Increasing equity through qualifications: the case of the Victorian Qualifications Authority.

Increasing equity through qualifications: the case of the Victorian Qualifications Authority. Using qualifications as policy instruments to increaseparticipation in education and training and to reduce unemployment,especially youth unemployment, appears to be growing in Organisation forEconomic Cooperation and Development (OECD OECD:see Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. ) countries. This paperconsiders the case of one authority, the Victorian Victorianone reflecting an unshaken confidence in piety and temperance, as during Queen Victoria’s reign. [Am. and Br. Usage: Misc.]See : Prudery QualificationsAuthority (VQA VQA Vintners Quality Alliance (Canadian wine makers standards organization)VQA Voice Quality Assurance (Ditech Communications)VQA Volunteer Quality Alert (US IRS)), established by the Victorian Government in 2001 andresponsible for determining and strengthening the range ofpost-compulsory qualifications for schools and vocational education vocational education,training designed to advance individuals' general proficiency, especially in relation to their present or future occupations. The term does not normally include training for the professions. andtraining. In establishing its cross-sectoral role, the VQA moved rapidlyto introduce a new qualification directed towards those young people whoseek applied and practical studies and who leave school beforecompleting Year 12 or its equivalent. The paper outlines the nature ofthe changes proposed and the approaches taken to its development. Theserecognise that pedagogy is critical to increasing participation and thatstudents who engage in learning at school are more likely to becomelifelong learners. Introduction Governments are showing increasing interest in using qualificationsas a means of increasing participation in education and training (OECD,2001b). In 2001, the Victorian government legislated to establish theVictorian Qualifications Authority (VQA), responsible for determiningand strengthening the range of post-compulsory qualifications forschools and vocational education and training for both young people andfor older workers. This step was taken in response to a wide-ranging wide-rang��ingadj.Covering a wide area; including much: a pianist's wide-ranging repertoire; a wide-ranging interview. review of education and training pathways which sought to make betterprovision for those in precarious situations who were leaving educationand training before completing Year 12 or its equivalent and who facedbleak The bleak is a small pelagic fish of the Cyprinid family. DescriptionThe body of the bleak is elongated and flat. The head is pointed and the relatively small mouth is turned upwards. The anal fin is long and has 18 to 23 fin rays. The lateral line is complete. employment prospects (Ministerial Done under the direction of a supervisor; not involving discretion or policymaking.Ministerial describes an act or a function that conforms to an instruction or a prescribed procedure. It connotes obedience. Review, 2000). This case studysupports the view that increased participation is likely when the reformof qualifications is an aspect of the whole of government approachesinvolving the wider community in taking responsibility for thesuccessful transition of young people into work and learning. Context Despite Australia's strong economic growth performance overthe past nine years, the Years, Thethe seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109]See : Time proportion of young people considered at riskin the labour market has not shown a corresponding improvement. A recentanalysis by the Dusseldorp Dusseldorp is: an old-fashioned Dutch name of D��sseldorf Dusseldorp, a village in the Netherlands Skills Forum (Curtain, 2001b) showed that, in2000, 15.1 per cent of 15-19 year-olds, or around 205 300 young peoplein Australia Australia(ôstrāl`yə), smallest continent, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. With the island state of Tasmania to the south, the continent makes up the Commonwealth of Australia, a federal parliamentary state (2005 est. pop. , were neither in education nor full-time full-timeadj.Employed for or involving a standard number of hours of working time: a full-time administrative assistant.full work and a quarterof 18-19 year-olds were experiencing real difficulties in gettingfull-time work. Growth in full-time jobs has gone overwhelmingly toadults aged 25 and over. The proportion of teenagers not in education orfull-time work was highest in Queensland Queensland,state (1991 pop. 2,477,152), 667,000 sq mi (1,727,200 sq km), NE Australia. Brisbane is the capital; other important cities are Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Townsville, Rockhampton, Cairns, and Ipswich. , South Australia South Australia,state (1991 pop. 1,236,623), 380,070 sq mi (984,381 sq km), S central Australia. It is bounded on the S by the Indian Ocean. Kangaroo Island and many smaller islands off the south coast are included in the state. and WesternAustralia Western Australia,state (1991 pop. 1,409,965), 975,920 sq mi (2,527,633 sq km), Australia, comprising the entire western part of the continent. It is bounded on the N, W, and S by the Indian Ocean. Perth is the capital. and lowest in Victoria, reflecting differences in rural,regional and metropolitan areas and young people's differentpatterns of participation in these areas in education and in accessingemployment opportunities. Whether students go on to further learning is strongly linked tothe year of schooling that they completed. In 1999, 69 per cent ofstudents who left after Year 12 went on to higher education higher educationStudy beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. , TAFE TAFE(in Australia) Technical and Further Education orother education but only 39 per cent of Year 11 leaven leaven(lĕv`ən), agent used to raise bread or other flour foods. Physical leavens include water vapor, which is released as steam at high temperatures (as in popovers), and air, which is incorporated by beating. and 43 per centof Year 10 leavers continued in formal learning. Many of these schoolleavers did not find full-time work: 24 per cent of 1999 school leaverswere in part-time part-timeadj.For or during less than the customary or standard time: a part-time job.part work, unemployed or not in the labour market whenfollowed up five months later. Difficulties in the labour market stemnot only from early school leaving but also from students' levelsof literacy and numeracy numeracyMathematical literacy Neurology The ability to understand mathematical concepts, perform calculations and interpret and use statistical information. Cf Acalculia. , which seem critical in getting and keeping ajob. Those with low literacy achievement have three or four times thelikelihood of being unemployed compared with those who achieve somewhatbetter. In summary, one-third of early secondary school leavers do notappear to have made a successful transition to further study orfull-time work compared with one fifth of those leaving school afterYear 12. These trends are consistent over time (Curtain, 2001b). Although a high proportion were employed part-time, Australian Australianpertaining to or originating in Australia.Australian bat lyssavirus diseasesee Australian bat lyssavirus disease.Australian cattle doga medium-sized, compact working dog used for control of cattle. 