicaons

increasing the young ersons own likelihood of oor

educaonal outcomes.30

76.6

70.472.1

74.9

70.7

79.8

64666870727476788082

BarwonSouth-West

Gippsland

Grampians

Hume

LoddonMallee

Victoria(average)

%

l l

Young people aged 19 years who had completed Year

12 or equivalent in 2009

Victorians aged 19 years who hadcompleted Year 12 or equivalentin 2009(DEECD, Community Adolescent Prole Series, 2010)


21/40


Young eole living in rural and regional areas are

also more likely than metroolitan young eole to go

from secondary school straight into arenceshis,

traineeshis or emloyment.31However, there is

an imortant gender dierence, with rural young

men more likely to roceed into full-me work and

rural young women into art-me work. Young menare far more likely to take u an arenceshi;

young women, a traineeshi. Unemloyment is a

disrooronate risk for rural and regional Year 12

graduates of both sexes, and the risk is greater for

young eole who did not comlete Year 12.32In

view of the higher risk of unemloyment, vocaonal

athways are esecially imortant for young eole in

rural and regional areas, and young women in these

communies are disrooronately likely to go into

VET at junior Cercate levels.

Thus, the imact of recent subsidy changes will vary in

dierent arts of Victoria. Increased subsidies for VET

at arenceshi levels may have arcular benets

for some rural students, but rural students may also

exerience the reducons to junior qualicaon

courses as esecially harmful.

See Recommendations 1 and 5

17.5 18.619.5 19.4 19.5

15.2

46.6 47.6 47.2 47.2 47.8

41.3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Barw

onSouth-W

est

Gipp

sland

Gram

pians

Hume

Lodd

onMallee

Victo

ria

%

l l

Dual-parent families where both parents had not

aIained Year 12 or equivalent

Single-parent families where parent had not aIained

Year 12 or e uivalent

Families of adolescent children inVictorian where parents had notattained Year 12 or equivalent(DEECD, Community Adolescent Prole Series, 2010)


22/40


Regional impacts

The full imacts of the recent changes to VET will not

become clear for several months, at least. However,

changes aarent to date have already caused

consternaon. These changes include:

Gisland TAFE: 80 er cent of its courses

aected, at least 20 rograms cut, and student

fees redicted to rise signicantly Advance TAFE (also in Gisland): exects to

hase out 36 courses, as well as eight of its

camuses, outreach centres and oces in

Yarram, Heyeld, Orbost, Swis Creek and

Mallacoota, and its training restaurant in Sale33

Bendigo TAFE: closed its Kyneton camus and

redicted the loss of 39 courses34

The Wodonga Instute of TAFE: redicted 50

courses will go35

Sunraysia TAFE: does not exect to drocourses, but 26 osions will be lost, delivery

methods will change and artnershis may have

to be formed with other roviders.36

More generally, concerns have been raised as to

how TAFEs, with their base funding removed, will be

able to rovide addional services such as libraries,

student suort and childcare. In rural areas, other

suort oons are oen more limited.37

Further aenon should also be aid to how workforce

demand varies in dierent regional markets. Forexamle, statewide Victorian enrolments in hositality

and related courses exceed the demand for emloyees.

However, some regional areas such as Bass Coast

and East Gisland deend heavily on the tourism

industry, with local small businesses relying on the

VET sector for young trained emloyees. It is unclear

how VET reform aligns, at resent, with the regional

strategic and growth lans which have been develoed

through collaboraons between Victorian state and

local authories, industry and community grous, and

which outline riories for commerce, emloyment,industry and infrastructure in regional communies.

