DOCUMENT RESUME AUTHOR Kell, Peter …s school and higher education sector; the Kangan era (1974-1988), which was marked by emphasis on participation and equity; the epoch of the Open

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 425 351 CE 077 759

AUTHOR Kell, PeterTITLE From the Billabong to the Mainstreem? A Teachers' Guide to

Australian Training & Literacy Policy Developments1974-1998. Research into Practice Series Number 6.

INSTITUTION National Languages and Literacy Inst., Melbourne(Australia).

ISBN ISBN-1-875578-84-6PUB DATE 1998-08-00NOTE 37p.; Produced by the Language Aus, ralia, Queensland Adult

Literacy Research Network Node.PUB TYPE Historical Materials (060)EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Adult Basic Education; *Adult Lite acy; Articulation

(Education); Competence; Competency Based Education;Education Work Relationship; Educational Change;*Educational Policy; *Educational Trends; English; ForeignCountries; *Job Training; *Literacy Education; NationalPrograms; Numeracy; Open Education; Policy Formation;Postsecondary Education; Trend Analysis; *VocationalEducation

IDENTIFIERS *Australia; TAFE (Australia)

ABSTRACTThis document traces Australian training and literacy policy

developments from 1974 to 1998. The document begins with a brief discussionof the global political, educational, social, and economic trends that haveaffected Australia's training and literacy policies. Discussed next are majorevents of the four policy "epochs" in Australia's vocational education andtraining (VET) sector: the "poor cousin" epoch (1900-1974), during whichtechnical and further education (TAFE) emerged as a "poor cousin" toAustralia's school and higher education sector; the Kangan era (1974-1988),which was marked by emphasis on participation and equity; the epoch of theOpen Training Market and seamless web (1988-1992); and the epoch of UserChoice (1992-1998) . The decade of reform in English language and literacyprovision that began in the mid-1980s and included development of theAustralian Language and Literacy Policy in 1991 is chronicled. Specialattention is paid to the National Framework of Adult English Language,Literacy and Numeracy Competence and the National Reporting System (NRS). Theeffects of policy reforms in vocational and adult education on the dimensionsof teachers work are considered. Concluding the document is a timeline ofsignificant policy sources in vocational education and their relationshipwith literacy policy. (Contains 18 references.) (MN)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONlice of Educational Research and Improvement

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LANGUAGEi AUSTRALIA

FROM THE BILLABONG TO THEMAINSTREAM?

A TEACHERS' GUIDE TO AUSTRALIANTRAINING & LITERACY POLICY

DEVELOPMENTS 1974-1998

Peter KellJames Cook University

Published by the Language AustraliaQueensland Adult Literacy Research Network Node

August 1998

LANGUAGEAUSTRALIA

The National Languages and Literacy Institute of Australia

3

From the Billabong to the MainsteamA teachers' guide to Australian training &literacy policy developments 1974-1998

Peter Kell

ISBN 1 875578 84 6

Language Australia, the National Languages and Literacy Institute of Australia Ltd.

1998. Copyright in this document is owned by Language Australia Ltd. No parts may be

reproduced by any process except with the written permission of Language Australia or in

accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act.

All enquiries in relation to this publication should be addressed to:

Publications and Clearinghouse Manager

Language Australia

GPO Box 372F

Melbourne VIC 3001

The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily

reflect the views or policies of Language Australia Ltd.

4

Contents

Introduction:Global tendencies influencing policy changes 5

Four policy 'epochs' in vocational education and training 8

The Poor Cousin epoch: Technical education and theemergence of TAFE 1900-1974

The Kangan epoch: participation andequity 1974-1988

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9

The epoch of the Open Training Market andseamless web 1988-1992 10

Criticisms of competency based training 12

The epoch of 'User Choice' 1992-1998 14

A decade of reform in English language and literacy 17

The National Framework of Adult English Language,Literacy and Numeracy Compentence 19

21The National Reporting System (NRS)

Teachers' work:From technical teacher to VET practitioner 23

A time line of significant policy sources in vocationaleducation and the relationship with literacy policy 27

Selected References 35

3

From the Billabong to the Mainstream?

Introduction:Global tendencies influencingpolicy changes

In the period 1974 to 1998 the Vocational Education and Training sectorhas been subject to far reaching and profound reforms that have movedthis sector from the periphery to the centre of education policy. In atandem development, adult literacy has almost identically shadowed thetransformation experienced in the VET sector. The ten years ofaccelerated reform to 1998 in both VET and adult literacy provisionhave been characterised by significant integration with the restructuringof Australian industry and workplaces.

Both VET and language and literacy can no longer be considered the'poor cousins' to the school and higher education sector but as importantelements of the Australian education and training system.

This transformation can be attributed to a range of tendencies within thepolitical, educational, social and economic spheres. The tendencies are:

The tendency towards global capitalism. Global capitalism ischaracterised by the development of integrated world marketstructures where national barriers are meaningless. In the context ofthis globalisation, products, services and goods are developed,manufactured and distributed within a worldwide market. Globalcapitalism places the organisation of our economic and working lifeon fast forward with traditional notions of stability and flexibilitybeing constantly challenged. The organisation of work and corporatelife is in a constant process of reorganisation and readjustment. It is asymptom of an environment where capital and production are highlymobile and migratory, seeking out the most profitable and strategicoptions and locations. At the same time the traditional boundaries ofknowledge are also disappearing, as globalised production andtelecommunications industries merge the sciences of production,design, process and technology with the arts of language, culture,communication. The Information Superhighway has also shifted not

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only the traditional 'maps' of knowledge, but also their locations.Knowledge is no longer institutionalised by endorsed providers instatic locations as there are increasing opportunities for 'do ityour-self learning'.

The tendency towards new literacies arising from the newtechnologies of global communication and computer technology.Technologies of communication have dramatically reshaped theforms of communication and role of literacy. Computer technologyand global media have reshaped the way in which social andworkplace communications are now conducted. In this contextliteracy is no longer just reading text in books but interpreting andnegotiating multimodal forms of communication which involvecombinations of text, iconographics, graphics and spatial relations.New literacies are emerging from the communications revolutionwhere laser, fibre optic, digital imaging, satellite technology,multimedia and 'virtual reality' combine into powerful electroniccommunication menus. The ability to apply and utilise these newforms of information technology is crucial for the 'new jobs'.

The tendency towards a polarisation of work opportunities. Thecharacter of the workforce has experienced dramatic change with anincreasing amount of mobility arising from the casualisation of workopportunities. While there has been moderate increase in the 'newjobs' associated with information technology, the greatest jobgrowth has been in the service industries typified by casualised parttime employment. There is a growing service oriented workforcewhich is highly mobile and needs constant reskilling and retrainingin preparation for the next wave of jobs. In this context the conceptof 'lifelong learning' is important for this highly mobile workforce.

