Vocational education and training and people with a disability: A review of the research

Tabatha Griffin, Lisa Nechvoglod

There has been much research and discussion about how people with a disability engage with vocational education and training (VET). This paper summarises what we know about VET participation, education and employment outcomes, and the costs and benefits of vocational education and training for people with a disability. In doing so, it also highlights further questions and where future research efforts could be focused.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2075.html

School-based apprenticeships and traineeships

Tom Karmel, Peter Mlotkowski

School-based apprentices and trainees have recently been given more prominence as an element of vocational education and training in school, partly as a response to skill shortages in a wide range of areas. The purpose of this paper is to provide data on school-based apprentices and trainees to enable a judgement to be made about how this policy push is unfolding. The number of school-based apprentices and trainees is small but growing rapidly, numbers are concentrated in retail and hospitality training packages. Completion rates are lowest in the trades.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2068.html

The need for intensive reading approaches in adult literacy: Good practice guide

Helen de Silva Joyce, Susan Hood, David Rose

Reading is a crucial skill for adults participating in social and work contexts. However, its importance can often be missed in the programming of adult literacy classes. Where reading has been a focus in adult literacy and English as a second language (ESL) classes, activities often focus on assessment rather than the teaching of reading. That is, the activities are more about seeing who can and cannot read, and are generally not concerned with extending the reading ability of the student. This guide outlines a way to apply a more systematic approach to the teaching of reading in adult literacy and ESL classes.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2065.html

Investigating the impact of intensive reading pedagogy in adult literacy

Helen de Silva Joyce, Susan Hood, David Rose

This study examined the implementation of an intensive reading pedagogy, Reading-to-Learn, in adult literacy classrooms. In this method, the teacher plays a crucial role in carefully selecting relevant topics, genres and texts that are slightly beyond the current reading ability of students, and in designing 'scaffolding moves' that build very deliberate preparation into every level of classroom tasks. This approach had a positive impact for students in terms of achievements in reading and writing, and for teachers in terms of growth in professional knowledge. There were also flow-on implications for day-to-day practice in systematic and principled planning and teaching.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2064.html

Profile of CSTDA service user population is changing

The 2006-07 report on CSTDA services – just published - shows several interesting trends. The disability profile of the service user population is changing; the number of service users has grown significantly but mostly among ‘lower intensity’ services; and the service user and carer populations continue to age.

The report by AIHW shows that in the three years to 2006-07 the proportion of disability service users who identify ‘psychiatric’ as their primary disability almost doubled, from 9.1% to 17%; while those reporting intellectual disability declined from 42.1% of clients to 36.7%.

The growth of psychiatric disability is apparent across all the major service types. One in five people receiving accommodation support, for example, reported psychiatric as their primary disability, compared to one in 20 three years earlier.

Between 2003-04 and 2006-07 the number of service users grew by 24% to 232,253. The strongest growth was in ‘lower intensity’ services: open employment (16,400 increase); respite (9,500 increase); learning and life-skills development (8,200 increase).

In-home accommodation support grew by 4,000 service users; whereas group home residents grew by fewer than 1,000 and the number of institutional residents fell - although 4,813 Australians continue to reside in institutions.

In-home support is less intensive than other forms of accommodation support, with clients averaging 12.2 staff hours a week compared to group home residents who average 46.4 hours a week.

The service user population continues to age. The average age of accommodation service users in 2006-07 was 42.5, 2.6 years older than in 2003-4. Of informal or family carers whose age was reported, 13% were aged 65 years and over. Three years earlier 11% were aged 65 years and over.

The fill report can be read at

http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10654

Making research matter

Francesca Beddie

Delivered as a keynote address at SEAMEO Vocational Training and Education Research and Networking Conference in Bali, July 2008, this paper considers the role of evidence in public policy and how research can contribute to better policies and innovations in practice. It argues that the right institutional and cultural settings need to be in place before research can play its proper role in policy-making.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2046.html

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released a new report today:

Disability in Australia: trends in prevalence, education, employment and community living

This bulletin provides an overview of disability trends over two decades, including trends in need for and receipt of assistance with specific basic activities of daily life. It also examines the trends in three major areas of people with a disability: education, employment and community living.