0.9

3.3

9.8

5.4

2.6

1.1

4.7

15.2

0.9

4.3

8.4

6.1

1.7

8.2

3.7

16.5

0.8

4.6

18.4

9.5

7.7

2.1

6.1

10.1

0.5

5.4

14.4

15

4.6

14.4

3.6

9.5

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

NILFET

Looking for work

Part >me work

Full >me work

Traineeship

Appren>ceship

Cer>ficate I-III

Cer>ficate IV

%

% of rural / regional male pathways % of rural / regional female pathways

% of metro male pathways % of metro female pathways

Pathways for Victorian Year 12 leavers, excluding Bachelor degreesDEECD, On Track data (2011)


23/40


Implications for young women

Parcular concerns have been raised about gender

equity in VET. The vocaonal educaon sector has

a long history of female and male students being

concentrated in dierent courses, with many women

studying in areas that are more likely to lead to casual

and oorly aid jobs. Young women in rural Victoriawho do not go to university are disrooronately

vulnerable to oor nancial outcomes, and there is

a danger that the recent changes to the Victorian

system will make the situaon worse.

It is imortant that the gendered imacts of the VET

changes are monitored and any resulng inequalies

addressed.

Given the rising exectaons about young eoles

qualicaons when entering the workforce, and the

fact that VET roviders receive considerable ublic

funding, it is imortant to ensure the VET sector is

accessible to all.


Gender disadvantageYoung Australian women who leave school before

comleng Year 12 are less likely than young men to

be fully engaged in training, educaon or work in their

rst year aer leaving school.38Young women in rural

and regional Victoria are arcularly at risk.

The reducon in VET subsidies for courses oerang

at a Cercate I-III level is likely to aect young eole

dierently according to gender and region.

Amongst early school leavers, the utake of

arenceshis is clearly dierenated along gender

lines, with young men (esecially in rural and regional

areas) far more likely than young women to take u

this oon. Meanwhile, young women who leave

school without comleng Year 12 are more likely than

young men to go into traineeshis, again arcularly if

they live in rural and regional Victoria. Young women

in rural and regional areas who leave school early are

arcularly likely to work art me work and more

likely than young men to be out of work.39

Young women in rural and regional Victoria who do

not have a Year 12 qualicaon are less likely than

metroolitan young women (though more likely than

young men in rural and regional areas) to undertake

Cercate IV, and more likely to undertake Cercate

I-III. As the new subsidy system tends to increase

suort to arenceshi-level study, while decreasing

it to many lower level Cercate courses, it seems that

young women in rural and regional Victoria are more

likely than other cohorts (including their local maleeers) to be disadvantaged by the VET changes.

This disadvantage is likely to be exacerbated by

gender disarity in students subject choices. Most

industry sectors show a signicant gender imbalance

in their VET enrolments (see tables following). This

is roblemac in itself, but it also means that lower

subsidies for arcular course areas for examle,

commerce and hositality will aect female and

male students dierently.


24/40


8.6

19.5

16.4

10.3

7.6

8.9

17.6

11.2

2.8

16.4

10.8

11.9

2.9

36.7

12.7

5.8

5.9

17.4

18.4

9.8

9.1

11.6

20.6

7.3

2.3

12.6

8.6

12.6

5.2

47.9

7

3.7

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

NILFET

Looking for work

Part >me work

Full >me work

Traineeship

Appren>ceship

Cer>ficate I-III

Cer>ficate IV

%

% of rural / regional

male pathways

% of rural / regional

female pathways

% of metro male

pathways

% of metro female

pathways

0.2

1.4

29

12.9

5.8

4.7

2.1

16.6

6.9

2.2

8.3

7.6

2.3

0.5

0.6

4.2

1

1.9

8.5

3

29.8

17.1

3.2

15

9

6.1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Natural and physical sciences

Informa@on technology

Engineering and related technologies

Architecture and building

Agriculture, environmental and related

Health

Educa@on

Management and commerce

Society and culture

Crea@ve arts

Food, hospitality and personal services

Mixed field programs

Subject only - no field of educa@on

%

% of female VET

enrolments

% of male VET

enrolments

Pathways for early school leavers in VictoriaDEECD, On Trackdata(2011)

Victorian VET subject areas female and male choices(NCVER, Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: Students and Courses 2011,Victorian data set.

No age breakdown supplied.)