20-24 year-olds were less likely to be in education or in full-time workthan those in OECD countries, ranking 13 out of 18 countries surveyed(OECD, 2001a). Whereas new apprenticeships, developed to provide awork-based route into the labour market, have increased by 109 per centbetween 1995-2000, the proportion of 15-24 year-olds participating hasrisen only by 43 per cent over the same period. Older people are themain beneficiaries of this growth. The report to the Victorian Government on post-compulsory educationand training pathways also drew attention to the plight of the 11 000young people in Victoria leaving school every year without anyrecognised qualifications (Ministerial Review, 2000). It demonstratedthat both the quality of the labour market and the quality of schoolingexperienced by young people influenced their decisions to leave schoolearly. Using a regional analysis, the report showed that dropping out ofschool was influenced by socioeconomic so��ci��o��ec��o��nom��ic?adj.Of or involving both social and economic factors.socioeconomicAdjectiveof or involving economic and social factorsAdj. 1. level, with up to 30 per cent ofgirls and 40 per cent of boys in low socioeconomic status socioeconomic status,n the position of an individual on a socio-economic scale that measures such factors as education, income, type of occupation, place of residence, and in some populations, ethnicity and religion. areas leavingschool early. In these regions, student achievement in general was alsorelatively weak. Furthermore those who left school before completingYear 11 were more likely than those who completed the year to report alack of interest in schoolwork, poor progress, poor relationships withteachers and poor social integration. Importantly the report showed thatearly leavers did not abandon study, with over half of those who hadattempted Year 11, and especially boys, continuing on in some form ofeducation when they left school. Qualifications and policy The OECD (2001b) describes qualifications as hinges Hinges may refer to: Plural form of hinge, a mechanical device that connects two solid objects, allowing a rotation between them. Hinges, a commune of the Pas-de-Calais d��partement, in northern France or turningpoints between learning and work, operating within education systems andbetween different types and levels of education and training.Accordingly qualifications can have important effects on various aspectsof lifelong learning Lifelong learning is the concept that "It's never too soon or too late for learning", a philosophy that has taken root in a whole host of different organisations. Lifelong learning is attitudinal; that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. : including accessibility and openness toprogression of learning for all; connectivity of learning in differentenvironments, be it at work, in educational institutions, family orcommunity; relevance of learning outcomes to changing needs andopportunities in the labour market and more generally; visibility andvalue of formal and non-formal learning; and the quality of learningprocesses and learning outcomes, both at school and in the work place. However, although possessing qualifications is widely seen asconferring advantages in the labour market, those holding them competein imperfect markets Imperfect marketEconomic environment in which the costs of labor and other resources used for production encourage firms to use substitute inputs that less costly. in which employment may depend more on related jobexperience, networks and the prestige that comes from attendingparticular institutions rather than on the qualifications of applicants.This is especially so for those who have left school before completingYear 12 (Grubb, 1999; Shavit Shavit (Hebrew: "comet" - שביט) is a space launch vehicle produced by Israel to launch small satellites into low earth orbit. It was first launched on September 19, 1988 (carrying an Ofeq satellite payload), making Israel the eighth country to have a space & Muller Mul��ler, Hermann Joseph 1890-1967.American geneticist. He won a 1946 Nobel Prize for the study of the hereditary effect of x-rays on genes.M��l��ler, Johannes Peter 1801-1858. , 1998). Further,qualifications are not simply commodities. Whereas some are`general' and open to all, those derived from occupational groupshave been used to limit access, thereby restricting the supply of skillsin the marketplace (Keating, 2001). Where more open labour marketsprevail, specific qualifications are often poorly linked to occupations,with, for example, `any degree' being seen as an advantage ingaining such jobs. Despite this, links to levels of credentials CREDENTIALS, international law. The instruments which authorize and establish a public minister in his character with the state or prince to whom they are addressed. If the state or prince receive the minister, he can be received only in the quality attributed to him in his credentials. may bestrong, a factor which Dore (1997) sees as contributing toqualifications inflation. The overall value of higher educationqualifications and the propositional knowledge and scientific processesthey reflect is also under challenge from employers' demands foroperational competence. Such competence draws both on the codified cod��i��fy?tr.v. cod��i��fied, cod��i��fy��ing, cod��i��fies1. To reduce to a code: codify laws.2. To arrange or systematize. knowledge gained through education and training and shown inqualifications and on the tacit, experience-based knowledge which comesthrough apprenticeship apprenticeship,system of learning a craft or trade from one who is engaged in it and of paying for the instruction by a given number of years of work. The practice was known in ancient Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as in modern Europe and to some extent and on the job learning (Gallagher, 2001; OECD,2000b). Qualifications which incorporate a broader range of information,especially in relation to actual or simulated work performance, arelikely to emerge. This might also mean drawing a sharp distinctionbetween qualifications for young people and adults (Spours, 2000). Governments turn to qualifications reform in order to improve theaccessibility and flexibility of education systems and their links withthe labour market. The proportion of the population and groups within itholding qualifications can be used to measure progress towards targetsand can encourage higher standards of achievement. Such measures enablea focus on individuals' interests and purposes, with educationproviders serving their needs and ambitions regardless of sectoraldivisions and orientations. Qualifications frameworks also provide ameans of signalling to employers the knowledge, skills and competenciesof those holding qualifications, potentially reducing the uncertaintiesand expense of job recruitment as well as potentially enhancingindividual employability. Because such frameworks develop and describe amap of qualifications, the linkages between them are made more apparent,giving governments more leverage over education providers, includingthose in the higher education sector. Finally the number and type ofqualifications awarded can be shown as a measure of productivity forinstitutions and provide measurable criteria for funding (OECD, 1998,2001b). Qualifications authorities Qualifications authorities have emerged as a way to managequalifications and quality assurance frameworks. Gunning (2001) notesthat two models have emerged. The first, adopted in England, SouthAfrica South Africa,Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. and (with some variation) in New Zealand New Zealand(zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. , is a regulatory andpolicy reforming authority. Under this model, the details of thequalifications, their assessment and quality assurance is handled byawarding bodies and/or providers--the qualifications authority auditsthese processes to make sure its policies, criteria and qualitystandards are being met and that all bodies are operating with probity PROBITY. Justice, honesty. A