NZ Vocational Education and Training (VET) research forum - DAY TWO after morning tea

After morning tea, three concurrent sessions are presented.

Firstly with Helen McPhun from LEARNPLUS on ‘will shifting the goal post improve the game?’ Shared a subset of her study ‘is the current benchmark the cause of poor assessment practice?’ Some moves to remove the unit standard 4098 which prepares people to assess competency standards. Assessment processes and behaviours seem to have flaws? Do we blame 4098 and shift to a more difficult unit? Interviewed across the private tertiary providers and ITOs – assessors, academic managers and moderators. Variables to explore include assessors, assessment documents, context, conditions and support. Shared findings. Assessors have preferences, standards and values and these colour our assessment decisions. Design, clarity and ease of use of the assessment documents play a key role in ensuring assessments are valid, reliable and fair. Therefore, not 4098 preparation but the assessment documents themselves must be solid and the behaviours of assessors in making assessment decisions.

Second concurrent session with Dr. Glenys Ker (with work with John Gualter) from Otago Polytechnic with ‘facilitating for transformative learning – innovative ways to support learners (and their organisations’. Provided background, context and rationalisation on a Doctorate of Professional Studies study of the Independent learning pathway (ILP i.e. recognition of prior learning) process. Usually enables people to attain a degree over a year. These people are engaged at work. Also the Partial Independent Learning Pathway (PILP) for people in an organisation. Here, the learner completes a project, identified with their organisation. Provided details of the process along with examples. Begins with ‘looking back’ to reflect on their knowledge and skills, then ‘taking stock’ to work out what they have and if there are any gaps, leading to a ‘summing up and looking forward’ step to bring together the evidence / case study for presentation. Shared 4 principles for effective facilitation. Needs to be fit, build relationship, understand the skills, knowledge and attitudes required and putting the learner first.

Next up, Mark Cox and Konrad Hurren from BERL on ‘modelling alternative post-school pathways’. Presented research to look at returns post-school dependent on where and how people move through life. Data was from the integrated data infrastructure from Statistics NZ. Project was concerned with checking a NZ Universities stat on earnings if degree was complicated (i.e. a million over lifetime). Shared the problems with the stats which did not consider many parameters. The study presented modelled alternative pathways for people leaving school with at least NCEA L2, account for earnings and across different skills / disciplines. Population who completed an apprenticeship / degree in 2003. Tracked back to 1999 and to 2018. This allowed for 4 years of data from time leaving school. Allowed for average student loan, household economic survey, mortgage, house prices etc. For degrees B Com. BSc, BA with technology based apprentices (building, engineering); commerce and other apprentices (personal services, society and culture). Used model to calculate ‘net financial position’ for average person in each group. Made assumptions as to 20% deposit and 20 year mortgage of half a house; saving through kiwi saver, are frugal and try their best to live within their means. Results indicate between BSc and technology based apprentices, by 10 (14) years, degree holders take over but apprentices earn more at the start. B Com and commerce based apprentices, in year 5 -6 and BA and other apprentices also similar but earnings are lower. After 15 years, technology based apprentices have earned more across 15 years and BA the least. Apprentices tend to have capability to purchase house earlier and be able to accumulate assets earlier.

After lunch, we have a keynote from Dr. Damon Whitten from Ako Aotearoa and Mike Styles from the Primary ITO on two upcoming Ako Aotearoa Research initiatives. Mike presents on ‘A NZ dyslexia friendly quality mark’ funded by TEC and overseen and managed by Ako Aotearoa. Internationally 10% of adults with dyslexia generally underachieve in education and choose not to engage in education. Dyslexia is not a disability but is best thought of as a different way of seeing the world. Is not related to intelligence but struggle with text. Quality mark is based on model developed by the British Dyslexia Association. Need to contextualised to a bicultural NZ setting and standards for education management, delivery and inclusiveness. Summarised advantages for learners and providers. Good practice for dyslexic learners also good practice for all learners.

Damon presented on ‘exciting new frontiers for literacy ad numeracy’. Shared the Adult Literacy Practice Model – know what has to be learnt, know the learner and what to do to help learner do the learning. Need to integrate learner agency – problem solving and self-learning skills. Summarised study on ‘how do lower skilled adults deal with novel problems and learning challenges?’ need to help people move from ‘fixed thinking’ to become more flexible, especially to stop using established or experienced ways to do things. Engaging learners in novel problems that they do not know how to solve, provide them with heuristic method and they can use this to help them solve the problem. Emphasised the importance for developing self learning skills – self-regulated learning, effective learning strategies and ongoing practice. Shared several learning strategies relevant to L & N.

The ‘Women in the trades’ session follows with a panel discussion on ‘employers’ perspectives of the benefits and barriers to women in trades and what they are doing to lead change’. Presented on the benefits to employers; perceived barriers of employing women; current behaviours and beliefs; and changes that can help employers and industries become more gender diverse. Erica Cummings (BCITO) Mced the session with 4 employers (1 female) on the panel, providing their perspectives. Each provided background on their company and their perspectives. 
Mark Williams then provided overview and summary of the project. Included how the various parts of the project inform and connect across. Presented the research objectives, methodology and findings. Generally, female employers, large companies, companies with females in leadership roles and automotive engineering tended to employ comparatively larger numbers of women. Women brought 'attention to detail' and 'softening of workplace behaviours' but barriers included lack of physical strength and 'might get pregnant'. Many trades jobs come about through word of mouth, advertising the job seen as a useful method to open opportunities for women. Offering flexible work arrangements, partnership with schools and widening circle of people they talk to about a job all assist. Proposed strategies for assisting businesses to employ more women in the trades.

The conference closes with thoughts from Josh Williams.