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INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORKMALGORZATA KLATTJOHN POLESELNICKY DULFERKAREN STARRDAMIAN BLAKE
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
SCHOOLS
GRADUATE
Shaping minds, shaping the world
This publication reports the findings of a research study funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage grant awarded to Investigators Professor John Polesel (University of Melbourne), Professor Jack Keating (University of Melbourne), Professor Karen Starr (Deakin University), Associate Professor Damian Blake (Deakin University), Mr David Gallagher (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority) and Mr David Michaels (New South Wales Department of Education and Communities). The project was also supported by funding provided by the industry partners - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Victorian Department of Education and Training, Catholic Education Commission of Victoria, Catholic Education Commission New South Wales, South Australia Department for Education and Child Development, New South Wales Department of Education and Communities, Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales, and Catholic Education South Australia.
© Centre for Vocational and Educational PolicyThe Melbourne Graduate School of EducationThe University of MelbourneVictoria 3010 Australia
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CONTENT
LIST OF FIGURES 2
LIST OF TABLES 2
LIST OF ACRONYMS 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4
Keyfindings 4 ReportedBenefitsforstudentsundertaking
appliedlearningprograms 5
1. BACKGROUND 7
1.1.AimsoftheProject 7
1.2.TheContext 8
1.2.1.PreviousResearchOnPartnerships 10
2. THE METHODOLOGY 13
2.1.ThePurpose 13
2.2.TheDataCollectionMethods 13
QuestionnaireToSchoolLeadership 13
InterviewsandFocusGroups 15
2.3.QualitativeDataAnalysis 15
3. MAPPING THE PARTNERSHIPS 17
3.1.WhoarethePartners? 17
3.2.WhatistheRoleofthesePartners? 20
Rationale Type 1: DeliveringVETPrograms 21
RationaleType1:ReportedBenefits 22
Rationale Type 2: ProvidingStructuredWork-Placements 23
RationaleType2:ReportedBenefits 24
Rationale Type 3: TakingaWholeCommunityApproach 26
RationaleType3:ReportedBenefits 26
Rationale Type 4: EnsuringAccessandEquity 28
RationaleType4:ReportedBenefits 29
3.2.1SchoolContexts 30
3.3.WhatProgramsareOfferedandWhy? 32
3.4.VETProvisionandResources 34
3.5.QualityofVETProvision 38
3.6.HowVETandAppliedLearning ProgramsFitInSchools 38
3.7.Leadership 39
4. FINDINGS - WHAT MAKES INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP? 43
AppliedLearningPartnershipsRubric 44
Innovative Partnership Example #1 45
TheRationaleforCurrentVETOfferings andInvolvementofIndustryPartners 45
Partners 46
Processes 46
CapacityBuilding 46
GovernanceandLeadership 46
Benefits 46
Innovative Partnership Example #2 47
TheRationaleforCurrentVETOfferings andInvolvementofIndustryPartners 47
Partners 47
Processes 47
CapacityBuilding 47
GovernanceandLeadership 47
Benefits 47
Innovative Partnership Example #3 48
TheRationaleforCurrentVETOfferings andInvolvementofIndustryPartners 48
Partners 48
Processes 48
CapacityBuilding 48
GovernanceandLeadership 48
Benefits 48
5. CONCLUSIONS 50
BIBLIOGRAPHY 53
FURTHER PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS 57
APPENDIX A: FRAMEWORK 58
APPENDIX B: SURVEY INSTRUMENT 59
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK2
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF TABLES
FIGURE 1. NumberOfParticipantsByLocation 14
FIGURE 2. TypesAndNumberOf‘PartnerOrganisations’–AllResponses. 17
FIGURE 3. TypesAndNumberOf‘PartnerOrganisations’–ResponsesToTheCategory ‘TenOrMore’InVic,SaAndNsw 18
FIGURE 4. TypesAndNumberOf‘PartnerOrganisations’–AllResponsesToTheCategory‘Tafe’ 19
FIGURE 5. TypesAndNumberOf‘PartnerOrganisations’–AllResponsesToTheCategory‘Business’ 20
FIGURE 6. StudentsInvolvedInAppliedLearning/Vet/Flo–AllResponses 30
FIGURE 7. GroupsOfStudentsBenefittingFromAppliedLearning/Vet/Flo– AllResponsesInCategory‘HighDegreeOfBenefit’ 31
FIGURE 8. ExtentToWhichStudentsExperienceAHighDegreeOfBenefitFromParticipation InAppliedLearning/Vet/Flo–AllResponses 32
FIGURE 9. TenMostPopularPrograms–AllResponses(N) 32
FIGURE 10. ExtentToWhichTheProcessOfAccessingAppliedLearning/Vet/FloUnderstood– AllResponses 34
FIGURE 11. HighlySignificantAttributesNeededToImplementPartnershipsEffectively– AllResponses 35
FIGURE 12. HighlySignificantAttributesNeededToMaintainPartnerships–AllResponses 36
FIGURE 13. HighlySignificantBarriersToEffectiveImplementationOfPartnerships–AllResponses 37
TABLE 1. TheKeyStakeholderGroupAndDataCollectionMethod 13
TABLE 2. SurveyParticipationByStateAndSchoolSector 13
TABLE 3. SchoolRespondents’BackgroundCharacteristics* 14
TABLE 4. RubricDescribingTheCriteriaAndTypesOfAppliedLearningPartnerships 44
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LIST OF ACRONYMS
NACCI AustralianChamberofCommerce&Industry
ACE AdultandCommunityEducation
AIG AustralianIndustryGroup
AQF AustralianQualificationFramework
ARC AustralianResearchCouncil
ASQA TheAustralianSkillsQualityAuthority
ATAR AustralianTertiaryAdmissionRank
CI ChiefInvestigator
FLO FlexibleLearningOptions
HSC HigherSchoolCertificate
ICAN InnovativeCommunityActionNetwork
ITAB IndustrySkillsCouncil
LLEN LocalLearningandEmploymentNetwork
NSW NewSouthWales
OECD OrganisationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment
PP PathwaysPrograms
RTO RegisteredTrainingOrganisation
SA SouthAustralia
SBAT SchoolBasedApprenticeshipsandTraineeships
SES Socio-EconomicStatus
TAFE TechnicalandFurtherEducationInstitutes
TVET TAFEDeliveredVocationalEducationandTraining
UK UnitedKingdom
VCAL VictorianCertificateofAppliedLearning
VCE VictorianCertificateofEducation
VET VocationalEducationandTraining
VETiS VETinSchools
VIC Victoria
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
InmostmodernOECDnations,secondaryschoolsarerequiredtoformpartnershipswithalargevarietyoforganisations,rangingfromothereducationandtrainingproviderstocommunitygroups,businessesandassociations.Theseschoolstypicallymanagealargenumberandvarioustypesofrelationshipswithexternalorganisations.ThesemayincludeWorkPlacementCoordinationproviders,localbusinessesofferingwork-placements,externalvocationaleducationproviders,suchasTechnicalandFurtherEducation(TAFE)InstitutesinAustralia,andothernon-educationalandcommunityinstitutions.
Thisstudywasundertakentoevaluatethemotivationsunderlyingtheformationofthepartnerships,thepositiveoutcomesthesepartnershipsprovideforstudents,andthedifficultiestheyface.
ThedatapresentedinthisreportwerecollectedaspartofaprojectexploringtherolethatpartnershipsplayintheseniorsecondaryschoolcurriculuminAustralia.Itincludedtheschoolsurveyconductedin2014.ThesurveytargetedallsecondaryschoolsthatprovideappliedlearningandVETprograms(State,CatholicandIndependent)acrossthethreestates,frommetropolitan,regionalandrurallocations.
Thisresearchalsodrawsonover30in-depth,semi-structuredinterviewswithschoolprincipals,teachersandprogramcoordinatorsand30focusgroupmeetingswith134studentsconductedin2015inmetropolitanandregionalsecondaryschoolslocatedinVIC,SAandNSW.TheinterviewscollecteddataonthebackgroundoftheschoolandthetypeofVETprogramsoffered,themotivationforprovidingappliedlearningprograms,theresourcesinvolved,andtheperceivedchallengestotheorganisationandmanagementofpartnershipsrelatingtoVETprovision.
KEY FINDINGS
Thefindingsofthisstudyconfirmthechangingnatureofsecondaryschoolprogramsinrecentyears.Teachingandeducationalprovisionnolongerremainexclusivelylinkedtooneinstitution,andnewandinnovativeprogramsarebeingimplementedtoinvolvethewidercommunityinlearningandskillsdevelopment.Themostvisible,andarguablythemostimportant,oftheseinnovationsaretheappliedlearningprogramsthathavebeenintroducedintoalltheseniorcertificatesinAustraliaandwhichrequirethebuildingofpartnershipswithvariouscommunityactors.Theperceivedbenefitsforstudentsderivingfromtheseprogramsarecleartothestudentsthemselves,andtotheirteachersandtheexternalpartners.However,theyaredependentonanumberoffactors.Thisstudyfoundthat:
• Schoolsformedpartnershipswithalargevarietyoforganisations,rangingfromothereducationandtrainingproviders,governmentagenciesandcommunitygroups,tobusinessesandassociations.
• Almost70%ofrespondentsdidnotformanyrelationshipswithanyprofessionalassociationsofemployerssuchastheAustralianChamberofCommerce&Industry(ACCI)ortheAustralianIndustryGroup(AIG).
• Partnershipswithbusinesscomprisethelargestcategoryofschools’partnersoverall.
• SchoolsareawarethatindustryexposureisanimportantobjectiveofVETprograms,buttheyfacedchallengesinorganisingworkplacements.
• Partnerships’objectivescorrespondedwiththelevelofdisadvantage,thenumberofrefugeeorindigenousstudentsandlocation.
• AverybroadrangeofVETandappliedlearningprogramswereoffered,andover80differentprogramswerenamedbytherespondents.
• VETofferingsaredrivenmostlybystudentdemand.
• Manystudentssawthemselvesasa“hands-onperson”anddidnotseethegeneralacademicpathwayasbeingsuitableforthem.
• Threetopattributesthatassistedteachersinpartnershipswere:
- capacitytorespondtoindividualneeds, - broaderunderstandingof‘learning’, - networkingwithcommunity.
• Themotivatedteachers(champions)aswellasschools’ownnetworkingplayedahighlysignificantroleininitiatingandmaintainingpartnerships.
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• Thegreatestbarriersforeffectiveimplementationofpartnershipswere:
- limitedfinancialresources, - limitedhumanresources, - teachersbeingoverloaded.
• Over75%ofschoolstaffwouldliketofurtherexpandtheirapplied/VETprogramsinthefuture.
• Somestudentsconsideredthevocationalpathwaytobesuperiortothegeneralcurriculumpathway;theyfeltittobe“furtherahead”.
REPORTED BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS UNDERTAKING APPLIED LEARNING PROGRAMS
• PartnershipsforVETprovisionhelptoincreasestudentengagementandretention.
• Studentsthoughttheappliedlearningpathwayprovidedabetterapproachtolearning.
• Structuredwork-placementsenabledstudentsto“getaheadstart”,getatastefordifferentindustriesanddeveloppersonally.
• Studentsenjoyedgoingonwork-placementsandmostofthemhadahighlypositiveexperience.
• Stakeholdersinvolvedinthepartnershipsagreedthatpartnershipswiththelocalcommunityhelpeddevelop“wellroundedyoungpeople”,“lifelonglearners”and“communitycitizens”.
• “Handson”programswereseentoleadtostrongerengagementwithschool.
• PartnershipsforVETandappliedprogramshelpedamelioratetheeffectsofdisadvantage.
• Collaborativepartnershipslinkedcurriculumandwelfareandhelpedbuildstudents’resilience.
• “Employabilityskills”suchasworkinginateam,problemsolvingandcommunicationwereconsideredtobeatopbenefitforstudentsofVETandappliedlearningprograms.
Thefindingsofthisstudyhavealsocontributedtothedevelopmentofthecriteriawhichmaybeusedtocategorisethetypeandlevelofcomplexityofpartnershipssupportingappliedlearning.Wedevelopedarubric(seetable4)whichwillenableschoolstomapthestatusoftheircurrentpartnershipsandtoadvancetheirpartnershipfromasimplepartnershiptoabestpracticeinnovativepartnership.
1. BACKGROUND
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BACKGROUND
ThisprojectwasfundedbyanAustralianResearchCouncil(ARC)LinkageGrantinpartnershipwiththeVictorianDepartmentofEducationandTraining,NSWDepartmentofEducationandCommunities,SouthAustraliaDepartmentforEducationandChildDevelopment,CatholicEducationCommissionofVictoria,CatholicEducationCommissionNewSouthWales,CatholicEducationSouthAustralia,AssociationofIndependentSchoolsofNewSouthWalesandVictorianCurriculumandAssessmentAuthority,andwasundertakenbytheUniversityofMelbourneandDeakinUniversity.
1.1. AIMS OF THE PROJECT
Thisprojectinvestigatedtheco-existenceofvocational,andapplied,andgeneraleducationprogramsinuppersecondaryschoolsystems,withaparticularfocusonthepracticesofschoolpersonnelinthedeliveryoftheseprograms,includingtheirrelationshipswiththepartnersthatsupporttheseprograms(DEECD2010).Theseincludetheschoolsystemstowhichtheybelong,partnerproviders(otherschools,TAFEInstitutes,privatetrainingproviders),employersandcommunityorganisations.
TheprojectinvestigatedthedemandsofappliedlearningprogramsinuppersecondaryschoolsinNewSouthWales,VictoriaandSouthAustralia.Itfocusedonthepartnershipsthatschoolsformwithemployersandotherorganisationstosupportappliedlearningprograms.Italsoexaminedtheimpactofthesepartnershipsontheworkofteachers,ontheleadershipofschools,andontheresourcesandschoolpersonnelcapacitiesrequiredtosupportthem.
Themainquestionsthestudyexaminedwere:
• Whatisthenatureofeffectivepartnershipsinsupportingyouthengagementineducationandworkinseniorsecondaryschool?
• Whatarethechallengesandconstraintsandwhataretheenablingconditionsforsuchpartnerships?
• Whatdoesittaketoimplementapartnershipattheschoollevel(whatdoesitrequireoftheschool?Whatstressesisitunder:teachertime,training,costs)?
• Whatarethechallengesandconstraintsattheschoollevel?
• Whataretheenablingconditionsforeffectivepartnerships?
Itsoughttodevelopnewknowledgeaboutmeansofstrengtheningthedeliveryandoutcomesofappliedlearningprogramsthroughastudyoftheorganisational,resourcingandleadershipfactorsthatinfluenceschoolpersonnelcapacitiesandpracticesandtheeffectivenessofthemultiagencylinkagesthatsupporttheseprograms.
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1.2. THE CONTEXT
Australiansecondaryschoolsaresubjecttonumerousandcomplexdemands,whichincludeaddressingskillsshortages,increasingtheparticipationandoutcomesofequitygroupsandcontributingtosocialcohesion,economiccompetitiveness,inclusionandwell-being(AustralianGovernment2010;COAG2009).Thesedemandshaveledtoinnovationsincurriculumandmodesofdeliverydesignedtoengagetheincreasinglydiverserangeofyoungpeopleinourschools.Themostvisible,andarguablythemostimportant,oftheseinnovations,aretheappliedlearningprogramsthathavebeenintroducedintoalltheseniorcertificatesinAustralia.Theseprogramshavechallengedschoolstobroadentheiroutlook,toformpartnershipswithotherprovidersofeducationortraining,andtointeractwithadiverserangeofemployers,communitygroupsandgovernmentagenciesinanunprecedentedmanner(Blake2004;2006;2009;Starr&White2009).Whilethereisasubstantialliteratureonthebenefitsofappliedlearning,thereislittleresearchonitsprofessionalandorganisationaldemandswithintheschoolsectorinAustralia.Thenatureandeffectivenessofthepartnershipsthatsupportappliedlearningprogramsneedfurtherexplorationtoinformpolicyandpractice.
Vocationalandappliedlearninginschoolingoccupiesaplacewithinaneducationalandculturalhierarchythatissociallyandinstitutionallybiased.AcenturyagoDurkheim(1904,in:Durkheim2006:313)affirmed“thatsecondaryeducationhasneverhadanessentiallyvocationalgoal”,whilemorerecentscholarslocateappliedlearningatthebottomofthestatushierarchyofschoolsubjects(Goodson1983;Clarke&Winch2003).SustainedandsignificantresearchconductedoveralongperiodbyChiefInvestigatorsPoleselandBlakehashighlightedtheroleofappliedlearningindemocratisingaccesstothecurriculum,improvingthelearningexperiencesofallstudentsandaccommodatingthebroaderrangeoflearningneedswhicharosefromthesurgetowardsnear-universalparticipationinsecondaryschoolsacrossOECDnationsintheearly1990s.StudiesbytheCIshavepresentedevidenceoftheefficacyofappliedlearninginincreasingschoolcompletionratesforlowachieversandimprovingtheirtransitionintothelabourmarket(Poleseletal.2004;Polesel2010;Blake2007,2009).
However,theCIs’researchhasalsoidentifiedsignificantchallengesindeliveringtheseprograms.Researchsuggeststhatappliedlearningcanbelackingincurriculumwith‘powerfulknowledge’whichshouldensurethatpracticeisunderpinnedbytheory(Wheelahan,2012;YoungandMuller,2010;andBeck,2013).Thesestudiessuggestthatstudentsshouldhaveaccesstocriticalknowledgeforlong-
termsuccessnotonlyingeneraleducationprogramsbutalsoappliedandvocationallearningprograms.AsWheelahan(2012)argues,‘powerfulknowledge’needstobeembeddedinappliedandvocationalprogramstobreakthecycleofdisadvantageforyoungpeople.Furthermore,vocationalandappliedlearningaretypicallydeliveredinmultiplelocationsandthroughmorecomplexrelationshipsamongstudents,teachers,externalprovidersandemployers.Yettheinstitutionalemphasisinschoolsuponcurricularandassessmentregimesthatproduceatertiaryentrancerankmilitateagainstthismultiplicityandvariety.Thismeansthatsomeschoolsstruggletoprovidetheleadershiprequiredtobuildcapacityforthedeliveryofprograms(Polesel2008)andtoformandconductpartnershipsthatarenecessaryfortheireffectiveness(Starr2007).Thepresentstudyextendedthetraditionallocusofeducationalresearch,whichistheschool,deeplyintothemultiplesitesofappliedlearningprogramsand thenetworkofemployersandagencieswith whichschoolsmustinteracttooffereffective appliedlearning(Blake2009,Starr&Blake:2004;2006;2009).
Vocationalandappliedlearningprogramsmakedemandsuponschoolleadersforresources,teacherdevelopmentandsupport,communityrelationshipsandeducationalleadership.Theycreatedemandsuponteachersforchangesinpracticeandrelationshipswithstudentsandexternalagencies.CIBlake(2009)hasarguedthatprogramssuchastheVictorianCertificateofAppliedLearning(VCAL)requireexternalcollaborationtoeffectivelyimplementappliedlearninginaschoolcontext,asdosomeoftheothermoreambitiousanddistinctiveappliedlearningprogramsinseniorsecondaryeducationinAustralia–theSouthAustralianPathwaysPrograms(PP),themandatoryworkplacementsoftheIndustryCurriculumFrameworksubjectsintheNSWHSCorganisedwithintheframeworkofLocalCommunityPartnerships,andtheThemedIndustryProgramsinVictoria.Becauseofthedemandsoftheseprograms,theirdeliverydependsuponthevisionandquality oftheschoolleadership,thecapacityofother schoolpersonnelandtheco-operationofmultipleexternalactors.
AnadditionalcomplexityinthecaseofAustraliaiscreatedbythefederalstructureoftheAustralianeducationsystem(separateeducationsystemsineachstateandterritorywiththreebroadsectorsofprovision:public,Catholicandindependent).Thefederalsystemarrangementsprovideeachstateandterritorywithautonomyinthemanagementoftheirschoolsystems,allowingforavarietyofwaystoengagewithexternalpartnerssuchasbusinesseswhichprovideworkplacements.
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Forexample,NewSouthWalesrepresentsanexampleofahighlycoordinatedandcentralisedapproachtopartnerships.WhatdistinguishesNewSouthWalesfromotherjurisdictionsisitslargenetworkofWorkPlacementServiceProviders(brokers)whocoordinatemandatoryworkplacementsforvocationalcoursesofferedintheNewSouthWalesseniorschoolcertificate,theHigherSchoolCertificate(HSC).Effectively,thishasremovedsomeoftheburdenfromschoolleadersforfindingexternalpartners.InVictoriaandSouthAustraliatheresponsibilityforengagingstakeholdersandmanagingthepartnershipshasremainedtheschools’responsibility.Theresponsibilityforactuallyfindingaplacementopportunitymayvaryfromschooltoschool,andalsodependsonthenatureofthelearningprogram.