man of probity is one who loves justice and honesty, and who dislikes the contrary. Wolff, Dr. de la Nat. Sec. 772. . The second, adopted in Scotland, is a unitary unitarypertaining to a single object or individual. model, involving asingle body responsible for both the qualifications and qualityassurance framework and for its operation. The Scottish QualificationsAuthority was formed from a merger, in 1997, of the previously separatevocational and school qualifications bodies, SCOTVEC SCOTVEC Scottish Vocational Educational Council and the ScottishExamination Board. This was deemed necessary with the creation of asingle system of qualifications for the post-compulsory years based on asingle curriculum, assessment, quality assurance and certificationmodel. As more young people stayed on at school, increasing numbers ofschools faced the challenge of providing adequately for those for whomthe Scottish senior secondary qualification was unsuitable. The SQA SQA Scottish Qualifications AuthoritySQA Software Quality AssuranceSQA Supplier Quality AssuranceSQA Society of Quality AssuranceSQA Singapore AirlinesSQA Sperm Quality AnalyzerSQA System Quality AssuranceSQA Statistical Quality Analysis actsas the peak body for the development of policies on qualifications andadviser to the government, and as the awarding body for Scottishqualifications other than those of the universities. This fits well withthe Scottish tradition of single, national bodies. The TasmanianGovernment is considering a variant variant/var��i��ant/ (var��e-ant)1. something that differs in some characteristic from the class to which it belongs.2. exhibiting such variation.var��i��antadj. of the Scottish model for itsproposed new authority (Tasmanian Qualifications Authority, 2001). The Victorian Government's expectations of qualificationsreform and implementation strongly echo these themes. The VQA was toaccredit to attribute something to him; as, Mr. Clay was accredited with these views; they accredithim with a wise saying s>.See also: Accredit , recognise and assure quality for all post-compulsoryqualifications except higher education; to monitor students'participation and outcomes; and to promote linkages between courses inall sectors of education (Victorian Qualifications Authority Act 2000).The powers of accrediting and issuing post-compulsory school andvocational education and training qualifications and registeringproviders were transferred from their respective sector authorities tothe VQA. Introducing the bill into the Victorian parliament, theMinister stated: The Victorian Qualifications Authority will contribute to the new model for pathways for students and achievement of the government's aims for a more student-centred, cross-sectoral, collaborative approach to post-compulsory education and training. (Victorian Legislative Assembly, 2001b) Minister Kosky's second reading speech supporting the VQA billand her summing up speech emphasised the need for linkages betweenqualifications in an increasingly diverse and growing `qualificationsmarket' (Victorian Legislative Assembly, 2001a, 2001b). A singlequalifications authority would establish and monitor standards forpost-compulsory education and training qualifications and ensure theirpublic integrity and recognition by individuals in the community andindustry `making it easier for Victorians to navigate (1) "Surfing the Web." To move from page to page on the Web.(2) To move through the menu structure in a software application. their way aroundthe education, training and employment systems and maximise theiropportunities, access and achievements'. The need for a moreholistic HolisticA practice of medicine that focuses on the whole patient, and addresses the social, emotional, and spiritual needs of a patient as well as their physical treatment.Mentioned in: Aromatherapy, Stress Reduction, Traditional Chinese Medicine and cross-sectoral approach to post-compulsory education andtraining in Victoria was stressed, with the VQA acting as `an honestbroker that looks at the whole education landscape and not just at aparticular sectoral interest'. The Authority would also `drive abetter quality assurance system that is broadly defined not just byacademic standards but by outcomes'. The Authority was to encouragelifelong learning to `make it easier for people to re-enter re��en��teralso re-en��ter ?v. re��en��tered, re��en��ter��ing, re��en��tersv.tr.1. To enter or come in to again.2. To record again on a list or ledger.v.intr. educationand training and acquire qualifications throughout their lives'(Victorian Legislative Assembly, 2001b). A few weeks earlier, Premier Bracks had announced targets forincreasing literacy and numeracy standards and for raising theproportion of those holding the Victorian Certificate of Education The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the credential given to students who have completed Year 11 and Year 12 of their secondary schooling, in the state of Victoria, Australia. (VCE VCE Victorian Certificate of Education (State of Victoria, Australia)VCE Virginia Cooperative ExtensionVCE Volvo Construction EquipmentVCE Venice, Italy - Marco Polo (Airport Code))or equivalent to 90 per cent of young people by 2010. Sub-targets wereestablished for the participation of regional and rural youth and adultswere encouraged to regard participation in lifelong learning as thenorm. He noted that `our qualification levels are weak and projected tofall further behind those of most other OECD countries' (Bracks,2000). Other speeches during the second reading debate reflected theVictorian Government's concern to redress Compensation for injuries sustained; recovery or restitution for harm or injury; damages or equitable relief. Access to the courts to gain Reparation for a wrong. REDRESS. The act of receiving satisfaction for an injury sustained. falling retention ratesin schools, the uneven distribution of education outcomes and theuncertain, unequal and poorly signposted pathways for young people(Victorian Legislative Assembly, 2001b). A cross-sectoral focus The VQA's membership was drawn from industry and from allsectors of education, namely schools, adult and community education,vocational education and training and higher education. At its firstmeeting on 1 March 2001, the VQA reviewed the recommendations of theMinisterial Review (2000) and set about the task of providing a range ofadditional pathways for young people. Discussions were set in thecontext of the Victorian Government's targets to increaseparticipation to Year 12 or its equivalent, particularly in regional andrural Victoria and among groups presently not participating strongly.These included Aboriginals; recently arrived immigrants with languagebackgrounds other than English; low SES; rural, outer eastern, northernand western Melbourne locations; those with low skills; and young males.Many failed to gain that basis of initial education which can provide aplatform for continued learning throughout life and by Years 9 and 10were drifting away from a pedagogy that had not engaged them. The Ministerial Review (2000) had shown, in sober and dramaticterms, the differential impact that the single certificate for schoolstudents, the VCE, was having on groups attending schools located inparticular regions. Although the VCE had been established to provide forall Years 11 and 12 students, subsequent amendments had progressivelyrefocused it on those bound for higher education, with students fromparticular schools, suburbs and regions and adult students doing poorly.The Ministerial Review showed that many of the 45 per cent of studentswho did not enter higher education or VET programs, despite havingcompleted the VCE, were found to be in precarious situations whenfollowed up nine months later; that is, they were not studying andeither working part time or casually, unemployed or not in the labourmarket. Around 70 per cent of students participating in VET programs,and especially apprentices, gained employment, but poor outcomes wererecorded for many females and particularly for those who entermulti-field or general programs (Ryan, 1999). From the outset, the VQA resolved to put the focus on students andhow to provide for their diverging di��verge?v. di��verged, di��verg��ing, di��verg��esv.intr.1. To go or extend in different directions from a common point; branch out.2. To differ, as in opinion or manner.3. interests and needs. In policy termsthis meant an emphasis on: * segments of students with particular interests and purposesrather than whole cohorts; * tailored solutions developed collaboratively with students andproviders; * modularised and interconnected programs with multiple entry andexit points; * programs to encourage entrepreneurship en��tre��pre��neur?n.A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture.