Friday brings fine and mild weather. My walks to and from the conference, along the Brisbane River, provide a time to reflect and consolidate the many ideas and information from yesterday's presentations. Andrew Williamson (AVETRA president going forward to 2028) welcome delegates back to the conference and thanked sponsors and the organising committee.
The conference begins with a keynote from Kira Clarke, Brotherhood of St Laurence, .(AVETRA president for the last 4 years). She presents on Equity and inclusion: Strengthening policy, practice and inclusive productivity. Her work on equity and inclusive inclusion in VET goes back 20 years. She summarised some of the many projects she has worked on, along with the background and methodologies used. However, very little has shifted :( Focus to day on economic crises as a catalyst for change; government imaginary of VET as the backbone of inclusive productivity; and propose a framework reinvigorating a social justice vision that locates the learner at the heart.
From 1992 to the present, various productivity agendas have been drawn up on the role of VET, mostly in response to economic downturns, and the need to utilise training to raise productivity, often through VET training contribution towards a 'skilled and adaptable workforce'. ACross the years, there has been a strong policy focus on the contribution of skills to productivity. Current policy to provide equity and inclusion in VET still present and explicit. However, systemic capability and a meaningful change is missing. Therefore each subsequent system change, moves VET further away from its original commitments towards equity and inclusion.
Summarised the ways equity has been defined in policy discourse. Limited maturation in the ways equity and inclusion have been framed and in turn understood. Naming equity groups risks diluting the needs of these groups rather than recognising the barriers, across many parts of the system. Presented evidence of the current equity performance, which has been poor and not progressed across the years. These include persistent gaps in enrolment of people with disability and women, geographical inequities and inequalities and declining completions of people with disabilities and those in regional and rural/remote areas. There have been positive increases in enrolment and completions of first nations and culturally and linguistically different (CALD) communities. Therefore, although equity ambitions are present in policy, they are not consistently realised in VET.
Poatulated some reasons for the above. Structural tensions (marketisation of VET, short course funding incentives, fragmented accountability, support services pilot funded only, blunt policy instruments) limit the policy translation into actual equity outcomes for individuals and communities.
Proposed a systems lens to understand and improve the system. Used Nancy Latham's humam systems approach - shifting system centred to person centred. Need to as what is the ideal succesful pathway, what does a challenging pathway look like? Shared the 5 Cs framework to help shape VET. Commencement, Connection to Training, Completion, Conversion of training into employment and Career continuity. How each of the 5Cs can be worked through to support a person-centred system detailed. Reinvigorating a social justice vision for VET through human systems approach provides a way forward There is a need to shift from a 'training culture' to an 'education culture'. (See Noonan, 2010 as example). Suggested policy actions to move VET into stronger realisation of the equity/inclusivity function.
Then, a panel session facilitated by Andrew Williamson with panelists Shawn O'Sullivan, Amy Morgan, and Nick Howie on 'Impact of VET applied research: an activity report from TAFE Centres of Excellence. The panel included Nick Howie, Amy Morgan, and Shawn O'Sullivan. Andrew provided the background on the formation of the Centres ( (established 18 months ago) and their purpose, which includes research. Each panelist presented on their Centres.
Shawn - TAFE centre of excellence Queensland - began with definitions of applied research - with Berwyn Clayton's quote ' applied research is the major means of scratching constant itches that irritate us at work'!. Shared details of two rounds of applied research carried out or in progress thus far. Round one mainly information gathering and work around lithium batteries, agriculture and sustainable energy etc. Round 2 around building TAFE capabilities for R & D, addressing industry need and opportunities, and translating research - community knowledge for aged care, disability support and skills gaps for nursing, allied health and mental health. Each with a several separate projects.
Ann presented on TAFE NSW - manufacturing centres of excellence. Shared the various 2023 policy/documents informing the work of the centre. Establishing of 3 centres ( net zero - Hunter/New Castle; advanced manufacturing - Sydney; heavy manufacturing - Wollongong) to be completed by 2027. The centres commit to 'enrich students' learning experience, support industry needs and enable applied research programmes. Some industry challenges need to be thought through - attracting future workforce, retaining existing, aging workforce and improving productivity. Need to move towards industry 4.0 by extending on apprenticeships and trade qualifications towards accessible post-trade education, microcredentials/microskills, higher apprenticeship and applied research (5 years) and higher education, research and future tech (10 years). The two present streams of applied research are in teaching and learning and and equity stream (encouraging and supporting not-traditional people into manufacturing).