25/40


The Goulburn Murray LLEN has noted that four

of the to six VETiS oons chosen by Victorian

female students are in areas likely to be adversely

aected by subsidy changes. Three of the to six

oons chosen by male students are likely to be

adversely aected.Goulburn Murray LLEN, Potenal Imact of

Vocaonal Training Reforms on Schools, 2012. See

also North Central LLEN, Refocusing VET, 2012

These disaries must be addressed. It cannot

be assumed that female students will adjust their

choices according to industry demand and subsidy

levels recent industry shortages in male-dominated

trades have not been met by a corresonding utake

by women to meet this need.40

A gender blind aroach cannot work while young

women connue to be encouraged by teachers,

eers, family and the media into industries which

oer low wages and casual condions. Studies

indicate that girls on VET athways tend to choose

tradionally feminised rofessions on grounds of

what they know themselves to be good at and what

they are interested in, while oen being erilously

ignorant about ay, job availability, condions and

career aths.41Levels of discriminaon in worklaceand training sengs also revent female students

from moving into non-tradional trade areas.42

While more research is needed, factors which

contribute to women moving successfully into manual

trades that have been tradionally dominated by men

can include:

suort from emloyers through acve equal

oortunies olicies re-arenceshi courses focused on basic

skills and condence building

qualicaons oered through VET instutes

(not just through industry emloyers) which

then enable women to set u indeendently in

the trades

training structures which emloy at least one

female trainer er course

clustering female recruits together for suort.43

The refocusing of VET rovides an oortunity to

review the dierent outcomes of vocaonal study

for young men and women, and to reduce any gas

between them.



26/40


How to create a strong future workforce

The Victorian Government has an imortant role to

lay addressing roducvity and building athways to

young eoles emloyment.

Already some new ossibilies for the VET sector are

being develoed at an instuonal level. One model

has begun to emerge via the new Menzies Alliance

between the University of Ballarat and the six TAFE

colleges in Bendigo, Ballarat, Sunraysia, Wodonga,

and Gisland (which together cover 80 er cent

of regional TAFE delivery.) They are roosing close

collaboraon, assisted with $25.8 million in funding

from the Commonwealth Government to assist

students in regional Victoria to obtain degrees.44

Further details have yet to be announced.

Addional ossibilies have been suggested by

the Victorian Governments $20 million RegionalPartnershis Facilitaon Fund, which is intended

to romote alliances between higher educaon

instuons and VET organisaons, to suort a

beer range of higher educaon rograms in regional

Victoria, with the aim of enabling more students to

study locally.45

The Victorian Government also needs to secically

address the challenge of creang athways to

emloyment for young eole who are at risk of

disengagement. The current aroach of a subsidy

loading, while valuable, will not be adequate to drive

the reforms and iniaves necessary to markedlyincrease workforce arciaon and skill levels among

this cohort.

Here, there are four key areas for acon:

data collecon and analysis

resources to deliver equity outcomes

reform to address gender inequity

targeed rovision of informaon for young

eole, families and educators.


27/40


Data collection and analysis

Monitoring systems to measure the rogress of the VET

sector in Victoria should recognise young eole as a

crical grou likely to be aected by the recent changes,who engage with VET in arcular ways, and who are

more vulnerable to various forms of disadvantage.

Monitoring bodies should work with relevant

government deartments to measure changes in

relaon to young eole in:

enrolment numbers

retenon and comleon rates

chosen subject areas

Cercate levels

locaons of study, including how many are

leaving their original communies

deferment rates.

Data should be disaggregated according to gender,

region, socio-economic status, disability, and

Indigenous or CALD background.

At resent, the Victorian Training Market Reorts

contain valuable data about enrolments and

comleons for students according to Indigenous,CALD and disability status (age grous not secied),

as well as general student enrolment numbers by age

grou, enrolments for 15-19 year olds who have not

comleted a Year 12 qualicaon, and enrolments by

rovider tye and region. This informaon could be

enhanced by:

disaggregang the data according to gender

roviding more informaon about outcomes

for students undertaking VETiS (or comaring

outcomes for 15-19 year old studentsundertaking VET inside and outside of

mainstream secondary schools)

including further informaon about retenon,

comleons and subsequent emloyment

outcomes, esecially if these could be broken

down according to region

secifying targets for VET aainment for

students who are at risk of disadvantage,

and measuring how well these are being

met. (These might be adated from the KPIs

concerning aainment rates set out in Victoriasimlementaon lan for the Naonal Youth

Partnershi Requirement.)

