VET in Schools: A post-compulsory education perspective

In the context of significant growth in the provision of VET in Schools programs in the past decade, this study sought to investigate the place of vocational education and training (VET) in school culture and policy. The study examined the consequences for students of supportive and negative school cultures in terms of access to VET while at school, attitudes to lifelong learning, self-confidence, and knowledge of employment and training options. A further component of the study was to look at the provision of VET for young people through the perspective of TAFE institutes. The study gathered information from twelve schools and six technical and further education (TAFE) institutes in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The school data represented the views of over 300 teachers, over 1100 Year 11 students and over 400 exit Year 12 students . VET in Schools herein refers to accredited VET delivered to students in Years 11 and 12 as part of their Higher School Certificate (HSC).

The role of VET in Schools

In most of the schools in the study, it was generally agreed that VET plays an essential role in making the curriculum inclusive of a broader range of needs.

VET was also viewed as a useful means of improving learning and giving many students a chance of success at school, some experiencing it for the first time.

Factors contributing to effective VET programs

The development of good VET programs was seen by teachers to depend on both attitudinal change (among staff and the school community) and structural change (in the school's operation). Schools which were able to achieve change at both these levels had a number of characteristics in common:

• a strongly supportive principal
• time release to allow teachers to focus on the substantial administrative demands of VET
• the establishment of a team of dedicated VET staff, rather than individuals working in isolation
• high enrolments
• the ability to offer courses on a cost-neutral basis or to charge students for courses
• a view of VET as improving learning
• a positive, modern view of VET
• proximity to a TAFE
• a good relationship with TAFE.

Barriers to VET

Although some evidence of resistance to VET was observed among school personnel, issues associated with the adequate resourcing of VET programs seemed to be more important. Factors which limit the ability of schools to provide high-quality programs and/or expand existing provision include:

• a shortage of adequately trained teachers prepared to accept the additional workloads associated with VET teaching
• costs associated with training teachers to the standards needed to meet Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) compliance (including time release for industrial experience)
• provision of adequate facilities for delivering VET within the school (and the costs associated with updating inadequate facilities or building new ones)
• costs of 'buying in' provision from a TAFE (or other) provider
• fees charged to students.

Consultations and survey findings indicate a sea change in schools

Resistance to VET in Schools programs remains among some teachers. There is a view among some in the more academically inclined subject departments that VET is disruptive, that it does not fit easily into the timetable, or that it is simply not needed. In the schools in this study however, these teachers seem to be in the minority. For most, VET plays an essential role in managing diversity, in improving learning and in securing a range of good outcomes for school leavers. Even among non-VET teachers, there is a majority view that VET is needed and is effective.

Among students also, VET is seen as providing essential opportunities and pathways. Alternatives to the traditional pathway to university are provided in VET programs and offer young participants in these programs a senior schooling experience which caters for their diverse needs and learning styles. It would seem that students, if they choose not to do VET, do so because it does not fit their view of an academic trajectory, rather than because they view it negatively.

The feedback from TAFE staff seems to confirm these views. There is an acknowledgement that schools and students are beginning to view VET (and consequently TAFE itself) in a more favourable light. By appreciating VET, schools are also paving the way for a more positive view of TAFE as a post-schooling option.

Yet, despite these changing views, problems remain. These seem to be problems rooted in the institutional structures of schools and in the financial arrangements which constrain the relationship between the sectors. All of the stakeholders have focused on the financial difficulties involved in accessing VET in Schools programs. The vexed relationships between individual schools and individual TAFE institutes urgently require resolution of the institutional arrangements which make productive and efficient cooperation so difficult. From the students' point of view, the financial demands of VET (often most prevalent in those schools with the least capacity to address them) make access to programs which can improve both the schooling experience and the prospect of future pathways more difficult.

Institutional arrangements relating to access to senior secondary VET curriculum and accreditation arrangements are somewhat different from state to state. Yet, in the schools in the three states chosen for this study, the themes which run through this report are common ones. While both TAFE institutes and schools have done much to accommodate the need for high-quality VET programs for school students, many issues need to be addressed. The imperative for funding and administrative flexibility is chief among them. While access to VET remains complex and troublesome, residual resistance to VET will remain, and some students who are most likely to benefit from VET programs, including early school leavers, will continue to miss out.

There is a need for a frank appraisal of the issues facing schools in different settings if they are to offer high-quality VET programs to all students who require them. These issues include access to TAFE programs, funding arrangements, school size, isolation, and the provision of trained teaching staff. These issues all involve funding and affect different schools in different ways. Unless adequate acknowledgment of the need to provide high-quality VET in a range of settings (and not just in those where it is easy) is made, access to VET will continue to be constrained for many young people in Australian schools.

There is also a need to move beyond institutional considerations and acknowledge that ultimately, it is the student, whether located in a school or in TAFE, who must be the focus of policy. It is the student as a client whose best interests must be determined in the provision of accessible and suitable options.

This is nowhere more apparent than in relation to early school leavers. Discussion with teachers reveals that many feel the range of programs which cater for this group has narrowed in recent years and they feel they do not have the experience and resources to deal with the specific needs of early school leavers. The interviews with TAFE staff reveal that, while they consider VET has an important role to play for early school leavers, TAFE is not funded to deal with them. Moreover, some TAFE teachers questioned whether TAFE was the right environment for very young students (aged 13 and 14 years), given issues related to pastoral care and supervision of minors.