Description
This study examines employers’ views, taken from the NCVER Survey of Employer Use and Views on the VET System, on the three ways they can engage with the VET system: by having vocational qualifications as a job requirement; employing apprentices and trainees; and using nationally recognised training. In particular, the authors focus on employers’ suggestions for improvement to the VET system and, for those employers who are dissatisfied with the system, their reasons for dissatisfaction.
Summary
About the research
Vocational education and training (VET) plays an important role in providing employees with the skills they require to be effective in the modern workplace and contribute to Australia’s economic growth. But how well does the VET system meet the needs of employers?
This study examines employers’ views on the three ways they can engage with the VET system: by having vocational qualifications as a job requirement; employing apprentices and trainees; and using nationally recognised training. In particular, the authors focus on employers’ suggestions for improvement to the VET system and, for those employers who are dissatisfied with the system, their reasons for dissatisfaction.
Key messages
- Employers are generally satisfied with the VET system. Across the three types of engagement with the VET system, the level of satisfaction ranged between 77% and 83%.
- Those dissatisfied with the VET system point to the relevance of skills taught: that training is too general and not specific enough, and there is insufficient focus on practical skills for employees.
- Employers’ suggestions for improving the VET system revolve around providing more practical skills and experience, tailoring training to specific industries, increasing flexibility in training provision, improving access to training in regional areas, and increasing government funding.
The challenge is to use these findings to improve the VET system, noting that the level of satisfaction among employers is very high.
Tom Karmel
Managing Director, NCVER
Executive summary
Over 50% of employers use the VET system to meet their skill needs. Employers can engage with the VET system in three ways:
- by requiring their staff to have vocational qualifications
- by employing apprentices and trainees
- by providing or coordinating nationally recognised training for their employees
Regardless of how they engaged with the VET system, the majority of employers are satisfied with the training their employees receive. Less than 10% are dissatisfied with the system.
In this report, we analyse data from the 2005 and 2007 Surveys of Employer Use and Views of the VET System to examine what employers say frustrates them about the VET system, and explore their suggestions for improvement.
What frustrates employers about VET
Dissatisfied employers provide three consistent messages about the things that frustrate them. With few exceptions, these employers are concerned that the VET system:
- provides training which fails to teach relevant skills
- provides training which is too general and not specific enough
- lacks focus on practical skills training.
Firstly, large and small business employers dissatisfied with training are concerned that training has not added any value. It has not raised the skill levels of their employees and has not increased their ability to meet work requirements. Secondly, employers (particularly small business employers) feel that the training provided is too general and does not meet their particular needs. Some employers are concerned that there are no training courses in their specific fields, while others think the available training does not provide employees with broad knowledge or experience. Thirdly, employers are frustrated with the lack of focus on practical skills training. This is especially the case for those who require employees to have specified vocational qualifications for their jobs, and those who deliver or coordinate nationally recognised training for their employees. They are of the view that employees are unable to apply what they have learnt in training and that the amount of training provided is insufficient to help employees increase their skills to meet job requirements.
Changes between 2005 and 2007
Looking at what was frustrating employers in 2007 reveals similar trends to 2005. Dissatisfied employers still believe that the VET system does not teach relevant skills and that there is not enough focus on practical skills in the training. There has been a move away from the comment that training is too general. More employers now believe the training is of poor quality and of a low standard.
Suggestions for improvement
In addition to identifying what they perceived to be wrong with the VET system, all employers were asked to suggest ways it could be improved to better meet their skill needs. Looking at the VET system as a whole, employers suggest the need for it to:
- provide more practical skills and experience
- tailor training to specific industries
- increase flexibility in training provision
- improve access to training in regional areas
- increase government funding.
Another consistent message from small and large business employers requiring vocational qualifications for jobs, or engaged in the delivery or coordination of nationally recognised training, is that the system needs to provide more practical skills training and workplace experience. These employers want to see these elements incorporated into qualifications to enable employees to improve their skills.
Tailoring training to the needs of specific industries is cited as a major area for improvement across all three groups of employers. Employers want training content to be adjusted to make it more industry specific and for training to develop higher skill levels.
Flexibility in the provision of training is a key concern for small business employers with apprentices and trainees, and for those who provide or arrange for nationally recognised training for employees. Employers want more flexibility in the timing, structure, and delivery of training.
Employers providing or coordinating nationally recognised training for their employees feel that the lack of access to training in regional and rural areas is an important issue. These employers want more relevant training courses, and a local trainer or training centre.
Employers with apprentices and trainees, particularly those in small and medium businesses, are of the view that training improvements require additional government funding. Common suggestions are for increased incentives and subsidies, and funding of apprentices and trainees wages.
Changes between 2005 and 2007
In 2005, it was mainly the view of employers with apprentices or trainees that additional funding was required from the government. Other employers rated this as a medium concern. By 2007, this was a high priority voiced by all employers engaged with the VET system. Unchanged was employers’ requirement for providers to supply courses with more industry-specific skills. This was a major issue which still needed addressing as little has improved from 2005 to 2007.
Two new areas emerged as needing attention in 2007. Employers, particularly those requiring vocational qualifications for jobs and those with apprentices or trainees, would like to see the VET system standardised or regulated across institutions and states. Employers also want more information or information that is easier to understand on how to take on apprentices and trainees.
Conclusion
Regardless of how employers engage with the system—by having vocational qualifications as a job requirement, employing apprentices and trainees, or providing or coordinating nationally recognised training for their employees—they tend to give similar messages about what frustrates them and suggestions on how the system can be improved. The challenge now is how to progress these findings and determine what, if any, changes should be made to the VET system, noting that the overall level of satisfaction among employers is very high.