Understanding Career Pathways in VET
Dr Michele Simons, presented the findings to date of the NCVER VET Research Colloquium Project 2, Understanding Career Pathways in VET, in April 2008 to the National VET Workforce Development Managers’ Meeting. This project examined how a sample of the VET workforce understood the concept of career and how career pathways unfolded during their working lives. Forty-three private and public RTO’s across Australia participated in the study, with 1095 staff completing the comprehensive survey.
Key research messages include:
- Careers in VET are unfolding in a context that drives particular organisational responses. These forces are equally felt in the public and private arena.
- Entry into the VET sector is characterised by a number of distinct pathways for different groups of staff.
Teachers: Industry and previous experience in the workforce is the foundation requirement for a teacher. They tend to be older, with the VET career being only a part of the working life. Whilst 2/3rds of respondents had been in the workforce in excess of 20 years, only 1/5th had been in the VET workforce for more than 20 years. The teacher career pathway is characterised by a gradual progression from part-time casual work to full time and permanent roles. This pathway assumes a gradual movement away from industry and ongoing currency challenges for providers.
General staff are often younger on entry, with limited or no previous experience in the workforce. The starting point for general staff in VET is generally a permanent appointment.
Management career pathways are characterised by internal promotion. This was particularly evident in the public sector and to a lesser extent the private. Very few managers entered directly into a VET management role, they tended to move into it from within, highlighting the importance of VET leadership capability and educational management development.
- A standout feature of the VET workforce is high mobility in relation to moving between jobs within the organisation. 84% reported movement during their VET career, with one example citing 23 moves in 10 years. These movements tended to have two key outcomes; the securing of permanent or ongoing employment, and the changing of a job title, such as from teacher to manager.
- Job satisfaction tended to drive career decision making across all role types (80-90% respondents) with security and work life balance also featuring as key factors impacting on pathway.
- Whilst large numbers of respondents engaged in professional development and commented on its usefulness, it wasn’t necessarily helpful in changing job roles. People in management positions consistently rated their professional development higher both in terms of satisfaction and access.
In summary, the research found VET staff are redefining their understanding of ‘career’ with an increasing emphasis being placed on satisfaction, job security and colleague support. A shift has been noted from a traditional career progression and upward mobility to a pathway that recognises personal growth, development and enrichment.
Click here to listen to the podcast. ( 15mb, 43:45)
The National VET Workforce Development Managers’ Meetings provide an opportunity for sharing information about workforce development and major state and territory strategies and initiatives in this area. The focus of the April 2007 meeting was national directions and priorities specifically in the area of VET workforce capability development. For further information on the content of the meeting, click here.