At the annual AVETRA conference in Melbourne which runs for 3 days. Workshops focused on specific topics were head yesterday afternoon.
Today, there is a full programme of activities.
The conference is opened with a welcome to country and the conference with the AVETRA president Kira Clarke. Kira thanked the conference sponsors, the conference committee, and the conference abstract reviewers. New membership directory was launched to help people find VET research experts. Niall Smith provided a demonstration of how the site works.
The first keynote is with Craig Robertson, presented his thoughts on 'when robots replace VET, what's next?' Discussed the springboard into the digital, the challenges of competency in Australia, the new potential for VET and the research challenge. Used the example o Kodak and their rejection of moving across to the digital and how that ended up in their demise in 2012. VET needs to meet the challenge now, as the implications for its future role and direction, need to be considered now, at the cusp of great change through the rapid changes which will impact not only on work but also across society.
Suggested looking at the special issue in 2016 of the International Journal of Training Research on competency education to review the challenges through the system. Summarised the way in which so much of our lives of being changed by the digital economy. Use Frey & Osborne (2013) - 47% of the jobs in the US at risk of automation over the nes 10 - 20 years. Australian Computer Society 2021 report that proposed that by 2034, automation would displace 2.7 workers, 56% who are male. David Autor proposed the hollowing out of the labour market and the delayering of the middle-management layer, in assessing the impact of digitisation, there is the move from skills substitution to task substitution.
The OECD - do adults have the skills they need to thrive in a changing world, summarises the types of skills needed to move into the future. Challenges of the current competency regime for VET in Australia include 'designing down', constrained learning and unitised standards. The 'outcomes' education model is too focused on 'education's contribution to the economy' and that they contribute to 'increasing efficiency'. Therefore, there are to many 'products', too many unclimbed qualification ladders, outcomes for the labour market are too near-term, and inputs are proxy for quality.
So are 'robots' here yet? There are over 200 data centres in Victoria with plans to build another 3 +. Although some skills will become obsolete, there is still a need to be able to work with non-routine tasks and the demand for new workers is still high post-CoVID. Therefore VET needs to re-orientate towards thinking more about the types of application, skills and knowledge (ASK) that enable workers to move to work tasks that are not always clear cut. A progressive VET qualifications system needs to uncouple from division of labour, transferability, tertiary harmonisation, and manageable product set. Research needs to shift towards an educational focus, have a cultural component, capability needs to be rebuild and collaboration is required. We need to bring the best aspects of capability and competency together.
Following is a panel discussion on - the rise of applied research in TAFE - 2017 to 2025. The panel was chaired by Karen O'Reilly-Briggs. Karen opened with a overview of the nature of applied research and its journey across the TAFE contexts.
Panel consisted of Teressa Schmidt, Melissa Williams, Katrina Jojkity and Sam Duncan. Sam began with an overview of the work undertaken at Holmsglen. Provided an overview on TAFE's role in the research and innovation ecosystem. TAFE provided a point of difference as it is often hands-on, industry integrated and solution orientated. The objective is to use applied research to solve real-world industry problems. Often conducted by educators with industry expertise rather than traditional academic researchers. Often with SMEs and community organisations. The doing-using-interacting (DUI) model ensures applied research translates into practice. Investment and recognition needed to support along with clear role and strategy and the need to build capability among educators.
Summarised the evolution of the Centre of Applied Research and Innovation at Holmsglen. The centre raises the profile of applied research and innovation and develop a culture of applied research. Shared the outcomes and outputs over the last decade.
Katrina presented on the International Specialised Skills Institute (ISS )institute international practitioner fellowship programme, funded by the Victorian Skills Authority over the last 23 years. 196 fellowship programmes awarded leading to continuing improvement and innovation across the VET sector. Provided details of the fellowships, their foci and the role of applied research fellowships. Presented several examples, their work and the impact and the repository of the fellowship reports.
Melanie shared the work undertaken at William Angliss Institute to encourage practitioner research. Melanie completed an ISSI fellowship in 2019 to bring the Basque County's EHAZI model of collaborative challenge-based learning. Then piloted the pedagogy in 2024, ongoing evaluation to inform the review of the Diploma qualification in 2026. Presented on the challenges and lessons learnt towards supporting practitioner research.
Teressa on 'what is needed to elevate the potential of applied research in TAFE'. TAFE is already doing applied research, mostly unfunded or underfunded, not always well supported and has limited promotion. There are many benefits including innovation, building capability, future proofing, and opportunities for industry partnerships. Challenges are the need for resources, the precieved value, capability development and the 'cloak of invisibility'. New opportunities include TAFE Centres if Excellence, recognition of TAFE's expanded capability, Government initiatives to build and increase R & and engage more stakeholders in research with impact. Used Canada as an example where by the Canadian colleges and institutes are valued as critical Canadian R & D. Specific funding is available to colleges for R & D. Encouraged the connections with SMEs which make up 98% of businesses in Australia. Shared the TDA recommendations to encourage applied research.
After morning tea, presentations begin. The sessions are organised into three streams.
First up, Don Zoellner on 'theorising the elusiveness of an integrated tertiary education system: mirage, chimera or talisman?' Presented his 'plausible probe' into the unrealisation of the integration of tertiary education. There is a need to test the theoretical constructs to advance policy development and implementation. He applied Foucauldian post-structualist discousres to analyse policy artefacts and used institutional logics to explore VET and HE governance through the plausiblity probe. Caveats include that there is no absolute truth but to identify knowledge/power types and who gets to say it. Who and what knowledge/power are made visible. Introduced institutional logics debates with origins in North America which is unrelated to European logics - but which were applied to Australian VET analysis by Wheelahan. Shared the orders - state, profession, market, corporation, family, religion, community and elemental categories - basis of norms, source of legitimacy, source of authority, sources of identity; basis of attention, basis of strategy, informal control mechanisms and economic system. Explained the differences between theories, frames, narratives and entrenched practices as building blocks of institutional logics and ideologies (which guide political norms and actions).
Summarised the historical background that make VET different from HE. Until the late 1990s, integration of VET and HE was not a problem! After that, VET training packages were built on a very restrictive interpretation of competency-based training and assessment. VET reform arose from industrial relations rather than education and training! unitised VET knowledge that fit with industrial awards could be monetised and sold in a competitive market. HE knowledge also monetised but at the course level, Introduction of the hierarchical Australian Qualifications Framework created further VET/HE integration as a problem.
Compared the governance of VET and HE with HE being bureaucratic, hierarchical, managerial capitalism. Fundamentally, VET and HE is conducted through different perspectives which have little in common, Harmonisation is difficult as each is structured differently and the social actors have deeply held feelings and perceptions of who they are, how they are constituted, their objectives and purpose etc. However, harmonisation may not be a good thing as each contributes in a different way.
Then 'Action research as professional development for VET teachers with Suzanne Francisco from Charles Sturt University. Detailed the study based on four action research teams. Today, focused on two - in beauty therapy and nursing. Focused on what enables and constrains middle-leaders in supporting the development of quality VET pedagogy. In the presentation discussed, how, what and why action research was used. Data analysis using inductive/deductive approaches including the practice architectures framework. Summarised the advantages of learning in and through action research. Presented the enablers and constraints of action research.
A good range of learning this morning :)
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