Guest posting to voced-coord list

Item 6 of 8: Some emerging problems

Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 11:46:27 +1000
To: voced-coord@owl.qut.edu.au
From: Mike Frost
Subject: VocEd: Mike Frost (Guest) - Some emerging problems

I wonder a little at how long the energy and enthusiasm displayed by those involved in the development, implementation and management of successful vocational programs will continue. I think part of the agenda for implementing and managing the kind of change envisaged by the federal Government in its New Apprenticeships policy and supporting programs, like School-to-Work needs to take account of some of the realities, not to use as a weapon to condemn but to anticipate likely problem areas in the future and to take remedial action. Let me share some of my perceptions based on what I observe, hear and read:

Coordinator Profile VETNETwork surveyed its members last year as part of its project evaluation and part of that research allowed us to piece together a profile of what may well be a "typical" coordinator. They are predominately women (70% of the sample ) who have been teaching for over 15 years, 50% of the sample over 20 years. Many come from Career Education-Work Experience teaching and seem to take on vocational programs as an additional task because they are seen as the most suited. The sample showed a very low access to and use of internet services (less than 10% had accessed VETNETwork's website.

So what conclusion do we draw from this trend data. We need to broaden the recruitment base to include greater heterogeneity in age and in particular young teachers. Training institutions like the universities should now be beginning to look to future training needs of vocational education teachers. Indeed if 60% and above of post-compulsory students complete a vocational program then a far greater range of teachers will need to be skilled in some ways as vocational education teachers.

We also need to continue to look at ways of expanding use of and access to on-line services like Voc-Ed Coordinators Online. Teachers and coordinators find it difficult to systematically use email, for example, unless it is on their desks.

Coordinators who undertake training in Workplace Assessor and Training programs generally do not report highly satisfactory outcomes, at least in terms of the use of such programs in their coordinating roles.

There is also some suggestion that coordinator burn-out could become a problem. Some suggest a 2-3 year span as a teacher/coordinator is sufficient. The particular cause of stress identified by some is the difficulty of mixing conventional teaching practices with the relatively more stimulating vocational approach. A host of other contributing stresses are also commonly identified ranging from constant battles with managers, systems, colleagues and orthodox culture.

Workplacements There are some emerging indications that business and industry can tire of supporting workplacements though the reasons are yet to be determined. It seems likely that on-going support is contingent on outcomes for industry - in other words they need to get something in return for the effort they put in particularly if it involves formal training which is mostly unable to attract subsidy. Community spirit alone won't provide this - there has to be something in it for them.

Some concerns have been expressed at likely outcomes for major cooperative projects, like Pauline Rice's a development and implementation of a regional strategic plan for VET in Schools for the Northern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne outlined this morning when funding, like ASTF support, is no longer available. Will associated industries remain as involved.

Program Costs A constant theme that never seems to be satisfactorily resolved is the matter of TAFE charges for program delivery. In Tasmania the very few programs running as cooperative ventures with TAFE have had a Ministerial direction applied so that fees are not applied. Victoria, which seems to have an extensive set of joint initiatives with TAFE through its former Dual Recognition program, apparently allows schools to carry that cost.

A number of school-industry programs, like TRAC, jointly contribute to the operational cost of programs. There seems to be increasing reluctance on the part of industry, over time, to continue to support them financially when they are also expected to contribute substantially to workplace training and assessment.

The direct support from school systems varies from state to state and the extent to which such systems will progressively assume responsibility is a real issue particularly as the ASTF moves away from ongoing support of established programs. The implications if Federal Government support is reduced should also be considered.

Suitability of Schools as VET Providers While there are many shining examples of schools which have successfully embraced vocational education and enriched their schools in a variety of ways, there are many (probably over 40%) which find it a hard graft. I hear of teachers battling to get in place a modest set of programs, confronted with the usual things that most of us who have been involved in managing change in schools have experienced. Fitting around school bus times (yeas school buses are the single biggest deciding factor in school management in Australia), school timetables that reflect the academic tradition and its associated culture, the needs of specialist and part-time staff, cautious perhaps unimaginative school leaders and decision makers, perceived parental resistance and the like.

Perhaps the answer is that traditionally organised schools are not good at VET provision, but with a little imagination the management and operation of the school can be transformed, and they can become very good at providing quality vocational programs with extensive workplacement.

There is still a tendency for educators and the wider training market to see VET in school as something of a temporary aberration, that it will ultimately disappear and that it is not legitimate. I was queried recently by an ITAB about a conference flyer promoting Tasmanian Vocational Education and Training Network's inaugural conference. The implication was that this deceived the legitimate training community because it pictured International Catarmaran's apprentices on the front and of course the conference was for vocational education in schools, something entirely different to VET.

There are no doubt a range of other issues that can be identified. My intention in raising them is to confirm that these are nationally recognised issues that affect very many teachers and coordinators and that we should be taking account of them now and begin to look for ways of addressing them.

Mike Frost
Executive Officer
VETNETwork - Vocational Education and Training Network
Mailing Address: VETNETwork PO Box 424 Rosny Park TAS 7018
Ph 0362 449254
Fax 0362 449299
Mobile 0412 053738
Email mfrost@info.rosny.tased.edu.au