[French, from Old French, from entreprendre, to undertake; see enterprise. , innovation andself-employment; * flexible delivery at times convenient to students with competingdemands for work, family and study; * constructing pathways to destinations, portfolio skills andserial careers and occupations rather than preparation for lifelongemployment. This position marked a shift from front-loaded initialqualifications to qualifications geared to continual professional andoccupational development; from a focus on learning in formal programs ofstudy to multiple forms of work- and community-based learning; and frompre-defined, prescribed pre��scribe?v. pre��scribed, pre��scrib��ing, pre��scribesv.tr.1. To set down as a rule or guide; enjoin. See Synonyms at dictate.2. To order the use of (a medicine or other treatment). learning pathways The chosen route, taken by a learner through a range of (commonly) e-learning activities, which allows them to build knowledge progressively. With learning pathways, the control of choice moves away from the tutor to the learner. to more individual routes ofskills acquisition (OECD, 2001b). It also reflected the view whichemerged from the wide consultations undertaken by the review ofpost-compulsory education and training pathways (Ministerial Review,2000), that many providers in the schools, adult education and VETsectors were already creatively exploring other qualifications and wereconstrained con��strain?tr.v. con��strained, con��strain��ing, con��strains1. To compel by physical, moral, or circumstantial force; oblige: felt constrained to object.See Synonyms at force.2. , especially in schools, by the Victorian Department ofEmployment, Education and Training's determination that only theVCE should be offered to students. The frustration of such schoolsseeking to serve students clearly not suited to the present offeringsand the parlous position of indigenous early leavers were consistentlyand powerfully advocated at the VQA's subsequent meetings. Sector-based approaches to qualifications Focusing on young people and their pathways cut across sectoralboundaries and challenged the territory of sector authorities nowstripped of responsibility for accrediting sector-specificqualifications but not for their development. These authorities alsosought, via qualifications reform inter alia [Latin, Among other things.] A phrase used in Pleading to designate that a particular statute set out therein is only a part of the statute that is relevant to the facts of the lawsuit and not the entire statute. , to contribute toincreasing participation and policy solutions to the problems beingexperienced by young people. Their definitions of qualifications variedaccording to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. the sector of education they represented. For schools, aqualification included a certificate of achievement, a syllabus A headnote; a short note preceding the text of a reported case that briefly summarizes the rulings of the court on the points decided in the case.The syllabus appears before the text of the opinion. andrecommended or required learning materials and also forms of pedagogy.In VET, a qualification was limited to outcomes and objectives andmethods of assessment, as in the National Training Packages aligned toAustralian Qualifications Framework The Australian Qualifications Framework provides the hierarchy of educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (Australia). (AQF AQF Australian Qualification FrameworkAQF Advanced Quick FixAQF American Quality FoundationAQF Acquisition Control File (Claims)AQF Amplify Quantize-And-Forward ). In higher education,qualifications were seen as a testament that certain standards had beenachieved, while taking much of their luster from the institutionalcontexts in which they had been acquired. Renewed attention to qualifications reform was particularly evidentin the meetings of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is a statutory authority of the Government of Victoria responsible for the provision of curriculum and assessment programs for students in Victoria, Australia. (VCAA VCAA Veterans Claims Assistance ActVCAA Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority ), composed largely of members from its predecessor body, theVictorian Board of Studies (1998), which stated: The interests of all students are best served through a single certificate, normally [taken] over a minimum of two years for school students and a minimum of one year for adult students. This reflects a view that offering multiple credentials leads to a de facto streaming of students with an attendant lowering of performance expectations, a curtailing of options for those choosing lower status credentials, the fragmentation of effort and resources and a proliferation of subjects and con-sequent loss of control over their delivery and quality. The VCAA argued that students' vocational and career interestscould be accommodated through undertaking VET studies as part of theVCE, some of which could count towards tertiary entrance ranking The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) is a tertiary entrance score used in several Australian states as a tool for selection to universities in Australia. EquivalenceThe TER is used in South Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia. , andurged students to keep their options open, continue on in generaleducation and do what interested them (Victorian Board of Studies,2000). The VCAA continued, therefore, actively to develop and expandthroughout 2001 further VET in the VCE offerings, including part-timeapprenticeships in narrowly vocationally focused areas, for example inretail baking baking:see cooking. bakingProcess of cooking by dry heat, especially in an oven. Baked products include bread, cookies, pies, and pastries. and seafood seafoodEdible aquatic animals excluding mammals, but including both freshwater and ocean creatures. Seafood includes bony and cartilaginous fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, edible jellyfish, sea turtles, frogs, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. processing. Equally the Victorian Office of Employment, Training and TertiaryEducation Tertiary education, also referred to as third-stage, third level education, or higher education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, or gymnasium. continued to encourage young people into VET programs inpublic and private providers and to promote apprenticeships andtraineeships to employers and students in accordance Accordance is Bible Study Software for Macintosh developed by OakTree Software, Inc.