Thevarietyofapproachesalsocreatesdefinitionalchallengesrelatingtowhat‘VET’or‘appliedlearning’means,sinceeachjurisdictionappliesdifferentdefinitions.Forexample,inNSWappliedlearningdoesnotinvolvethedeliveryofVET(thesearetwoseparateprograms).AllVETdeliveryisrestrictedtoAustralianQualificationFramework
(AQF)qualificationsdeliveredbyRegisteredTrainingOrganisations(RTOs),1whileinSouthAustraliathereisamoreinclusiveapproachundertheumbrellaof‘flexiblelearning’.Thepresentstudyusesabroaddefinitionofappliedlearninginschools,andincludesallvocationalprogramsthatareofferedbysecondaryschools(includingVET,FlexibleLearningOptions(FLO)andSchoolBasedApprenticeshipsandTraineeships(SBATs))andwhichrequireengagementwithexternalpartners.
Thechallengeforresearchersandpractitioners,therefore,wastounderstandinwhatwaysschoolsandexternalpartnersinAustraliaengagewitheachothertobestservetheinterestsofsecondaryschoolstudentsundertakingappliedandvocationalprograms.ThisstudyaimedtobringtolightthecurrentstateofthesepartnershipsinAustraliansecondaryschoolsfromtheperspectiveofschoolleaders,studentsandpartners.
1 RTOsinAustraliaincludeschools,privatetrainingorganisationsandpublictrainingorganisations(TAFEs)
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1.2.1. PREVIOUS RESEARCH ON PARTNERSHIPS
Theimportanceofalocalcommunityandthelocalengagementofyoungpeoplehasbeenemphasisedinmanypublicationsasafactorcontributingtosuccessfultransitions.
Theroleofcommunityorganisationsinenablingsuccessfulyouthtransitionshasbeengrowinginimportance,astheyremainembeddedwithintheschoolcommunityandalsoofferavarietyofsupportservicesandvolunteeringexperience.AsBlack(2008:54)pointsout,therelationshipsbetweencommunityorganisationsandschoolsare“thesinglemostimportantcross-sectoralrelationshipinimprovingoutcomesforchildrenandyoungpeople”.Schoolswithhighlevelsofparentalandcommunityinvolvementhavebetterstudentresults,higherattendancelevels,andmorepositivestudentattitudesandbehaviour(PrincipalsAustraliaInstitute,2012;Henderson,2011).AsreportsfromAustralia(PrincipalsAustraliaInstitute,2012)andtheUS(Henderson,2011)show,thestatusofschool-communitypartnershipsisgrowingbutitneedstobeestablishedasapermanentcomponentofaschoolenvironment.
Somepartnershipsareformedasaresultofparticularnationalpolicyneeds,butmanyresultfromlocalisedconcerns,whichincludeeconomicneedsorskillsshortages.Thefocusonsecondaryschoolandlocalcommunitylinksservesasanimportantstepindevelopingyoungpeople’sadaptabilitytolocalworkforcerequirements.Simmonds(2009)arguesthatsuchadaptabilityiscriticalformaintaininghighlevelsofemploymentandopportunity.Furthermore,decentralisationthatempowerslocalauthoritiesisanecessaryconditionfordevisingsolutionstotackleyouthemploymentproblems,asitleadstopersonalisationandlocalisationofservicedesign,planning,andprogramdelivery.Similarly,theOECD(2004)emphasisestheroleoflocalgovernancesystemsinimprovingthewaypoliciesareco-ordinated,adaptedtolocalconditionsandoriented inpartnershipwithcivilsocietyandbusiness.
Lastingpartnershipsrequireacoherentpolicyandestablishedpracticesbasedonlonglastingprinciplesvaluedbothbyschoolsandbytheircommunitypartners.Clemans,Billett&Seddon(2005)arguethatsuccessfulsocialpartnershipshavetoincludeagoodconnectionandcapacitybuildingwork,sharedgoals,governanceandleadership,andtrustandtrustworthiness.Theseprocessesarecomplexanddifferentiatedandtheyrequiresupportandguidance.Tobuildsuccessfulfamily-school-communitypartnerships,theUS-basedNationalEducationAssociationrecommendsactionsatallgovernancelevels(Henderson,2011).Thelocallevelcontributesthrougheducators’development
andofferingopportunitiesforschoolstoworkwithlocalprofessionalagenciesandalsobyidentifyingcultural‘brokers’inthecommunity.Attheschooldistrictlevel,itfocusesonpoliciesandresourceswhichwouldsupportlocallevelactivities.Atthestatelevel,thereisaneedfordevelopingpolicyproposalsandmakingrecommendationstopolicy-makers.Thenationallevelisresponsibleforschoolreform,andlegislativeandpolicystrategies.
InAustralia,since2002,LocalLearningandEmploymentNetworks(LLENs)havebeenactiveinVictoriainconnectingemployers,educationandtrainingproviders,governmentgroups,agenciesandindividualstobuildinnovativeprogramsforyoungpeople.ThiswasaninitiativefundedbytheAustralianandVictorianGovernmentsundertheNationalPartnershiponYouthAttainmentandTransitions. Itfacilitatescollaborationwithstakeholders,undertakeslocalstrategicplanning,provideslocaladviceonstate-widepolicyandprogramissuesandservesasaplatformforjoiningupgovernmentinitiativeswithlocaleducationandtrainingsystems.Thefocushasbeenondevelopingpartnershipsbetweenschools,non-schoolprovidersandotheragenciestopromotemoreeffectivetransitions.
ThegrowthofpartnershipsbetweenAustralianschools,workplacesandcommunityorganisationshascorrespondedtoabroadpolicycontextacrossAustralia’sfederal,stateandterritorygovernmentsthatseektoraisetheYear12(orequivalent)attainmentrateto90%by2015(Clemans,Billett&Seddon2005;Davies2012;PhillipsKPA2010;Ryan,Brooks&Hooley2004).ThisperformancebenchmarkwasestablishedbytheCouncilofAustralianGovernmentsandisspecifiedas‘theproportionofyoungpeoplebetweenages20-24whohaveattainedYear12oraCertificateIIorabove’(CouncilofAustralianGovernments2009,p.14).Itisabenchmarkestablishedthroughgeneralacceptanceinresearchthatincreasingyoungpeople’sparticipationineducationandtraininghassignificantandlong-termbenefitsfortheiremployability,health,wellbeingandlifelongearnings(AccessEconomics2005;AustralianBureauofStatistics2010;Keating&Lamb2004;Lamb&Rice2008;Lambetal.2004;OrganisationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment2007).IncreasingeducationattainmentratestoYear12,oritsequivalent,havethereforeemergedasanimportantpolicydirectiveaimedatimprovingAustralia’ssocialinclusionandincreasingitseconomicperformance(AustralianGovernment2010;MCEETYA2008).
Thispolicycontexthasinfluencedtheneedforeducationandtrainingorganisationstobecomeinnovativeincreatingandsustaininginnovative
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pathwaysforyoungpeopletoengageinlearningandtocompleteYear12oritsequivalent.Thereisalsoagrowingrecognitionintheeducationandtrainingcommunitiesthat,inordertosupportthesepolicydirections,thereisagreaterneedforeffectivepartnershipswithemployers,workplacesandcommunityorganisations(PhillipsKPA2010).Innovationhasnotbeenlimitedtoconventionalschools.Trainingorganisations,employersandcommunityorganisationshavebecomeanintegralpartofthenationalefforttoincreaseyoungpeople’slevelsofattainment.
Therehasalsobeenanationalfocuson‘alternative’programsbeingmadeavailableforyoungpeoplewhohavebecomedisengagedfromconventionalschooling.Althoughtherearemanyexamplesofsuchprogramsandinnovationsrepresentedintheresearchliterature,thereisadearthofliteraturedocumentingthescopeanddetailoftheseinnovationsacrossAustralia.
Holdsworth(2011)highlightsthesignificantcontributionmadebyprogramssuchastheVictorianCertificateofAppliedLearning(VCAL),theInnovativeCommunityActionNetworks(ICAN)inSouthAustralia,andtheAdultandCommunityEducation(ACE)sectors.Theseprogramswereidentifiedinthereportasbeingapartofbroaderstate-basedinitiativeswhichreflectthe‘mainstreaming’ofso-called‘alternativeeducation’andwhichtypicallyincludeahighdegreeofnetworkingintheircommunicationandpartnershipdevelopment.
DespiteincreasedattainmentofVETqualificationsamongst15-19yearolds,manyauthorsraisesignificantquestionsabouttheefficacyofVETinSchools(VETiS)programs.Clarke’s(2012)studyofVETprogramsinVictoria,SouthAustralia,NewSouthWalesandQueenslandreportssignificantvariationsinthewayinwhichVETinSchoolsisincorporatedintoseniorsecondaryschoolcertificates,differencesintheroleofVETinschools,andthebalanceachievedbetweenbroadereducationandvocationaltraining.Thisresearchalsohighlightsthefactthatindustrygroupsarenotconvincedthatvocationalqualificationsdeliveredinaschoolcontextequipyoungpeopleadequatelyfortheworkforce,withinsufficienthighqualityworkplacelearningbeingthemainlimitation.
Creativeandinnovativepartnershipsbetweenschools,RegisteredTrainingOrganisationsandrelevantworkplaceshavebecomeanimportantfeatureofVETiSprogramsacrossAustraliaandabroad(Cooper,Benton&Sharp2011;PhillipsKPA2010)andseveralreportshavearguedthathighqualitypartnershipshavebecomeessentialtoensureeffectiveprogramdelivery,particularlyinrelationtotheprovisionofstructuredworkplacelearning(NationalCentreforVocationalEducationResearch2011;Poleseletal.2004;Stokes,Stacey&Lake2006).However,thereisverylimitedresearchdocumentingwhatchallengesarefacedbythesecreativepartnershipsastheyconfrontdeficitthinkingandthehegemonyoftheconventionalacademiccurriculum,andhowtheycomparewithrespecttothedifferentjurisdictionalrequirementsinwhich theyoperate.
1. THE METHODOLOGY
Image from CSIRO
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THE METHODOLOGY
2.1. THE PURPOSE
ThisstudysoughttofocusupontheexternallinkagesunderpinningvocationalandappliedlearningprogramsinschoolsinthreeAustralianstates:NewSouthWales,VictoriaandSouthAustralia.Itexaminedthewaysinwhichtheseprogramsweremanagedandsupportedinsideandoutsidetheschools,withcarefulconsiderationoftheverysignificantdifferencesindeliveryapproachesbetweenandwithinstates.Thisresearch,forthefirsttime,addressedknowledgegapsintheprovisionofappliedlearningprogramsattheuppersecondaryschoollevelbyexaminingthechallengesandenablingfactorsinfacilitatingeffectivepartnerships.
2.2. THE DATA COLLECTION METHODS
Theprojectmethodwasintendedtoincreaseourunderstandingofthenatureoftheseappliedlearningprogramsandpracticesinordertomaximiseschoolcapacitybuildingandleadership,thequalityofthecollaborationsandthenatureofrelatedpolicyandresourcesupport.Atthesametimeitattemptedtomaximiseresearchtrainingfortheindustrypartners,school-levelparticipantsandtheemployersandproviderswithwhichtheyformtheserelationships.Itinvestigatedthecharacteristicsandinstitutionalframeworkfortheprogramsaswellasthecharacteristicsoftheirstudents,andtheexperienceofteachers,schoolleaders,students,employersandnon-schoolprovidersinvolvedintheprograms.Itprovidedadetailedexaminationofinstitutionalandpolicysupport,includingcostsanddevelopmentalandcooperativeapproachesthatbestsupportappliedprograms.Theresearchapproachemployedacombinationofqualitativeandquantitativemethods.
Toachievetheseaims,acombinationofdatacollectionmethodswasemployed.Themethodsvariedaccordingtothetypeofkeystakeholdergroup,asoutlinedinTable1.
Table 1 The key stakeholder group and data collection method
Key Stakeholder Group Data Collection Methods
School Leadership•On-lineSurvey(215) •Interviews(31)
Secondary school students •Infocusgroups(134)
External Partners •Interviews(8)
Table 2 Survey participation by state and school sector
Jurisdiction/Sector State Catholic Independent Total
Victoria 55 25 10 90
New South Wales 36 25 24 85
South Australia 30 10 N/A 40
Total 215
QUESTIONNAIRE TO SCHOOL LEADERSHIPThecomponentofthedatacollectionforthisprojectwastheschoolsurveyconductedin2014.Thissurveywasdesignedtoinvestigateschoolleaders’experiencesandperceptionsrelatingtoapproachestoappliedlearning,theinstitutionalsupportforandbarrierstotheseapproaches,andthenatureofpartnershipexperiences,includingtheschoolleaders’viewsonwaysofimprovingthedeliveryandmanagementoftheseprograms.ThesurveytargetedallsecondaryschoolswhichprovideappliedlearningandVETprograms(state,Catholicandindependent)acrossthethreestates,andwasconductedonlinethroughSurveyMonkey.Schoolswereselectedandinvitedtoparticipateviaemailcontactfromtheindustrypartners(state,Catholicandindependentschoolagencies),whichusedtheircontactdatabasesforthispurpose.Ofthe1137schoolsinvitedtocompletethesurvey,215comprehensivelycompletedresponseswerereceived,resultingina19percentresponserate.ThestateandsectordistributionisprovidedinTable2below.
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Itisimportanttoemphasisethatthesurveyincludedresponsesfromschoolslocatedinmetropolitan,regionalandruralsettings.Themajorityofrespondentswerelocatedinmetropolitanareas,butthenumberofrespondentsfromregionalandrurallocationswascomparableineachstate,asillustratedinFigure1.
AscanbeseeninTable3,themajorityofrespondentswereVETcoordinators(46%).Thegreatestshareofrespondents(55%)wereworkinginschoolsforyears7-12withonly10respondentsworkinginspecialist(2%)orspecialschools(3%).Outof215respondents,91(43%)respondentswereworkinginschoolswithastudentpopulationof501-1000students.
Figure 1 Number of participants by location
Table 3 School respondents’ background characteristics*
Schools Characteristics Categories NumberProportion of sample (%)
Positions heldPrincipal 36 20%
AssistantPrincipal 21 11%
VETCoordinator 88 46%
Applied/FlexibleLearningCoordinator 44 23%
School Prep-Year12 43 21%
Year7-12 113 55%
Year8-12 12 6%
Year9-12 1 1%
Year10-12 12 6%
Year11-12 13 6%
SpecialistSecondary(e.g.sportandrec) 4 2%
SpecialSchool 6 3%
Student population Morethan1000students 50 23%
501-1000students 91 43%
101-500students 62 29%
100orunder 11 5%
*basedon170responsesgiventoQuestion2“Whatisyourpositionatschool?”
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INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPSThestudyalsodrawsonover30 in-depth, semi-structured interviewswithschoolprincipals,teachersandprogramcoordinators,conductedinVictoria,SouthAustraliaandNSWin2015.TheinterviewschedulecollecteddataonthebackgroundoftheschoolandthetypeofVETprogramsoffered,themotivationforprovidingappliedlearningprograms,theresourcesinvolvedandtheperceivedchallengestotheorganisationandmanagementofpartnershipsrelatingtoVETprovision.Theinterviewstypicallytookbetween50and60minutesandwereconductedinmeetingroomswithintheschools.
Thestudyconducted30 focus groupmeetingsinNewSouthWales,VictoriaandSouthAustraliawith134 students.Thefocusgroupmeetingstypicallytookbetween50and60minutesandwereconductedinmeetingroomswithintheschools.
Wealsointerviewedeight partners whocooperatedwithschools,includingaprivateVETprovider,ateacherfromaprivateRTO,twoyouthworkers,andfouremployers.
2.3. QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
Qualitativeanalysisoffocusgroupandinterviewswasundertakenforthisreportandjudgedaccordingtothesixthemesdevelopedintheformofa‘thinkingframework’(seeAppendixA).Eachfocusgroupandinterviewfollowedthesamethematicpatternfocusingonthefollowingthemes:
• Background/Context(e.schoolcatchmentareaorstudents’learningprogram)
• The purpose of applied learning and the partnerships(focusingonrationaleandchoice)
• What is Involved(resourcing,fees,administrationrequirements,typesofpartnerships,time-tabling)
• Expected Outcomes (objectivesandeffectivenessofpartnerships,support,students’careerpathways)
• Reality(complexitiesofday-to-daymanagementofappliedlearningandcooperationwithpartners,difficultieswithprogramdeliveryorparticipation)
• Limitations and Improvements(prosandconsofpartnering,plansandstrategiesforimprovingoutcomes,resourcinglimitations,costs,statusofVETatschool,challengesforstudents).
3. MAPPING THE PARTNERSHIPS
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MAPPING THE PARTNERSHIPS
Wecombinedthesurveyandinterviewresponsestomapoutandcategorisethepartnershipsformedbyschoolswithexternalpartners.Thesedataprovidedanswerstofourmainquestions:
1. Whoarethetypicalpartners?
2. Whatistheroleofthesepartners?
3. Whattypesofappliedlearningprogramsareofferedandwhy?
4. Whataretheresourcesneededtosupporttheseprogramsandpartnerships?
Themainfeaturesorfindingsrelatedtothesequestionsarehighlightedinthefollowingseparatetextboxes.
3.1. WHO ARE THE PARTNERS?
Thelargenumbersofresponsesinoursurveyineverycategoryofpartnership(asshowninFigure2)makeitevidentthatschoolsformpartnershipswithalargevarietyoforganisations,whichrangefromothereducationandtrainingproviders,tocommunitygroups,tobusinessesandassociations.Thisisconfirmedbyourinterviewswithschoolleaders,wherethemajorityofrespondentsemphasisedthatschoolshadtomanagealargenumberandvarioustypesofpartners,includingpartnershipbrokers(themostpopularinNSW),localbusinessofferingworkplacements,externalproviderslikeTAFEs,andothernon-educationalandcommunityinstitutions.
Schoolsformpartnershipswitha largevarietyoforganisations,rangingfromothereducationandtrainingproviders,governmentorganisations,andcommunitygroups,tobusinesses andassociations.
Figure 2 Types and number of ‘partner organisations’ – all responses.
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Itisimportanttonotethatoverhalfoftherespondents(54%)didnothaveanypartnersrepresentingnot-for-profitorganisations(suchastheBrotherhoodofStLaurence).ItseemsthatschoolleadershipdidnotrecogniseWorkPlacementCoordinationprovidersasfittingthecategoryofnot-for-profitorganisations,asalmostallschoolsinNSWworkwiththeseproviderswhichareNGOs.ThreequartersofrespondentsdidnothaveanypartnersfromIndustrySkillsCouncils.Almost70%didnotformanyrelationshipswithanyprofessionalassociationsofemployers,suchastheAustralianChamberofCommerce&IndustryorAustralianIndustryGroup.
Oneoftheschoolprincipalsexplained:
There’squiteavariationinthepartnershiparrangementsthatareneeded.SomecomeunderourTradeTrainingCentreauspices,somedon’t.Sothere’sdifferentconsortiumplayersinandamongstthosedifferentpartnerships.
Almost70%ofrespondentsdidnotformanyrelationshipswithanyprofessionalassociationsofemployers
Figure 3 Types and number of ‘partner organisations’ – responses to the category ‘ten or more’ in VIC, SA and NSW
ThelargestnumberofpartnershipsformedwithPrivateRTOswasin SouthAustralia.
ThereweresomeState-to-Statedifferencesinthenumbersofpartnerships.Inthecategory‘tenormore’,businesswasdominantinNSWandVictoria.ButitisclearthatinVictoriaandSouthAustralia(seeFigure3)therewasabroaderrangeofpartnersengagedinthiscategorywith‘localcommunityorganisation’and‘otherschools’at15%,whileinNSWabout7%ofrespondentscooperatedwithmorethantenlocalcommunityorganisationsanda‘none’responsewasgiventothe‘otherschools’category(seeFigure3).
Thethreemajorpartnersidentifiedbyschoolleadersintermsofnumbersinvolvedweretechnicalprogramproviders,includingTAFEsandprivateRTOsaswellasbusinesspartners.Figure4illustratesthenumberofTAFEpartnersmostcommonlyinvolvedwitheachschool.Verysimilarfiguresoccurinthesurveyrelatingtothecategory‘privateRTO’
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Itappearsthatthemosttypicalpartnershiparrangement(over50%ofresponses)wasforjustone,two,orthreeTAFEstobeinvolvedwithoneschool.TAFEsusuallyhadapurchasingarrangementfordeliveryawayfromtheschoolsite(53%ofresponses)whileprivateRTOshadequalnumbers(bothabout30%ofresponses)ofapurchasingarrangementandanauspicingarrangement.Figure5showsthenumberofbusinesspartnersinvolvedwithschools.Theimportanceallocatedtothecategoryofbusinesspartnersisevidentinthedata.Almostoneinthreerespondentsclaimedthattheyhadtenormorepartnersrepresentingbusinesscurrentlyinvolvedwiththeirschool.Partnershipswithbusinesscomprisethelargestcategoryforschoolsoverall,withthelargestnumbersofrespondentsreportingthattheyhadtenormorepartnersofthiskindandmanymorereportingthattheyhadbetweenoneandninepartnerswhichwerebusinesses.Infact,otherthanprivateandpublicVETproviders,whichareheavilyinvolvedintheactualdeliveryofthetrainingitself(includingvocationalcoursesandqualifications),businessseemedtobethemostimportanttypeofpartnernominatedbytheschoolsinthestudy.
