Transcript A new conceptual model for VET Statistical Standards

Building research capacity in the
vocational education and training sector
Francesca Beddie
Manager, Research Management
Evolution of VET research
 A 1992 review of the Centre identified
shortcomings: under-funded, fragmented,
poorly targeted and used research
 National research strategy adopted –
centrepiece is competitive grants program
managed by NCVER
 Creation of Australian VET Research
Association in 1997
 But: the community is small, perhaps
diminishing, and greying
Johnston Review
 The 2006 review of NCVER’s research and
statistical services identified the need to build
research capacity in the VET sector by:
attracting experienced researchers from
outside the sector
► encouraging early career researchers
► supporting people in the sector to undertake
research
►
Over-reliance on established researchers?
Number of grants per principal investigator, 2001-05
1 grant
2 grants
3 grants
4 grants
5+ grants
Over-reliance on academic researchers?
Proposals and grants, 2001-07
300
250
200
Proposals
Grants
150
100
50
0
University
TAFE
Consultants
Other
Why develop a research capacity?
 Research from within the sector can help with
strategic planning and operations by:
identifying effective delivery mechanisms
► helping to better understand clients
► pointing to new markets
► maximising the existing compliance effort.
►
 NCVER can assist you with data, qualitative
research and to tailor findings for your own
purposes.
NCVER data
 The data you and others submit to NCVER
can tell you a great deal about:
the quality of teaching and learning
► rising and falling demand
► employers’ and students’ views of training.
►
 We can help you get more out of this data,
including through special initiatives to build
researcher capacity.
Building research capacity
Our objectives:
 to increase the pool of researchers, by
attracting established researchers from
outside the sector
► supporting new career researchers
►
 to increase the proportion of funding going to
non-university researchers, by
►
developing the research skills and capacity of
those working in the VET sector
Direct initiatives
 Growing research capacity fund of $250,000
over three years for:
practical projects to build capacity in the VET
sector
► attendance at No Frills of several young
researchers and publish their papers
► co-funding PhD scholarships
► introducing fellowships
►
Indirect initiatives
 Actively market and enhance the research status of
NVETRE* grants
 Encourage research teams/networks, particularly
those which include new career researchers
 Establish a register of research mentors
 Run workshops on proposal writing and using
NCVER resources (VOCED, national training
statistics)
 Establish MoUs with collaborating organisations
* National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation
(NVETRE)
How will you know if it is working?
 annual NVETRE report
 details of capacity building projects
undertaken
 statistics on proposals and grants by
institutional affiliation and previous funding
status
 review to be conducted in 2010