Tendency towards industry restructuring and skills formation. In themid 1980s Australian manufacturing and industry were starklyidentified as being uncompetitive within the context of a globalisedeconomy. Paul Keating, the then Federal Treasurer shocked thenation by announcing that Australia would be a 'Banana Republic'unless urgent action to restructure the economy were taken. As partof the microeconomic reforms to make Australian industry morecompetitive, both the skills and skills levels of workers and theorganisation of their work in Australian enterprises have been subject

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to considerable reform. A cluster of unions, business and governmentargued that industrial work practices needed to be less hierarchicaland confrontational and feature more collaborative workplacerelations. The VET system, seen as under-performing, was identifiedas needing reform to lift skills levels to world standards. Similarly--literacy was assigned an important role for equipping workers withthe communications strategies for the new collaborative workplaces.

The tendency towards reducing the size and scope of state fundedactivities and the tendency towards privatisation. Since the 1970sthere has been bipartisan political support for concurrentlydownsizing the public sector and deregulating state involvement inthe operations of the economy. This has resulted in either theoutsourcing or the privatisation of government departments andenterprises. In the training sector this has led to thecommercialisation and corporatisation of TAFE operations and thedevelopment of a competitive training market.

The impact of the tendencies in the education and training sector hasmeant that there is a need for training to:

Be more frequent and utilise new technologies and new sites

Reflect changes occurring in industry and the workplace.

Incorporate the new literacies arising from computer technology andworkplace reform.

Incorporate the diverse views of culture knowledge and practice asAustralia participates in new global markets.

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Four policy 'epochs' in vocationaleducation and training

There are several policy epochs which identify significant watersheds inthe development of both vocational education and training as well asliteracy and numeracy policy in Australia. In each policy epoch, therelationship among the state, industry and workplace training haschanged profoundly under the influence of differing policy settings. In asimilar way the notion of literacy, its role and relationship to theworkplace have also undergone redefinition and changes. In each ofthese periods the work of teachers has also been subject to significantchanges.

The Poor Cousin epoch: Technicaleducation and the emergence of TAFE1900-1974

The training sector has been viewed as the poor cousin in relation to theschools and higher education sector. Its origins can be traced to theemergence of the Technical education system in the late 1800s and theearly 1900s. The courses and programs were designed to prepareworking men in the trades through the apprenticeship system. Thecourses were linked to industrial awards where skill levels determinedwages and allowances within the structure of the centrally establishedindustrial courts. Apprenticeships were time served and structuredaround the provisions of industrial awards. Technical Colleges retained aspecific working class character where there was strict demarcationbetween 'practical' manual skills and the academic and mental skillsattached to literacy. Reading and writing were viewed as means of'improvement' but of little relevance to the practical everyday activitiesof trades. The provision of language and literacy classes was not seen asthe role of Technical Colleges but that of the schooling sector and by thesecond world war major problems were identified in relation to theliteracy levels of Australian men being recruited into the armed services.

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Major reform did not occur until the 1970s with the arrival of theWhitlam government.

The Kangan epoch: participation and equity1974-1988

The fragmented administration, the narrow focus and exclusivelymasculinised nature of technical training centred on industrialproduction were challenged by the Whit lam government with theestablishment of the Kangan Committee in 1974. Aside from increasingfunding by 258% to the newly created Technical and Further Education(TAFE) system, Kangan recommended a greater emphasis on theparticipation and access of groups and activities excluded from theformer Technical system. The Kangan report proposed an expansion intogeneral education, which included literacy, and the inclusion ofprograms to meet the particular needs of women, Aborigines and TorresStrait Islanders and students of non-English speaking background.

These initiatives, aimed at increasing the access of targeted groups,ensured that the profile of literacy services was lifted. In this era,literacy services in many states were allocated a special unit status.Many of these units utilised professional staff and voluntary tutors whoworked with individual students on a withdrawal basis.

As apprenticeship opportunities collapsed in the mid 1980s andtraineeships were established in the wake of the 1985 Kirby LabourMarket Programs report, literacy services became a regular programoption in both traineeship programs and an increasing number of youthemployment programs or equity initiatives such as the Participation andEquity Program (PEP).

Up to the late 1980s the majority of adult literacy services was providedby TAFE in institutional classroom settings by specialist teachers ortrained volunteers.

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The epoch of the Open Training Market andseamless web 1988-1992

The policy settings of the 1980s positioned literacy and numeracy skillswithin microeconomic reform and the emergence of team orientedworkplaces where the need for effective communications skills wasescalating.

As Australian manufacturing collapsed in the face of internationalcompetition in the mid 1980s and the levels of apprenticeships dipped,the TAFE system was criticised by industry and government as beingpoorly prepared for award and industry restructuring. TAFE wasidentified by successive governments as being inflexible to industry andcommercial needs. Following the Deveson Report of the Training Costsof Award Restructuring Committee, in 1991 and the National Board ofEmployment Education and Training (NBEET) report entitled TAFE inthe 1990s, the policy direction has emphasised a deregulation ofprovision and the creation of an Open Training Market.

The Open Training Market involved the provision of training by a mixof private and public providers with the objective of integrating trainingmore coherently with the needs of industry. In terms of the structure ofthe VET systems, this represented a departure from the previousmonopoly held by TAFE and reserved a crucial position for privateproviders in training.

The agenda for change proposed significant and profound changes to thestructural linkages between the education and training sectors and theneeds of Australian industry and commerce. In this context literacy andlanguage based skills were linked to employment productivity andcompetencies established by industry itself.

In this policy phase, literacy and numeracy provision shifted from amarginalised and peripheral activity outside the VET training systeminto mainstream industrial training frameworks. Accompanying this wasa move away from learning models which isolated literacy as a 'reading'activity to the demonstration of communications competence in variedworkplace settings. This tendency was accelerated with the emergenceof competency based training in the late 1980s.

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Concurrent with the changes in policy developments, the structures forthe recognition and accreditation of training programs were reformedwith the introduction of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)which allowed for greater portability of qualifications. The AQF hasbeen represented as facilitating a 'seamless web' of course accreditationacross the education and training sectors which eroded the boundariesbetween skills and education and repositioned literacy. The emphasis ontime served apprenticeships and courses was replaced with competencybased training and the attainment of competencies. Competency basedtraining is a continuing development which has specific importance forlanguage and literacy teachers because competency based training ishighly text based.

Critics of the previous training system argued that time served trainingdid not focus on outcomes which were relevant to current industrialpractice. A series of government reports stressed the need for a moreperformance related training system with a clear description ofcompetencies and levels of performance expected from any job. In 1991the Mayer Committee, assigned the task of designing key educationalcompetencies, described them as:

'Each area will consist of applications of knowledge andskills in the workplace context. Each application will bereferred to as a competency accompanied by a set of

criteria for judging achievement of competency. Withineach area, competencies will be arranged in order ofdifficulty within strands. This will enable theidentification of a range of peiformance standards, each

consisting of a group of competencies of a similar orderof difficulty. The resulting matrix will be called a key

competency structure'

(Mayer, E., 1992 Employment Related KeyCompetencies for Post Compulsory Education andTraining, p3).