[]As well as a standalone program, it is the base software packaged by Zondervan in their Bible Study suites for Macintosh. with the AustralianNational Training Authority (ANTA) agreements with the CommonwealthGovernment. Under individual performance agreements with the stategovernment, each public technical and further education (TAFE) providerwas required to increase the proportion of their effort in traineeshipsand apprenticeships at the expense of other programs. Targets forenrolling 15-19 year-olds were established with public VET providers andwere included in these contracts and monitored on a regular basis.Project funds were directed to TAFE institutes enrolling young people inpilot programs designed to increase their participation in training. Hence students were both urged to remain to complete the VCE atschool and encouraged to leave school and take up structured work andtraining options. The policy dilemma of adopting a lifelong learningview of education becomes where the preparatory pre��par��a��to��ry?adj.1. Serving to make ready or prepare; introductory. See Synonyms at preliminary.2. Relating to or engaged in study or training that serves as preparation for advanced education: line is drawn. Someargue that schooling to Year 12 is a phase whereas others argue thatpost-compulsory education should be regarded as a phase in its ownright, during which students sort out their interests and purposes andbegin moving into a variety of more differentiated pathways. Strategies for young people During its first months of operation, the VQA engaged in research,visited sites of good practice, especially those funded under theCommonwealth Government's Full Service Schools scheme and canvasseda variety of approaches directed towards increasing completion of Year12 or its equivalent. The view was accepted that increasingopportunities required solutions tailored to the needs of each targetgroup and would vary according to each segment. This meant putting thefocus on students rather than sectors and regarding continuingparticipation in post-compulsory education, rather than schoolcompletion, as the goal. As increased participation results from growthin areas and among groups presently leaving school before completingYear 12, initial actions focused on developing qualifications for thissegment to provide a threshold qualification for further learning(Curtain, 2001a). The OECD's (2000a) report on transitions notes that no onetype of pathway pathway/path��way/ (path��wa)1. a course usually followed.2. the nerve structures through which an impulse passes between groups of nerve cells or between the central nervous system and an organ or muscle. --whether apprenticeship, school-based vocational orgeneral education--appears to hold the key to successful transitionoutcomes for young people. A mix of pathways makes it more likely that young people will have available to them a wide variety of general, technical and vocational education options, developing both work-related competencies and personal and social skills. A broad mix helps to ensure that the developing vocational interests of adolescents are able to be met by the curriculum, and that a broad range of talents and achievements can be met by qualifications systems. (OECD, 2000a) The notion of creating qualifications from repackaging alreadyaccredited accreditedrecognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria.accredited herdscattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. units from VCE and VET according to agreed performancestandards and criteria also offered an immediate way forward with regardto equivalence, as studies are aligned to levels of the AQF. VET and VCEstudies also involved a specified quantum of classroom instruction.Further, the program of visits to providers undertaken by the VQA in itsfirst few months confirmed that such solutions were emerging in schoolswhich were unobtrusively un��ob��tru��sive?adj.Not undesirably noticeable or blatant; inconspicuous.unob��tru offering to students a range of qualificationsother than the VCE. Other providers, including neighbourhood houses andTAFE institutes, were offering VET and further education qualificationsin their attempts to cater for all presenting to them and, like schools,were often keen to expand their role with young people. Schools alsopointed to the need for more applied forms of learning for all students,confirming the mounting evidence that many young people, including thosewho are successful in classroom-based learning, are keen to engage inwork-based learning (Unwin & Wellington, 2001). Considerable effort had gone into creating a single and commoncertificate in the 1980s and hence the decision to support theintroduction of a new certificate represented a significant policydeparture. Arrangements for including vocational studies within thecommon certificate had changed following a review of the VCE in 1997(Victorian Board of Studies, 1997). This sought to tighten up Verb 1. tighten up - restrict; "Tighten the rules"; "stiffen the regulations"constrain, stiffen, tightenconfine, limit, throttle, trammel, restrain, restrict, bound - place limits on (extent or access); "restrict the use of this parking lot"; "limit the assessmentprocedures in those academic studies in which performance contributed tothe student's final tertiary entrance rank but it also broadenedthe range of studies to include selected national and state accreditedVET units, including some part-time apprenticeships, as VCE units. VETstudies are repackaged into units deemed to be equivalent to VCE studiesand can contribute up to right milts, or half the minimum numberrequired for the VCE. Numbers enrolled in VET in the VCE had risensteadily since 1997, with around 1.0 per cent of VCE students in 2001usually pursuing a VET Certificate Iii program as part of the VCE. A fewstudents were undertaking part-time apprenticeships in combination withthe VCE, but the numbers were low compared with other states (Malley,Keating, Robinson, & Hawkes, 2001). Although positive outcomes forVET in the VCE students were apparent, 17.7 per cent of the Year 12school leavers in 1998 ended up in part-time work, unemployed orrepeating or completing the qualification (Polesel, Teese, &O'Brien, 1999). Incorporating VET studies into schools only via the VCE had drawncontinuing criticism from VET practitioners (Down, Figgis, Alderson,Butovac, & Standin, 2001). VET in the VCE involved narrowlyvocational preparation tailored to particular occupations and openingsin the labour market using the national training packages. These hadgained legitimacy LEGITIMACY. The state of being born in wedlock; that is, in a lawful manner. 2. Marriage is considered by all civilized nations as the only source of legitimacy; the qualities of husband and wife must be possessed by the parents in order to make the offspring because the occupational outcomes they described werederived from and validated val��i��date?tr.v. val��i��dat��ed, val��i��dat��ing, val��i��dates1. To declare or make legally valid.2. To mark with an indication of official sanction.3. by industry and were to be acquired in workcontexts. These standards formed the basis for the development ofcurriculum, which starts with the concrete and practical and builds acognitive framework around them as need dictates. Learning is foridentified need. As Down et al. (2001) note, doing without thinking isnot competence, nor does knowing without application and practice andreflection give rise to understanding and theory. In contrast, VET studies within the VCE sit within the context ofthe pathway from school to higher education rather than industryvalidated outcomes. Optional scored assessment is available in eight VETstudies, with the scaled score of one VET study able to contribute tothe calculation of an individual entrance rank for higher education andany remaining studies contributing incrementally to the