AIHW catalogue number AUS 103.

Click on the link to view the media release http://www.aihw.gov.au/mediacentre/2008/mr20080828.cfm and report http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10495 .

Report: Public Policy Needs to Change for People with Disabilities

Each new generation of parents has higher expectations. Parents envision their son or daughter with a disability having a quality of life as an adult anchored by job satisfaction, independent living, and the benefits of full participation in the economic mainstream. A National Council on Disability (NCD) report, The State of 21st Century Financial Incentives for Americans with Disabilities, recognizes challenges to meeting such expectations. Without a redesign of public policy, the potential for Americans with disabilities to become full citizens with the same access to the economic mainstream as Americans without disabilities cannot and will not become a reality.

The redesign must create policy that consistently supports individual objectives to advance self-sufficiency and economic independence. Limited access to money is one of the most serious problems facing Americans with disabilities, according to a recent National Organization on Disability/Harris survey. As disability policy stands today, a child with significant disabilities born in the United States in 2007 has little chance of gaining access to assets and escaping poverty, despite advances in health care and technology. In part, a major reason for this is an all-or-nothing public policy that continues to view disability as the inability to work and that provides needed public assistance only if one remains poor and completely dependent on government help.

http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2008/pdf/FinancialIncentives.pdf

"Are people with a disability at risk at work?"

A study called "Are people with a disability at risk at work?" helps dispel some of the common myths about employing people with a disability. Might be useful for those of us trying to engage employers.

http://www.ascc.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/262E0DA1-4BBC-44ED-A617-1CC1B2ECE853/0/DisabilitypaperforwebreleaseVER2_230507.pdf

Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment (ADDE) research report, Leading from the Front? 

Contributor: Michael Merrett

Source: Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment (ADDE)

The report highlights the importance of employing people with disabilities within the very organisations funded to provide them support. The report finds that having people with disabilities in high profile and visible positions contributes to the development of innovative disability employment strategies and practices within disability service providers.

Peter Rickards, ADDE coordinator, said, “This report finds that while some organisations have some good practices to enable people with disabilities to work in organisations providing services to people with disabilities, there is a long way to go before these organisations can say they are leading from the front.”

Suzanne Colbert, CEO of the Australian Employers’ Disability Network, said, “We commend the research launched today and encourage organisations that provide services to people with disability to lead the way in employing people with disability. Our members, across many industry sectors, have demonstrated that by working together and developing frameworks and pathways, rapid progress can be made.”

Cath Smith, CEO of the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS), said, “This survey helps highlight the benefits to organisations of developing inclusive employment practices. The talents and skills of people with disabilities are frequently under-utilised in all sectors including the non-government sector.

With major skill shortages in all areas, this project helps raise awareness to respond to the challenge of workforce participation.”

Website: www.adde.org.au

Contact Name: Barry Strmelj

Contact Phone: 03 9489 2999

Contact Email: BStrmelj@advocacyhouse.org

Leading from the front?  http://home.vicnet.net.au/~adde2005/newsletters/adde_employment_report.pdf

Australian vocational education and training statistics: Students and courses 2007

Growth in student numbers in Australia's public vocational education and training (VET) system varied between the states and territories in 2007.
Australian vocational education and training statistics: Students and courses
2007 shows the largest increases occurred in Tasmania (up 5.0%), Northern Territory (up 4.3%) and Western Australia (up 3.7%).
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2019.html

Latest apprentice and trainee statistics released

The December 2007 quarter apprentice and trainee statistics are now available.

Overall, there were 405 500 apprentices and trainees in-training as at 31 December 2007, an increase of 1% from the previous year. The number of people commencing an apprenticeship or traineeship increased by 4% to 276 200 compared with 2006. And, as at 31 December 2007, the number of people undertaking a 'traditional apprenticeship' increased to 167 600, up 7% from the previous year.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2015.html

Pathways to College Network: Community Engagement Key to College-Going (2008) (Brief)

This Pathways to College Network brief provides information on how best to target the various community audiences of a college access marketing campaign. Community involvement is vital in any college access marketing campaign, yet many campaigns neglect it. Outreach and engagement within a community change the college-going behaviors of students. All events, presentations, outreach, partnerships and publications should be strategized and leveraged into a comprehensive community engagement plan.