Put simply, each job would have a series of specific competencies whichwould be the basis of any training program. The acquisition of thesevocational competencies would be evident through the ability to

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demonstrate the performance of the cluster of competencies. In this way,competencies are the attributes and skills which describe how a jobshould be done to ensure quality services and products.

Competencies are established and incorporated in occupational trainingthrough the Industry Training Advisory Boards (ITABs) which consist ofa variety of industry representatives from business, industry, unions andother stakeholders. They operate at a national and state level and insome industries such as the metals and tourism industries havedeveloped or contracted the development of national training modulesusing CBT. Competencies are also graded according to levels ofperformance and this represents an increasing hierarchy of skillcomplexity.

Policy makers have argued that it is critical that the competencies reflectthe contemporary skill requirements of industry and workers. Trainingprograms must then provide workplace mobility to enable participants intraining to advance through not only the relevant performance levels butalso to be able to use prior learning to gain accreditation for furthereducation. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) means that participantscould have previous work and industrial experience recognised as aneducational experience and as a prerequisite for entry to a moreadvanced level of training.

It is perhaps most important for teachers to understand that literacy andlanguage course development and outcomes will be significantlyinfluenced by the relevant skills frameworks mandated in occupations.

Criticisms of competency based training

CBT has not come without its critics and this is important for teachers tounderstand. Some critics view CBT as unnecessarily reductionist whichmeans there is a tendency to break skills in occupations down intomeaningless units. There is also a general concern that CBT presentsartificial and static views of skills. How can we account for the 'shelflife' of skills? Does CBT favour practical skills? How are abstract andconceptual qualities to be developed in CBT? Are work skills separatefrom knowledge and understanding? How are skills to be represented in

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communal and collective workplaces and contexts? Competency basedtraining presents a limited view of skills which suggests they areindividualised accessories that workers need in the workplace and thelabour market. CBT has been heavily influenced by manufacturingtrades and carries with it the culture and knowledge assumptions ofthose industries which have a masculinised and technical view of tasks.How will CBT develop to describe work in the service and communityindustries where new job growth is? Will CBT work in these emergentand changing occupations? These are all important questions.

A critical issue for teachers with the move towards self-accessedmodules is the concern that CBT is not only text based but has culturaland gender biases. The notion of skills in CBT is individualistic andmonocultural, failing to look at collective and community contexts forskills valued by Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander communities.Additionally, there is a danger that the skills which women and ethniccommunities bring to the workplace are omitted when a masculinisedview of 'practical' skills is applied. This creates great difficulties forteachers working in the multicultural community of Australia becausethe cultural inappropriateness of CBT materials contradicts the intendedaccessibility that promoters of CBT argue is its chief advantage.

In many ways the arguments regarding skill acquisition in the context ofCBT are similar to those which typify theories associated with languageand literacy acquisition. As theories of literacy have opposing viewsbetween those who view the achievement of literacy as a threshold andthose who view literacy as a differential achievement of a complexrange of tasks in diverse domains, a similar argument exists in skillsdevelopment. Challenges exist in relation to the need to develop a broadmatrix to represent skills rather than unidimensional and narrowdemarcations between incompetent and competent.

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The epoch of 'User Choice' 1992-1998

The changes promoting the development of the Open Training Markethave been reinforced with the establishment of the Australian NationalTraining Authority (ANTA) in 1992 and the implementation of 'userchoice' by the Howard government in 1996.

ANTA's objective was the unification and integration of the fragmentedstate based training systems into a national VET system. One of theachievements of ANTA has been the development of national strategiesto address the literacy needs of an estimated 2.6m Australians who donot have sufficient literacy skills to participate in the community and theworkforce. Towards a Skilled Australia: A National Strategy forVocational Education and Training also proposed the integration ofliteracy into vocational programs to meet the needs of under representedgroups such as women, Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders andnon-English speaking background students (ANTA 1994 p 23). Theestablishment of ANTA was also accompanied by the emergence of acompetitive training market consisting of a mix of public and privateproviders. The One Nation statement in 1992 founding ANTA,committed $720m growth funds to be allocated on the basis ofcompetitive tendering. From 1992 a growing proportion of fundspreviously allocated to the public provider was placed on the OpenTraining Market. This open tendering had the dual effect of facilitatingthe emergence of private providers and reducing the funds directlyallocated to TAFE. These changes ensured that there would be anincreasing number of private providers. In 1993 the number of privateproviders in all states was 782. In 1997 there were over 900 privateproviders in Queensland alone.

The acceleration of 'user choice' has been the fundamental mechanismfor distributing training funds by the Howard government. 'User choice'ensures that public funds will flow to individual training providers toreflect the choice of the client, in this case industry and employers, inselecting a preferred training provider. Under the umbrella of 'userchoice' employers are now able to select their preferred provider, themode of delivery, the location and the means of assessment. In thiscontext there has been a dramatic shift towards enterprise based training

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and on-site instruction. Traditional methods of institutional classroombased teaching are changing in response to 'user choice' and are beingreplaced by training methods such as mentoring, coaching and the use ofworkplace assessors at the enterprise level.

The implementation of 'user choice' and the deregulation of the VETsystem are possible through the development of the 'National TrainingFramework'. This consists of two interconnecting components: TrainingPackages and the Australian Recognition Framework (ARF). TheTraining Packages provide for a series of endorsed and non-endorsedcomponents. The endorsed components are limited to industry standards,assessment guidelines and qualifications. The non-endorsed componentsinclude learning strategies (curriculum, teaching and learning),professional development materials and assessment materials.

Consistent with the shift to integrating literacy in VET frameworks,literacy and numeracy skills are explicitly addressed within thecompetency standards in the Training Packages.

The Training Packages are preproduced and prepackaged nationaltraining guides to meet industry competency standards that will beavailable to any registered training/assessment organisation at one stoptraining centres. Specific literacy qualifications are not required to usethe Training Packages.

These reforms to the training system have reshaped and redefined thenature and scope of teachers' work. Teachers' work is now resituatedwithin on-site and enterprise settings. Teachers are required to have anactive role in brokering and negotiating the training arrangements withtraining clients. A direct relationship with students is now mediated byemployers who have significant power in determining the nature andcharacter of training.