Nick - TAFE SA centres of excellence. Summarised activity to date. Also a desktop/lit review of the frameworks, evidence practices and models/methodologies to underpin the centres. Shared work on Early childhood and degree apprenticeship (including adjustment, delivery and asssessment using Pijantjara language). Future projects include research partnerships with a emphasis on the scholarship of teaching and learning in VET.
Q & A followed.
As with the Aotearoa NZ Centres for Vocational Education Excellence, each of the centres has a different focus, let by their state policies/governance and history.
The four streams continue on after morning tea. I attend the following:
- Navigating change: health professionals' learning practices in digitalised work contexts - with Sarojni Choy and Maria F. Larrea. Presented a small part of a larger funded project (Investigating professional learning lives in the digital evolution of work). Covered background and rationale, the conceptual framework, methodology, findings and implications and recommendations. Across almost all occupations, digitisation is embedded in practice. These changes increase demands for expertise and judgement. Effective professional learning is required but increasingly practice-based. Professional learning patterns are moving beyond formal training. The research question was 'how do health professional experience, navigate, and learn to cope with digitisation in their everyday work? and 'what are the implications on professional development? The conceptual framework on practice-based learning is used (socio-cultural learning, practice-based perspectives, learning embedded in identity, relations, artifacts). The larger project includes survey, case studies and large scale survey. This presentation focuses on case studies with 15 health professionals - nursing, radiography, allied health, music therapy. Themes include: learning is embedded in everyday digitalised practice; digital tools are constitute of everyday practice re--production; professional judgement shapes practice in a digital world. Learning in a digitised workplaces is not skills acquisition but an intrinsic part of practice.
Implications for VET - the need to move beyond compliance-driven continued professional development; design learning around practice, not tools; support development of professional judgment, not just digital skills; value collective and socially mediated situated learning, position VET as partner in workforce adaptation; reposition VET in digital transformation. For RTOs - recognise learning occurs in the workplace; design training around real work practices; go beyond technical skills to develop judgement; align assessment with practice-embedded learning; position RTOs as partners in workforce adaptation. For trainers/assessors - anchor learning in real work practice; focus on learning while working; cultivate professional judgment; leverage collective learning; assess learning in context.
- Learning that works: exploring work-related training in Australia and the implications for VET - Brett Hall from the Australian Industry Group. Based on HILDA data, 40% of workers' existing skills to be transformed or become outdated between 2025 and 2030. Around 7 in 10 Australians working today require upskilliing. Work-related training 'includes structured learning activity undertaken in the past 12 months that is related to the respondent's current or future employment'. In general, over 30% of the workforce are above average in their participation rate in work-related training. Most work-related training is fully sponsored by employers and therefore mostly occurs in paid work time. Summarised the implications for VET.
Boosting lifelong learning in the workplace is critical. Supported by comprehensive system-wide approach, unlocking barriers to investment by employers and individuals; strengthening foundation skills; and skills policy settings that encourage and enable work-related learning. Each of the components discussed.
- Embedding student-centred learning in trades education: A continuum of change for novice teachers - Rhiannon McNamara - Unitec. Began with the Aotearoa NZ - changing governments, multiple reforms, funding shifts and fluctuating industry influence. Challenges are expectations for learners are high along with requirements to embed literacy/numeracy, cultural competencies etc. trade professions are not necessarily learner-focused. Literature review indicates very little support for unique nees of novice TVET teachers. PD standardised and academic and qualifications provide the what but miss the how. Required context specific, personalised, familiar and strengths based and sustainable. Used action research to study and improve practice. 7 participants with no teaching qualifications from a variey of trades with 3months to 2 years in teaching. Adapted the CELTA (language learning) framework to priortise practical teaching strategies. Launched a trades teaching apprenticehip journey. Started with a needs analysis and draw up personalised PD plan; input sessions for coaching, observations, teaching, feedback on teaching; weekly catch-up; (9 months) scaffolded support; teaching qualification achieved. Collected observation notes, notes from professional discussion, anonymous student course and participant surveys. Did the intervention shift novice teachers towards student-centred teaching?? Thematic analysis against Bremner's student centred framework (2020). Over 1/2 of the participants moved positively towards adapting to learner needs, using formative assessments, sharing 'power' with students, giving students greater autonomy. Active participation was increased and relevant skills connection was already high. Findings indicate relationship-based approach (whanaungatanga) was embraced, digital competency was a barrier to progressing with teaching skills, basic teaching skills important. Whole school approach important (every 6 weeks); collaboration on teaching strategies, not just the building site; development for trades teaching apprenticeship; and creation of trades learning and teaching advisory group. Qualified teachers increased from 33% to 78%, 1 to 7 senior lecturers, 6 institutional awards and 1 national award. Transformation of identity is a key, not just skills, but becomes who they are.