1Directly measure the impact of VET reform on young people, parcularly those who

are already at a disadvantage, by disaggregang VET outcomes and employment

pathways data according to age, gender, region, socio-economic status, disability,

and Indigenous or CALD background. Aenon should also be paid to the progress

of young people studying through VETiS. Key performance indicators for VETaainment should be specied, and progress made publically available.


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Resources to deliver equity outcomes

In recognion of the negave imact that youth

unemloyment has on individuals, the community

and the economy, it is crucial to ensure young eole

at risk of disengagement are well suorted to access

VET and rogress into a career.

Historically, resources have been indirectly invested

in equity rograms through base funding rovided

to TAFEs. While this enabled imortant services,

such as counselling and childcare to be delivered in

many locaons, it did not ensure the allocaon of a

consistent rooron of these resources to equity,

that imortant services were consistently available, or

that they were uniformly of a high quality.

A more targeted aroach directly resourcing the

desired equity outcomes for young eole at riskof disengaging or who have disengaged would

inevitably be a more ecient and eecve use of

limited resources.

This could be achieved by the creaon of a comeve

VET equity engagement fund that resourced

rograms that met best racce guidelines for

achieving outcomes with at risk students. By creang

a tender rocess oen to both rivate and ublic

VET roviders, as well as youth service delivery

organisaons and artnershi brokers such as the Local

Learning and Emloyment Networks, the fund wouldfoster innovaon, collaboraon and artnershis, as

well as best racce.

Common sense mechanisms could be built into the

rocess to reward success, such as only awarding

second round tenders to organisaons or consorums

that successfully delivered athways to disadvantaged

young eole.

Indicators of successful delivery might include

imrovements in:

VET arciaon by those reviously

disengaged from formal learning

arciaon in VET at higher qualicaon levels

(Cercate III and above)

comleon rates

transions to sustainable work

transions to higher-level learning quality of life, self condence, and community

arciaon

reduced rates of arrest / imrisonment

literacy, numeracy, English and roblem-solving

skills

arciaon by students in rogram design,

delivery and evaluaon.

KPIs could also be adated from many of the Elements

of Quality Programs listed by DEECD in relaon to re-engagement rograms for school students.46

2Create a compeve VET equity engagement fund to resource programs that can

demonstrate they will achieve outcomes with at risk students.


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The value of exisng rograms that suort linkages

between students, training roviders, schools,

businesses and community suort services should

also be retained.

3Resource local partnership creaon by invesng in exisng local brokerage bodies

(such as Local Learning and Employment Networks) that foster strong relaonships

between students, training providers, schools, businesses and community support

services.

Beer outcomes could be achieved through beer

coordinaon of exisng educaon and suort

services. Valuable work is already underway to trialaroaches that will strengthen more integrated

service delivery through the Youth Partnershis ilots.

However, decisions will need to be made to embed

these learnings into Victorias governance and service

lanning architecture. Note: YACVic and VCOSS will

ublish a reort addressing these issues in 2013.

4

Develop governance and decision processes that are focussed on achieving beer

outcomes from investment in both government and non-government educaon

and support services for young people.

For many young eole, arcularly in rural and regional

Victoria, being unable to get to VET rograms resents

a serious imediment to arciaon. Even school age

young eole arciang in VET are denied access to

school buses.

5Improve transport access to VET programs, parcularly in rural and regional

Victoria, including by requiring school buses to transport VET students.


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Provision of information

Young eole, their arents and teachers should be

rovided with beer, u-to-date informaon about

VET and career oons, including by augmenng theVictorian Governments forthcoming one sto sho

website with further, face-to-face oons, such as

Try a Trade days, taster rograms, Young Trade

Ambassadors rograms, career exos, and targeted

informaon sessions. Regional Careers Develoment

Ocers, who already work with schools and VET

roviders to drive system imrovement, could lay an

imortant role in suorng these develoments at a

local level.