Training Packages have also reshaped the teachers' relationship tocurriculum with the role of teachers arguably being nothing more than adelivery agent. The 'teacher free' concept of learning is reinforced withthe introduction of workplace assessors, workplace mentors and industrytrainers. Teachers' work in the context of these changes is moving awayfrom direct provision to facilitating and negotiating the events,

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frameworks and process of learning that are conducted by others. Inaddition the growth of the competitive training market means thatteachers will be increasingly involved in sourcing funding in bothprivate and public agencies that employ them. The work of teachers hasmoved away from traditional face to face classroom models to broadernotions of a learning co-ordinator.

After ten years of profound reform the VET system had moved from theperiphery of education policy into the centre of industrial and economicpolicy with a national focus. The fundamental characteristics of theAustralian system can be summarised as:

The establishment of the training industry and the emergence of amix of private and public providers of training in the context of acompetitive training market (Deveson, 1990).

The distribution of training funds on a competitive basis to a mix ofproviders (Deveson, 1990; ANTA, 1994).

The introduction of industry based competencies as the foundationfor curriculum development and linkages of all programs within theAustralian Qualifications Framework (ESFC, 1992; AEC, 1991;Mayer, 1992; ACC, 1996).

An emphasis on transferring the location of vocational training to on-the-job and on-site delivery and away from institutional basedlearning.

The introduction of 'user choice', where employers select thepreferred provider of their choice, as the prime principle fordistributing funding.

The introduction of industry wide Training Packages linkingNational Competency Standards, Assessment Guidelines andNational Qualifications as the primary training curriculum package.

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A decade of reform in Englishlanguage and literacy

The fusion between VET and Literacy provision was reinforced by asuccession of policy documents and working parties from the mid1980s. The progressive movement of literacy and language away fromthe periphery of educational policy was first made with the AustralianLanguage and Literacy Policy (ALLP) in 1991.

The ALLP was a landmark policy which recognised the diversity oflinguistic and cultural heritage in the Australian community andconnected this institutionally to the provision of educational services,information services and training policy. The ALLP recognised thefundamental importance of proficiency in English to the effectiveparticipation in all aspects of leisure, work, education and training. Italso recognised the importance of languages other than English (LOTE)in the Australian community and the need for support for Aboriginal andTones Strait Islands Languages.

Most importantly the ALLP recognised that there needed to be anintegrated national framework of equitable access to language andliteracy services for those estimated 700,000 Australians of non-Englishspeaking background and those with low levels of literacy. The ALLPstated that no Australian should be denied medical services and that thesame standard should apply to language and literacy services. The ALLPlinked this policy objective with the need to maintain innovativeemployment, work and training practices by emphasising significantfunding for workplace and vocational training. The ALLP estimated thatefficiencies from improved literacy levels have the potential gain to theeconomy of $3.2 billion annually.

The first national policy instrument for the implementation of the ALLPwas established with the development the National Collaborative AdultEnglish Language and Literacy Strategy (NCAELLS) in 1993. One ofthe objectives of NCAELLS was the expansion and diversification ofefforts to integrate language and literacy in vocational education. Thisincluded strategies to integrate language and literacy into competencies

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and develop appropriate articulation and pathways for students involvedin language and literacSf programs. The NCAELLS also identified theneed to train specialists in writing integrated curriculum.

The importance of literacy in the context of communication skillsneeded for obtaining employment was affirmed in the Finn report thatstated:

Language and Communication skills, and morespecifically, literacy skills are of fundamentalimportance to all aspects of life including education,training and employment. (AEC 1991 p 71)

The momentum for the integration of English language and literacyskills in vocational education was reinforced by the National Board ofEmployment Education and Training in a major report published in1993. In Incorporating English Language and Literacy Competenciesinto Industry standards, NBEET identified the need to equip workerswith communication strategies to meet the needs of industryrestructuring and the urgency of developing models that integrateEnglish language and literacy with industry competency standards.

The identification of literacy and numeracy competencies that areessential for work and the development of the characteristics ofintegrated programs was conducted by Courtney and Mawer (1995). InIntegrating English Language Literacy and Numeracy into Vocationaland Training: A Framework the authors proposed a number ofprinciples and strategies as well identifying models involvingintegration. The authors importantly identified the need to recognise:

That literacy was a social process.

That students had diverse backgrounds that needed to be recognisedin programs.

That learners brought skills and experiences to program settings andthis needed to be incorporated in programs.

That programs should be consistent with the literacy and numeracyrequirements of the job or vocational area.

That integrated models have significant efficiency and productivityoutcomes.

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One of the most significant initiatives which demonstrates and modelsthe linkages of literacy and numeracy with workplace and industryreform is the Workplace English, Language and Literacy Program(WELL). Since commencing in 1991 over 65,000 workers haveparticipated in WELL training programs. Under the WELL program theCommonwealth government provides funding to industry or trainingproviders to conduct workplace related literacy programs. The training,which also requires an employer contribution, has included:

Improved workers access to skills and training development.

Improved workplace communication.

Improved occupational health and safety in the workplace.

Improved workers' job security and career prospects.

Contribution to enterprise level productivity.

Over 1,000 enterprises have utilised WELL funding since it started in1991.

One of the major issues and controversies associated with the movestowards integration has been the question of how to merge the demandsof competency based training with the diverse needs and culturalbackgrounds of literacy students, their training settings and how theirachievements should be reported. The National Framework of AdultEnglish Language, Literacy and Numeracy Competence and theNational Reporting System are initiatives which addresses these issues.

The National Framework of Adult EnglishLanguage, Literacy and NumeracyCompetenceRecognising the need to respond to the agenda of change and reform in aproactive manner which addresses the broad social dimensions ofliteracy, members of the adult education community sought to develop aframework which interpreted literacy skills as social practice. This viewof literacy practice challenged the narrow functional and instrumentaldefinitions associated with workplace skills that featured in the rhetoricof training reform. The move was away from unitary constructs of

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literacy towards building a matrix of literacy performances. This matrixconstructs literacy as a series of social practices which vary accordingto social contexts and whether people are working with assistance,independently or collaboratively.

The National Framework of Adult English Language, Literacy andNumeracy Competence has great value as a document which maps thepossible contexts and social practices. The Framework could act as aguide to establishing a coherent practice, competence criteria,standardised terminology and progress indicators which can be adaptedto various contexts, sites and needs. Such a document also assists ininforming industry of the standards in language and literacy in thelanguage of CBT. The National Framework has defined a skill ascomprising aspects, stages, and phases of learning in a mandela matrix.

Figure I. The National Framework of Adult English Language, Literacyand Numeracy Competence (Copyright ACTRAC Products)

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BEST COPY AVAILABLE


The chief advantage of this is the recognition of communication as bothan individual and collaborative interaction in personal and systemicsettings utilising a variety of different technologies. Importantly theFramework does not seek to impose a series of levels of literacy skillswith which to evaluate people. Rather the advantage of the Frameworkis that it provides guidance on how an individual may use a repetoire ofcompetence over different social situations.