Figure 4 Types and number of ‘partner organisations’ – all responses to the category ‘TAFE’
Partnershipswithbusinesscomprisethelargestcategoryforschoolspartnersoverall
Overathirdofthebusinesspartnerswereinvolvedtoprovideaccesstoworkplacelearningandalmostaquarterprovidedopportunitiesforstudentstolearnincommunity-orientedprojectsthatalignedwiththeschool’sobjectives.However,thedataalsoshowsthatalmostathirdofallrespondentsdidnotformanypartnershipswithbusiness.ThesearemainlyschoolsfrommetropolitanMelbourneandSydney.
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Figure 5 Types and number of ‘partner organisations’ – all responses to the category ‘business’
Question18ofthesurveyaskedrespondentstoselectsignificantfactorsinfluencingtheformationofpartneringarrangements.Alargenumberoffactorswereidentifiedasverysignificant.Accesstoawiderrangeofcurriculumcomponents(68%),specificexpertise(67%)andcosteffectiveness(66%)werethethreefactorsmostoftenselected.
3.2. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THESE PARTNERS?Itisalsoevidentfromtheresearchdatathatpartnershiparrangementshadbeenestablishedfordifferentpurposesandinavarietyofcontexts.Morespecifically,theschoolsthatparticipatedintheresearchstudyhadestablishedpartnershipsthatserveaverydiverserangeofstudentsreflectingdifferencesinlocation,socio-economicstatus(SES),thenumberofindigenousstudentsanddifferentschoolsectors.Allthesefactorshaveinfluencedtherationaleandshapeofthepartnershiparrangements.
Ouranalysisoftheresearchdatasuggeststhattherearefourprincipalmotivationsintheformationofpartnershiparrangementsintheseniorsecondaryyearsofschooling.Thesemotivationsoverlapandvaryinimportanceinthedifferentschools,butallareevidentinoneformoranotherinthemajorityoftheschoolsthatparticipatedinthisresearchproject,irrespectiveofthejurisdictionorschoolsector.
Thesefourtypesofrationalesarelistedbelow.
Rationale Type 1: Delivering VET Programs TheneedforpartnershipstosupportthedeliveryofVETprogramsthroughtheprovisionoftechnicalexpertiseandinfrastructure.ThesepartnershipsincludeexternaleducationproviderssuchasTAFEs,privatetrainingprovidersandWorkPlacementcoordinationproviders.
Rationale Type 2: Providing Structured Work-Placements Theneedforpartnershipstosupporttheprovisionofstructuredworkplacelearningandworkexperiencethroughtheestablishmentofcollaborativerelationshipswithlocalindustries.
Rationale Type 3: Taking a Whole of Community Approach TheneedforpartnershipswithlocalcommunityorganisationstosupporttheimprovementofpersonaldevelopmentskillsrelatedtothedeliveryoftheVETprogram.ThesepartnershipsincludelocalgovernmentprovidersorlargecommunityorganisationssuchastheRedCross.
Rationale Type 4: Ensuring Access and Equity Theneedforpartnershipstosupportequityinitiativesfordisadvantagedstudentsordisengagedstudents(suchasmentoringandsupportprojects,usuallywithsportingclubsandnon-governmentalorganisationssuchasMissionAustralia,BeaconFoundationortheCentreforMulticulturalYouth).
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Thefollowingsectionexploreseachoftheserationalesandtheensuingpartnershiptypes.Itprovidesadescriptionofthesediversemotivationsandpractices,asexperiencednotonlybyschoolrepresentatives(principals,VETcoordinators,teachersetc.)butalsostudentsandpartners.Thebenefitsreportedbytheseresearchparticipantsarealsoidentifiedanddiscussed.
RATIONALE TYPE 1: DELIVERING VET PROGRAMSGenerally,allschoolsofferingvocationalstudiesofanytypeformpartnershipstodeliverVETprogramsandthesepartnershipsarethemostcommon.Thesepartnershipsplayanimportantroleinprovidingtechnicalskills,technicalexpertiseandinfrastructureenablingstudentstoachievebettereducationalandtransitionoutcomes.Schoolspartnerwithtechnicaleducationproviders,suchasTAFEinstitutesandprivatetrainingprovidersinordertodelivertheappliedlearningorvocationaleducationprograms.Asmightbeexpected,itistypicallypublic(TAFE)andprivatetrainingprovidersthatarethemostcommontypesofpartnerforschoolswithVETprograms.EvenschoolsthatwereembeddedindesignatedTradeTrainingCentresnotedthatexternalprovidersofvocationaleducationwerestillrequiredinsomecircumstances.Oneoftheschoolprincipalsexplained:
It’savery,verylargesourcingoforganisationsprovidingthetrainingsoatanyonetimeIthinkwe’redealingwithupto12to15RTOsfortheclassesandthenalltheonesfortheschool-basedapprenticeshipsontopofthat.
Wheretherewasonlyoneexternalprovider,thelocalTAFEinstituteswereconsistentlyfoundtobetheonlyexternalprovider,becauseoftheirofferings,infrastructureandlocation:
Ourmajorexternalonewherethekidsgoto,orit’sprobablytheonlyonereally,isSouthWestTAFE.Studentsgooffsiteforthatandusuallythestuffthattheydotherearethingsthatneedeithertheexpertiseortheinfrastructuretosupportit.Likeinbuildingandconstruction,plumbingandelectricsandhairdressingandthingslikethat.
ThelocalTAFEisourkeypartnerthere.IguessyoucouldcallitapartnershipwiththelocalTAFE,becausethey’requiteimportanttous.
Weonlyreallyhaveonepartnerintermsofdelivery,whichisourlocalTAFE.Wearesolucky,wehavewonderfulrelationswiththemandwedonottendtohavealotofproblemsordifficulties,becauseTAFEis500muptheroad.Thekidswalk.That’swhyweofferalotofcourses.
TypicallytheTAFEinstituteswereusedforexternaldelivery:
WehavetouseTAFEbecausethere’snootherproviderhere.Soifwedon’thaveinstructorstodeliveronsite,itreallygoestoTAFE.We’reonaclusterarrangementhere,whichmeansalltheschoolshaveafewstudents.So,theirviabilityactuallyreliesonalltheotherschoolsparticipating,whichisalwaysgoingtobean issueforus.
Someschoolshadamixofdifferentproviders:
Someofthosewe’reRTOfor;somewe’renot.Sothere’squiteavariationinthepartnershiparrangementsthatareneeded.SomecomeunderourTradeTrainingCentreauspice,somedon’t.Sothere’sdifferentconsortiumofplayersinandamongstthosedifferentpartnerships.
That’soneofthebenefitsofbeinganRTOandhavingcontrolofourowndelivery.Butwedohavesomeexternaldelivery.Weoffer22differentVETs.Andprobablyabout5ofthosewouldbeoff-siteandtherestofthemaredeliveredon-site.
Manyschoolswithlargestudentcohortsdeliveredprogramson-siteasRTOsandsomeusedprivateRTOsforthedeliveryofcourseson-site.Thisrequiredschoolstosecurespace,infrastructure,equipmentandspecialisedteachingstaff.MostoftheTradeTrainingCentreswithinschoolsweresharedwithotherproviders,whichaddedanotherlayerofcomplexity:
TheVETprovisionisincrediblycomplexgiventhesharedfacilitiesandthetradetrainingcentreconsortiumandotherschoolsactuallyusingthatfacility,sothat’sreally,reallytightlyputtogether.
AtthemomentanyoneworkingintheVETarea,especiallyifthey’reinaleadschoolforatradetrainingcentre,hasgotanenormousjobontheirhands.It’sverydifficultworkkeepingallofthemixinplay.Verydifficultwork.
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Researchparticipantssuggestedthatschoolsbuilttheircapacitytorespondtothediverserangeofstudentandcommunityneedsandexpectationsbyaccessingthevariousservicesandcoursesavailablethroughotherproviders.Thisincreasedschools’deliverycapacity,andinturnenabledthemtoincreasestudentengagementandretentionthroughtheprovisionofabroadercurriculumofferings.Thekeyfeaturesofthiscurriculumofferingincludedstudents’accesstoabroaderrangeofVETandappliedlearningprogramsaswellastheirperceivedaccesstofuturetrainingandeducationpathwayoptions.
TheresearchdataindicatesthatstudentsinsecondaryschoolsacrossVictoria,SouthAustraliaandNewSouthWaleshadover80differentprogramstochoosefrom,rangingfromfurnituremakingtofinancialservices.Schoolswantedto“givetheguysoptionsforwhattakestheirfancy”(VETcoordinatorfromVictoria).Consequently,theroleoftheschool-providerpartnershipwouldbetodeliverthecoursescorrespondingwithstudents’choices.
Theavailabilityofarangeofprovidersorcourseoptionsclearlyinfluencedstudents’choicesandfutureeducationaloptions.Somestudentsemphasisedthattheircourseorsubjectchoiceprovidedafoundationfor“moreflexiblefutureoptions”anddidnot“lockthemin”asingularVETpathway:
IactuallydidprimaryindustriesbecauseI actuallythinkitwillhelpmeinthefuture thatIactuallywant.
I’mdoingCertificateIIIinagricultureandI’m notgoingtofollowthatfieldbutitwillhelpon aresumeforgettingintosomethinglikeVetScienceatuni.Itcontributestothat…
Theresearchdatasuggeststhatstudentsalsorecognisedthevalueoflearningwithdifferentprovidersandthecapacityfortheseprogramstokeepthemineducationlonger.StudentsindicatedthattheychosetheVETcoursebecauseitwasthebestoptionavailabletothemanditenabledthemtocaterfortheirinterests,suchasworkingwithchildrenoranimals,orinconstructionorhospitality.Severalstudentsexplainedtheirchoices:
Iprobablywould’vedroppedoutinYear10becauseIstartedVCALinYear10.That’stheonlyreasonIstayedatschool:tostayinthatclass.
Iwakeupeverymorningandjustbelike‘IfeelIcan’twaittocometoschoolbecauseIknowmyclassisgoingtobegood.’
Studentsconsideredtheappliedlearningpathwaytobeappropriateforthembecauseitprovidedabetterapproachtolearning.Inthewordsofonestudent,“(F)oralotofpeopleit’sthebestwaytolearn”.Itisconsideredtobeaneasierwaytostudy.
Theschoolworkwe’redoingiseasy.It’snotascomplexorconfusingasothersubjects,likescience.
SoIfoundthatthiswouldbeeasiertocopewiththat’seasierforme,Isuppose.Iunderstandit.
It’seasierbecauseit’swhatwewanttolearn.
Reported benefits:PartnershipsforVETprovisionhelptoincreasestudentengagementandretention
Reported benefits:Studentsthoughttheappliedlearningpathwayprovidedabetterapproachtolearning
RATIONALE TYPE 1: REPORTED BENEFITSAnanalysisofinterviewdatawithallresearchparticipantssuggeststhatthesepartnershipsforVETprovisionareimportantastheyenableschoolstoachievetheireducationaloutcomes,inparticularbyincreasingstudentengagementandretentioninthesenioryearsofschooling.
Appliedlearningwasseentoprovideabetterbalancebetweentheoreticalandpracticallearning,byenablingstudentstoseeandexperiencethepracticalapplicationoftheoreticalthinking.Theyalsopreferredtheexternallearningenvironment:
Whentheytreatyouasadults,youhavegottogrowupquicker.Otherwiseyouwon’twork.
TeachersatTAFEspeaktoyounotasastudentbutasaworker.
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SchoolsareawarethatindustryexposureisanimportantobjectiveofVETprograms,butfacedchallengesinorganisingwork-placements
RATIONALE TYPE 2: PROVIDING STRUCTURED WORK-PLACEMENTSMostschoolsinthestudyhadalsoestablishedpartnershipswithlocalbusinessestoprovidetheirstudentswithstructuredworkplacelearningopportunities.Structuredworkplacelearningison-the-jobtrainingduringschoolenrolmentwhereastudentisexpectedtomasterasetofskillsorcompetenciesthatmayleadtoanindustryspecificVETqualificationoraseniorsecondaryqualification(e.g.VCAL)thatisrecognisedthroughoutAustralia.
Theresearchdataindicatesthatlocalbusinesseswerethelargestnon-educationalpartnertobeinvolvedwithschools.Themajorityofindustrypartnerswereinvolvedaswork-placementprovidersforthecompulsorystructuredwork-placements.Oneoftheschoolprincipalsexplained:
Theotherbigoneisreallywithemployersinordertobeabletofindtheplacementsthatweneed.That’salmostaneverexpandingpoolIthinkbecausethere’ssignificantneedforplacementsandtheyhappeninallsortsofinterestingways.Sometimesit’sstudentsidentifyingtheirown;sometimesit’sushavingapool.
Themajorityofschoolscreatedthedatabasesofcurrentemployeesordealtwiththeirindustrybrokers.Someschoolsestablishedindustryboardsorindustrycoordinators:
OurIndustryConsultantwho’sbeenhereforalongtimeandIgooutonceatermandvisittheemployers.Mychallengeistogetsomeofthis
informationinsomedatathatwedon’tcurrentlyhavetobecollectedthroughdifferentmeans,butheisaconnectiontolotsofpeoplewithintheareaandknowsit,sothat’sasortofapartnershipthathehelpsussustain.
Onlyoneoftheinterviewedschoolshadestablishedaformalindustryboardattheschool;itincludedschoolstaffandthelocalindustryrepresentatives.Theboardassistedtheschoolwithplanninganddesigningvocationalcoursesandtraining.
Aformalindustryboardwhichturnedouttobethegreatest‘God-send’IthinkfortheCollegeintermsofstrengtheningthefuture(…)it’sgreattohavetheindustrytotestthatagainsttogetfeedbackfrom.
Itseemsthathavingbusinesspartnersorganisedinaformalisedwayenablesgreaterengagementintocurriculumandcoursedevelopment,butalsoprovidesmoreindustryexposureforyoungpeoplethroughmeetings,talksandpresentations.Ontheotherhand,theindustryalsobenefitsbyhavingaccesstoapoolofpotentialemployees.However,theformalinvolvementoflocalbusinesseswithintheschoolstructureswasanexception,asthemajorityofschoolsreliedonprivatecontactsofparentsandstudents.
Image from CSIRO
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Insum,itisclearfromtheresearchdatathattheschoolleadersunderstoodthatvocationalprogramsarecloselylinkedtoemploymentandpost-schoolingVETpathwaysandthatprovidingthesestudentswithindustryexposurewithintheVETpathwayoftheirchoiceshouldbeanimportantobjective.
Nevertheless,schoolsacknowledgedthatpartnershipswithemployersrequiredconstantattention:
You’vegottokeepyouremployersonboard.Thattakesalotofwork.You’vegottobesocarefulwiththem.You’vegottonurturethem.Ifyouhavetoomanykidsdroppingin,droppingout,theemployer’sgoing“I’dreallyliketosupportyoubutI’mnotthereatthemoment”.Soyou’vereallygottobuildthatwork-readinessupintheprogramandsteadilyputitoutthereforanindependentsortofinteractionbythestudent.
Anotherschoolrepresentativeadded:
There’salotofwearinessfromemployersfromtakingoncountlessnumbersofweeksbecauseanemployee,ahospitalityemployermighthaveuptofourorfiveplacementsthroughtheyearandthenthatrollsoneveryyear…
RATIONALE TYPE 2: REPORTED BENEFITSTheresearchshowsthatstructuredwork-placementsenabledstudentsto“getaheadstart”,getatastefordifferentindustries,anddeveloppersonally.Employerswereconsideredbyresearchparticipantstobeanimportantassetfortheschools,supportingthedevelopmentofavarietyofskillsandtheattainmentofemploymentoutcomes.
Reported benefits:Structuredwork-placementsenabledstudentsto“getaheadstart”,getatastefordifferentindustries,anddeveloppersonally.
Almostallschoolstaffagreedthatthestudentsenjoyedgoingonwork-placements.Thefocusgroupswithstudentsalsorevealedahighlypositivepictureoftheirexperiences.Thestudentsundertooktheirwork-placementsinaverydiverserangeofindustries:musicstudios,trades,earlylearningcentres,manufacturing,cafes,pharmacies,accountingfirms,libraries,farmsandbuildingsites.Themajorityofstudentsenjoyedtheirplacementsandsomereceivedjoboffersaftercompletingtheirplacements.
Studentsenjoyedgoingonwork-placementsandmostofthemhadahighlypositiveexperience.
Studentshaverecognisedawiderangeofbenefitsresultingfromtheirwork-placementsincludingthechancetodevelopavarietyofskills:
Wedoworkacrossallenvironments,weworkoutside,inside,domestic,wedosomecommercialworkandwedosolaranddata[…]whichisaveryexcitingthingbecauseI’mgettingawiderangeofexperienceacrossallfieldswhichwillhelpmedevelopmycareerandbecomequalified,whichiscool.
IdoitwithaCarpenterbuthedoesmorethanjustframing,hedoesmorelikeamaintenancethingsohedoesabroadamountofthingslikeroofing,plumbing,thatsortofstuff,whichisgood.SoI’vehadavarietyoftasksthatI’vedone,soit’sgoodI’mgettingalotofexperienceinalotofthings.
Itseemsthatsuchwork-placementswerenotonlyprovidingstudentswitha‘taste’ofindustrybuttheyalsobroadenedtheirexperiencesbeyondthoseevidentin‘trainingpackages’.2
Throughwork-placementsorschool-basedapprenticeshipprograms,studentsexploredjoboptionsinparticularoccupations.Theyvaluedtheopportunitytolearnnewskillsanddevelopknowledgeaboutworkplaces.Furthermore,somestudentsconsideredavocationalpathwaytobesuperiortothegeneralcurriculumpathwaybecauseit:encouragesthemtoworkoutwhattheywanttodoaftertheyleaveschool;enablesthemtobeemployedfulltimewhentheyleaveschool,providingthemwithincome;andprovidesthemwithworkexperienceandqualifications.
So,we’releaving(school)…furtherahead…withmoreexperience.
Weleavewiththequalification.Ifthey[VCEstudents]failovertherethey’vegotnothing…
They’reabouttoleaveschoolandtheydon’tknowwhatworkforceisgoingtobelike![referringtostudentsinthegeneralcurriculumpathway]
Studentsalsoexplainedthatworkingintheadultenvironment“madeyougrowupalotquicker”,asyouneedto“behavelikeanadultwhentheytreatyoulikeanadult”.
2 TrainingPackagesareoccupationalskillsstandardsagainstwhichtrainingdeliveryandassessmentofcompetencyisdeliveredforaspecificcourse.
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Somestudentsconsideredavocationalpathwaytobesuperiortothegeneralcurriculumpathway;theyfeltittobe“furtherahead”
AVETcoordinatoremphasisedtheimportancenotonlyofgainingexperienceindifferentworkplacesthrough‘taster’programsbutalsoofunderstandingthat“therulesaredifferent…expectationofdressisdifferent,expectationofsocialnormsandmannersaredifferent”.
Oneoftheschoolprincipalsexplainedtheimportanceof‘tasting’theworkingenvironment:
Tofindoutwhatit’sreallylikeintheworkforceandwhatitmeanstogetupeverydayanddothethingsthatyou’vegottodoandfindout‘isthisthecareerthatIwant?’…there’salotofdifferentfacetstothetradesthatthekidsdon’tnecessarilyunderstand.
Anotheraddedthatworkplacelearningenabledstudentstolearnaboutthevaluesdifferentworkplacesrepresented:
Someworkplaceswant[toknow]whattheireconomicgoalsarewhicharefinebusinessgoalsasopposedtowhat’sgoodforhumanbeings.Someofourbestworkplaceshavegotacommonsetofvalueswhichactuallyareabletoextract,whenwedothestudies,extractthebestoutofpeople…youmightcopabloodygreatmechanicthatunderstandsabitaboutcaringforpeoplebutthereareotherpeoplethatare[not].
Theaccesstosuchdiverseexperienceswithasupportiveschoolenvironmentwasseenasapositiveoutcomeforstudents.Somestudentsreportedthattheywere“betteroff”thanuniversitygraduates:
Peoplecangothroughfouryearsofuni,gettwoweeksintotheirjobandthenrealisetheydon’tlikeitandthenthere’sallthatmoneyandyearswastedbecausetheyhaven’thadexperienceinthefield.
