Vocational, Adult and Workplace Education

Latest news

Return on investment in language, literacy and numeracy training

Research by ACER for the Australian Industry Group is helping employers identify the quantifiable return on investment of language, literacy and numeracy training for their workers, as Phillip McKenzie, Michael Taylor and Justin Brown explain.

Addressing core skills in the 21st century: An ACER and ACPET partnership

A new partnership has led to a program offering support to members of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training in relation to language, literacy and numeracy issues. Dave Tout explains the aims and content of the program.

Improving learners’ and workers’ core skills

Improving learners’ and workers’ core skills is being supported by the new Core Skills Profile for Adults. Blanca Camacho takes a look at this new assessment tool.

AQIS and continuous improvement

ACER’s recently released AQTF Quality Indicator Service 2011-12 Report shows exactly how AQIS is helping RTOs to collect quality standards information to support the delivery of their training programs, explains Steve Holden.

NALLNAC: Building on evidence to improve skills

The second National Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Conference (NALLNAC2) to be held in Sydney in May will bring together evidence-based research with industry and training perspectives so that participants can share and discuss issues around the assessment of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) and implications for effective vocational and workplace education and training (VET).

Computerised assessment of writing for VET

Martina Bovell explains how ACER is making the computerised assessment of writing possible.

Teaching numeracy with adults

It is well known that the ‘N’ in LLN is a barrier to learning and workplace achievement for many adults. Yet it has tended to be the poor cousin in LLN training. Jim Spithill explains how LL supports N in adult numeracy training.

Language, literacy and numeracy beyond 2012

The Commonwealth Government in August called for feedback to support its review of elements of its Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program. ACER’s submission focused on the assessment of language, literacy and numeracy skills, as Dave Tout explains.

Profiling adults’ core skills

The new Core Skills Profile for Adults from ACER is enabling educational managers and workplace supervisors to collect, analyse and use data to implement evidence-based practices to improve learning and completion rates, as Blanca Camacho explains.

Supporting the advancement of disadvantaged learners

Monitoring and reporting is a vital feature of good practice to support the advancement of access and equity in the Australian national training system, explains Justin Brown.

Building capacity: The inaugural ACER National Adult LLN Assessment Conference

ACER’s inaugural sell-out National Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Conference in Melbourne in May addressed research, policy and practice regarding the language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills of the Australian adult population from an industry and training perspective with a focus on identifying and assessing LLN skills and supporting learners and trainees in improving their LLN skills.

It’s time: Language, literacy and numeracy and the new Core Skills Profile for Adults

For the first time since the early 1990s, both government and industry acknowledge that adult language, literacy and numeracy skills are important and worthy of government support at a national program level. Tools that provide an evidence base for student learning are critical to the success of LLN skills programs, says Blanca Camacho.

More than match stats: Language, literacy and numeracy workshops for VET practitioners

There was plenty going on in the AFL in April, including a two-day ACER workshop for Player Development Regional Managers from the AFL Players Association to better understand the impact of language, literacy and numeracy skills on players’ capacity to learn. With the workshop so well received and the May National Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Conference sold out, ACER is running a series of programs in Melbourne from July for vocational education and training practitioners. Blanca Camacho has more.

Countdown: Adult numeracy developments in two key standards frameworks

Revisions to key adult language, literacy and numeracy standards frameworks have been released this year, and ACER’s Dave Tout played a key role in both of them. Here, he explains numeracy developments in the Australian Core Skills Framework and Victoria’s Certificates in General Education for Adults.

Financing TVET in the Pacific

Phillip McKenzie reports on a new research study that aims to produce a comprehensive empirical analysis of the existing systems for financing technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in seven Pacific Island countries: Vanuatu; Samoa; Papua New Guinea (PNG); Solomon Islands; Kiribati; Tonga; and Fiji.

Working with RTOs to understand the ‘business’ of the VET provider

VET professionals are working in an increasingly turbulent and unfamiliar operating environment. These changes are requiring innovative approaches to ‘collecting, analysing and acting on relevant data’ to monitor and enhance organisational performance. Justin Brown and Ron Wilson have been working with VET providers to identify the key measures they should consider as part of their continuous improvement practices.

AQIS: The new VET benchmark

AQIS – ACER’s AQTF Quality Indicator Service – provides a complete reporting solution to enable all Australian registered training organisations to collect quality standards information about the delivery of their training programs, as Rebecca Simpson explains.

PIAAC: Monitoring adult literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills

Juliette Mendelovits reports on a new international study of adult literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills promises to help governments monitor the impact of current vocational, adult and workplace education programs addressing language, literacy and numeracy.