total (ANTA,2001). Accordingly training package competencies are arranged so thatthey resemble other school subjects and, although a standards approachhas been adopted in some areas, performance is marked and assessed interms of the mastery of a specified body of knowledge abstracted from onthe job performance and, for inclusion in a student's tertiary tertiary(tûr`shēârē), in the Roman Catholic Church, member of a third order. The third orders are chiefly supplements of the friars—Franciscans (the most numerous), Dominicans, and Carmelites. entry rank, assessed by examinations. This had led Down et al. (2001) toconclude that `the purpose and context for which the Training Packageswere written is subverted by the emphasis on tertiary entrance scoresand acceptance into higher education'. Although VET in the VCE provided significant opportunities tobroaden the curriculum, the options on offer were generally supplydriven, with the most popular areas--hospitality, office administrationand retails-readily mounted by schools. Reliance on this approach wasunlikely to yield increased participation for those most likely to leaveschool early (Teese, 2000b). Only the most energetic and best organisedwere able to complete the VET qualification and the VCE in Years 11 and12, even with weekend and holiday work placements and making up missedclasses. An emerging pattern involved completion over three yeah, thatis, from Years 10-12, with substantial, numbers completing therequirements for one and parts of the other rather than both (Malley etal., 2001). Assessment biased to academic performance was a key factor in thedecision to introduce separate qualifications rather than furtherexpanding the VCE to accommodate a broader range of students. Containinginnovation in teaching and learning within the parameters of the VCE,with its prime focus on academic achievement, tertiary entry ranks andadmission into higher education, was unlikely to produce a sufficientemphasis on applied learning and practical studies that studentsrequired, including general orientation to work and the acquisition ofkey employment related competencies. Students enrolled in the VCE wereunable to explore other VET options in order to determine theirpreferences and many schools believed that those students seekingpractical learning were deterred by the requirements of the VCE. The Ministerial Review (2000) report drew attention to thelimitations of the VCE in urging greater diversity, including offeringvocational programs Noun 1. vocational program - a program of vocational educationeducational program - a program for providing education rather than individual subjects to students, alongwith the explicit attention to key employment related competencies. Itrecommended that the VQA should examine possible modifications to theVCE to allow greater flexibility in program delivery and learningapproaches and contexts, develop and implement combinations of VCE andother accredited programs, and examine the capacity of the VCE toaccommodate a broader range of students. Although endorsing the viewthat young people should continue on at school and complete the VCE, thereport urged refinement of the policy to allow greater flexibilitywithin the context of local needs. A new certificate Although the Ministerial Review recommended several potentiallymutually exclusive Adj. 1. mutually exclusive - unable to be both true at the same timecontradictoryincompatible - not compatible; "incompatible personalities"; "incompatible colors" options for qualifications reform, the VQA wasdetermined to deliver a change to signal a changed emphasis on learningfor all. Re-opening debates around the VCE and undertaking anotherreview would have delayed and diverted di��vert?v. di��vert��ed, di��vert��ing, di��vertsv.tr.1. To turn aside from a course or direction: Traffic was diverted around the scene of the accident.2. reforms directed towards theparticipation of young people who were presently leaving school eitherwithout any qualification or without a pathway into work or learning. Inconfronting the issues inevitably raised around setting up an optionwhich might be perceived as second rate, the lack of options for thoseyoung people was at the forefront of debates. Further there was ageneral view that students who experienced some success in their studiesat school would be more likely to undertake the VCE. Keeping learningoptions open for students was critical. The need to improve outcomes for all young people was a key driverin the changes proposed. Strengthening literacy and numeracy wasrequired in a context in which those with poor levels of achievementwere increasingly likely to be unemployed or part employed. Extendedwork experience was proposed because when work is included as part ofthe curriculum it yields a powerful effect of employability,independently of students remaining with the same employers (Ryan,1999). The outcomes focus of the AQF provided the necessary referencepoints for developing new qualifications anchored in industry validatedstandards. Vocational education was to be undertaken on its own termswith assessment of performance occurring in authentic situations tostandards specified by industries in work situations. Students wouldhave the opportunity to explore vocational options through thecurriculum, with a focus on becoming job ready and developing employmentrelated and personal competencies. The successful transition of youngpeople into work and learning was seen as requiring the collectiveefforts of whole communities as well as schools and other education andtraining providers. Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is a 'hands-on' option for students in Years 11 and 12 in Victoria, Australia. The VCAL gives students practical work-related experience, as well as literacy and numeracy skills and the opportunity to build personal skills that At its fourth meeting in July 2001, the VQA endorsed the proposalsoutlined in the paper, Qualifications for Victorians (VQA, 2001a) toincrease the range of qualifications offered to young people in schoolas a first step in seeking to ensure that more people gain the basis forlifelong learning. Following ministerial approval, it moved rapidly tointroduce the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning which is aframework certificate directed at those young people who would benefitfrom learning in doing, who yearn for practical and applied studies andwho are presently dissatisfied dis��sat��is��fied?adj.Feeling or exhibiting a lack of contentment or satisfaction.dis��satis��fied with more classroom-based studies. It wasenvisaged that schools would work in collaboration Working together on a project. See collaborative software. with the LocalLearning Employment Networks (LLENs). These were established on therecommendations of the Ministerial Review and bring together theeducational and training resources within local communities, includingaccess to local work places in which students can learn and demonstratetheir learning. As Young (1999) notes, overcoming social exclusion social exclusionNounSociol the failure of society to provide certain people with those rights normally available to its members, such as employment, health care, education, etc. is asmuch an economic and political as an educational issue. He suggests thatsolutions will emerge to the growing marginalisation Noun 1. marginalisation - the social process of becoming or being made marginal (especially as a group within the larger society); "the marginalization of the underclass"; "the marginalization of literature"marginalization of those who failto achieve when new kinds of links are forged forge?1?n.1. A furnace or hearth where metals are heated or wrought; a smithy.2. A workshop where pig iron is transformed into wrought iron.v. between