New HSC Spawns New VET: True or False? AVETRA Conference April 2012 Paul Rodney University of Melbourne

What was ‘promised’ for VET in the NEW HSC? Rigorous High quality Coherent Relevant Subject integrity Integrated pattern of senior studies Recognition: – In national Qualifications – By Employers – For University entry – By post-school VET providers Non ‘streaming’ explicitly or implicitly, within school or post school Determined Work Placement Opportunity to combine HSC study with apprenticeships and traineeships More coherent and comprehensive curriculum packages A consistent framework for each industry area Expanded range of vocational courses resulting in a TES (ATAR) Securing Their Future, Aquilina 1997

Principles for New VET Principles: – Sufficient variety – Responsive to industrial demand – Contribute to broad education – Relevant beyond narrowly focused occupations – Result in the award of a VET qualification – Clear links to post-school destinations – Collaborative development – Component of structured workplace training

Strategies for New VET Remove duplication All VET courses within a coherent curriculum VET Framework reflects the State Training Profile Identify VET components in general education Enhance contribution to broad education Identify courses for university entry purposes Acknowledge links to Key Competencies Collaborative development

The research Researcher Thesis Methodology – Quantitative: Longitudinal Participation and achievement data (SC, PL and HSC) Cohort Study (N=23,221) 2006 to 2008 linked to ABS CCD data – Qualitative: Phone surveys (ACER): – students and school leavers (Years 10, 11 and 12) 2009 (N=1565) – their parents or guardians (N = 650) two week after student survey Direct contact survey: – their teachers by school position (N= 1139). Approach to this paper and presentation

Excerpts Requirements as contained in the Governments ‘white paper’ Securing Their Future” for Vocational Education and Training in Schools in the NSW New HSC Measures Key to major measures: R - Retention; C - Availability and Quality of Curriculum; A - Achievement; T - Transition; S - Satisfaction Improved retentionR, A, T, S. Rigorous High quality Coherent Relevant Subject integrity Integrated pattern of senior studies C, A. University recognition, employer recognition, status in schools As above; ease of use by teachers C, A, S. C, A, T, S. Progression to employment and further training C, A, T, S. Status in schools and community C, A, S. Patterns of delivery in schools Recognition:  In national Qualifications  By Employers  For University entry  By post-school VET providers A, T. A, T. Progression to employment C, A, T. Recognition by universities C, A, T. Recognition by post school providers Non ‘streaming’ explicitly or implicitly, within school or post school R, C, A, T, S. Links to SES Determined Work PlacementC, A, S. Structure of provision Opportunity to combine HSC study with apprenticeships and traineeships C, A, T. Number and percentage engagement of school based apprenticeships and traineeships More coherent and comprehensive curriculum packagesC, S. Quality of curriculum structures A consistent framework for each industry areaAs above Expanded range of vocational courses resulting in a TERC, T, S. Historical study of TER

Retention A significant finding from Evans’s research in 2005 was that greater than six in ten of VET students completing the HSC in 2004 indicated that doing a New HSC VET subject “influenced their decision to stay on at school until Year 12”.

Retention

Non-retention (early leaving)

Retention

“The majority of HSC VET graduates indicated that VET played a role in keeping them at school, this view was strongest among students with lowest level of prior academic achievement and stronger for males than females. These findings endorse the value of VET in schools programs in contributing to the retention of students to Year 12, including those at risk of early leaving.” (Polesel et al. 2005a, page 7)

Curriculum “ vocational education and training (VET) has a poor image and the focus remains on pathways to university rather than on opportunities for pursuing apprenticeships or courses in technical and further education” (Halliday-Wynes et al. 2008)

Curriculum

On the one hand there are the pressures of a ‘university- oriented’ curriculum and of parents wanting opportunity for their children that for many, they did not have and on the other hand realistic preparation of students for the best possible transition from school (Crump & Stanley 2005). Socio-economic status and cultural background of the parents are significant factors affecting the advice and ‘pressure’ experienced by the young person. Students from non-English speaking backgrounds are under greater parental pressure to enrol in university pathways (Anelzark et al. 2006).