Theindustryrepresentativesinterviewedforthepurposeofthisstudyappreciatedtheirowninputintotheprofessionalandpersonaldevelopmentofthoseyoungpeople:
Youcanmouldthem…those16yearsoldtheyarenotfixedyetonwhattheywant,whattheylike…youcanhelpthemformingtheir‘professionalself’.Wehelpthenmouldtheir‘professionalself’.Theyareyoungsoit’sbeneficial,astheyaremoreopenonlearningfromindustry.
Confidenceisthebenefit.YoulookatthosekidswhentheystartwithalltheheadsdownandlookatthemattheendofYear12,fullofconfidence,theyareallsetup.Allmatured.Theyknowtheirownvalue.
ABuildingandConstructionteachergaveanexampleofhowthework-placementprovedtobeapositiveexperienceforstudents:
Iwentoutandvisitedallmystudents[onwork-placements].It’samazinghowmanyofmyreallybadstudentsdoreallywellonworkplacement.Infact,oneofmyworststudentsisaYear12.Thebosswasactuallygoingtoofferhimajob.Hedisplayedsuchagoodattitudeonthejob.It’sjustthedifferencebetweensomewhocanprobablyapplythemselvesinarealworldsituationbutwhenthey’reinaschoolsituation,can’tseethevalueinitandcan’tbebothered.
Studentsalsofeltmoreconfidentfollowingeachindustryexposure:
Youfeelmoreconfidentaswell;sothemoreyoudoit,themoreconfidentyou’regonnaget.Sayeachplacement,itjustgetsawholeloteasier.
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RATIONALE TYPE 3: TAKING A WHOLE COMMUNITY APPROACHManyschoolleadersemphasisedtheimportanceoftheinvolvementoflocalcommunityorganisationsinschools,particularlywithintheVCALprogram,wherepersonaldevelopmentskillsareadvancedthroughcommunityprojects.Asthekeygoalofmanyofthesepartnershipsisthedevelopmentof“wellroundedyoungpeople”,“lifelonglearners”,and“communitycitizens”andpartnershipswiththelocalcommunity,thesepartnershipswereseenaseffectiveinengagingyoungpeopleinsocialissues.
There’salotofworkdonewiththecommunityandsometimesthat’salittlebitdependentontherelationshipsthatpeoplehavewithcommunitygroups.So,forexample,oneofourVCALteachersusedtoheadupStudentCouncilandsotheconnectionsthatshehashadwiththecommunityviatheStudentCouncilConnectionactually,shetranslatedthatintotheclassroomwork.Sometimesalotofpeoplearenowcontactingheraswellbecausethere’sthatrelationshipthat’sbeenformed.TheRedCrossisprobablyabitofapartnershipthere...we’vedonealotoffundraisingandsoonwiththeRedCross.They’vebeendoingsomework,withTimorLeste,whichsomeofthekidshavespokenabout,sothere’sconnectionsthere.
Reported benefits:Partnershipswithlocalcommunityhelpedtodevelop“wellroundedyoungpeople”,“lifelonglearners”and“communitycitizens”
Reported benefits:Partnershipswiththelocalcommunityhelpedtoincreasestudents’self-esteemandsenseofbelonging;strengthenedcommunicationskillsandaspirations.
Oneoftheexamplesofacommunitypartnershipgivenwasinorganisingalocalsurffestival:
Thisisanexemplarinvocationaleducationandcommunitypartnerships.Ithasbeeninpartnershipforthelasteightyears.Over120studentsareinvolvedeveryyear.Studentsareinvolvedineveryaspectoftheeventfromthecatering,multimediaandmarketingteams,judgingarea,photography,buildingthecompoundandadministration.Studentinvolvementincludeshospitality,media,photography,constructionandsoon…Hospitality–KitchenOperationsstudentsplan,prepareandcookallmealsforthefestival’sorganisationalcrewandthecorporatesponsorsthroughoutthe14daysoftheevent.Hospitality–FoodandBeveragestudentssetupforcateringfunctions,meetandgreetofficials,providetableservice,delivermealstoofficialsandjudgesandcommunicatewiththeKitchenOperationsstudentsonmealallocationsanddelivery.In2013oneofourstudentswasinvitedonthestrengthofhisperformancestoworkdirectlywithFuelTV.Thisinvolvedhiminliveinterviewsstreamedtoover2millionviewers.
RATIONALE TYPE 3: REPORTED BENEFITSTheresearchdatasuggeststwokeybenefits:students’personaldevelopmentandstudents’engagementwithschool.
Researchparticipantsidentifiedanumberofpersonaldevelopmentbenefitsincluding:students’increasedself-esteemandsenseofbelonging;strengthenedcommunicationskills;andthebuildingofstudents’aspirations.Thesepersonalandsocialskillsareanimportantelementinincreasingyoungpeople’ssuccessfultransitionsfromschooltoworkor furtherstudy.
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StudentsdescribedtheirinvolvementwiththelocalcommunityasoneofthepositiveoutcomesofbeinginvolvedwiththeVictorianCertificateofAppliedLearning.OneofthestudentswhowasaskedabouttheadvantagesofdoingVETinschoolsexplained:
WithVCALwecanjustgetoutanddostuff,socialisemore.Wearealsoreallyinvolvedwiththecommunity.WegoovertotheAgedCareCentreacrosstheroad.We’veputonlunchesandgoneoverthereandtalkedtothemfortheday.
Throughtheirinvolvementindifferentcommunityprojects,studentshadanopportunitytohelptheelderlyinagedcare,thehomeless,andpeoplelivinginremoteaboriginalcommunities:
WewenttoMelbourneandhelpedoutwiththehomelesspeopleinMelbourne.Yeah.It’sthrough St.Vinnies.
Weorganizedacamp,whichisoutsideofBourkeontheQueenslandNewSouthWalesborder.Well,it’saremoteAboriginalcommunityandwegoupthereandworkwithaCatholicprimaryschoolthatdoesn’thavealotlikewehavehere.
Ourclassprojectatthemoment,we’reraisingmoneytosendstuffoverinshippingcontainerstosendtoTimorLesteforunderprivilegedclassesandstuff;insteadofjustwritingaboutit,sowe’vebeenoutdoingevents,fundraisersandstufftotryandgetmoneytofundeverything.Wejustrecentlywentandboughtawholeheapofstufftoshipover.
Researchparticipantsconsideredtheintegrationofsuchactivitiesintheschoolprogramincreasedstudents’understandingofculturalvaluesandsocialdiversityanddeepenedtheirknowledgeofcommunityissuesandsolutions.
Reported benefits:“Handson”programsareseentoleadtostrongerengagementwithschool
Themoreactive‘handson’programsareseentoleadtostrongerengagementwithschool,especiallywhenthecommunitypartnershipsresultininnovativeandcreativeendeavours.OneoftheCatholicschoolsinNSWdevelopedastrongpartnershipwithGoogleandaknownmarineactivistbypartneringontacklinglocalenvironmentissues.Aspartoftheproject,studentshadtobuildanunderwaterrobot,aroboticmachinethatwouldbeoperatedfromtheinsideofthebiosphere.Therobotoperationsweretobebroadcastvia‘Googleclassroom’acrosstheworld.Theschoolprincipalsawmanybenefitsforstudents:
Sowe’vegotamodelherethat’sinnovativeenoughwherewe’vegotthemworkingonprojectsthataresodifferentandinteresting thatitmakesthemwanttogobackandlearn allthebasicskillssotheycanbeengagedin thebigproject.
Thispartnershipwasperceivedassuccessfulbecauseitengagedstudentswiththemetalengineeringindustry;ittranslatedtheprogressionfrombasicskillsknowledgetoinnovation,andprovidedstudentswithotherimportantskills,suchasnetworkingandvideoconferencing.
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RATIONALE TYPE 4: ENSURING ACCESS AND EQUITYSchoolsserveaverydiverserangeofstudentsdependingontheirlocation,SEScatchmentarea,numberofindigenousstudents,andschoolsector.Theschoolslocatedinhighlydisadvantagedcommunitieswithlargeenrolmentsofstudentsfromlow-SES,refugeeorindigenousbackgroundsemphasisedtheimportanceofpartnershipsthathelpedreducedisadvantageandwhichwereunderpinnedbyspecificvalues:
Sothere’salotinmentoringthatshouldbedonethroughAppliedLearning…there’sadifferentsetofcodesthatyoucanrelatetoandthosecodeshelpthatyoungpersondefinethemselvesinawaythatintheschoolsettingtheycouldn’tbecausetheycouldn’tcrackthecode.
Whenyougotoworkplacesyou’vegotpeoplesoyou’vegottotakescaffoldsoffforsocialresilience,forsomekidsyou’vegottogotoaworkplacewhereyou’vegotakindmanthat’sgoingtoreallymentorthem.
Reported benefits:PartnershipsforVETandappliedprogramshelpedamelioratetheeffectsofdisadvantage
OneoftheVETcoordinatorsinterviewedforthisstudyemphasisedtheimportanceofVETintermsofaddressingandminimisingthedisadvantagethestudentsbringwiththem:
WepushtowardsVETandpartnerships tosolvetheproblemsofourkidsoflow socio-economicstatus.
Insomecases,someindustrypartnersassumedtheroleofamentor:
WelltheygottheManagerfromTargetupandshe’stakenonthreeKoorikids,shedoesn’tjudgethem,shenursesthem,shescaffoldsthem,sheunderstandsabitaboutthem,she’scomefrompovertyherself,shegetsthebestoutofthem,shecelebratestheirsuccess,she’sabeautyandshe’saManagerofTarget.Sothat’swhatwe’vegottoreallyembraceIreckon,thatinstitutionsandorganisationshavegottohavesomesortofvalueandsenseofaltruisticpurpose.
Anotherschoolwithabout50indigenousstudentspartneredwiththelocalindustrybroker,whowassuccessfulingettingadditionalfundingfortheplacementprogramforindigenouskids.Theschoolleadershipemphasizedthatbuildinglinksbetweencurriculumandstudentwelfarewaspartoftheir“obligationtoengageandbuildresiliencesotheseyoungpeoplecanbeprovidedwithbroaderperspectives.”
Schoolsrespondedtotheneedsoftheirmostdisadvantagedstudentsbyhelpingthemtodevelopessentialskillsthroughtheprovisionofeducationalopportunitiesmadeavailablethroughawidevarietyofcollaborativepartnerships.
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Alotofthesekidsgetexposedtoillegalactivity.Someliveonthestreet.Theschoolistheironlyplaceofsecurityandwarmthandnurturing.Onthebrightersideitgivesyouamassivepotentialtodothemostmarvellousprogramswiththekidsandthecommunity.Thepotentialisenormous.
Oneschoollocatedinaseverelylowsocio-economicstatusareaintroducedanearlyVETcommencementoption,toenableyoungerstudents,whowereunlikelytoenrolinVET(14-15yearsofage)toaccessvocationallearning:
Theearlieryougetthemunderstandingthesystemofworkthebetterforthesekids.We haveatransitionadvisor,somethingthatotherschoolsdonothave,andwehaveanengagementofficertomakesurethatitworksforeverysinglekidregardless.
Oneoftheschoolprincipalsalsoaddedthataccessandequitypartnershipsenabletheschool“tounderstandourstudentsandwhatsupportsareoutthere”.Varioussportingclubswereengagedwithschools“todevelopourrefugeestudents,particularlyourindependentminorsandindependentrefugeestobuildtheirconnectionswithintheschoolandoutsidetheschool”(SchoolPrincipalfromVictoria).Mentoringprogramsweredevelopedincooperationwithsportingclubstotrainstudentsandconnectthemtotheirlocalculture:
Forkidswhodon’thaveparents,whomaynothaveanyfamilyinAustralia,they’vegotalinkoutsideofschoolbecausetypicallyourrefugeekidscometoschoolbecausethisisaplacewheretheybelong…
Reported benefits: Collaborativepartnershipslinkedcurriculumandwelfareandhelpedbuildresilience
RATIONALE TYPE 4: REPORTED BENEFITSTheresearchdatasuggestthatthroughpartnerships,schoolsareabletodevelopstrongnetworkswithcommunityorganisationstosupportequityinitiativesfordisadvantagedstudentsordisengagedstudents.
Forexample,someschoolsengagedyouthworkerswhoworkedacrossagenciestobroadentheresourcebasefortheireducationaldelivery.OneoftheschoolsinSouthAustraliaorganisedschooltripswithyouthworkers,includingvisitsinAboriginalcommunitiesandrainforestwalks.Thestudentsstayedinyouthhostelstohaveaccesstodifferentexperiences:
…tomeetotherpeopleofdifferentnationalitieswhichtheyfoundreallyinterestingandthegirlsgottocooktogetherandworkinabigkitchenandjusthavepeoplearoundthem,IjustfeltthattheygotmorebenefitandmorelifeskillsfromthatthanstayinginaCabinorstayinginaHotel.
Somestudentsreflectedonhowtheprogramaffectedtheirsocialskills:
It’sgivenmealotmoresocialskillsandabletobemoreopenwiththepublicandstuff.Beabletotalkinsteadofjust(sitting)quietlyawayinthecorner.IthinkwhenIfirstcamehereIwasthatshythatIcouldn’tspeaktoanyonebutwiththeactivitiesthattheydidduringtheyear,ithasbroughtoutsomeofthatconfidence.Icanbearound...Icangoinsideaclassandbemyselfinsteadofbeingthatshylittlegirlinthecorner.
Ifoundtheprogramishelpingmetogainmoreconfidence.LikeIusedtonevertalktoanyonebut...IusedtosticktothepeopleIknowbutnowbecauseoftheVCALprogram,it’shelpedmegainmoreconfidencetotalktoothers.
Researchparticipantsconsideredthesepartnershipsasimportantbecausetheybuildschools’capacitytodevelopcriticalrelationshipsbetweenstudents,theirfamiliesandlocalcommunityorganisationsthatarenecessaryforpersonal,academicandvocationaldevelopment.Indeed,theseexamplesareconsistentwiththeideaof‘linkingsocialcapital’(WorldBank2000)whereverticaltiesarebuiltbetweenthedisadvantagedinthecommunityandthosewithinfluence.Theseareimportantlinksastheystrengthensocialcapitalandmaybeleveragedto getabetterjoborbetteropportunities.Image from Flickr
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3.2.1 SCHOOL CONTEXTS
Asshownabove,therewasalargevarietyofpartnersinvolvedinschools,butthepartnershipsplayeddifferentrolesdependingontheschoolcontextandapproachtoappliedlearning.
Figure6illustratesthemaintrendsinthetake-upofeachprogramtypeacrossthethreejurisdictions.Atschoolswhereasmallnumberofstudentswereenrolledinappliedlearning/VETprograms,amixofdifferentoptionswasofferedforsmallgroupsofstudentsinallcategoriesofprograms.InrelationtoVET,acleartrendisshown,withVETbeingdominantwherelargenumberofstudentswereinvolved,withover70%ofrespondentsfromthecategory‘morethan50’selectingVETasthemostpopularoption.TheoppositetrendisvisibleforFLO,whichdecreaseswiththelargergroupsofstudentpopulationatschool.
Fromtheinterviewswithschools,weseethatschoolsserveaverydiverserangeofstudentsdependingontheirlocation,SEScatchmentarea,numberofindigenousstudents,andschoolsector.
Ireckonthatthosekidsyouinterviewedyesterday70%areinasemi-povertytopovertysortofarea.Soyouhaven’tgotmanyfamiliestherethatwouldownahouse,havebeeninregularjobs,likedon’tpaytheirfees.
Weessentiallytakeanybody.Soatthefirstlevelweenrolanybody;wedon’tsay‘no,you’renotwelcomehere’.It’spartofourresponsibilityandwe’requiteproudofthefactthatwetrytocaterforandaccommodateallstudents.
Oneoftheschoolprincipalsexplainedthattherewasanincreasingnumberofappliedlearnersinthegovernmentsystemasaresultof‘residualisation’(thegovernmentschoolingsectoristheresidualsectorthattakesstudentswhoarenotenrollinginindependentandCatholicschools,see:Lamb(2007))andanincreaseinthecompulsoryschoolage:
Ithinkwithinoursector,there’ssomeresidualisationgoingon...ingovernmentschools...inthelastprobably3-5yearsalotmoremiddleclassfamiliesaremakingadecisiontosendtheirkidsintotheindependentandCatholicsector...andthenalliedwiththatwe’vehadachangeintheleavingageforkids.Thosecoupleofthingshaveresulted,Ireckon,inachangeofourclienteleandprobablymorekidsthatarewellsuitedtotheVCALprogramratherthanthe VCEprogram.
Theneedsofthestudentswithspecialneedsandfromdisadvantagedbackgroundsalsoimpactedonschools’philosophyandresources:
Wellwe’vegotafairlyhighrefugeepopulationandwithinthatgroupwealsohaveanumberofstudentswhoarerefugeeminorsorrefugeeswhowererefugeeminorswhoarenowindependent,sotheydon’thaveanyextendednetworksbeyondtheschool.WealsohaveKooristudentshere,atthemomentwe’vegotaboutseventeenandtheyhavequitedistinctneedsthatareoftendifferentfromtherestofthepopulation.
Partnerships’objectivescorrespondedwiththelevelofdisadvantage,numberofrefugeeorindigenousstudents andlocation
Figure 6 Students involved in applied learning/VET/FLO – all responses
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“Employabilityskills”suchasworkinginateam,problemsolvingandcommunicationwereconsideredtobeatopbenefitforstudentsofVETandappliedlearningprograms
Theruralorregionallocationalsoinfluencedthecontextofeducationalprovision:
Veryrural,somajorityofstudentsarebussedinfromruralkindofareas.It’sabigcatchmentarea.Between950and1,000enrolment-itwas fundedunderthelowsocio-economicstatus[fundingprogram].
TounderstandtherationaleandphilosophyoftheVETofferedintheschools,thesurveyalsoaskedrespondentstoidentifythetypeofstudentbenefittingthemostfromtheseprograms. Thethreetypeswiththehighestlevelofbenefitwere:(1)studentsseekingpathwaystoemploymentuponleavingschool;(2)studentsseekingtrainingpathwaysthroughaTAFEorVETprovideruponleavingschool;and(3)studentsseekinganapprenticeship(seeFigure7above).Itisclearfromtheseresponsesthattheschoolleadersunderstoodthatvocationalprogramsarecloselylinkedtoemploymentandthepost-schoolingVETpathwayandthatprovidingstudentswithindustryexposurewithintheVETpathwayoftheirchoiceshouldbeanimportantobjective.
AscanbeseeninFigure8,thehighestbenefitsresultingfrominvolvementinappliedlearning/VET/flexiblelearningoptionsprogramswere‘employabilityskills’suchasworkinginateam,problemsolvingandcommunication,withover80%ofrespondentsselectingthisbenefit.
Responsesindicating‘increasedconfidence’(over70%ofresponses)and‘improvedunderstandingofcareerpathways’(69%),‘increasedlikelihoodofcompletingYear12’(67%)and‘increasedengagementinlearning’(66%)ratedhighly.
Figure 7 Groups of students benefitting from applied learning/VET/FLO – all responses in category ‘high degree of benefit’
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Figure 8 Extent to which students experience a high degree of benefit from participation in applied learning/VET/FLO – all responses
Figure 9 Ten most popular programs –all responses (N)
Thesebenefitswerearesultofinvolvementinpracticalandhands-onactivities(85%),flexibleapproachtolearning(81%)andtheopportunitytolearninworkplaceandcommunitysettings(79%).Thesethreeaspectswereidentifiedbythemajorityofrespondentsansweringquestion13ofthesurvey:Whataspectsoftheappliedlearning/VET/flexiblelearningdoyouthinkfacilitatethemostbenefitforstudents’learningandengagement?
3.3. WHAT PROGRAMS ARE OFFERED AND WHY?
TheresponsesfromschoolsindicatedthataverybroadrangeofVETandappliedlearningprogramswereoffered,withover80differentprogramsbeingnamedbytherespondents,includingplumbing,publicsafety,justice,andcabinet-making.Figure9showsthetenmostpopularcoursesoffered,withHospitality,BuildingandConstructionandEngineeringbeingamongthemostpopularinallthreejurisdictions.
AverybroadrangeofVETandappliedlearningprogramswereoffered,withover 80differentprogramsnamedbytherespondents.
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Fromtheoptionalqualitativeanswers(N=205) givenregardingthequestionontheselectionandnumberofVETprogramsoffered,manyresponsesweresimilarinsuggestingthattheirobjectivewas toprovide“anyVETiScoursethatstudentswouldliketoattendatanyTAFE”andthattheir“offervariedfromyeartoyear,basedonstudentneed orinterest”.
OneoftheVETcoordinatorsinterviewedforthisprojectexplainedthatstudentsandparentswereimportantininfluencingtheschool’sofferings:
Thestudentsnowareprettysavvy.Theywantthebestpackageforthemselves…themajorplayersarethestudents.Theywantvariety.Theywanttoexperiencewhatisonoffer,becausetheirmatesatotherschoolsareexperiencingthat…parentsthesedaysareshoppingaround.
