Vocational Voices

Online learning can be just as effective as face-to-face instruction if it’s done well. But what makes for good quality and good practice? While subject withdrawal rates are higher and course completion rates lower for VET courses delivered entirely online, new research has shown that the outcomes for those students who do complete online courses are similar to those of other delivery modes. Steve Davis talks to NCVER Managing Director Simon Walker and NCVER Senior Researcher Dr Tabatha Griffin about how online VET courses are being delivered, the outcomes for those who do complete them, and why students may withdraw or not complete online courses.  

Qualifications are an essential part of the VET system, and therefore a key consideration in the broader approach to VET sector reform. Join special guest Peter Noonan, Professor of Tertiary Education at Victoria University and Expert Panel Chair of the recent AQF Review, as he talks with Steve Davis and Simon Walker, Managing Director NCVER about the recently released Review of the Australian Qualifications Framework Final Report 2019. Discussion focuses on micro-credentials, identifying general capabilities, the Pathways Policy, and the proposed new qualification types or classification of VET qualifications.

New research has revealed how young people’s post-school pathways are diverse, individualised and complex. Steve Davis, Simon Walker Managing Director NCVER, and William Stubley CEO & Co-founder Year13, discuss if the reliance on ATAR, the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, as our lens for evaluating educational achievements is too narrowly focused, and if so, what are some of the options for broadening our approach to understanding post-school pathways?  

Competency based training (CBT) is the model of curriculum at the heart of the VET system and for some it’s a shorthand way of referring to the system of VET training packages, but critics are arguing that the VET sector’s reliance upon training packages is failing to meet the real-world needs of students and industry due to how they define and therefore teach competency. Steve Davis discusses this topic with NCVER Managing Director Simon Walker and TAFE Directors Australia CEO Craig Robertson. 

Why do around half of Australian employers look outside the nationally accredited VET system to provide their employees with training? To find out, Steve Davis talks to NCVER Managing Director Simon Walker and NCVER researcher Ian White, who discuss the reasons why employers choose unaccredited over accredited training, and whether it meets their skills needs.

Steve Davis interviews a collection of presenters from the 28th National VET Research Conference ‘No Frills’, held on 10-12 July 2019 in Adelaide (80 mins) While every student's journey is different, more and more research and discussion underlines the importance of workers becoming lifelong learners so they can grow and evolve with their jobs. And more than ever before, Australia relies on the VET sector to play a critical role in making this happen. Hear from a variety of VET experts about their ideas and research as they discuss how Australia can tackle the many challenges of the changing world of work. Topic Presenter Start time Employability skills in entry level roles in STEM-rich and care/support industries  Kate Perkins, ACER 01.41  Life skills for a digital future Mori Hajizadeh & Kevin O’Leary, Australian Industry Standards 13:00 Student outcomes in aged care and cookery Melinda Brown, Skills IQ 27:57 When is a worker truly competent? Training and assessment Michael Hartman, Skills Impact 38:21  RPL: difficulties & mitigating strategies Deb Carr, Think About Learning & Helen Smith 52:09 How can educators better support students with psychological-based individual differences? Cameron Williams, Black Dog Institute 01:03:38 Student choice in a contestable market  Don Zoellner, Charles Darwin University  01:13:43 To view the full conference program and abstracts, please visit Past events on the NCVER Portal.

It is hard to dispute that the apprenticeships model, which combines employment with formal training in a trade, is an effective way of developing skills while still earning a wage. So why do apprenticeship numbers appear to be so dire? To find out, Steve Davis talks to NCVER Managing Director, Simon Walker and National Australian Apprenticeships Association Chief Executive Officer, Ben Bardon, who reveal that the situation is more nuanced than recent media headlines might suggest. They start by discussing the difference between apprenticeships and traineeships, which can skew the perceived decline.

How will Industry 4.0, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution as it’s also known, affect the jobs we do and how we train for them? To find out, Steve Davis talks to NCVER Managing Director, Simon Walker and AiGroup Head of Workforce Development, Megan Lilly. The challenge, they say, is to develop an agile skill base that can continually learn and grow, which means traditional education systems will also need to evolve.