Curriculum In 2012 – 13 Industry Curriculum Framework Courses – ATAR and AQF qualifications Comprehensive Schools: – Teacher issues – Timetable issues – Delivery issues New VET Curriculum is not attracting New VET Students

Achievement If achievement is fulfilling your intentions through effort, NSW is doing well with over 90% of VET students receiving the qualification in which they enrol. If achievement is measured by comparison, NSW VETiS is found wanting.

Achievement VET Course (Framework Courses) Enrolment Students enrolled in greater than 120 HSC hours NumberPercentage Hospitality % Construction % Retail Operations* % Business Services % Primary Industries 9000% Information Technology % Metal & Engineering % Entertainment Industry 23300% All VET (Framework Courses) % Percentage of students within Board Developed VET Courses (VET Industry Framework Courses) enrolled in greater than 120 hours in the 2008 HSC

Achievement Comparison of enrolment and achievement for VETiS students 2008 MeasureAustraliaNSW Percentage enrolment in VETiS37.4%36% Percentage of VETiS Students indentured in Traineeship or Apprenticeship 7.1%3.9% Percentage of VET students awarded Certificate III or above 10.7%0.6% Percentage awarded Certificate II or above78.8%63.0%

Achievement NEW VETiS: Is shallow on National and International comparison Fails to combine with employment and training pathways Is not catering well for girls – even gender split yet girls are ‘crowded’ into 4 of 13 ICFs

Transition Evans (2005) in his study of NSW VET in schools found that VETiS “gave students a competitive edge over non-VET students in their transition to the labour market”. This position was strongly supported by industry parties consulted in the study and it should be noted that this was also confirmed by the fact that 16 percent of students involved in work placement as part of their New HSC VETiS experience moved from school to take up a job with their work placement employer.

Transition Employment prospects for early-leaving boys are better than for girls (Teese et al 2007; Polesel & Volkoff 2009) and early-leaving boys are more likely to partake in post-school training due to greater opportunity for boys to access trade apprenticeships (Teese 2000: Teese et al 2007). This finding was confirmed for the NSW Catholic sector from survey data collected in the study.

Transition

“HSC VET graduates consider themselves to be better prepared than non-VET graduates to make an effective transition to work and study, on most measures.” Research conducted in NSW Government schools by Polesel et al 2005a

Transition Although Evans (2005) reports a high award rate (76%) for NSW students asking for credit recognition from post-school VET providers, the number of students being assessed for credit transfer is as low as 38 percent for students continuing in the same Training Package after leaving a NSW school and as low as 28.2 percent for all school-delivered VETiS qualifications (Polesel et al. 2005a).

Satisfaction Although the reasons for enrolling might be many, students in NSW unequivocally endorse the value of their VET in schools subjects and find that New HSC VET markedly influenced their sense of satisfaction and achievement in relation to their post- compulsory schooling. Also supported in research by others in NSW (Evans 2005, Polesel et al 2005, Helme et al 2005)

Satisfaction

True or False Improved retention MAYBE Rigorous High quality Coherent Relevant Subject integrity Integrated pattern of senior studies MAYBE TRUE FALSE TRUE Recognition:  In National Qualifications  By Employers  For University entry  By post-school VET providers TRUE MAYBE TRUE FALSE Non ‘streaming’ explicitly or implicitly, within school or post school FALSE Determined Work Placement TRUE Opportunity to combine HSC study with apprenticeships and traineeships FALSE More coherent and comprehensive curriculum packages TRUE A consistent framework for each industry area MAYBE Expanded range of vocational courses resulting in a TER (ATAR) TRUE Report Card

Conclusion The New HSC did spawn new VET but failed to deliver on some of the ‘promises’ and some of the principles as set out in “Securing Their Future” (1997)

Challenges The New HSC has not resulted in a significant change in the manner in which VETiS is offered, packaged, valued and celebrated in NSW schools New HSC VET is too little, too late for the too many early leavers New HSC VET must be provided without penalty NSW needs to address the lack of access to school based Traineeships and Apprenticeships At a national level, schools and the VET community must address perceptions of questionable quality in the delivery of VETiS The perceived supremacy of the HSC needs to be challenged in NSW The Breadth of Study requirements of the NSW HSC need further refining based on research NSW needs to value alternate student pathways supported by strong and accurate counselling NSW schools need to be exploratory, creative and somewhat daring