Available in PDF (6 pages, 103 KB).
http://www.pathwaystocollege.net/pdf/CAM_Community-Engagement.pdf

Mental Health Case Study Report: Transitioning Youth with Mental Health Needs to Meaningful Employment and Independent Living (April 2008) (Study)

NCWD/Youth, with funding from the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, carried out a study on successful strategies to help youth with mental health needs transition to postsecondary education, employment, and independent lives. The study focuses on the role of skills development, work, and career exploration. It presents the findings from case studies of five promising program sites and identifies program design features and system-level policies that appear to help youth and young adults with mental health needs transition into adulthood and life-long success.

http://tinyurl.com/4osyrg

Complex not simple: The vocational education and training pathway from welfare to work

Complex not simple: The vocational education and training pathway from welfare to work, finds that people in welfare-to-work target groups face training barriers including:

Financial, transport and child care difficulties;

• lack of internet access, a computer at home, or e-learning skills;
• poor literacy and numeracy skills;
• weak study habits, time management and planning skills;
• the need for counselling and ongoing support;
• shortage of knowledge about the VET system and how it interacts with income support; and
• pressures arising from Centrelink policy - to give up training for employment, for example.

The report concludes that VET can provide a pathway to employment for disadvantaged students provided it addresses students' needs in a holistic way - rather than focusing only on training-specific needs. Where necessary, a preparatory pathway prior to engagement with 'mainstream' VET programs should be included.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr06010.pdf

The role of vocational education and training in welfare to work

The role of vocational education and training in welfare to work examines in more detail the interventions that appear to be most useful. It raises concerns that new labour market entrants who attain employment without any additional skills may be at risk of returning to welfare when the currently strong economic conditions subside:

‘Work first’ thus may be a ‘quick fix’ to a problem without a sustainable basis, either in terms of skills shortages, intergenerational poverty and unemployment, or the human capital needs of Australia.

The study concludes that:

• key performance indicators and star ratings must change to reflect the importance of skills acquisition among the welfare-to-work groups;
• employers need additional incentives to encourage them to provide a combination of formal and non-formal training to vulnerable new labour market entrants;
• in recognition of the intensive support required to assist people overcome multiple barriers a case management approach that deliberately includes skill development should be funded;
• the VET sector needs a coordinated response to assess the likely skills needs and training demand for these groups; and
• the VET sector needs to work collaboratively with other specialist training providers to provide a range of training options for the particular needs of employment-disadvantaged groups.

The findings of these reports are timely as the Australian Government begins the implementation of the Productivity Places Program, which includes 238,000 training places for people currently not in the workforce.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr6009.pdf

Report on Undergraduate Applications, Offers and Acceptances, 2008

Click here to download the article

The Hon Julia Gillard, Minister for Education, has released the inaugural publication of the series - 'Undergraduate Applications, Offers and Acceptances'. It contains statistics relating to the number of applicants for undergraduate study at university, the number of offers received and the number of offers accepted.

Discussion Paper on Expansion of the Commonwealth Scholarship program

Click here to download the article 09/04/2008

The Hon Julia Gillard, Minister for Education, has released a discussion paper on the Scholarships for a Competitive Future: Expansion of the Commonwealth Scholarships program.

The role of vocational education and training in welfare to work

The Welfare to Work policy aims to move certain groups of welfare recipients into employment. This report investigates the role that vocational education and training (VET) can play in this transition. Case studies showed that VET can, and often does, help people move into paid work. However, target groups have varied needs and the study concludes that the VET sector has more to do in catering for these subgroups. More access to pre-vocational training would help many Welfare to Work clients develop their employability skills.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1986.html

Complex not simple: The vocational education and training pathway from welfare to work

The welfare-to-work policy aims to encourage certain welfare recipients to pursue pathways that lead to paid employment. This report explores the role that the vocational education and training (VET) system can play in assisting people move from welfare to work. The researchers examined the experiences of VET students from the relevant welfare groups and sought the views of other key stakeholders such as TAFE and Centrelink personnel. Conclusions include that VET can play a positive role but that there needs to be collaboration between VET and income support sectors to ensure that potential barriers are overcome.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1987.html

US Study affirms the critical role of disability employment services

As the Australian Government commences the development of a National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy, an American study has confirmed the critical role of disability employment services and disability advocates in the employment of people with disability. The study, Exploring the Bottom Line: A Study of the Costs and Benefits of Workers with Disabilities, dispels a number of myths about employees with disability.