The National Reporting System (NRS)

The wider range of students, programs and settings for the provision oflanguage and literacy services that accompanied their integration withvocational education highlighted the need for a standardised form ofreporting to assist stakeholders understand the achievements of students.As the sector become more diversified the need for commonunderstanding and interpretation across stakeholders became essential tofacilitate student pathways. The National Reporting System (NRS)incorporated the National Framework of Adult English LanguageLiteracy and Numeracy Competence with the objective of providing abroad tool that spans a broad range of theoretical positions in language,literacy and numeracy. The NRS provides students with a report of theirachievement which provides a reference point for industry, enterprisepersonnel, employment services providers and curriculum developers.The NRS identifies five levels of competence and six aspects ofcommunication. The six aspects of communication levels broadlyconform to the paradigm of literacies established in the NationalFramework of Adult English Language Literacy and NutneracyCompetence. Additional reporting information is represented in theform of indicators of competence, conditions of performance,workplace and social contexts, assessment principles as well as languageliteracy and numeracy performance strategies.

The National Reporting System has been endorsed as the primary reporttool for WELL programs from 1998 and a number of federally fundedliteracy and numeracy programs. Paradoxically, the NRS promises thepractical benefit of a universal instrument applicable in all settings withthe difficulty of attempting to map diverse program outcomes againststandardised indicators. As an instrument of national policy the adoption

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of the NRS has been hampered by the politics of interest and veto at thelevel of the states and providers. The NRS, as the first national measureof literacy, language and numeracy achievement, is still yet to reach itspotential. The possibilities for the NRS will be determined by the extentto which the teacher's role moves from direct provision to programmanagement that includes a new range of functions.

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Teachers' work: From technicalteacher to VET practitioner

The policy reforms in vocational and adult education have significantlyreshaped the dimensions of teachers' work. Teachers are facing therealisation that successful participation in the competitive trainingenvironment is dependent on a repertoire of skills quite different fromthose associated with traditional roles of teaching. There is a range ofnew roles that emerge from participating in competitive trainingmarkets which includes the development of a client focus as well asmarketing, budgeting, liaison, networking and the development of newskills in the delivery of flexible customised learning materials.

A new range of skills is incorporated in establishing a training programat enterprise level that requires careful negotiation with management andworkers. Industry and legislative requirements are overlaid with acareful needs analysis of the business. Workers are interviewed and aneeds analysis completed. Program proposals are drawn up and costsnegotiated while funding sources are sought to support the training ofstaff in an often reluctant business. From that point, comescustomisation of curriculum and timetabling to meet businesstimetables. All this is done with the eyes of enterprises focussed firmly

on the productivity agenda while the teacher attempts to reframe theshort term goals of business within long term gains of training. Teachers

are now required to steer programs through the politics of workplaces,ensuring the interests of stakeholders are met.

The relevance of traditional roles of technical teaching which emergedin earlier epochs are of questionable value in the context of advancingtechnology in the workplace and the development of the new learning

environments Recognising the dynamic external environment, Lepani

(1995 & 1996) has proposed an expanded view of a teacher's role toincorporate a broader range of activities in what is termed the VETpractitioner.

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The VET practitioner's role incorporates:

Specialist learning facilitator;

Knowledge management strategist;

Consultant to enterprises and industry;

Designer of multimedia learning products and services;

Developer of strategic partnerships;

Researcher;

Business manager;

Communications strategist;

Career pathing strategist; and

Assessment and credentialling specialist.

According to Lepani, the VET practitioner will also be working in thecontext of a corporate structure emphasising self managing teams inorganisations characterised by flatter management structures. In thesenew devolved and performance oriented work structures, Lepani hasargued that teachers will be repositioned as managers and facilitators oflearning in the context of a competitive and dynamic learningenvironment. This new environment will be typified by learning andteaching strategies which incorporate mixed mode and multimediadelivery that are customised to meet the needs of specific clients.

There is now a significant contradiction in the positioning of teachers'work which operates at two levels.

At one level the policy agendas associated with 'user choice' have thepotential to contribute to 'teacher free' learning environment typified bythe 'deprofessionalisation' of teachers' work. Training packages are ineffect context free packages that are free of teacher input and shapedwithout responding to the needs of learners. In this scenario the abilityof learners and teachers to secure control over the direction of theirlearning is limited.

At another level the integration of language and literacy within

24 25


industrial frameworks and the use of new technologies of learning thatrequire specialist knowledge, place teachers in a particularly influentialsituation. The identified lack of a training culture in industry assignsteachers a particularly powerful role in negotiating and determining thenature and shape of the learning experience.

The success of this advisory role is almost entirely dependent on theclarity with which teachers understand their new roles and are able toconvert this to practice in a variety of settings. Research conducted by ateam (Kell, Balatti, Hill & Muspratt 1997) analysing the impact of theOpen Training Market on TAFE teachers' work in Queensland suggeststhat there is lack of awareness of what the new work practices are. Mostof the teachers interviewed understood the need for flexibility but lackedan understanding of how this might translate to actual practice in jobdesign. The research suggested that teachers lacked an understanding ofthe operating principles and exemplars of leading practice in the newenvironment. Staff interviewed found it hard to visualise what theirwork might look like, but more alarmingly lacked a theoreticalframework for adult teaching and learning that linked with the flexibledelivery. This research highlighted the urgent need for an awareness ofthe theoretical frameworks of adult learning that adopts a learner centredapproach to integrate with the diverse needs of participants and clients inthe varied settings associated with flexible delivery.

Clearly there needs to be accessible, system-wide professionaldevelopment that provides guidance to teachers on both the theoreticaland practical challenges which emerge from flexible delivery and 'userchoice'. The task is made more difficult by the declining infrastructureand resources devoted to professional development since the late 1980s.The ambitious intentions of the reform process will not eventuatewithout adequate levels of professional development that providesteachers with the theories, techniques, skills and capacities needed tofulfil the additional roles of the VET practitioner. Professionaldevelopment will need to provide the guidance for teachers to ensurethat professional standards are maintained and that the interests ofstudents are not sacrificed by a reductionist minimalist view of training.

The policy settings that have merged language, literacy and numeracywith vocational education and training have the potential to provide

25

26


participants with practical and involving learning experiences. Thefuture VET practitioner has the policy platform to facilitate a reflectiveand critical focus in Australian workplaces. Rather than feature anarrow functionalist agenda, the commitment of the VET agenda toaccess and participation has the potential to create significant social,economic and political changes through literacy and numeracy services.These profound changes have now enabled literacy and numeracyprovision and training to move from the still waters of the billabong tothe swiftly moving waters of the mainstream.

Special thanks are extended to Angela Hill for resources, assistance andsuggestions in the preparation of this booklet.