schools, collegesand universities and learning in workplaces and communities. These cansustain students in their learning through valuing the skills that arerequired in work places and offer the possibility of students developinginto lifelong learners. It was determined that the schools chosen to develop the newcertificate would have demonstrated innovative approaches to theeducation of young people. Students felt that the way they were treatedby teachers was a fundamental determinant determinant,a polynomial expression that is inherent in the entries of a square matrix. The size n of the square matrix, as determined from the number of entries in any row or column, is called the order of the determinant. of whether they remained ineducation and training and drew benefit from their participation (Stokes Stokes, William 1804-1878.British physician. Known especially for his studies of diseases of the chest and heart, he expanded on the observations of John Cheyne in describing the breathing irregularity now known as Cheyne-Stokes respiration. & Tyler, 2001). Eventually twenty schools and two TAFE instituteswith experience, interest and a successful track record were funded in2002 to work with the VQA in developing the qualification for around 500hundred students, with the intention of wide availability from 2003. The general outline of the framework has been specified incollaboration with those involved in its introduction and includes fourcompulsory Wikipedia does not currently have an encyclopedia article for .You may like to search Wiktionary for "" instead.To begin an article here, feel free to [ edit this page], but please do not create a mere dictionary definition. strands of literacy and numeracy, work-related skills andknowledge, industry specific skills including work experience, andpersonal development. This structure enables students to build essentialskills and knowledge and to explore several areas of vocational interestrather than settling on one, with studies customised to include adesignated set of competencies from across a cluster of industrysectors, thereby building the capacity to act in a responsible manner incomplex work environments. The certificate is based on industryspecification of work place practice and hence will operate within theAQF; it will use applied learning approaches; it will embody em��bod��y?tr.v. em��bod��ied, em��bod��y��ing, em��bod��ies1. To give a bodily form to; incarnate.2. To represent in bodily or material form: practicaland work based pedagogies; and it will be assessed in terms ofperformance (VQA, 2001b). Applied learning pedagogies require teachers to determine whatlearners need to know and be able to do, what developmental activitieswill assist their learning, what skills and knowledge can be appliedroutinely in the work place, how the students will integrate andconsolidate their learning to ensure that competency COMPETENCY, evidence. The legal fitness or ability of a witness to be heard on the trial of a cause. This term is also applied to written or other evidence which may be legally given on such trial, as, depositions, letters, account-books, and the like. 2. is achieved, andwhat assessment activities will cumulatively recognise performance atthe standard required. Professional development to expand teachers'skills repertoire Repertoire may mean Repertory but may also refer to: Repertoire (theatre), a system of theatrical production and performance scheduling Repertoire Records, a German record label specialising in 1960s and 1970s pop and rock reissues will be a critical factor in the development of thequalification and applied learning approaches. Within schools andcolleges, creating a student-centred curriculum for disaffected dis��af��fect��ed?adj.Resentful and rebellious, especially against authority.disaf��fect youngpeople and more flexible and hospitable hos��pi��ta��ble?adj.1. Disposed to treat guests with warmth and generosity.2. Indicative of cordiality toward guests: a hospitable act.3. places of learning for people ofall ages will require the active engagement of young people in their owneducation. Their construction of their learning pathways and theirresponsibility for their own learning are key outcomes in determiningthe evaluation of the certificate prior to any subsequent expansion. It is also expected that the trials will confront other criticalissues including the range of programs that provide `verticalintegration points' (Teese, 2000a) and the limits of diversity thatfits students for employment with particular firms and within particularlocations but also needs to equip e��quip?tr.v. e��quipped, e��quip��ping, e��quips1. a. To supply with necessities such as tools or provisions.b. them for wider employment; thefeasibility of common criteria (Common Criteria for Information Technology Security) An international standard process for defining security objectives and for evaluating compliance with those objectives. The Common Criteria have largely replaced the Trusted Computer Security Evaluation Criteria (TCSEC), the Canadian for qualifications that encompass allsectors; and the proportion of students who are best served by pursuinggeneral education pathways (Raffe, 2001). The quality assurance ofqualifications in ways that are cost effective and which engagepractitioners in reflecting on their practice will be required for newand existing awards. Creating incentives for individuals to acquirequalifications that avoid devaluing learning, including on-the-joblearning not linked to qualifications, remains an issue, along with theacquisition of qualifications based on assessment of learning gainedindependently of formal studies. The fundamental question of basingqualifications on learning outcomes is also emerging, especially inindustries greatly affected by new and developing technologies in whichthe outcomes of learning are not able to be clearly specified andlearning processes have to be balanced against assessable outcomes. Next steps The VQA will progressively pursue the possibility of developingother qualifications tailored to other population segments, includingnested qualifications within degrees which encompass advanced technicalskills and knowledge. Specialised Adj. 1. specialised - developed or designed for a special activity or function; "a specialized tool"specializedspecific - (sometimes followed by `to') applying to or characterized by or distinguishing something particular or special or unique; "rules with qualifications for emergingprofessions are also under consideration. In 2002, it is developing aqualifications and credit matrix which could offer students the chanceto gain cumulative credit and will clearly specify the linkages andpathways. This work will be undertaken in conjunction with the ANTAwhich has shown strong interest in this approach. Although expanded provision and increased articulation articulationIn phonetics, the shaping of the vocal tract (larynx, pharynx, and oral and nasal cavities) by positioning mobile organs (such as the tongue) relative to other parts that may be rigid (such as the hard palate) and thus modifying the airstream to produce speech across theeducation system are useful short-term Short-termAny investments with a maturity of one year or less.short-term1. Of or relating to a gain or loss on the value of an asset that has been held less than a specified period of time. indicators of qualificationsreform, in the longer term the effectiveness of such reforms will beseen in whether the proportion of those engaging in lifelong learningincreases over time. Other performance measures could include: thenumbers by group and location obtaining qualifications by AQF levels inall sectors; improved functioning of the labour market; the proportionemployed on a full- and part-time