ERIC Number: EJ1148678
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Aug
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1326-0111
EISSN: N/A
Mission-Driven Adaptability in a Changing National Training System
Zoellner, Don; Stephens, Anne; Joseph, Victor; Monro, Davena
Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, v46 n1 p54-63 Aug 2017
This case study of an adult and community education provider based in far north Queensland describes its capacity to balance various iterations of public policy against its vision for the future of Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islanders. Community-controlled organisations wanting to contribute to economic and social development in regional/remote Australia through the use of formally recognised vocational education and training have adjusted to at least three major sociopolitical changes at the national policy level since the early 1990s. These include redefining equity, marketising the delivery of public services and increased centralisation. The contemporary orientation of vocational education and training as part of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy has become a highly prescriptive and heavily centralised mechanism for the establishment of employment outcomes. This has been framed as an obligation and right of Australian citizenship as opposed to the other wellbeing and personal development benefits of education. This registered training organisation has navigated four burdensome (re)definitions of equity that have made planning and delivery of true lifelong training objectives difficult. The provider has embraced the marketisation of the sector and navigated other policy changes in order to provide the services and knowledge set out in the college mission statement.
Descriptors: Case Studies, Indigenous Populations, Pacific Islanders, Community Education, Adult Education, Vocational Education, Public Policy, Equal Education, Delivery Systems, Centralization, Educational Objectives, Community Needs, Strategic Planning, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A