2726

A T

IME

LIN

E O

F S

IGN

IFIC

AN

T P

OLI

CY

SO

UR

CE

SIN

VO

CA

TIO

NA

LE

DU

CA

TIO

N A

ND

TH

E R

ELA

TIO

NS

HIP

WIT

H L

ITE

RA

CY

PO

LIC

Y

n) NI

YE

AR

& A

UT

HO

RT

ITLE

SIG

NIF

ICA

NC

ES

OC

IAL

BA

CK

GR

OU

ND

1974

, Kan

gan,

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chai

r A

ustr

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nC

omm

ittee

on

TA

FE

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, Lo

Bia

nco,

J.

TA

FE in

Aus

tral

ia

Nat

iona

l Pol

icy

on

Lan

guag

es

Est

ablis

hed

TA

FE,

Incr

ease

d fe

dera

lin

volv

emen

t.id

entif

ied

acce

ss a

nd e

quity

as c

ritic

al is

sue

asso

ciat

edw

ith li

tera

cy.

Skill

s fo

rmat

ion

asin

divi

dual

'lif

elon

g'ac

tivity

.

Est

ablis

hed

Eng

lish

aspr

inci

pal l

angu

age.

Rec

ogni

tion

of a

cces

s to

lang

uage

ser

vice

s.R

ecog

nise

d C

omm

unity

Lan

guag

es a

nd n

eed

for

LO

TE

in c

urri

culu

m, A

TSI

lang

uage

s.M

ergi

ng o

f E

LL

N in

wor

kpla

ce e

duca

tion.

Whi

tlam

gov

ernm

ent

mov

es to

incr

ease

spe

nd-

ing

in s

ocia

l and

edu

catio

nar

eas.

Mov

es to

add

ress

ineq

ualit

ies

in A

ustr

alia

nco

mm

unity

thro

ugh

gove

rnm

ent i

nter

vent

ion.

Com

mun

ity r

ecog

nitio

n of

mul

ticul

tura

lism

em

erge

s.E

mer

ging

pri

de in

lingu

istic

and

nat

iona

lhe

rita

ges

as e

ra o

fas

sin-

tilat

ioni

st p

olic

ies

clos

es.

2 8

6\3

YE

AR

& A

UT

HO

RT

ITLE

SIG

NIF

ICA

NC

ES

OC

IAL

BA

CK

GR

OU

ND

1987

, Daw

kins

,J.,&

Hol

ding

,C.

1990

, Dev

eson

, I.,

chai

rT

rain

ing

Cos

tR

evie

w C

omm

ittee

(TC

RC

)

1991

, Daw

kins

, J.

Skill

s Fo

rmat

ion

inA

ustr

alia

: 198

7-88

budg

et p

aper

s.

Tra

inin

g C

osts

of

Aw

ard

Res

truc

turi

ng

Aus

tral

ia's

Lan

guag

e:T

he A

ustr

alia

nL

angu

age

and

Lite

racy

Polic

y (A

LL

P)

Skill

s fo

rmat

ion

as m

eetin

gna

tiona

l eco

nom

ic ta

rget

s.A

rgue

d fo

r em

phas

is o

nw

orkp

lace

trai

ning

.L

inke

d tr

aini

ng to

impr

ovem

ent i

n ec

onom

icpe

rfor

man

ce.

Mai

nstr

eam

ing

appr

oach

to li

tera

cy a

dvoc

ated

.

Iden

tifie

d op

en tr

aini

ngm

arke

t.W

ider

ran

ge o

f pr

ovis

ion

ofpr

ivat

e tr

aini

ng n

eede

d.Sk

ills

form

atio

n lin

ked

toim

prov

ed e

cono

mic

perf

orm

ance

.L

itera

cy c

onst

ruct

ed a

sem

ploy

men

t ski

ll.

Stru

ctur

al a

rran

gem

ents

from

198

7 pa

per.

Arr

ange

men

ts b

etw

een

AL

LP

and

othe

r E

LL

Npo

licie

s e.

g vo

catio

nally

orie

nted

.

2 9

'Ban

ana

Rep

ublic

'st

atem

ent b

y T

reas

urer

Paul

Kea

ting.

Aus

tral

ian

term

s of

trad

ean

d cu

rren

t acc

ount

inde

fici

t

Man

ufac

turi

ng in

dust

ries

iden

tifed

as

lack

ing

com

petit

iven

ess.

Aus

tral

ian

wor

kpla

ces

view

ed a

s hi

erar

chic

al a

ndco

mba

tive.

Mov

es to

war

dsin

trod

ucin

g be

st p

ract

ice

in A

ustr

alia

n w

orkp

lace

s.

Lat

e 19

80s

and

earl

y 19

90s

tyif

ied

by n

atio

nal p

olic

ies

to r

efor

m a

spec

ts o

f ad

ult

educ

atio

n an

d to

ref

orm

indu

stry

rel

ated

trai

ning

.

co

1991

, Fin

n, B

.,Y

oung

Peo

ple'

sA

dult

Edu

catio

n an

dH

igh

leve

ls o

f yo

uth

Cha

irPa

rtic

ipat

ion

in P

ost

Lite

racy

pro

gram

s an

dun

empl

oym

ent l

ead

toA

ustr

alia

nC

ompu

lsor

yW

EL

L.

criti

cism

of

scho

olE

duca

tion

Cou

ncil

Edu

catio

ncu

rric

ulum

not

pro

vidi

ng(A

EC

)R

ecom

men

ded

mer

ging

gene

ral a

nd v

ocat

iona

led

ucat

ion.

empl

oym

ent r

elat

ed s

kills

.

Set t

arge

t for

voc

atio

nal

educ

atio

n to

yea

r 20

00.

Iden

tifie

d ne

ed f

or C

BT

.R

ecom

men

ded

mul

tiple

Stat

e fu

nctio

ns id

entif

ied

in19

91, N

atio

nal

TA

FE in

the

1990

's:

path

way

s fo

r po

stpo

litic

al a

rena

as

bein

gB

oard

of

Dev

elop

ing

com

puls

ory

educ

atio

n.in

effi

cien

t.E

mpl

oym

ent,

Edu

catio

n an

dA

ustr

alia

's S

kills

Em

phas

ised

gre

ater

liai

son

Polit

ical

cul

ture

pro

mot

essu

ppor

t for

pub

licT

rain

ing

(NB

EE

T)

with

indu

stry

Em

phas

ised

nee

d fo

rcu

stom

er o

rien

ted

appr

oach

.

bure

aucr

acie

s be

ing

corp

orat

ised

and

ope

ratin

gin

man

ner

of p

riva

te s

ecto

r.

Feat

ured

nee

d to

cha

nge

from

inst

itutio

nal t

ime

serv

ed c

ours

es to

CB

T a

ndfl

exib

le w

orkp

lace

del

iver

y.E

mph

asis

ed li

tera

cy a

sm

ains

trea

m a

ctiv

ity in

ente

rpri

se a

nd w

orkp

lace

trai

ning

.