Toics to be addressed should include: the eects of recent subsidy changes

qualicaons required for dierent careers

the need for rofessional develoment during

ones working life

ay, condions, and likelihood of full-me, art-

me and casual work in dierent industries

oortunies in new and emerging industries

(such as green industries)

suerannuaon and rerement savings where to go for suort when things go wrong

at work, including dealing with bullying and

harassment.

Informaon should be targeted to those students who

tend to engage with VET at more junior levels (or on

more recarious athways), including young women,students from low socio-economic backgrounds,

Indigenous students, and those disengaged from

convenonal schooling.

6Provide young people, their parents and teachers with increased, up-to-date

informaon about VET and career opons, and more taster opportunies to help

them make informed choices.


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Reform to address gender inequity

The drivers of the dierences in young women and

young mens engagement in VET are comlex and

will require systemic reform and cultural change, inaddion to secic rograms to engage young women

in non-tradional industry areas, to achieve change.

7

8

9

Include representaves with experse in gender equity on VET monitoring and

advisory bodies.

Promote new and emerging industries (such as green industries) as career opons

for young women.

Invest in VET programs and iniaves which eecvely engage and retain

female students in non-tradional industry areas (parcularly where there is a

demonstrated skill shortage); successfully promote acve equal opportunies

approaches to local businesses; and celebrate gender equity achievements.

New and emerging industries (such as green

industries) should be romoted as career oons for

young women, to ensure they do not quickly becomestereotyed as male industries (as was the case, for

examle, with the informaon and communicaon

technology (ICT) sector in the 1990s).


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Recommendations

Data collection and analysis

1Directly measure the impact of VET reform on young people, parcularly those who

are already at a disadvantage, by disaggregang VET outcomes and employmentpathways data according to age, gender, region, socio-economic status, disability,

and Indigenous or CALD background. Aenon should also be paid to the progress

of young people studying through VETiS. Key performance indicators for VET

aainment should be specied, and progress made publically available.

Resources to deliver equity outcomes

2

3

4

5

Create a compeve VET equity engagement fund to resource programs that can

demonstrate they will achieve outcomes with at risk students.

Resource local partnership creaon by invesng in exisng local brokerage bodies

(such as Local Learning and Employment Networks) that foster strong relaonships

between students, training providers, schools, businesses and community support

services.

Develop governance and decision processes that are focussed on achieving beeroutcomes from investment in both government and non-government educaon

and support services for young people.

Improve transport access to VET programs, parcularly in rural and regional

Victoria, including by requiring school buses to transport VET students.


33/40


Provision of information

6Provide young people, their parents and teachers with increased, up-to-date

informaon about VET and career opons, and more taster opportunies to helpthem make informed choices.

Reform to address gender inequity

7

8

9

Include representaves with experse in gender equity on VET monitoring andadvisory bodies.

Promote new and emerging industries (such as green industries) as career opons

for young women.

Invest in VET programs and iniaves which:

eecvely engage and retain female students in non-tradional industry areas

(parcularly where there is a demonstrated skill shortage)

successfully promote acve equal opportunies approaches to local businesses,andcelebrategender equity achievements.


34/40


Examples of VET provision in rural and regionalVictoria for young people facing disadvantage

UB Tec (University of Ballarat, Technical Education Centre)

UB Tec rovides an alternave for senior secondary

students in Ballarat, oering accredited hands-ontraining for young eole aged 15-19 in a suortedadult learning environment. In 2012, 154 students wereenrolled, with a balanced gender rao. Study oonsinclude:

Cercate I and II in General Educaon forAdults, which develos literacy, numeracy andgeneralist skills, lus Cercate I in VocaonalPrearaon,

Victorian Cercate of Alied Learning (VCAL) atan Intermediate level, with a Cercate II or III in

an area such as automove, media, communityservices, lumbing, hair and beauty, construcon,hositality, health, or engineering.