basis; increased levels of literacy,numeracy and learning how to learn; increased employer satisfaction withgraduates; and a range of social indicators including higher per capitaincome Noun 1. per capita income - the total national income divided by the number of people in the nationincome - the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time , fewer children living in poverty, reduced numbers receivingunemployment and other benefits (Watson, 2001). Green (2000) has identified the kinds of key issues that arise inimplementing policies to encourage lifelong learning. These include: * establishing means for identifying current and future learningand skills needs for individuals, firms and the national economy; * responding to the different demands of differentstakeholders--employers seeking to meet perceived skill needs ataffordable costs; individuals looking for Looking forIn the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. affordable learningopportunities which further their personal and career development;providers looking to maintain the viability of their institutions andjobs; * diversifying provision and extending certification whilemaintaining the transparency (1) The quality of being able to see through a material. The terms transparency and translucency are often used synonymously; however, transparent would technically mean "seeing through clear glass," while translucent would mean "seeing through frosted glass." See alpha blending. of standards and the value ofqualifications; * encouraging an increasing rate of participation in education andtraining; * funding this participation. Raising the quality, appropriateness and accessibility of learningopportunities attracts participants. Making provision more efficientreduces costs and encourages individuals and employers to invest. Thebenefits of learning have to be evident to both employers andindividuals, which means that qualifications need to be standards based,clearly and reliably indicating skills and aptitudes. This will assistemployers to understand how to use them and reward those with them(Green, 2000). Conclusion The VQA was established to develop qualifications which will createopportunities for increased participation in education and training.This policy direction is shared with an increasing number of OECDcountries in which the reform of qualifications is seen as an importantaspect of encouraging lifelong learning (OECD, 2001b). Such reforms putan emphasis on developing qualifications tailored to segments of thepopulation, that are linked to externally referenced standards ofperformance, that demonstrate clear standards of achievement, and thatoffer cumulative credit. These qualifications are best developed withthe active involvement of those with an interest, including standardsand qualification authorities, local communities and organisations,employers, educators and the students themselves. An examination of the work of the fledging VQA provides a casestudy of how this policy imperative works out in practice. The settingof participation targets made plain the government's expectationsand provided the context for ministerial support for proposals designedto improve participation in areas and among groups presently leavingschool early. The VQA's cross-sectoral focus, novel withinAustralia, enabled it to move rapidly to develop a frameworkqualification designed to encourage the participation of those groups ofyoung people in danger of leaving school early. The capacity to packagecomponents of existing qualifications into this new qualificationdepended on the existence of the AQF, which describes nationallyrecognised qualifications and their names and levels and the AustralianQuality Training Framework which sets out the agreed quality measures toensure national consistency and hence mutual recognition of vocationalqualifications. These provide reference points independent of thoseestablished for entry into higher education and frame the work of localdevelopers in schools and TAFE institutes within known and recognisedstandards. The capacity to involve local communities and employers in thedevelopment of appropriate pathways for students was available throughthe local networks, the LLENs, established by the Victorian Governmentto improve young people's transition to work and further study. Thedevelopment of the new certificate provided a focus to engage allparticipants in important work. Teachers' experience in developingprograms and learning contexts for students who were not well suited tothe common school certificate gave an urgency and momentum to theVQA's decision making. Their enthusiasm for change encouraged thecommitment of resources to this project. This case study supports the view that qualifications reform is initself insufficient to increase participation. Non-participation doesnot derive only from the lack of appropriate pathways, although theprovision of a range of them increases the chances that youngpeople's vocational interests will be met. The deployment of arange of strategies is required, some of which are directed at studentsand their parents, including income support, career counselling andinformation. Rewards for employers who recruit and train young peopleare required. Other strategies involve industry policies, investmentincentives and provision of housing and other services. Finally manyyoung people and older and unemployed workers need to be encouraged toremain in or to return to education. This requires a broaderunderstanding and appreciation of the needs of all young people andprovision of learning within the community as well as in the school.These are the tasks which lie ahead.Keywordscurriculum policyeducational certificateseducational policyqualificationsstate programsstate registration boards References Australian National Training Authority. (2001). Expandingopportunities for youth. Melbourne: Author. Bracks, S. (2000). Strategy to improve education outcomes. 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Because of the drop in ranking, University of Melbourne is currently behind four Asian universities - Beijing University, , EducationalOutcomes Research Unit. Unwin, L. & Wellington, J. (2001). Yoking people'sperspectives on. education, training and employment. London: Kogan Page. Victoria. Legislative Assembly. (2001a). Debate on VictorianQualifications Authority Bill, 2 November. Melbourne: Govt Pr. Victoria. Legislative Assembly. (2001b). Debate on VictorianQualifications Authority Bill, 22 November. Melbourne: Govt Pr. Victorian Board of Studies. (1997). VCE--enhancing their futures.Report of the Committee of Review on the Victorian Certificate ofEducation, December 1997. Melbourne: Department of Education. Victorian Board of Studies. (1998). Board of Studies. Melbourne:Author. Victorian Board of Studies. (2000). Guide to the VCE 2001.Melbourne: Author. Victorian Qualifications Authority. (2001a). Qualifications forVictorians. (Typescript) Victorian Qualifications Authority. (2001b). Victorian Certificateof Applied Learning. Melbourne: Author. Watson, L. (2001). Who pays for lifelong learning? Paper presentedat the Australian Vocational Education and Training Research AssociationConference, 28-30 March 2001. Young, M. (1999). Some reflections of the concepts of socialinclusion and exclusion: Beyond the third way. In A. Hayton (Ed.),Tackling disaffection and social exclusion: Education perspectives andpolicies. London: Kogan Page. Professor Helen Praetz is Pro Vice Chancellor vice chancellor?n. Abbr. VC1. A deputy or an assistant chancellor in a university.2. A deputy to or a substitute for a head of state or an official bearing the title chancellor.3. , Access and Equity,and Director of TAFE, RMIT RMIT Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne,Victoria 3001.