3 0

Ci)

YE

AR

& A

UT

HO

RT

ITLE

SIG

NIF

ICA

NC

ES

OC

IAL

BA

CK

GR

OU

ND

1992

, Kea

ting,

P.J

.

1992

, May

er, E

.,w

ith c

omm

ittee

1992

, Car

mic

hael

,L

., (c

hair

)E

mpl

oym

ent a

ndSk

ills

Form

atio

nC

ounc

il (E

SFC

)

One

Nat

ion

Em

ploy

men

t Rel

ated

Key

Com

pete

ncie

s fo

rPo

st C

ompu

lsor

yE

duca

tion

and

Tra

inin

g

The

Aus

tral

ian

Voc

atio

nal C

ertif

icat

eT

rain

ing

Sche

me

(AV

CT

S).

Prop

osed

nat

iona

l sys

tem

of V

ET

and

pro

vide

dfr

amew

ork

esta

blis

hmen

tof

AN

TA

Com

mitm

ent o

f $7

20m

toV

ET

.

Iden

tifie

d 8

key

Com

pete

ncie

s.Fo

rmul

ated

per

form

ance

leve

ls.

Dev

elop

ed c

urri

culu

mpr

ofili

ng.

App

lied

com

pete

ncie

s to

scho

ol c

urri

culu

m.

Des

crib

ed a

ltern

ativ

epa

thw

ays

for

post

com

puls

ory

year

s.R

elat

ed s

choo

l/TA

FE to

AQ

F &

CB

T.

Mer

ged

inst

itutio

nal V

ET

with

indu

stry

.

31

VE

T s

ecto

r id

entif

ied

asbe

ing

the

last

edu

catio

nse

ctor

req

uiri

ng r

efor

m.

Ref

orm

s lin

ked

topr

ovid

ing

natio

nal

resp

onse

to tr

aini

ng

Une

mpl

oym

ent l

evel

sre

mai

n hi

gh f

or y

oung

peop

le a

nd d

isad

vant

aged

grou

ps.

Con

tinue

d cr

itici

sm o

fsc

hool

s in

pre

pari

ngyo

ung

peop

le f

or w

ork

.

App

rent

ices

hip

leve

ls o

nco

ntin

ued

decl

ine

sinc

e19

60.

Low

app

rent

ice

num

bers

view

ed a

s th

reat

enin

gen

try

leve

l ski

llsde

velo

pmen

t.

1993

, Aus

tral

ian

Nat

iona

l Col

labo

rativ

eSe

t nat

iona

l dir

ectio

ns.

Def

icie

ncie

s in

lite

racy

and

Lite

racy

Eng

lish

Lan

guag

e an

dD

iver

sifi

ed r

esou

rse

base

com

mun

icat

ion

skill

s

Info

rmat

ion

Off

ice

Lite

racy

Str

ateg

yan

d ex

pand

ed le

vel o

fbe

com

e id

entif

ied

as(N

CA

EL

LS)

.se

rvic

es.

Prop

osed

inte

grat

ion

ofpr

oble

ms

in th

e w

orkf

orce

requ

irin

g na

tiona

l res

pons

e.E

LL

N in

VE

TPr

opos

ed a

rtic

ulat

ion

ofE

LL

N p

rogr

ams

into

VE

TPr

opos

ed tr

aini

ng o

f lit

erac

ysp

ecia

lists

to w

rite

EL

LN

into

VE

T c

urri

culu

m.

Deb

ates

on

liter

acy

invo

lve

pola

risa

tion

betw

een

'bac

kto

bas

ics'

mov

emen

t and

grou

ps v

iew

ing

need

for

broa

der

notio

n of

lite

racy

.

1993

, Nat

iona

lIn

corp

orat

ing

Eng

lish

Rec

omm

ende

d pi

lotin

g a

Boa

rd o

fL

angu

age

and

Lite

racy

stud

y in

to in

tegr

atin

g E

LL

NE

mpl

oym

ent

Com

pete

ncie

s in

in V

ET

.

Edu

catio

n an

dT

rain

ing

(NB

EE

T)

Indu

stry

Sta

ndar

dsR

ecom

men

ded

stud

y in

tom

odel

s of

inte

grat

ing

EL

LN

in V

ET

1993

, Aus

tral

ian

Nat

iona

l Fra

mew

ork

Gui

de to

dev

elop

men

t of

Not

ions

of

liter

acy

Com

mitt

ee f

orO

f A

dult

Eng

lish

Eng

lish

lang

uage

and

asso

ciat

ed w

ith r

eadi

ng

Tra

inin

gL

angu

age,

Lite

racy

liter

acy.

Fra

mew

ork

prov

ides

now

cha

lleng

ed b

y lit

erac

ies

Cur

ricu

lum

and

Num

erac

ya

rang

e of

com

pete

nce

asso

ciat

ed w

ith n

ew

(AC

TR

AC

)C

ompe

tenc

ede

scri

ptor

s to

be

used

in V

ET

and

adul

t edu

catio

n.te

chno

logi

es a

nd g

loba

lco

mm

unic

atio

nsD

evel

opm

ent o

f re

ferr

alm

atri

x to

est

ablis

hco

mpe

tenc

e.E

stab

lishe

s co

mpe

tenc

e in

grou

p, c

omm

unity

and

syst

emic

com

pete

nce.

3 2

kiY

EA

R &

AU

TH

OR

TIT

LES

IGN

IFIC

AN

CE

SO

CIA

L B

AC

KG

RO

UN

D

1993

, Aus

tral

ian

Nat

iona

l Fra

mew

ork

Exp

lana

tion

of F

ram

ewor

kSi

gnif

ican

t deb

ate

onC

omm

ittee

for

Of

Adu

lt E

nglis

han

d its

app

licat

ion.

appr

opri

aten

ess

of C

BT

inT

rain

ing

Lan

guag

e, L

itera

cyD

ocum

ent p

rovi

des

linka

geal

l cul

tura

l set

tings

and

Cur

ricu

lum

and

Num

erac

yfr

om N

atio

nal F

ram

ewor

kco

ntex

ts.

(AC

TR

AC

)C

ompe

tenc

e:A

pplic

atio

n to

Adu

ltto

Cur

ricu

lum

deve

lopm

ent.

Bas

ic E

duca

tion

Cur

ricu

lum

Dev

elop

men

t.

Doc

umen

tatio

n of

sim

ulat

ed e

xam

ples

of

usin

g th

e N

atio

nal

Fram

ewor

k.

1994

, Kea

ting

, P.J

.W

orki

ng N

atio

nG

uara

ntee

d tr

aini

ng p

lace

sfo

r un

empl

oyed

.C

ritic

ism

of

empl

oym

ent

prog

ram

s as

bei

ngE

stab

lishm

ent o

f in

divi

dual

case

man

agem

ent w

ithin

divi

dual

trai

ning

prog

ram

s.

