Australia and China - LINKING
INDUSTRY with VET
The vocational education and training (VET) sectors in Australia and China are responsible for equipping people with the skills and knowledge required to work in a range of industries. To ensure that training is relevant to business needs, the VET sector must maintain strong links with industry. Australia and China provide interesting points of comparison in how these sectors collaborate, and valuable research from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) and the Central Institute for Vocational and Technical Education (CIVTE) has contributed to this discussion. Government policy in both Australia and China has encouraged
effective industry-VET relationships to make training appropriate and meaningful for students, existing workers and business. Clearly, each country’s training system shares the same purpose, but how have their respective histories shaped their relationships with industry? The connection between industry and VET - especially
through apprenticeship training - has been evident in Australia since colonial times. Towards the end of the 1970s, however, it
“Governments in both Australia and China are keen to ensure that VET practitioners have industry-specific skills and high quality teaching qualifications”
became clear that Australian industry lagged behind international standards and trends. Persistent skill shortages suggested that industry needed greater involvement in training and skills formation. New technology, particularly in the information technology and telecommunications industries, required different and challenging ways of working. These events, coupled with rising youth unemployment and the growth of the service industries, led to significant training reforms. The reforms saw industry take on a more significant role in determining the types of competencies required to create a successful workforce. Currently, 11 national Industry Skills Councils advise government
on industry trends, and identify the competencies required for their various sectors. Government also established the group Skills Australia to provide independent expert advice on current and future workforce skill and development needs. The newly formed Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment has four
114 Australia China: BEYOND TOMORROW Special Education Supplement
main committees, each of which has an industry representative to provide a perspective from the workplace. The connections between industry and VET in
China have fluctuated as the political, economic and social structures of Chinese society underwent profound change. The establishment of the People’s Republic of China nationalised the economy and sought to combine education with productive labour, but later the Cultural Revolution weakened these links. It was not until the late 1970s that industry was once again recognised as playing a valuable role in education. Plans for five national specialised teaching groups represented collaboration between VET and specific sectors, such as the architecture and construction, commerce, garment, tourism and electronics industries. The evolution of a market economy expanded enterprise ownership, and the institution of 33 industry-VET supervision committees confirmed
Vocational Education & Training
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