Somequalificationswerethoughttobemoredesirable,forexamplehospitality:
It’salsodrivenbystudentinterestandstudentemploymentintheareas.Sofrommyunderstandingofwhystudentschoosehospitality,it’snotanareatheywanttogointobuttheywantaCertificateIIbecausewhentheygotounitheydon’twanttojustbeworkingatColesorWoolworths,theywanttoworkinarestaurant,itseesthemaroundthecountry,theycantakeitwiththem.Theytravelwiththecertificateandit’salsorecognisable,apparentlyI’vebeentold,intheUK.
Students’choicesweredrivingtheofferingsbutcompetitionbetweentheschoolsforstudentswasanotherfactor:
AlotofschoolsintheregionareofferinglotsofVETcertificates.Soasapathway,ifwe’renotkeepingupwiththerestoftheschools,we’redisadvantagingourstudents.Someofourstudentsmighthaveleftthecollegebecausethey’velookedaroundandthought,“Thiscollege,fiveminutesfrommyhomeisofferingthesecertificates,thiscollegeisnot”.
VETofferingsaredrivenmostlyby studentdemand
Manystudentssawthemselvesasa“hands-onperson”anddidnotseethegeneralacademicpathwayasbeingsuitableforthem.
Ananalysisofthefocusgroupinterviewdatahasidentifiedseveralfactorsinfluencingstudents’choiceofappliedlearningorVETpathway.Manystudentsexpressedconcernsaboutthedemandsofthegeneraleducationpathway.Theworkwasconsideredtobetoohard,asitwasoverlytheoretical,textbookfocusedandpaperbased.
‘CauseIthinkthepressuresoftheotherschoolweretoomuchandthisisjustabetteroption.Yougetmoreexperiencefromit.
Probably‘causeit’smoreevenwithpracticalandtheory.It’snotalltheorybasedwhichmakesitreallystressful.Whenthere’sevenbalance,Ireckonit’seasier,becauseit’snotallfocusedononething.
Furthermore,studentsconsideredthatassessment,whichfocusesonexaminations,assignmentsandessaywriting,wasabarriertotheirparticipationintheacademiccurriculum.Theyreportedthattheheavyworkloadandhomeworkrequirementmadeitdifficultforthemtoworkpart-timeandtohavealifeoutsideoftheschool.
IchosethisbecauseIneverreallyenjoyedstudyingasmuch.IneverusedtobereallygoodatschoolbeforeVCAL,soIfoundthatthiswouldbeeasierformetocopewith.
Adominantthemeemergingfromstudents’responseswasthebenefitsoftheappliedapproachtolearning.Studentsconsideredtheappliedlearningpathwaytobeappropriateforthembecauseitprovidedabetterapproachtolearning.Manystudentsalsosawthemselvesas“ahands-onperson”.
Thestudents’perceptionofthemselvesaslearnersalsoinfluencedtheirdecisiontoselectappliedlearningsubjects.Someofthestudentssuggestedthatastheywere“badlearners”and“notgoodatschool”,theywouldnotpursuetheuniversitypathway.
WellI’veneverbeenlikethetypetositdownanddoessaysandallthat,soIsortofknewfromthestart.I’vealwaysbeenahands-onperson,Ilikebeingoutside,social,soIjustthoughtVCALwastherightopportunity.
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Consequently,withoutalternatives,thegoalforsomeofthesestudentswasto“getout”orleaveschoolandfindwork.
Studentsindicatedthattheychosetheappliedlearningpathwaybecauseitwasthebestoptionavailabletothem.Thereareindicationsthatstudentsmadethedecisiontodoappliedlearningasearlyasyear7.Theappliedlearningpathwayallowsthemtopursuelearningthatisrelevanttotheirinterestsandtolifeandliving.Studentssuggestedthattheappliedlearningpathwayenabledthemtoapplytheirlearningintheireverydaylife,forexampleinprovidingemployabilityskills.
Thepositiveresponsetotheappliedlearningapproachwascapturedwellbyonestudent’sobservationthat“guidedlearning”wassuperiorto“justbeingtaught”.Somestudentssuggestedthattheyshouldhaveaccesstoappliedlearningcourses,includinganincreasednumberofworkplacements,atanearlierstage.
Students’acknowledgementofthestrengthsofthepedagogyunderpinningappliedlearningreflectsthesuccessoftheuseofappliedlearningapproachesasastudentengagementstrategy.Thisstrategyprovidesstudentswhoareunabletoidentifywiththegeneralschoolcurriculum,withanalternativewaytolearnthroughexperiential,hands-on,activelearningandwork-basedlearningapproaches.However,students’responsessupportthecasemadebyBlakeetal(2007)forre-conceptualisinglearninginsecondaryeducationtoincorporateabroaderdiversityofapproachestolearning.
Afinalissuetoemergerelatedtothewaysinwhichprogramofferingswereselected,bothbyschoolsandbystudents.Tobegin,itwasnotedthatthechoiceofprogramswasoftenheavilydependentonwhatwasavailablelocally,bothintermsofprogramchoiceandemployeroptions:
InthecontextofAustralia...thereisahuge,vastlandandtheaccesstovocationaleducationprogramsissometimeslimited,especiallywhenyou’refarawayfromTAFEsandyoudon’thavethatsamechoice….
Theothercontingencyisthatweneedtonegotiatewithalltheschoolsintheareabecausethereisalimitationofemployerstoprovideacceptableworkplacement….
3.4. VET PROVISION AND RESOURCES
ThesurveyaskedseveralquestionsabouttheprocesseswithintheschoolsregardingtheprovisionofappliedlearningandVETprograms.Question10askedtowhatextenttheprocessofaccessingtheseprogramswasunderstood,andthemajorityofschools(86%)agreedthatitwas‘verywell’or‘mostly’understood(seeFigure10).
Figure 10 Extent to which the process of accessing applied learning/VET/FLO understood – all responses
Over100respondentsalsoaddedadditionalcommentsontheunderstandingoftheseprogramsintheirschools.Somecommentswereverypositive:
Theorganisationhasagoodunderstanding ofVET.WehavefantasticsupportfromtheExecutiveandRTOcoordinator.Generalstaff haveagoodunderstandingofthebenefitsof VETformanystudents.
TheCollegeRTOisverysupportiveandwellinformedandholdsregularmeetingswitheachschoolinthediocese.InformationiswelldistributedthroughtheschoolatInformationEveningsandthroughtargetedstudentcounselling–one-on-onesessionswithparentspresent.However,duetothecostofTVETprograms–wedonotadvertisethesecourses/programswidely.SBATprogramsareadvertisedthroughYears8,9,10,11andusetheresourcesavailablethroughStateTrainingServicesandtheweb.
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Somerespondentscommentedonmorenegativeexperiences:
VEToptionsareviewedbymanystaffandparentsassomewheretohidethedummies.Seenasthepoorsisterofgoingdirectlytouni.
MostknowtheATARpath,buthavelimitedinformationconcerningotherpathways.
Aspecialistcounsellordealswiththeseprograms.Generally,staffhavealimitedknowledgeaboutoptions.
Thesurveyalsoenquiredabouttheskillssetsrequiredofteacherstoimplementpartnershipseffectively.Figure11showsthethreeattributeswhichassistedteacherswithpartnershipsandwhichwereregardedashighlysignificantbythemajorityofrespondents:capacityofteacherstouseappliedlearningtorespondtoindividuallearningneeds;abroaderconceptionoflearning;andcapacitiesinnetworkingandcommunitypartnerships.
Threetopattributeswhichassistedteachersinpartnerships:(1) capacitytouseappliedlearning
torespondtoindividualneeds(2) abroaderunderstanding
of‘learning’(3) networkingwithcommunity
Figure 11 Highly significant attributes needed to implement partnerships effectively – all responses
Question20ofthesurveyaskedtherespondentstoindicatetowhatextentsomeorganisations/networksplayedaninitiatingroleinestablishingpartnerships.Thebiggestplayerininitiatingpartnershipswasschoolsthemselves,withalmost65%ofschoolrepresentativesclaimingthattheirschool’sownnetworkingplayedthemostsignificantrole.
Themotivatedteacher(champion)aswellasschool’sownnetworkingplayedahighlysignificantroleininitiatingandmaintainingpartnerships
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Thesurveyalsoaskedabouttheroleofselectednetworksorpeopleinmaintainingthepartnerships(Figure12).Thethreetopanswersagainpointedtoschools’ownresourcesinmaintainingthesepartnerships.Overhalfoftherespondentssaidthatamotivatedteacherintheschool(champion)aswellastheschool’sownnetworkingplayedahighlysignificantrole.Theroleofaschoolchampionwasasignificantfactorforsustainedsuccessintheschoolswevisited.ThisisconsistentwiththevisionofHedleyBeareinhiswork–Howweenvisageschoolinginthe21stCentury(2006).Hebelievedthataninnovativeschoolwasabletocreateanetworkofrelationshipsthroughasignificantroleof“thePrimeMover”.
Themajorityofrespondentspointedoutthatprofessionalassociationsofemployers,IndustrySkillsCouncilsandtheAppliedLearningTeacherAssociationhadnoroleininitiatingandmaintainingpartnerships.
Whenasked(Figure13)aboutthebarrierstotheeffectiveimplementationofpartnerships,almostthree-quartersofrespondentsagreedthatlimitedfinancialresourcesandlimitedhumanresourceswerethetwomostsignificantfactors.
Additionally,overhalfoftherespondentsaddedthatteacherswereoverloaded.
Thegreatestbarriersforeffectiveimplementationofpartnershipsare:limitedfinancialresources,limitedhumanresources,andteachers beingoverloaded.
Figure 12 Highly significant attributes needed to maintain partnerships – all responses
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Over75%ofrespondentswouldliketofurtherexpandtheirapplied/VETprogramsinthefuture.
Itisclearfromtheseresponsesthatschoolshavealeadingroleinformingandupholdingthepartnerships,buttheyfeelthemselvestobeunderhugefinancialandmanagementpressure.Someselectedcommentsprovidedbytheschoolrespondentsconfirmthat:
Theeverincreasingpaperworkandyearlyauditsmakeitconsiderablydifficultforteacherstoformthesepartnerships/relationships.Weareallocatedverylittlefundingandcannotaffordthetimetomaketheseconnections.
VETinschoolsisoutofcontrolwiththepaperworkwhichisexpectedtobecompletedbyateacher.ComparingittoanHSCsubject-VETisridiculous.
Timeconstraints,teachingstaffbeliefthat learningtakesplaceintheclassroom,thereforearereluctanttoreleasestudentswhenopportunitiesoutsideschoolarisethroughpartnerships,e.g.try-a-tradedays,workskills,workexperience,workplacement.
Ifindthebiggestbarrieristheassessmentandreportingofcompetencies.Theformsofassessmentandtriangulationofassessmentin aneducationalsettingrestrictthetimeofstaff. ThecostofTVETcoursesisabarrier.VeryexpensiveforCatholicschools.
Overthreequartersofrespondentswouldliketofurtherexpandtheirapplied/VETprogramsinthefuture.Someselectedcommentsfromthesurveyincluded:
WewouldliketooffermoreVETcoursesatourschool.Weneedtobothfindappropriateteacherstotrainandcontinuetospendmoneyonappropriatefacilities.
WouldliketooffermoresubjectsatschoolthroughmoreRTOsthathaveindustryconnections;wouldliketoexpandonmorecommunitypartnershipsthataremoreconnectedtoindustriesthatintereststudents.
Moreprogramsforstudentsatriskofdisengagementatyears9-10.
VEToptionsarestilllimited,mostlythesametraditionalonesasalwaysandcurrentlytheofferingsarediminishingduetoSkillsforAll;noteverystudentwantstoparticipateinthisscheme,iftheydon’ttherearenotmanyoptionsforthemthatarecosteffectivealternatives.
Figure 13 Highly significant barriers to effective implementation of partnerships – all responses
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3.5. QUALITY OF VET PROVISION
Somestudentsexpressedconcernsregardingthequalityofvocationalprogramsdeliveredbyexternalpartners.Arangeoffactorswasmentionedaffectingthequalityoftheirlearningexperiences,forexample,thequalityofteaching:
We’rere-learningeverythingthatwealreadylearntlastyearbecausetheteacherdidn’tkeeptrackofwhatwelearnt.Sowe’renotlearninganythingnew.We’rejustre-learning…
Theydon’tseemtogiveyouenoughworkontheactualcourse.Itseemsliketheydon’tknowwhatthey’redoing.
TAFEhasbeenabitofamixedbag.
Someschoolrepresentativesidentifiedseveralkeyconcerns(suchasthefrequentstaffturnover,theunpredictabilityoffundingandcommunicationbetweenpartners)ashindrancestotheeffectivenessofVETdelivery.
Mybiggestproblem[is]withtheexternalproviders,Ican’tkeeptrackofwhatthestudentsarelearninguntiltheendoftheyear.Ithinkqualityhasbeenverypoor.
ManyschoolssuggestedthatVETdeliverywasexpensiveandthequalitydependedonfundinglevels:
It’sdefinitelymoreresourceintensiveandIthinkit’sthatthequalityhasbeensacrificedbytakingthefundingoutofthatbecausetodoitwellyouactuallydoneedtohavesmallerclasssizes,youneedtodeveloptherelationshipsmuchmoreinaVCALclassthanyoudoinaVCEclass.
Nevertheless,oneoftheRTOrepresentativesexplainedthatthereweresomehighqualityTradeTrainingCentresatschoolswhich,combinedwithspecialisedteachingstaff,providedrealpracticalqualityskills:
Theintegrityoftheprogramandtherealoutcomesthatareachievableandthentakentoanemployerandsaying,“ThisiswhatIhaveproduced”-theseemployersarelookingatitandsaying,“wow”.Infactitwillpushthemtothefrontofthequeue,andthatiswhatwewant,wewanttobeabletoofferindustryqualitypersonnelcomingthrough.
Employersalsocommentedthatthroughhavingcloserlinkswithschoolstheywereabletomonitortheleveloftrainingdeliveredatschoolandensurethatqualitycontinuedonthework-placement:
Wecanmonitortheirtrainingthroughwork-placementsandchecktheirquality.Weknowwhatthey’velearntwhentheycomefromthisschool,whilewhenthosewhofinishanursingdegreeatunitheyhavenoideaaboutindustryandhowtodispensemedication.
3.6. HOW VET AND APPLIED LEARNING PROGRAMS FIT IN SCHOOLS
Therewereseveralcommentsmadeduringtheinterviewswithschoolleadersrelatedtothedominanceoftraditionalschoolstructuresandthe“fit”oftheVETprogramswithinthesestructures.OneoftheschoolprincipalsfromNSWexplained:
Ithinkthat’soneofthebiggestchallengesthatthere’sbeenalackofrecognitionofhowthisimpactsonaschoolstructureandtheynolongerapplyandthat’stheproblem.AndsowhatyouhaveisteacherswhoareinvolvedinVETandaschoolhastotryandswellstructurestomeettheneedswithouttheactualstructureschanging.There’sfourVETteachers,theyareservingtwomasters.It’stheBoardofStudiesinNewSouthWales,it’stheBoardofStudiesintermsofHSCrequirementsandallofthosesortsofthings,aswellasASQAandwhatit’srequiring.
Therewasasuggestionthatschoolsneedtore-structuretoaccommodatetheVETprovisionforittobeeffective.Thelargeadministrativerole,timetablingissuesandbudgetaryconsequenceswereamongthechallengesremaining.Someschoolswerestilltryingtocomprehendhowthetwo‘systems’co-existed.
Schoolsareverystructuredplaces,very,verystructured.I’mtalkingaboutalltheVET,abouthowtherigidstructureintheschooldoesn’treallyworkwithit.
Similarly,theplaceofalternativeprogramswithin theschoolsinSouthAustraliahasalsobeena talkingpoint:
…alternativeprogramsoftenlackstructureandIthinkoftenit’sbecauseyouthink‘wellitdidn’tworkwellwiththestructurewithintheschoolsothereforeyoucan’thaveatwo-structuredprogram’,whereasinactualfacthavingthatstructureisreallyimportantbecauseifyou don’thaveitthenthedisengagementhappensmorereadily.
Nevertheless,itseemsthatthemajorityofschoolshavemovedVETandappliedlearningprogramsfromthemarginstobecomeakeycomponentofmoderncomprehensiveseniorsecondaryeducation.However,ithasrequiredanincreasednumberofhumanandfinancialresources.
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3.7. LEADERSHIP
Throughoutthestagesofthisresearch,severalimportantpointsweremadeabouteducationalleadershipasitpertainedtotheprovisionofVET,appliedandflexiblelearningatnational,state-wideandschoollevels.
National leadership
Firsttherewerecommentsreferringtothesectoringeneralatnationalandstate-widelevels–issuesthatextendbeyondtheschoollevel.Highamongsttheseweretopicsreceivingnationalmediaattention,especiallyconcernsaboutthedeleteriouseffectsofprogressivederegulationintheVETsector,notablytheintroductionof‘contestability’(fieldnotes,14June2013;9October2014;25November2015).Contestabilitywasintendedtoopenthetrainingmarkettoprivateinvestmenttoincreaseavailableprovidersandraisecoursequalityandcreatepricingcompetition.Asaresult,over5000RegisteredTrainingOrganisations(RTOs)nowoperateacrossthenation(Hetherington&Rust2013).
RTOsarereportedtobe“providersofquality-assuredandnationallyrecognisedtrainingandqualifications”bytheAustralianSkillsQualityAuthority(ASQA),butintervieweessuggestedtheirqualityvariesconsiderably.Addingtoconcernsweremediareportshighlightingdisreputablepracticesoccurringacrossthesector,includinginsolventtradingandenrolmentpracticesthatpreyonvulnerablestudentsthroughmisleadingclaimsandenticinginducements.Therewereconcernsthatsome‘for-profit’RTOswerenotreliableandmaynotbelong-termplayersinthemarket.Furthermore,employersareexpressingalossoffaithinthequalityofAustralia’strainingqualificationsduetotheinstabilityofproviders,thevaryingqualityoftrainingcourses,andgraduates’lackofskillproficiencyandwork-readiness(seeforexample,Hetherington&Rust2013;TheSenateEducationandEmploymentReferencesCommittee2014;Trounson2013).
Anunintendedconsequenceofderegulationhasbeenmassivefunding‘blowouts’astheVETmarketwasunleashedtomarketforces(Hetherington&Rust2013).ThishasresultedindrasticannualfundingreductionsthathavebeenbornlargelybythepublicTAFEsector.TheimpactonTAFEshasbeensignificant,withinstitutionalclosures,coursecutbacksandreductionsinstaffingnumbers–withregionalandruralTAFEsbeingthemostseverelyaffected.Researchrespondentswereconcernedaboutthecorollaryimpactonservicesavailabletoschools.Further,mediareportsthatquestionthesector’sreputationforqualityandreliability,similarlyproducesproblemsforVET,appliedandflexiblelearningprovisionsinschools.
Intervieweesbelievedthatnationalresponseswererequired,includingastablesystemofhumancapitalinvestmentinVETandappliedandflexiblelearningforschools.Sentimentsincludedtheneedformoretraineesforasustainablesupplyofvocationalskills,withaspecialinjectionoffundingrequiredforareasofcurrentskillsshortages.Further,thestrongviewwasthatVETfundingneedstobecommittedforthelongerterm.Short-termfundingisseentopresentlonger-termsocialandeconomicproblemsforthecountry,includinginsecurityandunsustainabilityforeducationauthorities,employersandstudents.
AsecondthemethatemergedconcernedtheneedfornationalVET,appliedandflexiblelearningreformsatseniorsecondarylevelandforconsistencyacrossthestates.Thereisadesireforstudentstoremainineducationortraininguntiltheymovetoemployment,sotheideaofhavingnationaltargetsforstudentparticipationwassupported,because‘whatismeasuredmatters’(fieldnotes,14June2013).Governmentprioritieswithoutcomestargetswereseentobethosemostadequatelyfunded,whileensuringaccreditedoutcomesforallstudentswasseenasanationalnecessity.TherewasstrongagreementthatclassroomVETprogramsachieveAQFCertificateIIIleveltoenablegreaterarticulationintopost-schoolpathways.
RespondentssawproblemsintheNationalCurriculum,asitcurrentlydoesnotrecogniseappliedandflexiblelearningpathways.TherewerealsocallsfornationallyagreeddefinitionsandunderstandingsinVET,appliedandflexiblelearning–currentlytherearedifferencesinhowfederalandstategovernmentsdefinea‘youngperson’,withstatedefinitionsusuallyreferringto16–19yearolds,whilethefederaldefinitionofstudents‘under18’servestolimitwherefundscanbedirected.Onefocusgroupsaidthat85%ofstudentsintheirstate’sprogramsareagedbetween16and21.
