AVETRA - workshops

In Melbourne for the first f2f conference since 2019!! The Australasian Vocational Education and Training Research Association runs across 3 days, beginning today with several workshops.

Kira Clarke opens the workshops with a welcome to country and an overview of AVETRA.

Workshop one is with Rakesh Saha who presents on phenomenon-based learning (PhBL) which arose from an ISS scholarship visit to Finland.

His workshop began with defining PhBL, the advantages, how it is implemented in Finland and how this can be implemented. PhBL is a pedagogy that encourages students to explore a phenomenon which could be a topic, an event etc. The pedagogy encourages holistic, interdisciplinary, personalised, collaborative, enquiry-based and hands on learning. Of note that Finland, already considered having a successful education system, is working at initiating and promoting PhBL as it prepares learners for the future. PhBL helps promote well-being but also gives student agency, improves critical thinking, collaborative learning etc. and greater pedagogical flexibility for teachers. In Finland, 7 transversal competencies are identified: Thinking and learning to learn, cultural competence, taking care of oneself, multiliterarcy, ICT, working life skills and entreprenuership, and participating, influencing and building a sustainable future.

Then Professor Sarojni Choy and I facilitate a workshop on publishing in the International Journal of Training Research, of which we are co-editors. We went through the submission, peer review and publication process and worked with the participants to draft a plan for their paper and provided resources to write an abstract.

The third workshop on 'making a transformational difference: Steps to address inequity in VET' presented and facilitated by Kit McMahon and Sally Thompson, convenors of Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE). The workshop sought to scope out and explore inequity in VET; discover what role VET has to address inequity; and learn the evidence and practice through applying a gender lens. Activity involved selecting a card which represented self and another representing inequity. These formed the basis of conversation through the session. Individual's presented their perspectives and these collated on flipchart. Brought the many contributions into discussion on the Gender Equality Act (Victoria) - implications, challenges, actions and ways forward. Many items still to address - gender pay gap, sexual harassment rates in workplaces, domestic violence etc. continuance of gendered occupations. Need to not be gender blind or perpetuate inequality. Research should create equity, not just find out that it exists! Define the issues and assumptions, understand the context of your policy/programme of service, create and define options - analyse choices for equality, and make the recommendation or case for adoption for intersectional gender equality.

Fourth workshop is with Carmen Basilicata who is Executive Director for Market Performance and Engagement at the ASQA. She overviews the self-assurance process to focus on quality and continuous improvement. Ran through update on ASQA and the broader regulatory reform. Focus is on provider self-assurance. Details of the draft co-designed model presented. Summarised the items required in provider annual declaration of compliance. Some similarities to the NZ system, principles and objectives are similar but processes are 'local'. 

A welcome to the conference reception followed.