Senior level VCAL, with the oon of comlenganother Cercate II or III.

While VET in Schools is oular with secondary studentsin Ballarat, UB Tec grew out of the need to oer analternave in a TAFE seng. Early school leavinghas been recognised as a arcular concern in theGramians, esecially at a Year 10 level. While manystudents who enrol at UB Tec are already enthusiasc

about learning a trade, it is common for them to reortthat they did not enjoy convenonal schooling. The mostcommon reason students give for choosing UB Tec is awish to get a job soon.

When asked what they like about studying at UB Tec,students tend to highlight good relaonshis withteachers and an atmoshere of exibility and resect,as well as work undertaken at a level with which theycan coe. The forms of suort rovided range froma Wednesday Breakfast Club, to increase studentsknowledge of nutrion, to a ilot rogram for young

eole from out-of-home care. The ndings of thisilot are being comiled into a good racce guide,due for release soon. Key issues include the needof these students for small class sizes (10 at most),and for teachers trained to deal with the imacts ofchildhood trauma.

When working with students facing disadvantage, it is

imortant to recognise small stes towards rogress,and to acknowledge that school is not the rst riorityfor a young erson struggling to nd safe, securehousing or deal with turmoil at home. They need tobe able to learn in an environment that is stable andsuorve, and where they can maintain consistentrelaonshis with sta (keeing in mind that many oftheir relaonshis with adults in the ast have beeneeng or unstable). It is also imortant that stahave enough oortunies to debrief, share exerseand undergo rofessional develoment because theywill be on the front line when issues arise in class,

even though students may be suorted by outsidesocial services. This makes the loss of TAFE basefunding a big concern for this instuon. As of nextyear, UB Tec students may no longer have access toa counselling service, and reduced management andsta hours will mean less ability to manage the imactof ersonal issues on students caacity to engage invocaonal educaon and training.

For regional instutes, transort also resentschallenges. Some students come to UB Tec fromsmaller rural communies like Ballan and Bacchus

Marsh, but most are too young to drive and do nothave guaranteed access to school buses.

Another riority area should be roviding studentswith more diverse vocaonal exeriences. VCALstudents are limited in the number of Cercatecourses in which they can enrol, due to the maximumtraining funded by Government (referred to as thetwo-course rule), and this increases the risk ofdisengagement for those who select an area whichturns out to be unsuitable. New students oen havelile rior exerience of the trades and would benet

from more oortunies for taster courses and earlyexeriences of VET during their schooling.


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The McAuley Champagnat Programme(Notre Dame College), Shepparton

The McAuley Chamagnat Programme (MCP) is an

innovave educaonal rogram oered by Notre

Dame College for secondary-age students in the

Greater Shearton area who are disengaged from

convenonal schooling and whose needs are not

being met by mainstream roviders. This rogram

was develoed in 2006, in artnershi between

the Catholic Educaon Oce of the Sandhurst

Diocese, government and non-government schools,

Salvaon Armys Brayton Youth and Family Services,

Juvenile Jusce, the Victorian Aboriginal EducaonAssociaon Inc and other Indigenous organisaons.

It followed intensive work done by the Goulburn

Murray LLEN and their networks, which idened

the need for a rogram for young eole who were

out of the educaon system (in some cases, since

rimary school) and unable to re-enter due to age or

behavioural records. Strong community artnershis

with services and training roviders have been

imortant to the success of MCP.

At resent, MCP has 62 students, 30 er cent

of whom are Indigenous. Students come to the

rogram with comlex and mulle needs. Common

barriers include learning dicules, behavioural

roblems, severe anxiety, overty, unsafe housing

or homelessness, and a history as vicms of crime,

abuse or neglect. This makes it very dicult for

them to comlete their educaon. MCP has a strong

welfare focus and an emhasis on hands-on and

vocaonal training in small teams.