TeachertrainingandprofessionallearninginVETandappliedlearningwasseenasafurtherarearequiringurgentnationalattention.Forexample,oneschoolprincipalarguedthatongoingprofessionallearningwasessentialandurgentlyneeded,orprogramswouldbehampered:
Teachersrequireindustryexperiencetounderstandtherequirementsofvocationallearningthatisquitedifferenttotraditionalclassroomprograms…Staffalsoneedtohaveongoingtrainingandexposuretoindustrytoensuretheyareawareofindustrystandardsandchangesincontemporary[vocational]educationtechniques.(Victorianschoolprincipal)
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Lastly,therewereconcernsaboutasystemiclack ofresponsivenessduringtimesofshiftingeconomicneeds.Forexample,onefocusgroupsuggested thatduringaneconomicdownturnVET,applied andflexiblelearningfundingshouldincrease,yetoftenfundingdecreasesduringthesetimes.Otherswereconcernedthatgovernmentsarewellawareofareasofskillsshortages,butappearmorelikelytofilltheseviashort-term,457migrationemploymentschemesratherthanlongerterm,ongoinglocaltrainingschemes.
State-wide leadership
Atthestatelevel,concernsinvolvedfundingmodels,theroleofeducatorsemployedatcentral,districtorschoollevels,andlevelsofvisibilityofVET,appliedandflexiblelearningprograms.Ineachstatetherearepersonnelwithstate-wideresponsibilitiesforcurriculum,accreditationandfundingallocations,oversightforestablishingpreferredprovidersforcasemanagement,theallocationofcommunitygrantsfunding(iffundsareavailable),andthecollationofstate-wideaccreditedlearningdata.Staffinregionalordistrictroleshaveafocusonthedevelopmentofcommunitypartnershipsandprovidemoredirectsupportforschools.
IntervieweesemployedwithincentraleducationauthoritieswereconcernedaboutthestabilityofgovernmentfundingforVET,flexibleandappliedlearningprograms.Limited-termfunding,fundingcutbacksandshortfallswereseentoimpedethegoalsofraisingstudentretentionlevelsatseniorsecondarylevel,forallstudentstoacquireaccreditedoutcomes,buildingnational‘humancapital’andraisingproductivity(ProductivityCommission2012).FundingarrangementsinfluencelevelsofstaffingandothersupportforVET,appliedandflexiblelearningprogramsinschools.Whilefundingforstudentshasappliedirrespectiveofchanginggovernments,manysupportservicesarefundedforalimitedtimeonly,withaconcomitantimpactonschools.Forexample,oneinterviewrespondentsaid:
…thefundinghasn’treallychangedduetogovernmentchanges,howeverourunitfunding-themoneytofundthenetworkingandcoordinationofthestrategy-hasbeenonayear-to-yearbasisandwe’recurrentlywaitingtohearwhetherourfundingiseitherongoingorguaranteedforthreeyearsmovingahead...I’veactuallyjustcomeoffaphonecallaboutmyongoingtenureandwhattheoptionisandwhatmychoicesare.Ithasbeendifficultforeveryoneinourunitforthelastfouryears…we’velostalotofgoodstaffduetotheunknownaroundtheongoingviabilityoftheroles.
Otherssaid:
…forthepastnineyearswe’vehadFederalfundingthat’sbeenadministeredthrough(astategovernmentdepartment)…andwe’vebeenadvisedthatthatceasesattheendofthisyear.
Ithinkwe’realwaysvulnerabletofundingissues,differentpeopletakeleadershippositionsthathavedifferentbiasestowardsprograms,ideas,strategies…
…runningonthesmellofanoilyragisabsolutelythenormin[our]world.
School leadership
Intervieweesbelievedthatengagedandsupportiveschoolleadership,appropriatestudentlearningexperiencesandachievements,andqualityteachingandlearningareatthebasisofsuccessfulVET,appliedandflexiblelearningprogramsinschools.Manycommentssuggestedthatthesuccessorotherwiseofschoolprogramsdependsheavilyontheattitudeoftheincumbentschoolprincipal.Forexample,thiscommentplacesschoolprincipalsinalistof‘ingredients’forasuccessfulprogram:
…therearevarietiesoflevelsofschools’capacitytocaterforavarietyofstudentsandthatcanbedependentonmanythings…thestudentsthemselvesandwhatcommunitybrings,resourcingavailable,knowledgeofskillsand… thelocaldecisionmakingofthePrincipal.
Dependingonthesupportoftheschoolprincipal,VET,appliedandflexiblelearningoptionscanbeperceivedasanintegralcomponentoftheschool’sofferings,or“asperipheraltowhattheschooldoes”(surveycomment,August2014).Theinfluenceoftheprincipalwasseentobeparticularlynoticeablewhenschoolleadersorleadershipteamschange,showingimmediateimprovementswhenanewleadershipteamforegroundstheimportanceofmultiplepathwaystoensurethesuccessofeverystudentanddownturnswhentheydonot.Forexample,onegroupofteacherssawimmediateresultswiththeappointmentofanewlyappointedsupportiveprincipalandassistantprincipals:
Wehavejustrecentlyhadachangeintheschool’sleadership.Thenewleadershipteamhaveavisiontoworkhardertodevelopcommunitypartnersandnetworkstoimproveopportunitiesforourschoolandstudents…Asmallminoritycansometimesthinkit[VET]isforthelessacademicstudents,but[newleaders]arechangingthatview.(SouthAustralianteacher)
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Principalsareviewedasprogram“drivers”,“strongsupporters”,“alliesinourgoaltoachievethebestoutcomesforallstudents”andasvaluablein“securingpartnerships”.Programsbenefitedwhenprincipalsareactiveinprogramcommunications,promotionandvisibility,andwhentheydemonstratepersonalinterest,knowledgeandinvolvementinprograms.Successfulprogramsalsorelyondedicated,stableandcommittedstaffingtoensuresuitabletimetabling,partnershipdevelopment,programmonitoringandreporting,authenticlearningandengagement,withattentionpaidtostudentattendance,welfareandsatisfaction–withprincipalsbeingseenasinstrumentalinalltheseareas.
Theimportanceoftheroleoftheprincipalandleadershipinprovidingsupportanddirection/visionforappliedlearningprograms.
Theimportanceofdedicatedstafftoensurethatpartnershipdevelopment,welfare,monitoringandauthenticlearningetc.aremaintained.
Interviewandquestionnairedataindicatedconcernswhentherewas“littlesupport[fromleadership]tobereleasedfromclasstoliaiseandsupervise”,whentimetablingcreated“difficultiesandcoordinationtimewasnotprovided”,when“there[were]nofundsforprofessionaldevelopment”,whenschoolleadershad“littleawarenessoftheprogramanditspartnerships”andwhenprogramlogisticswereproblematic.Indicativecommentsincluded:
TimeconstraintsareoverwhelminglyaproblemforteachersofVETsubjects.Professionaldevelopmentisalsopertinent-teachersneedtobemoreinformed.(Victorianteacher)
Thereisalackoftransportandliaisontime.Teacherburnoutandtimetabling[areseriousissues].(Victorianteacher)
Therewereconcernswhenschoolleadersweremorefocusedonthetraditionalacademicprogram.WhereschoolleaderswerenotseentobeprovidingsufficientsupportforVET,appliedandflexiblelearningoptions,teacherscomplainedaboutinsufficienttimeallocation,toofewdedicatedresources,insufficientschoolknowledgeandsupport,andineffectivepoliciesorprocedurestoproperlyimplementnon-traditionallearningprovision.
Theeducationdepartmentrepresentativeswere mostconcernedabouttheinfluenceofschoolleadershipwhenfundinggoesdirectlytoschoolsinsteadofbeingadministeredcentrally.(Projectofficerssuggestedthatschoolprincipalswereoftentemptedtousefundingtobuyinmoreteachersacrosstheschoolratherthanusethemfortheirintendedpurposes).
Theeducationdepartmentrepresentativessawtheimportanceofensuringinformedandsupportiveschoolleadership.Forexample,onesaid:
IseethatmyroleistoeducatenotjusttheVETcoordinatorcareerscounsellorpathwaysperson…butalsotoeducatetheleadershipandprincipal.SowhateverwegivetheVETcoordinator,wealsotryandmakesurethatthere’sleadershipinvolvedinthatsothatthereisateamapproachtoVETintheschool;it’snotjustonepersontryingtobattletheirwaythroughandimplementprogramsthataren’tgoingtobetakenuporviewedpositively.
Theschoolprincipalsintervieweddemonstratedoverwhelmingadmirationforteachers,VET,appliedandflexiblelearningpathways,thecalibreofpartnershipsandtheoutcomesachievedforstudents.Theywereconcerned,however,withissuesconcerningprogramcosts(fundsareviewedas“alwaysinsufficient”),duty-of-careresponsibilitieswhenstudentsarelearningoff-site,transportation,timetabling,professionallearningopportunities,andfindingandretainingsuitablestaff(withhighstaffturnoverandteacher‘burnout’beingmajorproblemsinsomeschools).
4. FINDINGS - WHAT MAKES INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP?
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FINDINGS - WHAT MAKES INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP?
Thisstudyhasfocusedonthepartnershipswhichschoolsformwithemployersandotherorganisationstosupportappliedlearningprograms.Italsoexaminedtheimpactofthesepartnershipsontheworkofteachers,ontheleadershipofschoolsandontheresourcesandschoolpersonnelcapacitiesrequiredtosupportthem.Thefindingsofthisstudyhavealsocontributedtothedevelopmentofthecriteriawhichmaybeusedtocategorisethetypeandlevelofcomplexityofpartnershipssupportingappliedlearning.Weadaptedthesocialpartnerships‘principlesframework’developedbyClemans,Billet&Seddon(2005)tocorrespondwiththespecificfeaturesthatpartnershipsformedbyschoolsforthepurposeofappliedlearningprovisionpresent.Thefollowingrubrichasbeendevelopedbasedonthefocusgroupmeetingsandinterviewswithstudents,teachersandprincipalsoftheschoolsinvolvedintheInnovativePartnershipARCresearch.Therubric’spurposeistoenableschoolsfirstlytomapthestatusoftheircurrentpartnershipsfromsimpletoinnovativepartnershipandtoprovidearoadmaptoenableschoolstoadvancetheirpartnershipfromasimplepartnershiptoabestpracticeinnovativepartnership.
Table4onthenextpageshowsthecategoriesofpartnershipsdistributedonthebasisofthefollowingcriteria:rationale/goals;partners;processes;levelofcapacitybuilding;governanceandleadership;benefitsforstudentsandpartners;andassessment.Mostimportantly,wewereabletodefinewhatmakesaninnovativepartnership.Theinnovativepartnershipsarecharacterisedbylong-termcooperationbetweenanumberofpartners,lastingforanumberofyearsanddrivenbyastrongrationalewhichisre-definedandtransformedovertimetomaximisethebenefitsofthepartnership.Itissupportedbyhighlevelmanagementandschoolleadershipwithstrategy,funding,infrastructureandhumanresources.Itisformalised,andhasestablishedstructures.Suchpartnershipshavelong-termbenefitsforstudents,community,andpartners.
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Table 4 Rubric describing the criteria and types of applied learning partnerships
Criteria for partnerships for applied learning
Simple Partnership Complex Partnership Innovative Partnership
Rationale/Goals Shortterm/taskorientede.g.organisingaBBQatschool,andpartnershiplasts1to4weeks.
Partnershipchallengesthestudentsandmayextendoveraterm,semesteroraschoolyearwithaspecificshort-termgoal,e.g.organisingafundraisingcampaign.
Isanongoingpartnershiplastinganumberofyearswiththerationale/goalsbeingre-definedandtransformedovertimetomaximisethebenefitsofpartnership
Partners Doesnotinvolveanexternalpartner.Forexample,aschoolundertakesapartnershipwiththeYear7SchoolCoordinatortoorganiseaneventfortheYear7students.
Involvesanexternalpartnerandrequirescooperationoutsidetheschoolsettingwithe.g.theRedCrossor anemployer.
Involvesanumberofexternalpatternswithacommongoal.
Processes (building and maintaining partnership and trust)
Involvesonlyafewsteps orstages.
Thepartnershipinvolvesanumberofsteps/stagesthatincreaseincomplexity,includingidentifyingthepartners,establishingthepurpose,undertakingtheactivities/task,evaluation andcriticalreflection.
Partnershipinvolvesanumberofstepsofhighcomplexityrequiringplanning,establishingformalprocesses,e.g.MOU,stability,permanentrepresentation,e.g.partnersbecomemembersofaschoolboard.
Capacity building (resources)
Thepartnershipdoesnotrequireadditionalresources,ornewinfrastructure.
Partnershipinvolvesanintegratedcurriculumapproach.ForexamplelearningoutcomesfromanumberofVCALstrands/unitsareachievedinthepartnership.
Thepartnershiprequiresadditionalresources.
Supportandresources(timeratherthanmoney)allocatedbybothschoolandpartners.
Supportandresources(bothmoneyandtime)allocatedbybothschoolandpartners’seniormanagement.
Additionalexternalfundingisalsosoughttobuyadditionalequipmentanddevelopinfrastructureatschooltosupportthepartnership’sgoals.
Governance and leadership
Doesnotrequireinvolvementofschoolleadership,oranychangesinschoolgovernance
Schoolleadersareengagedandsupportive.Schoolprincipals/leadershipgroupsplayanimportantroleinsecuringandsupportingpartnerships.
Thereissomeflexibilityofschoolstructurestoaccommodatetheneedsof thepartnership.
Thereisaseparaterole(champion),withappropriatetimeandbudget,createdatschool(andpossiblywithinthepartner’sstructures)tomanageandcoordinatethepartnership.
Schoolleadersadjustschoolstructures(e.g.timetabling)toenableeffectivecollaboration.
Thereisasuccessionplaninplaceforwhenthecurrent‘champion’leaveseithertheschoolortheexternalpartnership.
Principalisactiveinallaspectsoftheprogram,e.g.communications,promotion.
APPLIED LEARNING PARTNERSHIPS RUBRIC
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Criteria for partnerships for applied learning
Simple Partnership Complex Partnership Innovative Partnership
Benefits Itisa‘reallife’practical‘handson’activitywhichbuildsonstudents’currentinterests andabilities.
Benefitsareshort-term.
Thepartnershiphastangiblebenefits(valueadded)thatcanbemeasured,forbothpartners.
Externalpartnercontributesfeedbacktothestudents.
Partnershipprovidestheopportunityforstudentstoparticipateinbothsurfacelearning(knowingwhattodotocompletethelearningoutcomes)anddeeplearning(articulatethelearningtotheirownlifeorpersonalgrowth).
Thepartnershiphastangiblebenefits(valueadded)forbothpartnersthatcanbemeasured.
Partnershipprovidestheopportunityforstudentstoparticipateinbothsurfacelearning(knowingwhattodotocompletethelearningoutcomes)anddeeplearning(articulatethelearningtotheirownlifeorpersonalgrowth).
Partnersmayplaytheroleofprofessionalmentorsthatenableskilldevelopmentand‘mould’theprofessionalandsocialidentityofstudents.
Partnershipisrecognisedinlocalnewspapers,nominationsforawardse.g.VCALAchievementAwardsorpresentationinprofessionaldevelopmentorotherschoolsvisitingthepartnership.
Assessment Avarietyofappropriateassessmentstrategiesareemployed.
Assessmentstrategiesincludepeerandself-assessment.Evaluationisanessentialaspectofallprojects.
Criticalreflectionbyallstakeholderse.g.students,teachersandexternalpartners isanimportantaspectof theprogram.
Thebriefcasestudiesbelowareafewexampleofpartnershipattheinnovativeendoftherubric.
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP EXAMPLE #1
Theschoolselectedforthefirstcasestudyislocatedinanon-metropolitanregionandfocusesontheprovisionofvocationaleducationandtrainingforYear11and12students.ThisisaCatholicschoolwhichprovidesSchoolBasedApprenticeshipsandTraineeshipsandvariousVETprogramsleadingtoCertificateIIorIIIqualifications.IthasaTradeTrainingCentrespecialisinginelectro-technology,furnituremaking,metalandengineeringandhumanservices.AllstudentsarerequiredtoundertaketheWorkplaceLearningProgramof240hoursovertwoyears,whichinvolvesworkingonedayperweekthroughouttheyearandseveralblockreleasesfromschool.Theschooltimetableisdesignedaroundtheworkplacements,whichmeansthatstudentsdonotmissanyregularclassroomsubjects.
THE RATIONALE FOR CURRENT VET OFFERINGS AND INVOLVEMENT OF INDUSTRY PARTNERSSince1979,themainfocusoftheschoolhasbeentheprovisionoftechnicaleducation.Theschool’ssuccesswasdescribedbytheprincipalasderivingfromits“uniquemodel” and“distinctivespiritandethos”.Itcanbearguedthattherearetwocomponentsofthecurrentdeliverymodelwhichmakethisschooldistinctive.First,ithasaclearlydefinedpurpose-itsmainobjectiveistoprovidestudentswithanemploymentpathway.Secondly,theschoolemphasisedtheroleofastrongpartnershipwithbusinesspartnerswhichprovidestudentswithvaluableon-the-jobexperience.
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Thesenseoflocalcommunityandengagementwithlocalbusinesspartnerswasindicatedasacentralelementoftheschool’sculture:
TheschoolVETofferingsnotonlyrespondtoindividualstudentneedsandinterestsbut ensuretheprovisionofcoursesinoccupationalfieldsidentifiedbybusinessasexperiencing skillsshortages.
Itisimportanttoemphasisethatemployabilityandemploymentwerenotseenasnarrowlydefinedgoalsbutratherasmeansofbuildingmeaningfulpathwayspost-school(combiningemploymentandfurtherlearning).MoreoverthetraditionalfocusonacademicsubjectsandATARscoresexperiencedinmostsecondaryschoolswasseenaslimitingyoungpeoples’choices.
Innovationwasalsomentionedseveraltimeswhentheprincipalreflectedontheimportanceofteachingbasictechnicalskillslikewelding,sothestudentsunderstoodthatinnovationwaspossibleonlyupongettingthefundamentalknowledgeandskills.Thestudentswereencouragedtobuildtheirown3-Dprinterfromrecycledmaterials,forexample,toillustratehowabasicknowledgeofmaterialsandmetalscanleadtoinnovation.
PARTNERSTheschoollistenedandrespondedtolocalindustryneeds,andthisresultedinstrongandlong-lastingrelationshipswithlocalbusinessesrepresentingvariousindustries,thelocalparish,andotherschools.
PROCESSESApartfromawell-developedrelationshipwiththelocalcommunity,thepartnershipwithbusinesshasaverysolidfoundationthroughtheIndustryBoardwhichmeetsregularlyanddiscussesboththeindustry’sneedsandthecollege’scurriculum.
Havingbusinesspartnersorganisedinaformalset-upenablesgreaterengagementintocurriculumandcoursedevelopmentbutalsoprovidesmoreindustryexposureforyoungpeoplethroughmeetings,talksandpresentations.Ontheotherhand,theindustrybenefitsbyhavingaccesstoapoolofpotentialemployees.
Thereareregular,fortnightlymeetingswithtwoschoolsinthearea.Also,studentsareassignedintoindustry-basedlearninggroupswhicharealignedtoanindustryareathattheyareseeing astheirpotentialpartnerwithanindustry teacher-mentor.
CAPACITY BUILDINGTheschooldeliverymodelandthepartnershipsaresupportedbythelocalparish.Thepartnersprovideaccesstoinnovation,infrastructure,mentorshipandworkplacelearningopportunities.
GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIPIndustrypartnershaveadjustedtheirstructurestoenablemoreefficientcollaborationwiththeschoolbycreatingnewpositionswithintheirHRdepartmenttomanagetheirpartnershipwithaschool.Thisdedicatedpersonisresponsiblefordealingwithallbureaucracyofpartnership,contractsandobligationstoallpartners.
Industrypartnersalsovolunteertoworkwiththeteachersandstudentsinnon-compulsoryactivities,outsideofschoolhours.
School’stimetableisorganisedaroundwork-placements,sostudentsdonotmissclasses.
Theschoolleadersalsoemphasisedtheroleofachampioninbringingthevisionoftechnicaleducationtotheregion.Inthecaseofthisschool,itwastheparishpriestwhohadpresidedovertheareasincethe1970s.HehasbeeninfluentialintermsofsettingupCatholictechnicaleducationandprovidingfundingandanopenenrolmentpolicytoallyoungpeople,withupto40%ofthestudentsenrolledcomingfromnon-Catholicbackgrounds.
BENEFITSTheexampleofasuccessfulpartnershipestablishedbytheschoolisdubbed:“amadscientistexperiment”.Thispartnershipistheschool’sanswertothecollapsingmanufacturingindustryinAustralia.Itsobjectivewastopresentthemetalengineeringindustryasinnovative,differentandinteresting.Theschoolwasapproachedbyascientistworking,amongothers,forNationalGeographic,tocollaborateonbuildinganunderwaterbiospherewhichwouldbeinstalledinDarlingHarbourinSydney.Aspartoftheproject,studentshavehadtobuildanunderwaterrobot,aroboticmachinethatwouldbeoperatedfromtheinsideofthebiospherewhichwouldbebroadcastvia‘Googleclassroom’acrosstheworld.TheprocessrequiredstudentstocollaboratewithGoogleviavideo-conferencing,requiringthemtolearnnewskills.
