A think piece by Hugh Guthrie
‘Unlocking the potential of VET’ is the title of the advice piece from the Qualifications Reform Design Group to Skills Ministers. They proposed three purposes for VET qualifications:
- Purpose 1: qualifications leading to a specific occupation
- Purpose 2: qualifications to prepare learners for multiple occupations within an industry, and
- Purpose 3: qualifications that develop cross-sectoral or foundation skills and knowledge which may be applied across industries or lead to tertiary education and training pathways. These qualifications will provide additional opportunities for innovation in areas such as cross-sectoral skills, foundation skills and tertiary pathways. The advice also points out that its purpose is to “address cross-cutting skills and knowledge relevant across many industries, providing versatile products for use by many different learners and employers” and to “encourage a focus on the skills and knowledge that a qualification develops, with flexibility in the context of application.”
The first two purposes are clearly focused on what might most clearly be seen as initial qualifications that are quite specifically (Purpose 1) and more broadly (Purpose 2) conceived. The purpose of the third is maybe not so clear because its description is more wide ranging in its scope. Thus, what is not so explicit are the ‘multi-purpose nature’ of the purposes inherent in Purpose 3: covering as it does foundation and enabling courses and broader sets of skills and knowledge that open pathways.
As the Qualification Reform Design Group suggests, this may require “evolution of qualification design beyond the current competency-based model towards a focus on learning outcomes.” And that’s a good thing!
But, is there another important conceptualisation of a qualification missing or where does it fit?
I’m reminded of a paper that Michelle Circelli and John Stanwick from NCVER wrote a while ago, which attempted to delineate clearly between what constituted initial (IVET) and continuing (CVET) VET qualifications. Not unexpectedly, they found that this delineation of qualification function was not so easy. We highlighted this in a VDC News article a while ago. It noted that:
“CEDEFOP defines IVET as ‘general or vocational education and training carried out in the initial education system, usually before entering working life’. They define CVET as ‘education or training after initial education and training — or after entry into working life’, where the aim is to help people to acquire or further their knowledge and skills, and/or to continue their personal or professional development.”
However, in the end, the report’s authors concluded that:
“We began this project with what may be considered, in hindsight, a naive idea, that of categorising VET delivered in Australia as either initial or continuing — naive because it only provides for an either/or solution, where in fact Australian VET encompasses many nuances and options.
As the consultations clearly highlighted, a far more subtle and sophisticated approach is required, one that takes account of both the learner — as they move through their life and work journey — and the type of learning they undertake at the various points along this journey.”
This begs the question about the breadth of the conception of Purpose 3 and what it really means in practice. To what extent does it encompass continuing vocational training needs, and particularly those encompassed in skill sets, post-initial qualifications, and micro credentials? Or is it more focussed on the foundation and enabling components of what VET does? Or, is it trying to cover the spectrum of these broad ranging needs, and is this a good idea?
Is this approach to the 3 purposes for qualifications also taking due account of the various types of learner, that is: career starters (there are several types of these largely focused on Purposes 1 and 2), or more specifically career developers, or – indeed – career changers that might be the focus of one or more of the purposes? When we talk about Purpose 3, maybe we are embracing career changers, but are we thinking enough about the developers? Or is that what is meant by pathways? Does this need to be made more explicit?
So, maybe, what we need is to explore more fully and explain what Purpose 3 involves, or create a Purpose 4 focused very specifically on post initial vocational education and training while Purpose 3 is more concerned with the front end and enabling part of the VET provision?
