This research was undertaken as part of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research's (NCVER) in-house research program. The report focuses on individuals who, together with industry, are at the centre of vocational education and training (VET). What is novel about the research is that it looks further than skills and workforce outcomes…

An understanding of culture in organisations can offer insights into individual and group behaviour, and leadership. It can help to explain not just what happens in an organisation, but why it happens. However, many people are concerned not just with understanding culture, and hence organisational life. They see culture as something to be…

Structural change is seen as a way to meet the challenges of the future that face many organisations. While some writers agree that broad-ranging structural change may not always transform an organisation or enhance its performance, others claim that innovation will be a major source of competitive advantage to organisations, particularly when…

Organisational capability is rapidly becoming recognized as the key to organizational success. However, the lack of research on it has been well documented in the literature, and organizational capability remains an elusive concept. Yet an understanding of organizational capability can offer insights into how RTOs might work most effectively,…

When people once talked about culture, they meant knowledge, belief, art, morals, law and customs--the content of civilization. The word is still used in this way, for example, when referring to the cultures of different ethnic groups or nations. Today, when people talk about culture within organizations they often mean something more complicated.…

An understanding of organisational structure can provide guidance for organisations that want to change and innovate. Many writers agree that this understanding allows organisations to shape how their work is done to ultimately achieve their business goals--and that too often structure is given little consideration in business strategy and…

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report, "Social and Economic Benefits of Improved Adult Literacy: Towards a Better Understanding," and is an added resource for further information. The original document is a feasibility study which explores the frameworks and methodologies available for determining and…

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Who's Missing Out?: Access and Equity in Vocational Education and Training" [ED495192] and is an added resource for further information. The original report explores access to vocational education and training (and university) currently and historically over the…

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "'A Huge Learning Curve': TAFE Practitioners' Ways of Working with Private Enterprises," and is an added resource of appendices for further information. Included are: (1) Literature review; (2) Interview schedules; (3) Six case studies; (4) Tables of interview data;…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate, from a national perspective, the impact and outcomes of market reform in vocational education and training (VET), particularly the introduction of competitive tendering and "user choice". It does so by examining the structure, composition and dynamics of contestable or "quasi-markets" for VET, assessing…

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between requirements for the performance of particular jobs and that specific part of the competence requirement that is needed, in the opinion of employers, to be formally recognised. Data collected were primarily qualitative, gathered through interviews with managers, sometimes in…

In this report, deliberately used is a range of terms to talk about the use of information and communication technologies. The terms include electronic literacy, digital literacy, technological literacy, technoliteracy, multimodal literacies and multiliteracies. There is no argument that the terms are interchangeable, even though they are often…

Unmet demand for tertiary education is difficult to define and to estimate. In this report, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001 Survey of Education, Training and Information Technology are used to shed light on defining and enumerating unmet demand. Unmet demand occurs when potential students apply for a place at university or in…

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Using Information and Communication Technologies in Adult Literacy Education: New Practices, New Challenges," and is an added resource for further information. The contents of this support document are divided into two parts. Part I includes: (1) Literature Review;…

This report presents issues associated with incentives for training existing workers in small to medium-sized firms, identified through a small sample of case studies from the retail, manufacturing, and building and construction industries. While the majority of employers recognise workforce skill levels are fundamental to the success of the…