Vocational Education

11 Pages 2741 Words

Since the early 1990's vocational education and training in schools has become progressively established and now accounts for a significant number of Year 11 and 12 students. While most of the effort has been in developing programs that fit within the curriculum and assessment framework provided by State Boards of Study and Accrediting Agencies, a new direction has been fostered by the policy initiative of the Commonwealth under the New Apprenticeships banner. At the heart of this is the notion of accredited, part-time, paid training being undertaken during the final years of senior schooling. This has generated both skepticism and approval, has in some ways re-ignited the debate over general versus vocational education, and might inexorably be changing the face of post-compulsory education.
The rationale for extending traineeships and apprenticeships into senior schooling revolves around improving the access of young people to training and employment. Against a national decline in the uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships for 15-19 year olds to 55% in 1996 (see MacDonald 1998, p 29), and a significant decline in employment opportunities for the same cohort, the New Apprenticeships policy initiative seeks to both expand the number of places and to increase the range of industries offering training. By making the system less complex, it is expected that New Apprenticeships will be better understood and hence be more likely to be used by industry. By making entry-level training available as part of senior schooling, it is anticipated that training and employment opportunities will be increased, school-based learning will be more attuned to industry needs and industry will better understand the potential benefits of working with them.
Despite extensive marketing of New Apprenticeships the uptake, in terms of numbers of current senior secondary students engaged in school-based or part-time programs is comparatively low. It is estimat...