ACDE Vocational Education Group

The Vocational Education Group (ACDEVEG) advises the ACDE Board and represents ACDE on Vocational Education and Training (VET) matters.

The working group helps to build and strengthen high-quality educational practices in VET teacher-education programs for VET practitioners. In universities, such programs are normally undertaken part-time by VET teachers and trainers while already working in the field.

ACDEVEG also provides advice to a range of external stakeholders on VET teacher quality and development.

Current Activities include:

• Mounting an annual VET teaching and VET teacher-education conference for academic and practitioner audiences
• Awarding competitive scholarships for VET teacher-education students to attend the conferences
• Awards for VET Teacher-Educator of the Year in two categories: Training and Education Training Package, and university programs.
• Developing teaching and learning resource lists for students in higher education VET teacher-education programs
• Liaising with national stakeholders and providing input into national developments on VET quality issues and VET teaching qualifications.

Previous Activities of ACDEVEG have included:

• Mapping the ‘body of knowledge’ in higher-education VET teacher training courses
• Producing a national list of higher education VET and adult education teacher-education programs, including arrangements for articulation from Certificate IV and Diploma qualifications
• Improving stakeholders’ understanding of higher-education VET teacher-education courses
• Survey of students in university VET teacher-education programs about their experiences and satisfaction
• Development of a VET teaching and learning textbook. ‘Teaching in the VET sector in Australia’ (2014)
• Representation on the project reference group for the development of two major VET Practitioner Frameworks
• Contributing to initiatives to promote better quality delivery of VET-sector VET teacher-training qualifications (Certificate IV and Diploma)
• Using conference surplus funds, funding a small grants program for research into VET teaching. A report from the 2016 winners is attached here.

ACDEVEG’s Terms of Reference are to:

• Work towards better quality VET teacher preparation at all levels of qualification
• Develop quality criteria for university VET teacher-education programs, to meet the needs and expectations of the VET sector and the personal and professional development needs of the students
• Promote clearer pathways from VET teacher qualifications in the VET sector to higher education VET teacher qualifications in the higher education sector
• Promote the importance of university qualifications as contributing to the professional standing of VET teachers, and work towards increasing the proportion of the VET workforce holding university level qualifications
• Work with stakeholders including accreditation and registration bodies to seek recognition of higher-level qualifications through industrial awards and career progression incentives.
• Work with those responsible for qualifications in school teaching and higher education teaching to improve transferability of teachers across the education sector
• Promote research into Australian VET teaching and teachers, and collaborate with international counterparts, in order to use research evidence to inform and influence policy and practice relating to VET teaching and training
• Through regular cross-institutional meetings, collegial discussions and sectoral engagement, ensure the currency, relevance and quality of higher-education VET teacher education programs for new VET teachers and trainers, and for those already in the sector.

Convenor:

Dr Daryl South dsouth@csu.edu.au

TERMS OF REFERENCE