International Research Snapshot
ETIS is the proactive library and information service for staff of the Department of Education and Training. It is located at Strathfield, as part of the Centre for Learning Innovation.
The ETIS intranet is available to TAFE NSW staff.
This eZine feature is brought to you by ETIS - the Education and Training Information Service for the Department of Education and Training. They are effectively placed and qualified to identify and share with us these key recent reports and articles with particular relevance to VET teaching and learning. (Ed)
Teacher Education in Europe – An ETUCE Policy Paper [PDF 64 p]. Brussels: ETUCE, 2008.
This ETUCE Policy Paper sets out the ETUCE’s vision of teacher education in today’s society. It emphasises the intrinsic link between a high quality of initial teacher education, the quality of education provided to children and young persons at all levels of the education sector, and the attractiveness and status of the teaching profession itself. Research shows that teacher quality is the most important within-school factor influencing students’ performance.
This policy paper sets out detailed recommendations on how we can ensure that the quality of teaching is high and that teachers are prepared to respond to the significant challenges facing education and training systems in the EU today.
Chapters 3.2 and further chapters discuss issues in regard to VET teachers.
Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society. Paris, OECD, 2008.
VOLUME 1 : Special features: Governance, Funding, Quality - VOLUME 2: Special features: Equity, Innovation, Labour Market, Internationalisation.
This book provides a thorough international investigation of tertiary education policy across its many facets – governance, funding, quality assurance, equity, research and innovation, academic career, links to the labour market and internationalisation. It presents an analysis of the trends and developments in tertiary education; a synthesis of research-based evidence on the impact of tertiary-education policies; innovative and successful policies and practices that countries have implemented; and tertiary-education policy options. The report draws on the results of a major OECD review of tertiary education policy – the OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education -- conducted over the 2004-08 period in collaboration with 24 countries around the world.
Workplace Learning and assessment
Bynner, John et al. The digital divide: Computer use, basic skills and employment - Research summary. London, National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC), 2008.
Looks at the interrelationship between literacy proficiency, take-up of computer use and time spent in employment in Portland, USA and London, England over four years (2000 to 2004).
Cara, Olga et al. The Teacher Study: The impact of the Skills for Life strategy on teachers. London, National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC), 2009.
A study of 1027 teachers of literacy, numeracy and ESOL in England from 2004 to 2007.
Carpentieri, JD. Research briefing: Formative assessment. London, National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC), 2008.
Summarises the key messages from NRDC and other research and development activity on formative assessment in adult learning.
Evidence Report 1: Skills for the Workplace: Employer Perspectives. London, UK Commission for Employment and Skills, 2008.
This report presents findings on a survey of 13,500 UK employers. It explores their experiences and perceptions of the skills system, e.g., their use of and perceptions of Vocational Qualifications (VQ), skill challenges they face and the use of a range of high performance working practices. It raises a number of issues, such as the need for employers and employees to be engaged in the decision to train to a VQ and continuing variations in the delivery of training across establishments of different size.
Innovation Strategies for a New System of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning – the challenge of today and the vision of tomorrow [PDF 20 p]. Chicago, Ill.: CAEL, 2008.
Innovation Network for Communities (INC) is a national non-profit organization that has been formed to spread scalable innovations that transform the performance of community systems. One system it is working to transform through social innovation is the workforce development field, which includes activities related to adult and lifelong learning. Last year, INC asked CAEL to be a strategic partner in exploring the idea of developing a “sector innovation hub” in workforce development. This hub would serve as the “applied R&D environment” for the workforce development field. In the first stage of this partnership, CAEL conducted a scan of innovations that currently exist in workforce development and lifelong learning. This report presents an overview of the scan, along with our reflections on key innovation families or subgroups, and initial focus areas for an innovation strategy for workforce development and lifelong learning.
Taylor, Maurice; Evans, Karen; Mohamed, Alia. The value of formal and informal training for workers with low literacy: exploring experiences in Canada and the United Kingdom [PDF 15 p]. Ottawa: Partnerships in Learning, 2008.
Researchers investigated the formal and informal training activities of basic level employees using a qualitative multi-site case study research design.
Vision2020 – the future of skills, employability and producativity. Sheffield. Ufi, 2008.
21st Century Learning - the fourth edition of Ufi's publication Vision2020. It focusses on the issue of What Employers Want and nine leading voices give their views.
Warner, Rhys et al. The Learner Study: The impact of the Skills for Life strategy on adult literacy, language and numeracy learners. London, National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC), 2009.
The Learner Study provides robust evidence in the form of statistical data and qualitative insight into how the Skills for Life strategy has impacted on learners.
14-19 Partnerships and Planning. United Kingdom, DFES, 2009.
This document builds on 14-19 Partnerships and Plans published in February 2008 to set out in more detail the Partnership’s strategic role and its ownership of an overarching 14-19 Plan that enables it to monitor and evaluate progress across all 14-19 priorities. Effective collaboration is critical to their delivery and the 14-19 Partnership is key to ensure there is a coherent, locally-owned strategy that meets local needs, has the buy-in of all partners and that will deliver the 14-19 entitlement for all young people.
14-19 education and skills website
Klein-Collins, Rebecca. Workforce Intermediary Collaboration: A Strategy for Greater Impact and Sustainability? [PDF 23 p].
This paper examines the concept of Collaboration among non-profits in workforce development and the potential for Collaboration to result in cost savings, economies of scale, greater impact, and revenue enhancement.
Evidence Report 2: Working Futures 2007- 2017.London, UK Commission for Employment and Skills, 2008.
Working Futures finds that despite the current crisis in both the world and the domestic economy, a more optimistic picture is projected for the labour market over the long term to 2017. Employment is projected to continue to rise over the decade as a whole, with the creation of 13.5 million job openings, of which two million will be new.
Reaching further - Workforce development through employer-FE college partnership [PDF 82 p]. London, Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), 2009.
This report highlights examples of good practice where colleges and employers have worked together successfully to achieve high quality workforce training, tailored to meet the needs of employers and employees.
Sandberg, Fredrik. From care worker to assistant nurse: recognition of prior learning in the health care sector [PDF 10 p]. Glasgow: EERA, 2008
This paper focuses on recognition of prior learning (RPL) in the health care sector in Sweden and was presented at the European Conference on Educational Research in Gothenberg, Sweden.