Theindustrypartnerssawproductivityandworkforcevalueresultingfromthepartnership.
Highcompletionrates,industry‘tasting’,innovationandconfidenceofstudentswerealsoreportedasthemainbenefits.
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INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP EXAMPLE #2
Thisschoolislocatedinadisadvantagedmetropolitanlocation.Itischaracterisedbyaveryspecificstudentpopulation,drawnmainlyfrompublichousing:43percentofstudentscomefromPacificIslands,38percentareAboriginal,and70percentarefromasingleparentfamily.Theschooloffersawidecurriculum,butenrolmentinVETiscompulsory.
THE RATIONALE FOR CURRENT VET OFFERINGS AND INVOLVEMENT OF INDUSTRY PARTNERSTheVETpathwaywasperceivedasawayofreducingsocio-economicdisadvantagethroughengagement.ProvidingcompulsoryVETwasseenassupportingengagementthroughappliedlearning,whichledtoemploymentoutcomespost-school.Reducingsocio-economicdisadvantagethroughparticipationinVETwasanimportantpartoftheschool’sphilosophy,ensuringthatindustrypartnershadanunderstandingoftheschools’clienteleandprovidedasafeandrespectfulenvironment.
Providingthestudentswithavarietyofskillsthroughclosepartnershipswithtrainingprovidersandindustryisseenasthewayofprovidingthemostdisadvantagedwithopportunitiestheywouldnototherwiseget.
PARTNERSTheschoolhassetupcooperationwithover 300partnersandorganisesannualdinners,cateredbythestudents,whichbringallthepartnerstogether.
PROCESSESTheschoolhasintroducedanearlycommencementoptionsothatyoungerstudentsnotnormallyallowedtoenrolinVET(14-15yearsofage)canbeengagedintheworldofworkthroughVET.
CAPACITY BUILDINGWhenaskedabouttheexpectationsoftheschoolregardingthepartners,theVETcoordinatorexplainedthat“providingasecureenvironmentandmaintainingvaluesandrespect”werethemostimportantelements.
TAFEaspartnerhelpedestablish‘discreetcourses’whichare14-weekpreparationprogramsrunpriortostartingtheVETcourse,whichenablesstudentsto‘taste’therequirementsofTAFE.
Someofthebusinesspartnersprovidein-kindsupport.Forexample,theschoolbusandacarwerefundedbytwoprivatecompaniesastransportisverylimitedintheareaandmanystudentswerenotabletotraveltoTAFEforclasses.
Theschoolhasalsoinvestedinatradetrainingcentreformetalengineeringandhospitality.
GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIPTheresourcestosupportthepositionofVETcoordinatorwerementionedascrucial.TheVETcoordinatorwasinstrumentalinsettinguptheTradeTrainingCentre,preparingthetimetablingforthewholeschoolsothatitwasmostefficientfortheTVETstudents.
BENEFITSTheschoolgaveseveralexamplesofsuccessfulpartnershipswhichprovidedsafeenvironmentsandvaluableworkplacelearningopportunitiesfortheirstudents.Forexample,theschoolhadestablishedaverycloserelationshipwithalargeinternationalLawandPRcompanywhichwasareliablepartnerintermsofworkplacetrainingforapprentices.Twoofthestudentswereofferedpositionsintheoverseasbranchesofthecompanyaftercompletionoftheirstudies.AsimilarexamplewasprovidedofaconstructionandengineeringcompanysendingitsgraduatestoHongKongtocontinuetheirapprenticeships.ItalsopartneredwithlocalTAFEanduniversity.
IthasbeenconsistentlyrecognisedforitseffortswithVETprovision.Students,teachersandtheVETcoordinatorhavebeennominatedfor,orhavereceived,stateorregionalawards.
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Thisisametropolitansecondaryschoolwithover800VETenrolments.Over40%ofthestudentshavealanguagebackgroundotherthanEnglish.Theyincludeanumberofrefugeestudentswhodonothaveasocialnetworkbeyondtheschool.ItisaSportsAcademywhichcatersforarange ofsports,includingrugby,basketball,soccer andAFL.
THE RATIONALE FOR CURRENT VET OFFERINGS AND INVOLVEMENT OF INDUSTRY PARTNERSTheschoolfocusesonincreasingliteracyandnumeracylevels,andalsothewellbeingofthestudents.Providingasenseofbelongingandconnectingtothelocalcommunityhasunderpinnedallthepartnershipsformed.
Sportisusedasatooltoengagethechildrenattheschool,andbuildconnectionswiththelocalcommunity.
PARTNERSOveraquarterofthestudentshavebeenenrolledinSportandRecreationcourses,andappropriatelyamajorityofthepartnersrepresentsportingclubsorstatesportingassociations,includingtheMelbourneStormrugbyclubandtheDandenongStingrays.TheSportAcademyisalsosupportedbythelocalgovernment,andanumberoflocalsportsclubs.
Theschoolalsopartnerswithnot-for-profitorganisationstogetfundingandmentoringsupport.
PROCESSESTheSportsAcademyisastructuredgroupwithseveraltiers,whichincludesmallgrassrootsclubsatthebottomtierandthetopsportingclubsatthehigherlevel.Thetoptierpartnersprovideexpertise,mentorship,coachingandfacilities.IttookoverayeartoestablishtheAcademy,withformalsupportfromthelocalgovernmentandthedepartmentofeducation.
CAPACITY BUILDINGTheschoolpartnerswithnot-for-profitorganisationstogetfundingandmentoringsupport.Theelitesportsclubsprovideresources,personneland“theabilitytobeabletomarketourschoolthroughthoseelitesports”.centreformetalengineeringandhospitality.
GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIPTheschoolstaffareoftensportscoachesoutsideofschool,sotheyestablishandmaintaintherelationshipwithsportingclubsoutsideofschool.Theschoolprincipalactivelypromotestheprogramintheregionandinterstate.
BENEFITSTheSportsAcademyachievestheobjectivesetbytheschool:tolookafterthewell-beingofstudentsandtoincreasetheirengagementatschoolandinthelocalcommunity.
TheschoolsportingandtrainingsuccesshasbeenrecognisedannuallythroughtheVictorianSchoolSportsAwards.In2015itwasalsorecognisedforitscommunitypartnerships.
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5. CONCLUSIONS
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Theanalysisaboveindicatesthatthemotivationsofschoolsforformingpartnershipsarevariedandthebenefitsarenumerousandsignificant.However,allrespondentsidentifiedissuesassociatedwiththeformationandmaintenanceofpartnerships,including:
• QualityoftheexternalVETproviders,
• Resourcingandleadership,
• Stabilityandcontinuity,
• Networkingwithcommunityandemployers,and
• TheplaceofVETandappliedlearningwithinthetraditionalstructuresofschools.
Thesefactorsmaybeconsideredtobetheconditionsforachievingeducationaloutcomesthroughsuccessfulpartnerships.Itisclearfromourresearchthatsomeschoolshavefounditchallengingtoformmeaningfulpartnershipsandtointeracteffectivelywithadiverserangeofemployers,communitygroupsandgovernmentagencies.Evenunderthemostfavourableconditions,aspectsofthecurrentsystem’sweaknessesunderminethepositiveimpactofthesepartnerships.Anumberofchallengesareassociatedwithestablishingandmaintainingpartnerships.ThelargestandmostimportantpartnershipsseemtobethosethatareformedwithVETprovidersandemployers,butthesehaveemergedfromourstudyasalsobeingthemostchallengingintermsofsupportingstudents’smoothtransitionstoworkandfurtherstudy.
Thefindingsofthisstudyconfirmthechangingnatureofsecondaryschoolprogramsinrecentyears.Teachingandeducationalprovisionnolongerremainexclusivelylinkedtooneinstitution,andnewandinnovativeprogramsarebeingimplementedtoinvolvethewidercommunityinlearningandskillsdevelopment.Themostvisible,andarguablythemostimportantoftheseinnovations,aretheappliedlearningprogramsthathavebeenintroducedintoalltheseniorcertificatesinAustraliaandwhichrequirethebuildingofpartnershipswithvariouscommunityactors.Theperceivedbenefitsforstudentsderivingfromtheseprogramsarecleartothestudentsthemselves,theirteachersandtheexternalpartners.
The idea of choice
Theissueofchoicealsorelatestoschoolprocessesforsubjectselectionandthewaysinwhichstudentsnegotiatethechoiceofvocationalsubjectswithintheconstraintsoftheseniorsecondarycurriculumanditsassociatedseniorschoolcertificate.Mostschoolsnotedthat,subjecttoavailability,students’choicesweresubjecttothesamerulesaschoosing
otherseniorcertificatesubjectssuchasEnglishormaths.ThisclearlyillustrateswhatIannelliandRaffe(2007)havedescribedasthe‘educationlogic’paradigmofdelivery,wherebyvocationalstudiesarerequiredtofitwithinthetraditionalacademicrequirementsofsecondaryschoolingstructures–timetablingarrangements,focusontheoreticalstudies,compliancewithuniversityentryrequirementsandmeetingtheneedsofthemajorityofthestudents(whoarenotenrolledinvocationalsubjects).Therewerealsoconcernsexpressedrelatingtotheuncertainandsometimesunguidedprocessbywhichstudentsselectedtheirsubjects.Inresponsetothequestionofwhetherthesubjectselectionprocessforvocationalstudieswasliketheprocessforselectingmainstreamsubjects,arespondentreplied:“Nodifferent.Wedon’tseeanydifferencebetweenthetwo.Soone’snotbetterthantheother,it’sjustdifferent.”Thesamerespondentcontinuedtodescribethechallengesofdifferentclasssizesindifferentschoolsparticipatingintheprogram,thechallengesofmeetingtherequirementsoftheHospitalitycertificatewithinthetightscheduleoftimetabledsubjects,andthefactthatassessmentrequirementswerethesamewhetherthecoursewasofferedinaTAFEInstituteoraschool,despitethemajordifferencesinenvironment.
OneproblemisthatthemajorityoftheschoolsinourstudyofferedVETcoursesonthebasisofstudentchoice“orwhattakestheirfancy”(VETcoordinatorfromVictoria).Thismarket-basededucationapproachisproblematic,asitisbasedonthepremisethatahighschoolstudenthasadequateknowledgeofcoursepathways,careerpossibilitiesandopportunitieswithintheeducationsystemandthelabourmarket.WeknowfrompreviousresearchthatthemajorityofstudentsundertakingVETstudiesinhighschoolcomefromalowerSESbackground(Teese&Polesel2003)andasaconsequencethesestudentsmakedecisionswithintheconfinesoftheopportunitiesavailabletothem.Studentsfromdisadvantagedbackgroundsaremorelikelytoparticipateincoursesthatprovideadirectpathwaytowork,withoutfurtherformaleducationortraining.Whilethechoiceandflexibilityofferedbyvocationalprogramsmaycontributetohigherlevelsofstudentengagementandattendanceattheschool,itmayunderminethesuccessfultransitionofstudentsfromschool.Schoolstudentsneedmeaningfulcareerdevelopmentadviceincludinginformationontheeducationalpathwaysanddatarelatedtotheexpectedlabourmarketoutcomesfortheirselectedprofession.Schoolscanassiststudentstocreate
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clear,coherentandtransparentpathwaysfromfoundationalqualificationstointermediateandhigherlevelqualificationsthroughtheprovisionofthematiccurriculumoptions(Clarke2013).InsteadofincludingasetofVETsubjectsalongsidethemainstreamoracademicsubjectofferings,schoolscanensurethatstudentsselectasetofsubjectsthatsupporteachothertoformacoherentprogramandprovideopportunitiesforthedevelopmentoffoundationaldisciplinaryknowledgeandskills(Clarke2013).
Schools’selectionofVETcoursesandVETprovidersneedstobebasedonathoroughunderstandingofstudentinterestsandcapabilitiesbutmostimportantlyonthecurrentandfuturelabourmarketneeds,thequalityoftheVETproviders,andtheability–ofschoolandVETprovider-tolinkthecoursecontenttoarelevantandmeaningfulwork-placement.A‘sizable’workplacelearningcomponentplaysanespeciallyimportantroleforstudents’work-relatedskillsdevelopmentandpost-schoollabourmarketoutcomes(Black,Polidano&Tabasso2011).Thecombinationofallthesefactorswouldimprovethechancesofstudentsbeingabletoexploretheselectedoccupationmoredeeplyandtomakemoreinformedpost-schoolchoices.
“Hands on” learning style
Anotherchallengeraisedinourstudyregardingpartnershipsrelatestotheperceived“easier”natureoftherelatedcourses.ManystudentsindicatedapreferenceforVETcoursesbecauseoftheir“handson”learningstyle.TeRieleandCrump(2002)
arguethatwhatisunderpinningstudents’desireforpracticalstudiesis,perhaps,theirexperienceoflearningas“foreign”andnon-applicabletotheirneedsandday-to-daylives.Studentstendtoself-assesstheirperformancerecordinacademicstudies,whichimpactsontheirself-constructionaslearners.Theyconstructself-identitiesbasedontheirperceptionsoftheirabilities,strengthsandaspirationsandselectparticularpathwayoptionsbecausetheyseetheseasprovidinga“bettermatch”withtheirself-identity(Anlezarketal2006;Atwehetal2005).Theyusetheirearlyperformancetoupdatetheirbeliefsabouttheirfitwithparticularpathwaysandthesebeliefsinturninfluencefurtherdecisions(KreismanandStange2014).Lowerperformingstudentsseeappliedlearningandvocationaleducationandtrainingsubjectsandcoursesasbeingabetterfitforthembecausetheybuildontheirinterestsandcapabilitiesandhelpthemdevelopandapplyknowledgeandskills(teRieleandCrump,2002).Thisraisesquestionsaboutstudents’motivationforchoosingappliedlearningandvocationallearningpathways.Byselectingpathwayoptionsbasedonanassessmentofbestfitforthem,studentsmayreinforceself-fulfillingpropheciesanddeficitviewsofthemselvesaslearners.
Theevidencefromthisstudysuggeststhattheappliedapproachtolearningispreferable,asitprovidesstudentswithalearningpedagogythatincorporatesadiverserangeofapproachestolearning,forexampleexperiential,hands-on,activelearningandwork-basedlearningapproaches.
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However,boththeoreticalknowledgeandpracticalskillsareneeded.Researchsuggeststhat‘powerfulknowledge’shouldbeatthecentreofthecurriculuminallsectorsofeducation(Wheelahan,2012;YoungandMuller,2010;andBeck,2013).Additionally,Haywood(2015)suggeststhatthedominanceoftheassessmentregimeinthesenioryearsofschoolingcontributestostudents’difficultieswithacademicsubjectsaswellastheirself-identities.FurtherworkisneededonadjustingtheVETcurriculuminschoolswithaviewtoincreasingstudents’exposureto‘powerfulknowledge’withoutunderminingtheirself-identities.Schoolscanensurestudents’accesstoqualitycurriculumandpedagogybymakingexistingcurriculumboundariesmoreflexible.Thismayentail,forexample,asBlake(2007)suggests,there-conceptualisationof‘learningandteaching’byincludingabroaderrangeoflearningapproaches.Inthiswayapplied,learningandvocationalpedagogiesbecomelegitimateapproacheswithinboththegeneralandtheappliedandvocationallearningschoolcurriculum.Thiswouldbenefitagreaterrangeofstudents,includingthosewhochosetraditionalpathwaysbutwillrequirenewtheoreticalunderstandingsinordertoreformsecondaryschooleducation.
Short-term partnerships
Partnershipswithemployersandlocalindustryseemtohaveanoverwhelminglypositiveoutcomeforstudents,exposingthemtoavarietyofindustryandsocialexperiences,providingthemwitha“taste”ofindustriesandincreasingtheirself-esteemandconfidence.However,manyschoolsdonothavelong-term,formalisedpartnershipswithindustry.Manyhavelonglistsofemployerswhofromtimetotimearewillingtoprovidesomesortofwork-placement.However,itseemsthathavingbusinesspartnersorganisedinmoreformalwayswouldenableschoolstomoreeffectivelyengagethemincurriculumandcoursedevelopment.Itwouldalsoprovidestudentswithanincreasedlevelofexposuretoindustriesthroughmeetings,talksandpresentations.Unfortunately,inourstudytheformalinvolvementoflocalbusinesseswithinschoolstructureswastheexceptionratherthantherule,asthemajorityofschoolsreliedontheprivatecontactsofparentsandstudents.Schoolshavebecomeoverburdenedwiththeresponsibilitiesoffindingsuitablework-placementsandcoordinatingtheserelationships.Schoolsneedfinancialandhumanresourcestoemploywork-placementcoordinatorstoassisttheminthisregard.Industrybrokers,suchasthosehelpingschoolsconnectwithemployersinthestateofNSW,wereagoodresource,butwereattimesfoundtobeinflexible,sometimesofferingplacementswithoutunderstandinglocalissues,suchaspublictransportprovisionortheneedtotravellongdistancestoplacements.
Insummary,wearguethatthefindingsofourstudypointtotheneedtoreconsiderthestructuresoftherelationshipsschoolsformwithexternalorganisations,theneedtoformaliseandrecognisethemthroughadequatefundingandtosupporttheworkrequiredtobringthemtofruitionandmaintainthem,andfinallytheneedtoreconceptualisevocationalandappliedlearningpathwaysasanintegralpartofseniorsecondaryschoolingwiththeirowndistinctanddeservingneeds.
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Stokes,H.,Stacey,K.&Lake,M.(2006).Schools,vocationaleducationandtrainingpartnerships:Capacitybuildinginruralandregionalcommunities.Adelaide:NationalCentreforVocationalEducationandTraining.
TeRiele,K.&Crump,S.(2002).Youngpeople,educationandhope:bringingVETinfromthemargins,InternationalJournalofInclusiveEducation,6(3),251-66.
TeRiele,K.(2012).LearningChoices:AMapfortheFuture.Melbourne:DusseldorpSkillsForum.
Teese,R.&Polesel,J.(2003).Undemocraticschooling:equityandqualityinmasssecondaryeducationinAustralia.Carlton:MelbourneUniversityPublishing.
TheSenateEducationandEmploymentReferencesCommittee(2014).TheSenateEducationandEmploymentReferencesCommittee–TechnicalandFurtherEducationSysteminAustraliaReport, May,2014,SenatorSueLines(Chair).Canberra,ACT:CommonwealthofAustralia.Availableat:http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22publications%2Ftabledpapers%2Ff644a0a3-d50a-4446-a550-88de1e8915ee%22
Trounson,A.(2013).Bosseslosingfaithinthequalityoftrainingqualifications.TheAustralian,31July2013.Availableat:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/bosses-losing-faith-in-quality-of-training-qualifications/story-e6frgcjx-1226688333463
Vickers,M.(2012).Improvinginstitutionalarrangements:Increasingtheeffectivenessofpathwaysthroughuppersecondaryeducation,paperpresentedtoCOAGReformCouncil’sGoodpracticeinyouthtransitionsnationalconference,16-17August2012.
VictorianCurriculumandAssessmentAuthority.(2007).VCAL:Thehands-onoptionforYears11&12students.EastMelbourne:VictorianCurriculumandAssessmentAuthority.
Wheelahan,L.(2012).Whyknowledgemattersincurriculum.NewYork,NY:Routledge.
Woolcock,M.(2001).ThePlaceofSocialCapitalinUnderstandingSocialandEconomicOutcomes.ISUMACanadianJournalofPolicyResearch2(1),11-17.
WorldBank.(2000).WorldDevelopmentReport2000/01.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.
YacVic,(2011).Innovativelearningoptionsandtheruralyouthsector.Melbourne:YouthAffairsCouncilofVictoriaandVictorianRuralYouthServices.
Young,M.,&Muller,J.(2010).Threeeducationalscenariosforthefuture:Lessonsfromthesociologyofknowledge.EuropeanJournalofEducation45(1),11-27.
Zyngier,D.&Gale,T.(2003)Engagingprograms:HowareAustralianschoolsrespondingtolowstudentretention?,AAREAnnualConference:EducationRisks,Research&Dilemmas,AARE,AucklandNewZealand.
57
FURTHER PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Blake,D.&Starr,K.(2014).Innovativepartnershipsforyouthengagement.PaperL14PO616.TheLearnerConference,LanderCollegeforWomen,TouroCollege,NewYork,14-17July2014.
Polesel,J.,Klatt,M.,Blake,D.,&Starr,K.(2016).UnderstandingthenatureofschoolpartnershipswithbusinessindeliveryofvocationalprogramsinschoolsinAustralia.JournalofEducationandWork. doi:10.1080/13639080.2016.1165344
Klatt,M.(2016).TAFE,schoolsandindustry:thebenefitsandchallengesofcross-sectoralpartnerships.TheAustralianTAFETeacher,50(2),28-29.
