Ann Kelly

Mature-aged workers’ learning needs and motivations for participation in training programs

Abstract Issues arising from an ageing society, a low fertility rate and growing need for a skilled work force have seen increased government commitment to improving the participation rate of mature-aged workers. Education and training are seen as a principal strategy to increase the employability of these workers, yet participation in training is low and declines with age. Based on a study of 8 mature-aged participants enrolled in an accredited training program, this paper focuses on their learning needs and motivations. The findings identify a range of institutional and personal factors that shaped their participation. Given the diversity of personal factors highlighted within this small sample, it is unlikely that creating one policy or training approach would address the education and training needs of this cohort. Hence, there is a need to understand more fully how the diverse needs of mature-aged workers can be accommodated within the vocational education and training system.

Continuing Education and Training at Work

An increasingly common means by which learning across working life is being provided is through provisions of continuing education and training (CET) organised and enacted in partnerships between tertiary education organisations and employers. Often, these provisions are seen as an extension or variation of initial occupational preparation, the traditional core business of tertiary education institutions. However, as CET becomes an increasingly important component of tertiary education provisions, greater consideration is required of processes and practices that are best suited to this form of provision of education and the needs and capacities of those who participate in it. This consideration includes issues of access for individuals who are employed while balancing family and other social commitments and the occupational capacities that employers seek to develop in their workers. This chapter reports the findings of a national project in Australia which examined the efficacy of existing CET provisions to identify and promote what a national CET provision should comprise. What the findings consistently indicate is that this provision of education will need to be based on the circumstances of individuals’ work and for the most part their work practices, augmented by assistance provided by more experienced co-workers and specialist trainers engaging with these workers in the circumstances of their work and, often, while engaged in work. This is not to deny the importance and roles that specific training interventions (e.g. classroom events) can play in the overall provision of CET, but these largely augment what is made available and what occurs within an individual’s circumstance of practice. In all, a key contribution of this chapter is to set out the range of CET models and practices that are likely to be most helpful for securing workers’ continuing education and training at work in ways which will sustain their employability across lengthening working lives and meet the demands for social cohesion and the increasing economic competitiveness nationally and internationally.

Work Placement for International Student Programmes (WISP): A Model of Effective Practice

With a marked increase in the number of international students enrolling in university programs across the globe it is important that personal and professional experiences are positive. Of interest is the workplace component of international students’ study programs, as these experiences provide opportunities for students to socialise into new workplaces and cultural contexts. This chapter presents a theoretical model that takes into account the relationship between the concepts of internationalisation, professional socialisation, reflection and cultural development. It explores Knight’s (1999) work on internationalisation; research on personal and professional socialisation; effective reflective practice; and the notion of cultural development (Wells, 2000). We argue that an enhanced ethos approach, together with strong personal and professional student and staff agency and reflective practice, enhances the work placement experience. If all these elements are taken into account and the interrelationship between them is understood, we contend that it is more likely for workplace experiences to be positive and meaningful for all stakeholders.

Workers’ Perspectives and Preferences for Learning Across Working Life

Experienced workers hold substantial views about the kinds of work-learning experiences that will support and sustain their competence and employability development. These views, founded on years of generating and responding to the changes that characterise work, represent valuable sources of insight that can inform the provision of continuing education and training. Further, these views evidence workers’ understandings and acceptance of work as increasingly bound in learning. In short, workers are highly informed and capable contributors to the learning needs that underpin their work and their employer organisations’ viability. These conclusions and some of their implications for continuing education and training provision are advanced here.

What does internationalisation or interculturalisation look like in the future in the higher education sector

What is internationalisation? What is interculturalisation? What will these concepts look like in the future? Will they exist or move beyond their current state? Where are universities/higher education institutions headed with their international strategies as they prepare global citizens for the future? How will universities of the future cater for international students? These are the questions considered in this final chapter. This chapter contains reflections from the team members. We begin by defining internationalisation and interculturalisation in relation to employability. This is followed with reflections on the project as it was experienced within the six participating universities. We then bring together the reflections to highlight the key themes, which inform recommendations for practice and future research.

Teaching writing in Australian vocational education and training contexts: The need for a new professional development approach and commitment

In recognition of international survey findings consistently showing that about half of Australian adults need to improve their language and literacy and numeracy skills, the national government has funded a number of key initiatives within the vocational and training sector. One of these is the provision of professional development resources, including resources to assist in the teaching of writing, for trainers. Using a unit of competency within the engineering domain as an exemplar, this chapter critically evaluates the scope and theoretical underpinnings of these resources. What is evident from this examination is that the guidance that is available within this material is minimal and not reflective of current research in the field of writing. A number of recommendations are proffered, including the use of models of authentic workplace texts showing their generic and individual features and the exploration of studies, within both the research areas of disciplinary literacy and systemic functional linguistics, to determine whether the insights and practices within this corpus could address the prevailing serious gap in professional development advice available to vocational education trainers.