The research had two phases: focus groups and a cost-benefit survey. Thirteen companies from three sectors (healthcare, retail and hospitality) provided quantitative data for the cost-benefit research.

The focus groups identified costs for employers associated with employing a person with disability as relatively small. They identified benefits that included having dedicated and reliable employees and a more diverse workforce. Among the key findings was the pivotal role played by disability employment agencies and advocates in securing employment for people with disability.

The cost benefit survey found that, in the retail and hospitality industries, employees without a disability stayed longer in their jobs than employees without disability. Across the three sectors, employees with disability had fewer scheduled absences than those without disability; and in the retail sector fewer unscheduled absences. Regardless of sector, employees with and without disability had nearly identical performance ratings.

Healthcare employees with disability did not fare as well as retail employees. They had shorter job retention, more days of unscheduled absences and (along with the hospitality sector) more compensation claims. However, the study found that the healthcare and hospitality sectors made few workplace adjustments for employees with disability. In contrast, retail sector employers reportedly provided ample adjustments, with ‘changes to the work schedule’ ranking first.

The study can be downloaded from http://www.disabilityworks.org/downloads/disabilityworksDePaulStudyComprehensiveResults.doc
Source: NDS News Update

VET in Schools 2005 - Summary

Information about senior secondary school students undertaking vocational education and training (VET) during 2005 is provided in this publication, either through school-based apprenticeships and traineeships or other VET in Schools programs. It includes information on participation, students, courses and qualifications, and subjects. Information in this publication is derived from the NCVER VET in Schools Collection and reflects new data collection arrangements that began in 2005.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1745.html

OECD Report

“Too many workers leave the labour market permanently due to health problems and yet too many people with a disabling condition are denied the opportunity to work”. This is a paradox common to most OECD countries, according to a new OECD report.
The report, Sickness Disability and Work: Breaking the Barrier (Vol 2) Australia, Luxembourg, Spain and the United Kingdom is available through the following link www.oecd.org/document/11/0,3343,en_2649_201185_39780427_1_1_1_1,00.html It analyses policies in OECD countries and recommends ways to reduce the number of people claiming sickness and disability benefits and help beneficiaries back into the workforce.
Source: NDS News - February 2008

Evidence for Education: Assessment and Accommodations (2007)

This report from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) focuses on the following questions: (1) Which accommodations are appropriate for which students? (2) How do accommodations affect student learning and performance on tests?
Available in PDF (12 pages, 534 KB). http://research.nichcy.org/NICHCY_EE_Accommodations.pdf
Source: National Center on Secondary Education and Transition E-News

Connecting the dots: A successful transition for deaf students from vocational education and training to employment

This study identifies and evaluates the pathways available from school to vocational education and training and to work, for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Research involved interviews with seven young people from Victoria who had either just completed secondary school and were enrolling in a VET course, or had completed a course and were looking for work. The study found that only when they undertook apprenticeships and traineeships did students find employment related to their field, and that more emphasis needs to be placed on developing strategies to assist deaf students to overcome attitudinal barriers in the workplace.

From http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1798.html
Key messages http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr04004k.html
Executive summary http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr04004e.html
The full report can be downloaded from http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr04004.pdf and http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr04004.doc

Are people with disability at risk at work?

Employing people with disability can be a positive experience for both employers and employees, yet there is unfounded concern about OH&S risks for business when employing people with disability. Research undertaken by the Australian Safety and Compensation Council has revealed, among other things, that people with disability are no more likely to be injured at work than people without disability.

Download the Fact Sheet - Safe, diverse and productive: A workplace with people with disability
http://www.ascc.gov.au/ascc/aboutus/publications/factsheets/aworkplacewithpeoplewithdisability.htm
Visit the ACSS website for a full copy of the report "Are People with Disability at risk at work?".
Source: Australian Employers' Network On Disability newsletter

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