Australia is currently witnessing a melding of its various education sectors and a gradual erosion of distinctions between school, vocational education and higher education. Such developments are leading toward a "seamless web" of post-compulsory education, a goal strongly articulated by governments, bureaucrats, business and educators in recent…

This paper reports findings from a survey of former students from six Australian rural school clusters. It compares the experiences and outcomes of students who had participated in a school vocational education and training (VET) program with those who had not. School VET courses intended to provide a pathway to local employment appear to be…

The German education system has recently come under fire with the publication of various international studies on student performance (OECD 2000; 2003). And in the first national "Education Report" (Bildungsbericht) published in October 2003 (Avenarius et al. 2003), the German ministers of education point out serious deficiencies in the country's…

This article presents a rationale for why role-play simulation is an effective and socially dynamic learning strategy for VET or HE. The factors of generational change, work world demands due to global economics and rapid technological developments are drivers for educationalists to focus more on the process of learning rather than the content.…

With the rise of education and training markets and the rhetoric of lifelong learning, individuals have been reconfigured as learner-consumers and vested with responsibilities as choosers of their own destinies and, by implication, agents of government economic policy. Against this backdrop, this paper reviews empirical research on adult choice in…

This article considers national Australian data on reverse transfer--the transfer of students from bachelor programs or higher to sub baccalaureate programs, institutions and sectors. It finds that previous studies have overstated the prevalence and perhaps also the significance of reverse transfer. The data are not good, but the best conclusion…

In line with other Western nations, the 1980s and 1990s saw a significant increase in the number of TAFE graduates wanting to transfer to university. As a consequence, recent times have evidenced increased co-operation between universities and TAFE institutes and the emergence of alternative university-entry programs (e.g. degree-articulation…

This paper specifically reports on a comprehensive evaluation of competency based assessment within the mining industry in Queensland, Australia. However, it also addresses a broader problem associated with competency-based assessment already identified in the literature. The qualitative component of the study involved 83 people, nineteen mine…

This paper provides an account of findings, pertinent to vocational education and training, of the Victorian evaluation of the Commonwealth-funded Full Service Schools Program. This program was designed for students "at risk" of leaving school early and not making a successful transition into further education and training or employment. It…

This paper reports findings of the first phase of a study conducted to investigate the factors that contribute to the success of partnerships between vocational education and training (VET) providers and community/industry, and the processes partnerships employ to produce quality learning outcomes for individuals and other stakeholders, including…

The blurring of the boundary between Australian vocational education and training and higher education is leading to a reconsideration of the current structure of Australian tertiary education. This paper starts with the main overlap of the Australian tertiary education sectors, diplomas and advanced diplomas. The ambiguous treatment of these…

This paper focuses on the development and maintenance of the national qualification structure for secondary vocational education and training in the Netherlands. The qualification structure was introduced in 1997 as part of new legislation for vocational and adult education. The core questions to be answered concern the extent to which the policy…

The 1980s saw recession and substantial levels of unemployment in developed countries, followed by increasing globalisation of trade and an intensification of international economic competition. As a result of these pressures, a "restructuring" of industry seemed an imperative in a number of developed countries in the late 1980s. As this economic…

20 years of Sino-German cooperation in vocational training and education (VET) have produced a great many mutual benefits. This article outlines the stages underwent during the development of Sino-German cooperation in VET, describing certain experiences, in particular highlighting practices such as labour market oriented curricula, action based…

This account reports on a commissioned strategic evaluation undertaken for the Australian National Training Authority on the qualitative impact of the introduction of Training Packages on vocational education and training clients. The research involved collecting the views of over 200 VET practitioners, bureaucrats and administrators, industry…