In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher, Berwyn Clayton, about the report Industry currency and professional obsolescence: what can industry tell us?. The purpose of the study is to take an industry focused approach to investigating the issues of professional obsolescence and industry currency and how they apply to VET practitioners. Issues covered included, the importance of industry currency for practitioners training and assessing in the VET sector; strategies used by employers to keep trades people current with new technology and changing ways of working in various industry sectors; and strategies used by leading edge organisations to keep people up to speed with new knowledge and skills. Original broadcast date: 21 June 2013

In this interview, Steve Davis talks with former NCVER Managing Director, Tom Karmel, about his report which uses data from the 2006 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) to investigate how schools influence tertiary entrance rank and university enrolment over and above young people's individual background characteristics. A point of discussion was the authors' finding that schools do matter and although young people's individual characteristics are the main contributors to university entrance, the school characteristics are responsible for almost 20% of the variation in tertiary entrance rankings. Original broadcast date: 24 April 2013

In this phone interview, Hielke Buddelmeyer, talks about his report which explores the impact of education and training on social exclusion using a multidimensional measure that focuses on seven domains. Education, he says, is a 'sleeper factor' in that it operates on many different levels and has an impact on the other six domains, such as health. Hielke also points out that the current focus on human capital, including social inclusion, follows previous market reforms that have been implemented to position Australia in changing economic times. Original broadcast date: 2 November 2012

In this 13 minute interview, Steve Davis talks with Leesa Wheelahan about the report Shaken not stirred? The development of one tertiary education sector in Australia. This report examines universities that offer a small amount of VET and private providers that offer both VET and higher education, building on previous research examining TAFE intitutes that offer higher education. This research suggests that mixed-sector and dual-sector providers are likely to become more important but they face specific challenges in the quality of their provision. While the sharp distinctions between VET and higher education are giving way to a more differentiated single tertiary education sector this is resulting in a more stratified and hierarchical structure as university providers become the 'comparator'. Original broadcast date: 17 January 2012

In this 9 minute interview, Steve Davis talks with former NCVER Managing Director, Tom Karmel, about the report Attrition in the trades. This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave their occupation with that of professionals. It also determines whether attrition is influenced by economic conditions, and if a trade can provide a good start to a career in the professions. The report concludes that attrition in the trades is no higher than in the professions; the rate of leaving particular occupations may vary, but overall the results between the two are very similar. The economic climate also makes little difference to the attrition rate. Original broadcast date: 18 November 2011

In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Cain Polidano about the report Outcomes from combining work and tertiary study. This study investigates the motivations for and the education and employment outcomes from working while studying for both VET and higher education students. While, in general, tertiary students who work while studying are less likely to complete than those who do not, being employed in the final year of study significantly improves the chances of finding full time employment in the first year following study. Original broadcast date: 2 June 2011

In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Tanya Bretherton about her report Developing the child care workforce: understanding 'fight' or 'flight' amongst workers. The early childhood education and care sector in Australia has long been characterised by low-skill/low-pay jobs. The current policy environment, however, may offer scope for the sector to move towards a path of skill growth. This report, based on case studies of four early childhood education and care providers, investigates how innovative employers are overcoming challenges in the sector to improve workforce development. Original broadcast date: 29 July 2010

In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Cain Polidano about his report on the role of vocational education and training in the labour market outcomes of people with disabilities. Low levels of education generally among people with a disability is one of the factors contributing to their lower rate of labour market participation. What role vocational education and training (VET) plays in ameliorating this is the focus of this report. Using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia surveys, the report finds that for people who are not working, completing a VET qualification does increase the chance of employment and more so for people with a disability. Original broadcast date: 23 March 2010

In this interview, Steve Davis talks with former NCVER Managing Director, Tom Karmel, about his report Apprenticeships and traineeships in the downturn. The essence of the apprenticeship is the contract of training - a legal contract between an individual, an employer and a training provider. The defining characteristic is the combination of employment and training. The purpose of this paper is to describe what we know about apprenticeships and traineeships, with a view to assessing the likely impact of the current economic downturn on them. Original broadcast date: 17 November 2009

In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Michael Dockery about his report, Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in education and training. This study provides an important innovation to the existing literature by explicitly attempting to measure 'cultural attachment' and its relationship with post-compulsory education and training. Original broadcast date: 4 November 2009  

In this interview Steve Davis talks with former NCVER Managing Director, Tom Karmel, about his report Is VET vocational?, which explores the issue of how vocational education and training (VET) is actually used in the labour market and in particular the match between what graduates study and the jobs they get. Original broadcast date: 29 July 2008

Steve Davis interviews presenters from the 34th National VET Research Conference 'No Frills', held on 9 - 11 July 2025 on the Gold Coast. In part two of this two-part series, we shift the focus to the human element, highlighting specific voices and providing targeted support for diverse learners. The presenters focus on amplifying the voices and perspectives of First Nations peoples in VET, while also exploring strategies to better support learners from a range of diverse backgrounds.