Back to the AI track after la convivial lunch.
- Students use of Gen AI in online VET in the school of business: insights for teaching, assessment, and academic integrity. - Dr. Kalpana Narayanan, Dr. Darren Turnbull, Silpi Pant and Allie Swan from Central Queensland University. Started with the context of the study. Conceptual framework was summarised through TPACK and Grow-AI. Focus groups and interviews used along with surveys. To find out why, how and when Gen AI is used. Findings indicate Gen AI present but not universal; ethical awareness and integrity concerns, support for independent learning, shared responsibility, guidelines and policy clarity important, skills development possible and AI literacy required. Therefore key findings are not all students use Gen AI, ethics remains a concern, low student recognition of Gen Ai as a learning support, students aware of their responsibilities but need clearer guidelines and Gen AI builds skills, but students need AI literacy to use it well.
Navigating the AI revolution with an inclusive twist: strategies for ethical integration in the Australian VET sector - Dr. Tyler Payne from RMIT University. Capabilities exist so it is not the problem. It is system design and communication standards. Over 5 decades, the same 7 groups of retained their label of disadvantage despite extensive research and public programmes. Introduced institutional ethnography as a way to map policies, paperwork and systems, shape day to day work. In doing, real workflows and decision chains are mapped, brings to light administrative labour, reveals how policy shapes language and practice, produce field evidence and case examples, and map RTO, teacher and industry communication gaps. Generally, insitutions recognise one kind of communication as professional. Recommended drawing on Norway's language bank (2024) establishing open shared data infrastructure built on transparency, privacy and user consent. Ethical Ai frameworks are mandated with a focus on human rights and inclusivity. Human oversight maintained in all AI decision making. Shared the neuro framework to name the system, expose the gap, use the data, redesign daily practice and own the change. Institutional ethnography helps us understand what is happening. Carnal sociology tells us what it feels like. NEURO framework helps to work out what to do next. A useful framework applicable to many circumstances. Shared various resources, including a communication guide - learn to code switch.
A panel on workforce needs and skills priorities: a cross sector perspective, facilitated by Natasha Arthars, closes the conference. Panelist are Dr. Aneeq Sarwar (Workforce planning), Dr. Niall Smith (Skills insight) and Craig Robertsonn (Victorian Skills Authority).
Aneeq began with the importance of enabling people to operate beyond a task. Doing the task is surrounded by many other skills with being able to identify what has to be learnt next, a key skill. Niall provided example of 'traceability of food' where by it is not new skills to be learnt, but adaptation of current skills. Craig advocates the use of educational institute instead of provider and to respect teachers/educators's perspectives. Tight job market but qualifications have value but often, someone with the right attitude is more important. Teaching is an example of where having a degree, may not prepare one for the teaching techniques required to engage diverse cohorts of students. Again, those who are ready to continually learn, have an advantage.
The panel moved on to the impact of technology (and AI) on work and skills. Craig postulated using AI to develop training packages to help maintain their currency. Technology changes the ways things are done, and these lead to behavioural changes. How are these worked through and how do they affect the workplace culture? Therefore, technology is not only a structural shift but leads to behavioural/culture change. Leadership is important when change is rapid and new technologies are available with little time to plan their implementation and use.
What are the skills that are essential? Human focus through communication and collaboration are key components going forward. Technology has been making things safer, less manual, less complex/ onerous/ repetitive but human contribution is still required. Human's abilities to use tools to craft unique bespoke/designed items will remain. Experience is important as wisdom is difficult to replace with AI. Problem solving draws on deep understanding of specialist processes. Innovation also comes from expertise. However, need to relook at how much expertise is required, given the time required to attain it. Exampled with doctors, specialists had heavy cognitive load and AI can replace some of this. So, perhaps, into the future, more generalists physicians and a few specialists? Employers are keen on workers with good soft and metacognitive and problem solving skills and willing to train for specialised work processes and tasks. Adaptability and flexibility are important skills going forward.
Research on workforce needs and skills will have to focus on research quality, ensuring data and analysis integrity, given that AI will be used. Science of learning and learning design now required to understand how pedagogy, given the challenges brought through by AI and the need for workers to ramp up their skills to continually learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Conference closed with thanks to sponsors and the conference committee. Next years conference will be in Melbourne 14-15th April.
An enjoyable conference. As always, good to catch up with kindred spirits. This year's presentations were well-focused, relevant with several providing concepts and resources to draw on.
