Vocational_Education

Vocational Education Since the early 1990's vocational education and training in schools has become progressively established and now accounts for a significant number of Year 11 and 12 students. While most of the effort has been in developing programs that fit within the curriculum and assessment framework provided by State Boards of Study and Accrediting Agencies, a new direction has been fostered by the policy initiative of the Commonwealth under the New Apprenticeships banner. At the heart of this is the notion of accredited, part-time, paid training being undertaken during the final years of senior schooling. This has generated both skepticism and approval, has in some ways re-ignited the debate over general versus vocational education, and might inexorably be changing the face of post-compulsory education. The rationale for extending traineeships and apprenticeships into senior schooling revolves around improving the access of young people to training and employment. Against a national decline in the uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships for 15-19 year olds to 55% in 1996 (see MacDonald 1998, p 29), and a significant decline in employment opportunities for the same cohort, the New Apprenticeships policy initiative seeks to both expand the number of places and to increase the range of industries offering training, students, apprenticeships, schools, programs, program, new, industry, traineeships, employers, school, education, traineeship, trainees, part-time, over, employment, both, 1998, vet, time, been, tafe, nudgee, college, year, while, workplace, through, significant, senior, requirements, part, number, funding, week