MCP students undertake cometency based training

within the Cercate of Educaon for Adults.Cercate I-II qualicaons are also undertaken in

areas such as hositality, beauty and hairdressing,

and VCAL is oered where suitable. About a quarter

of students go on to re-enter mainstream schooling;

others move to re-arenceshi rograms,

emloyment, TAFE or VCAL sengs. Many students

nd adult learning environments referable to going

back to a convenonal school; others have graduated

from Year 12 VCAL, and found it a signicant milestone.

Students work in teams of u to a dozen, and learn

strategies to combat deression, self-harm, anger, and

the results of abuse or drug and alcohol use. There is a

strong emhasis on enhancing literacy and numeracy

the vast majority of students are behind their agegrou average with a real-life focus, for examle,

renng a roerty, mobile hone contracts, or

alying for jobs. Students are assisted by a detailed

inducon rocess, individualised exible learning,

suort workers in the classroom, elders visits and

cultural acvies, and a breakfast and lunch rogram.

Hel with transort is also available: a bus service

for students who live in Shearton, and collecon

from the train/bus interchange for those coming from

out of town. Some students travel long distances to

aend, from smaller communies such as Kyabram,

Euroa, Nagambie and Numurka.

The cost of VET delivery is one challenge, as VET-

secic funding is not available for Year 9 students.

Concerns also exist in the community about the future

of VET in general. Local RTOs which oen hel to train

students to become work-ready will be aected by

new funding arrangements in ways that are yet to

become clear. While students on convenonal trade

athways may nd stronger oortunies oening u

for them, for those who are unwilling or unable to go

into a trade (referring, for examle, business or ICT),the future seems uncertain.


36/40


Networks and partnerships, Goulburn Murray region

In communies undergoing signicant social,

environmental and economic change, strong VET

oons and local artnershis can take on arcular

imortance. One such examle is the Goulburn

Murray district, in northern Victoria. Residents of

this region have been dealing with major changes inrecent years, including drought, bushres, industrial

restructuring, and disutes over water sustainability

and biodiversity. Some communies have ageing

oulaons, as young eole move away to larger

centres; others have growing migrant and refugee

communies from Iraqi, Afghani and African

backgrounds. A number of residents are struggling

with roblems to do with the future of local farming,

rising unemloyment, stress and mental health issues

(related to economic changes), the imacts of low

socio-economic status on young eoles asiraons,

and, in the case of many migrant families, comlexies

between arents high hoes for their children and

the challenges of seling in rural Australia.

Under these circumstances, it is arcularly imortant

to ensure all artners in the educaon and training

sectors are communicang and working well together,

and that work is driven by relevant local data and

evidence-based strategic lanning. Partnershis

between schools, industry and community and health

sectors need to be facilitated and suorted; although

keen to take art, the roviders do not have thecaacity to manage the artnershis.

In recent years a signicant art of the work of

brokerage bodies like the Local Learning and

Emloyment Networks (LLEN) has been to facilitate

the growth of VET and VCAL networks. The Goulburn

Murray Local Learning and Emloyment Network

(GMLLEN) has layed an imortant role in its region.

Contribuons have included:

1. Purchasing and romong a good racce

resource: The top 40 guide: 40 engaging career

and life skills acvies for youth. This contains

engaging acvies for students on self-esteem,

resilience, iniave, negoaon, roblemsolving, me management and other toics.

Such suorve resources for VCAL classrooms

have become more imortant aer funding was

cut for VCAL co-ordinators.

2. Develoing a social networking model for

Goulburn Murray VETiS roviders through

Yammer, which enables sta to communicate

and share exerse with a wider network

of colleagues, in a rofessional and rivate

online seng. Such micro-messaging services

are exected to become more revalent inworklaces and can lay a big role in reducing

the isolaon of rural service roviders.

3. Surveying local VCAL reresentaves so that

rofessional develoment and other forms

of suort are targeted and suitable to their

needs.

4. Partnering with universies, TAFES, local

government and schools to run informaon

sessions, roundtables and camus tours for

migrant and refugee families, to make themmore aware of training and terary athways

from VCAL.

5. Suorng a range of local re-engagement and

VET rograms to work beer together.

Through these sorts of iniaves, 640 young eole

were re-engaged in alternave sengs in 2012 (u

from 466 the revious year) and enrolments in VET/

VCAL increased from 524 to 609.


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National Centre for Dairy Education Australia,

Terang campus

The Naonal Centre for Dairy Educaon Australia

(NCDEA) was set u as a artnershi between Dairy

Australia (the naonal services body for dairy farmers

and the industry) and GOTAFE, the largest regional

Victorian TAFE, aer Melbourne University withdrew

from vocaonal educaon and training at the end of2005. The NCDEA oerates out of each dairy region

naonally and in Victoria at camuses in Terang,

Shearton, Warragul and Leongatha.

The industry-agreed Farm Career Pathway begins

at and then includes farm hand qualicaons at

Cercate levels II, III and IV, Diloma of Agriculture

(Senior roducon manager/Farm roducon

manager), and Advanced Diloma of Agriculture (Farm

business manager).

Benecial aroaches have included:

1. Providing the training in a secic VET

environment, not only on individual farms.

2. Understanding that VET should plan for a

students whole career and link them to wider

networks and oortunies, not merely training

an emloyee for one job.

3. Providing mentoring oortunies, such as the

DairySAGE rogram, to assist students with

career lanning.

4. Providing bridging rograms such as theInCharge rogram for women, which builds

nancial literacy, leadershi skills and self-

esteem. While such rograms do not deliver

an accredited qualicaon, they can be an

imortant entry oint for students who had not

reviously considered further study.

5. Building a training culture within the

agricultural industry. Further educaon can

seem a daunng commitment for farmers and

emloyees who cannot aord to be o the

farm for long. The VET sector, with its shorter

qualicaons, exibility and oons to move

into Bachelor degrees at a later date, can meet

those concerns.1

School-based arenceshis at Cercate II and

III have tended to aract students from farming

families, who are less interested in terary study.

While agriculture is romoted as a long-term career

of choice, some students at risk of leaving school

early will take u agriculture as an inial form of re-engagement with the educaon system. Students who

enter at a Cert. II level can need arcular suort

and nd it more dicult to access lacements.

Also of concern is the indicaon that VET in Schools will

be cut back because of the VET subsidy changes, as the

costs of rovision may rove too high. Many students

go into agricultural training from a VETiS athway.

Local coordinaon and networking are esecially

imortant to successful VET delivery. Given the need

for cooeraon between students, arents, schools,farmers and RTOs, suorng even small numbers

of students to work eecvely in school-based

arenceshis can be me-consuming and at mes

uncommercial. Here, networks and roviders are

required to be embedded within local communies

for examle, idenfying local young eole

interested in dairy work who might benet from more

encouragement, or suorng informal local networks

of eole who are keen to build u their agricultural

skills, or are already building them but would benet

from links to accredited courses.


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Endnotes

1. Australian Government Producvity Commission, Economic

Implicaons of an Ageing Australia: Producvity Commission,

Research Report, Melbourne, 24 March 2005, .xii, xxiii, 13, 125,143.

2. Naonal Centre for Vocaonal Educaon Research (NCVER),Australian vocaonal educaon and training stascs: Students

and courses 2011, Victorian data set, Commonwealth of Australia,Deartment of Educaon, Emloyment and Worklace Relaons,2012 h://www.ncver.edu.au/ublicaons/2509.html. AlsoDeartment of Educaon and Early Childhood Develoment(DEECD), Refocusing Vocaonal Training in Victoria, Melbourne,2012, .4.

3. DEECD, Refocusing Vocaonal Training in Victoria, .5, 7; KColvin, Young Victorians and the 2012-13 TAFE Reforms, Yikes,vol.11, ed.3, June 2012, .10-11; DEECD, Refocusing vocaonaltraining government subsidies, Melbourne, 2012, and DEECD,Refocusing vocaonal training student fees, Melbourne, 2012,

h://www.educaon.vic.gov.au/about/direcons/refocusingvet.htm.

4. D

Documents

Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Young Victorians - A Way Forward