NZ Vocational Education Research Forum - Day 2

 

The second day begins with welcome from Josh William, Evangeleen and Ezekiel Raui of Skills Consulting Group.

The first address is from Penny Simmonds, National PartyTertiary Education spokesperson and was the CE of Southern Institute of Technology for 23 years. Shared her experience on the development and maturity of a research culture at SIT. Acknowledged the challenges, especially the initial beginnings to support and build research capability. There was important need to enable research including better teaching hours abatement, leadership support, networking collaborative research, the importance of sharing and peer support, and provision of opportunities for dissemination and publication. Direction for VET research could include building research into Bachelor and post-grad curriculum, encouraging joint tutor/student research, and problem-solving for industries and communities. VET research usefully deployed to help find solutions to local problems, can be longitudinal and attract local funding. Research then informs teaching, is discipline specific and can be used to improve teaching. Posits that VET research is about providing solutions, improving practice, grounded in real-life, and helps students, industries and communities.

The first keynote for the day is with Tania Winslade, DeputyCE for Learner Journeys and Experience at Te Pūkenga and Debbie and Kelly-Anne from Wintec. She provides details on ‘Te rito:ensuring learners are at the centre of our unified network’. Provided some background and guiding principles (the charter) for the work now being undertaken by Te Pūkenga. Partnerships with schools, wanangas, workforce development councils, iwi, community, industry etc. crucial in ensuring Te Pūkenga meet stakeholder needs. Introduced the Te Rito reports so far – learners and staff, Māori, Pacific and Disabled which identified insights and opportunities for them. Debbie Preston and Kelly-Anne Panapa summarised the reports. All were con-constructed with participants and the approach and process for gathering and analysing the data. All the data was analysed as a whole. Then data sets formed for Māori/pacific and disabled learners and re-analysed. Learner and staff personas were developed to inform Te Pūkenga’s work going forward. Shared example personas and their bumpy journeys. A good presentation. These findings inform the operating model (Te tauira whakahaere) developed as organisational touchpoints. Consultation on this will start in October. Affirmed that all of this research will be respected and these will be actioned into Te Pūkenga’s emerging operations.

Breakout rooms commence. I attend the session with Dr. LisaMaurice-Takerei from Auckland University of Technology and Helen Anderson (Unitec) on ‘the role of VET teachers in Aotearoa NZ’s economic future’. The overall focus of the presentation is based on the opinion that good teaching underpins quality VET. VET teachers are often invisible but doing complex work. There is often insufficient support for industry practitioners to become teachers. There are qualification pathways but often these are at too low a level. VET teaching as a whole is not seen to be a career pathway into professional/research aspects of VET. Current RoVE work has emphasis on industry and learners but the VET teachers are again not visible. An opportunity is presented especially in the new world in processes of standard settings, qualifications development, moderation, development of programmes and decision making in qualification and their delivery. VET teachers have high level of skills and knowledge in their discipline but often have to learn how to teach ‘on the job’. Pedagogical content knowledge and skill associated with teaching/training methods most suited to the discipline is a weak point. Important to ensure there are good induction and professional development processes to support teachers as they move into and continue as VET teachers. Qualifications to degree level required. Industry currency also important. More coordinated VET research will be useful. Vet teaching should be highly valued, high level VET teaching qualification available, research agenda, industry currency has precedence, allowing for a high quality VET provision.

I then present my take on ‘the knotty problem of learning how to ‘feel the wood’ when access to the lathe is not possible: Supporting distance/remote practice-based learning’. In this presentation, I review the processes underpinning practice-based learning with a focus on the sociomaterial aspects of practice. Sociomateriality is an intensely challenging but crucial aspect of practice-based learning. It is also difficult to help learners access the sociomaterial via digital technologies as so much is learnt by doing. Experts also find it difficult to describe sociomateriality of their work as it is embodied into their practice and has become tacit. The push-connect the dots-pull model is extended to help bring in aspects of practice-based learning to support the learning of the sociomaterial aspects of work.

A plenary session follows with Patrick McKibbin, Business and Employer liaison manager at the Ministry of Education with ‘the emergence of work integrated pathways'. His role brings him in contact and consultation with employers, schools and learners. Employer engagement is crucial. 66% of students had no exposure to employers, 45% no exposure to careers advisors. 57% heading to uni but only 6% to polytech and similar to apprenticeships. Summarised present programmes - gateway, trades academies, work experience whilst still at school, events to connect school communities and employers. As part o RoVE, 135 events run but covid has disrupted many more. Young people attending these feel more informed about their pathways beyond work. There is skills shortage in NZ and employers are desperate. There need to have schools and employers co-creating learning journeys for learners so that outcomes are more diverse. Provided example of Hastings Boys High School and Patton Engineering began to work together in 2018. HBHS is decile 2 with high numbers of Māori/Pacific students. Community funding support provided to upgrade workshops at the school to workplace standards and Pattons helped provide steel to the school. Outcomes have been good with 31 more employwers engaged and number of boys engaged in vocational learning increased. Massey High School and Kāinga Ora (building organisation) another example where 10 years ago, a Massey HS building academy was developed and now has 100 students participating. Again outcomes are good with attendance at 95% and 99% of students go into apprenticeship and employment. This model now being shared with other schools. Emerging networks include Fusion Network (software development) and Tamaki High School; Mainfreight & Hynds (transport); IBM Global Tech programme with two schools in South Auckland. Discussed how work integrated pathways are part of the new future for learners. MOE has resources to support the process of employer and school interrelationship. Shared work MOE is doing now and into the future to operationalise the intentions of the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE). 

The last keynote is with Wolfgang Steinle, Deputy Principle of Kerchensteinerschule in Stuttgard, Germany. He presents on ‘Co-ordination and co-operation: How vocational providers support work-based learning and apprenticeships in Germany'. Began with the background and details on the dual-system. Then description of the coordination and co-operation process between schools and business - especially in light of Covid. Stuttgard is in Baden-Wurttenberg state in Germany with 11 million population. Unemployment currently at 5.6% with 3.5% youth unemployment. There are 300 vocationsl schools in the dual system. Provided overview of the German education system, and where the vocational school and dual VET systems are situated. In the dual system, student are situated 30% at vocational school and 70% in workplace across 2 to 3 years. The governance system involves republic, federal state and rural/urban district jurisdiction. Detailed the processes for coordination and co-operation between the vocational school and employers. Vetting systems and regulations presented. Employers must have a qualified trainer. Final practical exams are conducted at the workplace. Responsibilities of each and their roles also presented. During Covid, online lessons from vocational school were carried out according to the normal timetable. Socially disadvantaged students required support for hardware. Tests were provided 2 times a week.  Students on the dual system did better than the full-time students. Good overview of the dual system. 

Josh and Evangeleen close with thanks for attending the forum, speaker, supporters, sponsors etc. The forum concludes with a poroporaki with Joe Te Rito.