'mic

key

mou

se' a

ndco

ntri

butin

g to

the

'recy

clin

g' o

f th

eun

empl

oyed

1994

, Aus

tral

ian

Tow

ards

A S

kille

dD

evel

oped

nat

iona

lC

ontin

ued

proc

ess

ofN

atio

nal T

rain

ing

Aus

tral

ia: A

stra

tegy

whi

ch is

fle

xibl

e,re

form

s to

VE

T s

yste

m to

Aut

hori

tyN

atio

nal S

trat

egy

for

resp

onsi

ve, c

lient

aw

are

deve

lop

co-o

rdin

ated

Voc

atio

nal E

duca

tion

and

com

petit

ive.

natio

nal r

espo

nse.

& T

rain

ing

Iden

tifie

d ta

rget

grou

ps in

cont

ext o

f so

cial

just

ice.

Iden

tifie

d E

LL

N a

sm

ains

trea

m V

ET

act

ivity

.

1995

, Cou

rtne

y, M

.,&

Maw

er, G

.

1996

, Coa

tes,

S.

Fitz

patr

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Ken

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akin

,A

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1997

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patr

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& R

ober

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.

Inte

grat

ing

Eng

lish

Lan

guag

e, L

itera

cyan

d N

umer

acy

into

Voc

atio

nal E

duca

tion

and

Tra

inin

g

Nat

iona

l Rep

ortin

gSy

stem

Wor

kpla

ceC

omm

unic

atio

n in

Nat

iona

l Tra

inin

gPa

ckag

es: A

Pra

ctic

alG

uide

Iden

tifie

d m

odel

s,st

rate

gies

and

pri

ncip

les

for

inte

grat

ing

EL

LN

inV

ET

.Pr

opos

ed E

LL

N n

eeds

tobe

con

sist

ent w

ith n

eeds

of

job

and

com

pete

ncie

s.E

LL

N s

houl

d re

late

toac

cred

ited

path

way

s.

Rep

ortin

g sy

stem

topr

ovid

e co

nsis

tent

fram

ewor

k fo

r re

port

ing

inco

rpor

atin

g st

uden

tac

hiev

emen

ts, p

rogr

ampr

ovid

ers,

fun

ding

auth

oriti

es a

nd in

dust

ryan

d tr

aini

ng p

erso

rmel

.C

onsi

sts

of s

ix A

spec

ts o

fC

omm

unic

atio

n an

d fi

veL

evel

s of

Com

pete

ncy.

A

Spec

ifie

d E

LL

Nco

mpe

tenc

ies

mus

t be

expl

icit

in T

rain

ing

Pack

ages

.Il

lust

rate

d st

rate

gies

for

appl

ying

EL

LN

inE

ndor

sed

and

Non

End

orse

d co

mpo

nent

s of

Tra

inin

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Selected References

Australian National Training Authority, (1994) Towards a SkilledAustralia, A National Strategy For Vocational Education and Training,ANTA, Brisbane.

Australian Curriculum Corporation, (1996) Introduction to theAQF, Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees, Melbourne, AQF AdvisoryBoard.

Australian Education Council, (1991) Young People's Participationin Post Compulsory Education and Training, Report of the AustralianEducation Council Review Committee, AGPS, Canberra.

Chappell, C., & Melville, B., (1995) Professional Competence and theInitial and Continuing Education of NSW TAFE teachers, REVET/TAFE, Sydney.

Courtney, M., & Mawer, G., (1995) Integrating Language, Literacyand Numeracy into Vocational Education and Training, FoundationStudies, NSW TAFE

Deveson, I., (1990) (Chair) Training Costs of Award Restructuring,Vol 1, Report of the Training Costs Review Committee., AGPS,Canberra.

Employment and Skills Formation Council/National Board ofEmployment, Education and Training, (1991)TAFE in the 1990s:Developing Australia's Skills, AGPS, Canberra.

Employment and Skills Formation Council, (1992) The AustralianVocational Certificate Training Scheme, NBEET, Canberra.

Fitzpatrick, L., & Roberts, A., (1997) Workplace Communications in

National Training Packages: A Practical Guide, Commonwealth of

Australia.

Kell, P., & Hill, A., (1997) Going For Broke in VocationalEducation and Training ! TAFE Riding the Educational FuturesMarket, in Singh, M., Harreveld, B., & Hunt, N., Virtual Flexibility,

Adult Literacy and New Technologies in Remote Communities,QAELLN/ Central Queensland, University Rockhampton, pp. 66-77

35

3 9


Kell, P., Balatti, J., & Muspratt, S., (1997) The Private, Public andOpen Training Markets: A Study of Private Training Providers inRegional North Queensland, Australian Educational Researcher, 24,2. pp. 43-57.

Kell, P., (1997) Teaching in the Fast Lane: Fast Capitalism,Knowledge, Labour and Organisations in Vocational Educationand Training,Education Links, No 55, pp. 24-27.

Kell, P., Balatti, J., Hill, A., & Muspratt, S., (1997), MappingTeachers' Work, Charting New Futures, Paper Presented to 5thInternational Conference on Learning, Araluen Arts Centre AliceSprings, Northern Territory, Australia, 1-4th October.

Lepani, B., (1995) Vocational Education and Training VET 2005: ADiscussion Paper on the Roles and Competencies of the VET Teacher inthe year 2005, Report by ACIIC, Engineering Faculty, University ofSydney.

Lepani, B., (1996) Future Directions in VET Implications for TAFEStaff ATMA Conference Coffs Harbour, September.

NSWTAFE, (1996) Draft Professional Development Scheme forEducational Staff: The Guide, June, Sydney.

VEETAC Working Party on Staffing Issues, (1992) Staffing TAFEfor the 21st Century-Phase 1, Regents Park, NSW Govt Printer.

VEETAC Working Party on Staffing Issues, (1993) Staffing TAFEfor the 21st Century-Phase 2 , Regents Park, NSW Govt Printer

3636

The publication of the Research into Practice Series is onestrategy to implement the dissemination of research. The aim isto provide a series of booklets on different aspects of adultliteracy in order to:

establish a knowledge base regarding adultliteracy practice and researchraise awareness about adult literacybring research and practice together

The authors of the booklets, who are recognised experts in theirfield, were invited to write for an audience of literacypractitioners in the community, TAFE, university, ACTU,industry and private providers. The views expressed herein donot necessarily represent the views of Language Australia.

LANGUAGEAUSTR ALIA

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DOCUMENT RESUME AUTHOR Kell, Peter …s school and higher education sector; the Kangan era (1974-1988), which was marked by emphasis on participation and equity; the epoch of the Open