Media Release
February 29 2008
Research opens the door to skills education for low earners
UniSA’s
Centre
for Work and Life has been selected to join a major research effort
aimed at identifying which factors will encourage more people,
particularly those with lower education and pay levels, to engage in
Vocational Education and Training (VET).
The Centre for Work and Life, a part of UniSA’s Hawke Institute for Sustainable Societies, has won a $500,000 grant from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to undertake a three-year research project looking at the range of factors that influence people’s choices about VET.
Centre director, Professor Barbara Pocock says the study is particularly important given the context of changing patterns of work, home and community life in Australia.
“We need to know how contemporary work, home and community structures impact on the participation of people in VET programs, particularly for lower education and pay groups, who would benefit from skills training.”
The disadvantaged and at-risk groups identified include low paid and casual workers, lower socio-economic groups, young people and women and current data indicates that a quarter of the Australian workforce is considered low paid.
Prof Pocock believes there is considerable scope to improve work-life-study outcomes in the labour force by focusing on this group.
“It is recognised that that there are particular problems for lower paid and lower educated groups in VET participation because those occupations tend to be more poorly resourced with poorer returns on educational investments,” said Prof Pocock.
“There is a need to help low income individuals increase their capacity to reconcile work and non-work commitments, such as education, training and lifelong learning goals. An integral part of the research we will undertake will be to find appropriate solutions and policy responses to eliminate or reduce these obstacles for low paid workers.”
Several policy innovations aimed at increasing VET participation including lifelong learning accounts, time banking, work-based literacy and numeracy training and the development of career paths and educational leave for low paid workers, will be examined.
“We want to analyse the feasibility of such strategies in an Australian context and against the work/life experiences and attitudes of lower paid and lower educated groups and their employers,” Prof Pocock says.
“This analysis will in turn enable more effective VET, workplace and whole-of-government policy development, helping to motivate and support lower paid and lower education groups to participate in VET, enhancing their opportunities for advancement.”
NCVER Managing Director Dr Tom Karmel says the partnership between UniSA’s Centre for Work and Life and NCVER is a major step in boosting the strength of research into Australia’s vocational education and training sector.
“We want to improve the effectiveness and quality of vocational education and training in Australia and research is a key ingredient in this task,” Dr Karmel says.
“With an ageing population we also need to better understand older workers’ use – or non-use – of the training system and how changing patterns of life and work are also impacting on training.”
Contact for interview
- Professor Barbara Pocock office (08)8302 4194 mobile 0414 244 606 email barbara.pocock@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
-
Lisa McDonald office (08) 8302 4063 mobile 0434 367 876 email
lisa.mcdonald@unisa.edu.au