Klatt,M.,Angelico,T.,&Polesel,J.(2016submitted).EmergingpartnershippracticesinVETprovisioninthesenioryearsofschoolinginAustralia.AustralianEducationalResearcher.
Klatt,M.(2016,22April).“That’saneverexpandingpool”–mappingpartnershipsforVETatAustraliansecondaryschools.PaperpresentedattheAVETRAConference,Sydney.
Klatt,M.,Polesel,J.,Blake,D.,&Starr,K.(2015).UnderstandingschoolpartnershipswithbusinessinAustralia-schoolleadershipperspective.PaperpresentedattheJournalofVocationalEducationandTraining(JVET),WorcesterCollege,Oxford.
Klatt,M.(2015,8-10April).InnovativepartnershipsforVETinSchools–theimpactofbusinesspartners. PaperpresentedattheAVETRA,Melbourne.
Starr,K.(2013).TheIncreasingEmphasisonStudentOutcomesandImplicationsforEducationalLeadership.EdTalkdeliveredtotheAssociationofHeadsofIndependentSchoolsAustraliaBiennialConference,SharedFutures:LinkingLearningCommunity,2October2013,GrandHyattHotel,Melbourne.
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK58
AP
PE
ND
IX
School Partner Student
Background Describecatchmentarea
Describestudentsundertakingappliedlearning
Listwherestudentscomefrom
Describethelearningprogram
Describeyourcurriculum
Describetheprogram
Why Outsource RationaleorphilosophyforprovidingAppliedlearning
AreyouabletomeetthedemandforAL?
Rationaleorphilosophyforprovidingappliedlearning
Whatisyourmotivationbehindprovidingjobexperienceforschool-agestudents?
AreyouabletomeetthedemandforAL?
WhychooseAL?
Whydoitthroughthisparticularprovider?
Wereyouprovidedwithenoughinformationbeforesigningupforthisprogram?
What’s Involved Arestudentschargedafee?
Howdoyouchoosestudents?
Howdoyouchoosepartneringorganisation?
Administrationrequirements:whatdoestheschoolprovide…e.g.timetabling,equipment,transport,staffing,money,mentoring,professionaldevelopmentetc…
Pleasedescribetheaccountabilityarrangementsthatareinplacebetweentheschool/standyourpartners
Arestudentschargedafee?
Howdoyouchoosestudents?
Administrationrequirements:whatdoesthepartnerprovide…e.g.timetabling,equipment,transport,staffing,money,mentoring,professionaldevelopmentetc.
Pleasedescribetheaccountabilityarrangementsthatareinplacebetweenyourinstitutionandtheschool
Areyouchargedafee?
Howdoyouchooseyourcourse?
Doesdoingvocationalandappliedlearningprogramscreatesomeextrachallengesforyou,suchasextracosts,traveltime,timetablingissueswithothercommitments?
Outcomes
Expected Whatdoyouexpectforyourstudentsattheendofthisprogram?
Whatdoyouexpectfromyourpartneringinstitution?
Howdoyoudefineeffective/successfulpartnership?
Whatdoyouexpectforyourstudentsattheendofthisprogram?
Doesyourinstitutionprovideanymentoringorguidance(oranyotherformsofsupport)toyourstudentstosupporttheircompletion,outcomesandpathways?
Howdoyoudefineeffective/successfulpartnership?
Whatdoyouexpecttoattainattheendofthisprogram?
Haveyouenjoyedthis?Hasthissuitedyou?
Canyoucommentonyourexperiencewiththisprovider?
Reality Anycompletionrates?
Anyretentionrates?
Inwhatwaysistheprogramdifferentfromthemoretraditionalsubjectsatschool?
Canyoutelluswhatyouhopetobedoingwhenyouleaveschool?
Limitations and Improvements
Howcouldthepartnershipwiththeschoolbechangedtoimprovecompletionrates?
Pleasedescribeanyexisting,plannedorsuggestedstrategiestoimproveVETprovision,arrangementsandstudentoutcomesforschool-agestudents
Howcouldthepartnershipwiththeschoolbechangedtoimprovecompletionrates?
Inyourexperiencedotheseappliedlearningprogramsequipgraduatesforworkinyourcontext?Whataretheirstrengths/weaknessesin yourcontext?
Pleasedescribeanyexisting,plannedorsuggestedstrategiestoimproveVETprovision,arrangementsandstudentoutcomesforschool-agestudents
Haveyouhadanyissuesorproblemsthathavemadeitdifficultforyoutocontinue?
Youmentionedextrachallenges-Howdoyouthinktheseproblemscouldbeovercome?
APPENDIX A: FRAMEWORK
59
APPENDIX B: SURVEY INSTRUMENT
Dear Principal,
You are invited to participate in a project titled: "Innovative partnerships for youth engagement in
education and work" by completing an online, anonymous survey. This project is funded by an
Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant in partnership with the Department of Education
and Early Childhood Development, NSW Department of Education and Communities, Catholic
Education Commission of Victoria, Catholic Education Commission of NSW, SA Department for
Education and Child Development, Association of Independent Schools of NSW, Catholic Education
Office (SA) and Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, and is being undertaken by the
University of Melbourne and Deakin University.
This project seeks to investigate the demands of applied learning and VET programs in upper
secondary schools in NSW, Victoria and SA. It focuses on the partnerships schools form with
TAFEs, employers and other organisations that support these programs. It tests the quality of these
programs in building youth engagement and establishing pathways into further study, work and skill
based occupations. It also examines their impact on the work of teachers, leadership of schools
and on the resources and school personnel capacities required to support them.
Schools form partnerships to support a broad range of activities, including VET, applied learning
and flexible learning. Moreover, the different systems and jurisdictions have different approaches to
defining and implementing applied learning, flexible learning and VETiS. This survey is designed to
be inclusive of all these approaches. It is attempting to build an understanding of the broad range
of partnerships that support these activities for youth engagement. For this reason, we are seeking
to include partnerships that support the following areas:
VETiS – programs that involve the delivery of Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)
qualifications by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).
Applied Learning - experiential, hands-on, active learning which provides practical, work-related
experience, and other skills that are important for life and work
Flexible Learning – Flexible school and/or community based learning programs, which may include
individual case management.
The responses from School Principals, VETiS and applied/flexible learning coordinators and any
relevant personnel will be greatly appreciated.
Survey monkey is used to administer a survey targeting all secondary schools across the three
states. The survey asks participants to reflect on their experiences of applied learning programs,
and the partnerships which schools form with employers and other organisations that support
applied learning programs. Participants will also be asked to comment on the impact of these
partnerships on the work of teachers, on the leadership of schools and the resources and school
personnel capacities required to support the partnerships.
Innovative Partnerships for youth engagement (schools)
1
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK60
The survey will take approximately 20 minutes.
Participation in the study is voluntary and you may discontinue participation at any time. This
survey is completely anonymous and the confidentiality of your responses will be protected subject
to legal limitations. You may choose to identify your school for the purpose of further research.
Data collected during the research process will be stored, according to the University of Melbourne
regulations, in a private and secure location at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education for a
period of five years and will then be destroyed.
Please, forward this link to any relevant personnel in your school. Multiple responses from each
school are welcome.
If you consent to participate in this research you should click ‘NEXT’ and respond to the survey
questions following. Your consent will be assumed once you have submitted the completed survey.
Thank you for your participation.
1. Do you consent to taking part in this survey?*
Yes
No
Innovative Partnerships for youth engagement (schools)
Other (please specify)
2. What is your position at this school/educational organisation?
Principal
Assistant Principal
VET coordinator
Applied/Flexible Learning Coordinator
Metropolitan Regional Rural
VIC
NSW
SA
3. In which state and region is your school/organisation located?
2
61
4. To which sector does your school/organisation belong?
Government
Catholic
Independent
Other (please specify)
5. Which category best describes your school/organisation?
Prep - Year 10
Prep - Year 12
Year 7-12
Year 8-12
Year 9-12
Year 10-12
Year 11-12
Specialist Secondary (e.g. sport and rec)
Special school
6. Which category best describes the student population at your school/organisation?
More than 1000 students
501-1000 students
101-500 students
100 or under
3
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK62
Please list all applied learning/VET/Flexible Learning programs available, and at which levels they are offered
7. Do you offer any applied learning, VET or flexible learning options at or through your
school/organisation?
Yes
No
VET FLO Applied learning Other
less than 10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
more than 50
Other (please specify)
8. How many students are involved in applied learning/VET/Flexible learning options at your school?
4
63
9. Please comment on how you decide which young people are able to access the applied
learning/VET/flexible learning options and any issues associated with this process.
Please comment on the understanding about how these programs are accessed across your organisation
10. To what extent do you think the process of accessing applied learning/VET/flexible learning options is
well understood in your organisation?
Very well understood
Mostly understood
Limited understanding
No understanding
High degree of
benefit Some benefit Little benefit No benefit N/A
Students seeking
pathways to
employment upon
leaving school
Students seeking
training pathways
through a TAFE or VET
provider upon leaving
school
11. To what extent do you consider the following groups of students benefit from your organisation's applied
learning/VET/flexible learning options?
5
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK64
Students seeking an
apprenticeship
Students seeking a
pathway to university
upon leaving school
Students who have
disengaged from
learning at school
Students from
indigenous backgrounds
Students who are
refugees or recent
arrivals
Students with special
learning needs
Students who have an
ESL background
Students from low SES
background
Male students
Female students
High degree of
benefit Some benefit Little benefit No benefit N/A
Please comment on any other groups of students who benefit from your applied learning/VET/flexible learning programs
6
65
High degree of benefit Some benefit Little benefit No benefit
Employability skills
(working in a team,
problem solving,
communication)
Civic and personal
development skills
Leadership skills
Improved understanding
of career pathways
Literacy and Numeracy
skills
Increased engagement
in learning
Increased engagement
with the wider
community
Increased likelihood of
completing year 12 or
equivalent
Increased self-
confidence and self-
esteem
Increased health and
wellbeing
Please commemt on any other benefits
12. To what extent do students experience the following benefits from participation in your organisation's
applied learning/VET/flexible learning options?
High degree of benefit Some benefit Little benefit No benefit
The opportunity to learn
in workplace and
community settings
13. What aspects of the applied learning/VET/flexible learning do you think facilitate the most benefit for
students' learning and engagement?
7
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK66
9
More adult-like
relationships with
educators/supervisors
The opportunity for a
more flexible approach
to learning and
completing Year 12 or its
equivalent
Concrete pathways to
employment and training
Learning linked to real-
world problems and
contexts
Opportunity to integrate
VET and applied
learning with senior
schooling
Credentialed recognition
of learning beyond
school and classrooms
Recognition of valuable
qualities, attributes and
capabilities that are
otherwise not
recognised in school
Opportunity to volunteer
in community-oriented
projects
Practical hands-on
activities
High degree of benefit Some benefit Little benefit No benefit
Please comment on any other aspects of the learning in the programs that facilitate students' learning and engagement.
8
67
Ten or more 8-9 6-7 4-5 2-3 1 0
TAFE
Private Training
Organisation (RTO)
Local Community
Organisation
Not-for-profit
organisation (e.g.
Brotherhood of St
Laurence)
Other schools
Business
Industry Skills Councils
(ITABs)
Professional
associations of
employers (ACCI,AIG,
etc.)
Please comment on any other types of partner organisations supporting your programs
14. What types and number of 'partner organisations' support the provision of applied learning/VET/flexible
learning options offered by your organisation?
10
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK68
A purchasing
arrangement for
delivery away
from school site
An auspicing
arrangement
where the
provider allows
us to deliver the
applied
learning/VET at
the school
campus
A business
partnership with
local employers
or industry group
providing access
to workplace
learning
opportunities
The partner
delivers the
entire senior
secondary
program for us
using an applied
learning
approach and
flexible
curriculum
The partner
provides
opportunities for
students to learn
in community-
oriented projects
that align with
the
organisation's
objectives Not Applicable
TAFE
Private Training
Organisation (RTO)
Local Community
Organisation
Not-for-profit
organisation (e.g.
Brotherhood of St
Laurence)
Other schools
Business
Industry Skills Councils
(ITABs)
Professional
associations of
employers (ACCI,AIG,
etc.)
If you have a partnership with the same type of organisation but under different arrangement, please specify here. Also please comment
on any other roles played by partnering organisations.
15. What role does the partner play in your applied learning/VET/Flexible learning option?
11
69
Highly effective Mostly effective Mostly ineffective Highly ineffective Not Applicable
A purchasing
arrangement for delivery
away from school site
An auspicing
arrangement where the
provider allows us to
deliver the applied
learning/VET at the
school campus
A business partnership
with local employers
A business partnership
with industry groups
Our partner delivers the
entire senior secondary
program for us using an
applied learning
approach and
curriculum
A partnership with a
RTO organised through
a school cluster
We don’t have any
partnerships, our school
delivers all the applied
learning/VET
Please comment on effectiveness of partnering arrangements to support your programs.
16. To what extent do you think the following partnering arrangements are effective?
12
17. If you have more than one type of partnership, what factors determine the type of partnership you
choose?
13
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK70
Very significant Mostly significant Mostly insignificant Not significant at all
Access to a wider range
of curriculum
components
Cost effective delivery of
applied learning
programs
Better quality learning
programs
Access to specific
expertise
Access to individuals
and organisations
Provision of resources
More innovative delivery
and assessment
Links to industry which
better prepare students'
work readiness
Training Package
requirements
Expectations of Industry
for workplace learning
and/or assessment
Please comment on any factors significant in your formation of partnersing arrangements
18. To what extent are the following factors significant in your formation of partnering arrangements?
14
19. Please describe what your partners contribute to the applied learning/VET/flexible learning options e.g.
venue, staffing, curriculum etc.
Highly significant role
Moderately significant
role Limited role No role
State Department of
Education
Workplace learning
coordinator
TAFE
Private Training
Organisation
Community organisation
Not-for-profit
organisation
School's own networking
Parents
Local Learning and
Employment Networks
(e.g. LLENs) in Victoria
Work Placement
Service Providers
Group Training
Organisation
Industry Skills Councils
(ITABs)
Professional
associations of
employers (ACCI,AIG,
etc.)
Employer
20. To what extent have the following organisations/networks played a role in INITIATING your partnering
arrangements?
15
71
19. Please describe what your partners contribute to the applied learning/VET/flexible learning options e.g.
venue, staffing, curriculum etc.
Highly significant role
Moderately significant
role Limited role No role
State Department of
Education
Workplace learning
coordinator
TAFE
Private Training
Organisation
Community organisation
Not-for-profit
organisation
School's own networking
Parents
Local Learning and
Employment Networks
(e.g. LLENs) in Victoria
Work Placement
Service Providers
Group Training
Organisation
Industry Skills Councils
(ITABs)
Professional
associations of
employers (ACCI,AIG,
etc.)
Employer
20. To what extent have the following organisations/networks played a role in INITIATING your partnering
arrangements?
15
Applied Learning
Teacher Association
Highly significant role
Moderately significant
role Limited role No role
Please comment on the initiation and maintenance of your partnering arrangements
Highly significant role
Moderately significant
role Limited role No role
State Department of
Education
Workplace learning
coordinator
TAFE
Private Training
Organisation
Community organisation
Not-for-profit
organisation
School's own networking
Parents
Local Learning and
Employment Networks
(e.g. LLENs) in Victoria
Work Placement
Service Providers
Group Training
Organisation
Industry Skills Councils
(ITABs)
21. To what extent have the following organisations/networks played a role in MAINTAINING your
partnering arrangements?
16
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK72
Applied Learning
Teacher Association
Highly significant role
Moderately significant
role Limited role No role
Please comment on the initiation and maintenance of your partnering arrangements
Highly significant role
Moderately significant
role Limited role No role
State Department of
Education
Workplace learning
coordinator
TAFE
Private Training
Organisation
Community organisation
Not-for-profit
organisation
School's own networking
Parents
Local Learning and
Employment Networks
(e.g. LLENs) in Victoria
Work Placement
Service Providers
Group Training
Organisation
Industry Skills Councils
(ITABs)
21. To what extent have the following organisations/networks played a role in MAINTAINING your
partnering arrangements?
16
Professional
associations of
employers (ACCI,AIG,
etc.)
Motivated teacher in the
school (Champion)
Highly significant role
Moderately significant
role Limited role No role
Please comment on the initiation and maintenance of your partnering arrangements
22. How does your organisation's leadership support the relationship with external partners?
17
73
Professional
associations of
employers (ACCI,AIG,
etc.)
Motivated teacher in the
school (Champion)
Highly significant role
Moderately significant
role Limited role No role
Please comment on the initiation and maintenance of your partnering arrangements
22. How does your organisation's leadership support the relationship with external partners?
17
High degree of leadership
and responsibility
Moderate degree of
leadership and
responsibility
Limited degree of
leadership and
responsibility
No leadership and
responsibility
Principal
Assistant Principal
VETiS coordinator
Designated Partnership
coordinator
Year 12 coordinator
Applied Learning
Programs Coordinator
Other (please specify)
23. Who is mostly responsible for leading and managing applied learning/VET/flexible learning partnership
arrangements in your organisation?
18
Highly significant Mostly Significant Mostly insignificant Not significant at all
Prior experiences in
industry
Broader conception of
learning
Cert IV Training and
Assessment
Other formal study in
VET
Capacities in networking
and community
partnerships
Capacity for teachers to
use applied learning to
respond to individual
learning needs
Please comment on skill sets required by teachers to build and maintain partnerships
24. How would you rate the following skill sets that your teachers may need to implement these
partnerships effectively?
19
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK74
Highly significant Mostly Significant Mostly insignificant Not significant at all
Prior experiences in
industry
Broader conception of
learning
Cert IV Training and
Assessment
Other formal study in
VET
Capacities in networking
and community
partnerships
Capacity for teachers to
use applied learning to
respond to individual
learning needs
Please comment on skill sets required by teachers to build and maintain partnerships
24. How would you rate the following skill sets that your teachers may need to implement these
partnerships effectively?
19
Highly significant Mostly significant Mostly insignificant Not significant at all
Limited human
resources
Limited financial
resources
Lack of knowledge
Reluctance of external
partners to be involved
Reluctance from
students to be involved
Teachers are
overloaded
Parental reluctance
Workplace, health and
safety concerns
Please comment on barriers to the effective implementation of partnerships
25. To what extent are the following factors a barrier to the effective implementation of partnerships?
26. Please comment on any strategies you are using (or intend to use) to overcome barriers.
20
Highly significant Mostly significant Mostly insignificant Not significant at all
Limited human
resources
Limited financial
resources
Lack of knowledge
Reluctance of external
partners to be involved
Reluctance from
students to be involved
Teachers are
overloaded
Parental reluctance
Workplace, health and
safety concerns
Please comment on barriers to the effective implementation of partnerships
25. To what extent are the following factors a barrier to the effective implementation of partnerships?
26. Please comment on any strategies you are using (or intend to use) to overcome barriers.
20
75
27. Please comment on any risks associated with the applied learning/VET/flexible learning options and
partnerships supporting them.
28. Please comment on how you are managing any risks associated with the applied learning/VET/flexible
learning options and partnerships supporting them.
29. Please provide an example of a partnership you consider to be highly successful and comment on why
it is successful.
21
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORK76
Please explain
30. Would you like to further enhance and expand your applied learning/VET/flexible learning partnerships?
Yes
No
Highly significant Mostly significant Mostly insignificant Not significant at all
Additional human
resources
Additional financial
resources
Willingness of external
partners to be involved
PD for teachers for
applied learning
Other (please specify)
31. What additional resources and circumstances would be significant to facilitate this expansion?
22
32. Please include any other comments regarding your applied learning/VET/flexible learning options and
partnerships that facilitate these.
33. If you would like to be contacted for further research at your school following-up on this survey, please
provide your contact details below.
23
This publication reports the findings of a research study funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage grant awarded to Investigators Professor John Polesel (University of Melbourne), Professor Jack Keating (University of Melbourne), Professor Karen Starr (Deakin University), Associate Professor Damian Blake (Deakin University), Mr David Gallagher (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority) and Mr David Michaels (New South Wales Department of Education and Communities). The project was also supported by funding provided by the industry partners - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Victorian Department of Education and Training, Catholic Education Commission of Victoria, Catholic Education Commission New South Wales, South Australia Department for Education and Child Development, New South Wales Department of Education and Communities, Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales, and Catholic Education South Australia.
© Centre for Vocational and Educational PolicyThe Melbourne Graduate School of EducationThe University of MelbourneVictoria 3010 Australia
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION AND WORKMALGORZATA KLATTJOHN POLESELNICKY DULFERKAREN STARRDAMIAN BLAKE
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
SCHOOLS
GRADUATE
Shaping minds, shaping the world