Chris Selby Smith

The role of economic appraisal in health technology assessment: the Australian case.

This paper examines the role and importance of economic appraisal of health technology in Australia, particularly those appraisals conducted under the auspices of a Federal Committee. Eight specific examples are considered: extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, office pathology testing, magnetic resonance imaging, cervical cancer screening, bone mineral assessment, automated implantable cardiac defibrillators, liver transplantation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. It was found that in most cases the appraisal influenced policy, but that it was harder to assess whether there had been changes in practice or final health outcomes. It is concluded that the roles and relationships of the various players in technology assessment need to be clear, that appropriate incentives are required if socially desirable priorities are to be achieved and that the application of economic appraisal techniques needs to be timely and relevant.

A Stocktake of the Economics of Vocational Education and Training in Australia: Some Implications for Career Development.

This article addresses four specific aspects of research into vocational education and training in Australia which were included in a book published in mid-2001 by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research: the changing skill requirements of Australian industry, modelling industrys demand for vocational education and training, enterprise accounting for skills (since whether an enterprise perceives its training expenditures as a cost, or as an investment, influences its decisions about how much training to undertake, of what kinds, and for whom) and provision of vocational education and training in secondary schools, considering especially the significant features of the various approaches, the profiles of participating students (and their destinations) and the costs involved. The article identifies some implications of the research for those concerned with career development in Australia.

Innovation, Skill Needs and Training in a Rural Community

Abstract Difficult challenges face the Gannawarra Shire in northern Victoria, including competing increasingly in global markets, environmental degradation and changing consumer preferences. Education, training and skill development are one way of addressing the challenges. A survey of 68 enterprises (distinguishing between growing, consolidating and declining enterprises) suggested, inter alia, that innovation is an essential element in Gannawarra’s response to the challenges it faces and that enterprises requiring more training differ significantly from those requiring different types of education and training. The ‘story’ of Gannawarra’s challenges and its efforts to address them provide insights which are likely to be useful elsewhere.

Funding Arrangements for VET Students with a Disability: More Talk or Actual Improvement?.

Abstract VET has an important role in providing equitable access to post-school opportunities for education and training, but is not satisfactorily discharging its responsibilities in relation to Australians with a disability. 16.7% of the working age population were estimated to have a disability in 1998, but only 4.5% of VET enrolments were students with a disability (in 2000). Indeed, the proportion had fallen from 5.1% in 1996. Also students with a disability were less likely than VET students as a whole to be studying higher level courses, to be in employment, to undertake further studies, and to achieve successful module or employment outcomes. This study analyses the existing funding arrangements in each Australian jurisdiction; identifies three possible sets of improved arrangements (modification of the existing arrangements; additional base funding; and case management); and outlines appropriate next steps if effective improvement is actually to occur.

Enterprise Education in Australia and New Zealand

Enterprise education and training (EET) refers to the development of knowledge and skills of workers within their enterprises. It includes activities undertaken as part of a course of study leading to a formally recognised qualification, formal (usually much shorter) courses of training that do not lead to a recognised qualification, informal on-the-job training by supervisors or co-workers and learning by doing. Because of the difficulty measuring informal training, much of the literature focuses on formal education, formal training and years of occupational or job experience.

Economic Perspectives on Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Australia

The economics of education and training are concerned with the efficient use of resources to achieve individual and societal objectives. This chapter takes Australia as an example in reviewing recent approaches to improving the use of resources and discusses some lessons learned. In education and training, the objectives pursued are improved educational achievement and skills for members of society, for their personal fulfilment— including access to work—for greater participation in civic society and for the broader benefit of the whole community. In Australia, the objectives for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) that have received most emphasis in recent years have been: