A reflective account of the VET FEE-HELP initiative as a driver of ethical dilemmas for vocational education teachers in Australia

Nakar, Sonal; Bagnall, Richard G.; Hodge, Steven

doi:10.1007/s13384-018-0257-z

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In a recent review of its performance, the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission (2017) reported ‘…rapidly rising student debt, high student non-completion rates, poor labour market outcomes for some students [and] unscrupulous and fraudulent behaviour on the part of some training providers’ (Productivity Commission, 2017: 93). VET qualifications are held in lower esteem than those achieved through university study (Billett et al., 2020), and increasing commercialisation of the sector along with competitive pressures associated with post-1980s neoliberal reforms have resulted in concerns about VET’s reputation and quality (Braithwaite, 2018; Griffin, 2017; Nakar et al., 2018). Alongside these concerns is an ongoing discourse which seeks to improve VET’s efficiency in training provision and its responsiveness and relevance to industry needs (Joyce, 2019; Productivity Commission, 2011, 2019; Skills Senior Officials' Network, 2020).…”

Section: Reformed and Reduced: The Trouble With Australian Vetmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reformed and reduced: Vocational education and structural oppression

Schmidt

2020

Power and Education

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Internationally, vocational education and training (VET) is intended to fulfil important economic and social objectives. There is, however, a concerning discourse relating to funding, esteem, reputation and quality, and questions have been raised about whether social mobility aspirations of the sector’s students are achieved or achievable. This paper argues that rather than resulting from deficiency or fault of VET, these issues are, instead, manifestations of the sector’s structural oppression. Further, unless this oppression is recognised and addressed as an underlying cause, VET’s troubles will remain. While acknowledging the claim may be contentious, the paper applies Freirean philosophy and contemporary critical social theory to examine the case of Australian VET, identifying the oppressive structures and policies which have progressively rendered the sector powerless and lacking the autonomy needed to enact positive and necessary change. It expounds upon Australian VET’s vulnerability to neoliberal educational reform along with the impact of competency based education and training (CBE/T), its reductionist curriculum, and the de-professionalisation of VET, its teachers and the vocations it serves, before proposing that any further reforms must be led from within the sector itself. While the paper focuses on Australian VET, its examination will likely hold meaning elsewhere.

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Section: Reformed and Reduced: The Trouble With Australian Vetmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reformed and reduced: Vocational education and structural oppression

Schmidt

2020

Power and Education

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“…A clear example of such a transformation has been experienced in the Australian vocational education sector which saw neoliberal policies open public funding for education and training to various non-public 'providers' including for-profit corporate entities. The effects of these policies have been devastating (Nakar, Bagnall, & Hodge, 2018). Scrambling to grab public money, unscrupulous entrepreneurs, acting in exactly the selfinterested way Adam Smith describes, 'rorted' the system 1leaving thousands of students with debts for incomplete or low-quality credentials shunned by employers, and at the same time weakening the erstwhile public providers of vocational education.…”

Section: Economic Theory Neoliberalism and The Interests Of Educatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the new actors attracted by the construction of a vocational education 'market' appeared to follow Smith's script with great fidelity, the educators struggled against them to maintain their professional practice. The educators were mired in ethical dilemmas created by the reconfigured field and left conflicted and despondent (Nakar et al, 2018). While we should be wary of romanticising educatorsthey possess all the complexities of the average human beingit seems that the neoliberal image of these professionals needs to be challenged.…”

Section: Economic Theory Neoliberalism and The Interests Of Educatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic theory, neoliberalism and the interests of educators

Hodge

Holford

Milana

et al. 2018

International Journal of Lifelong Education

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“…Australia's onshore international educational sector is forecast to grow from 650,000 enrolments in 2018 to 940,000 by 2025 (which equates to a compounding annual growth rate of 3.8 per cent). On average, a student studying at an Australian university spends 2.4 years in Australia, spending A$14,000-37,000 on tuition fees per year (Nakar et al, 2018;McCaig, 2011). The top eight source markets for onshore international learner enrolments across all sectors in 2025 are expected to be China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, Malaysia, Brazil and South Korea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How likely is your family to visit you?

Sedera

Lokuge²,

Perera³

2019

WHATT

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Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether digital connectedness between family members, attained through social media, increases the intention to travel overseas to visit family or relatives. In the context of the education sector, this paper specifically investigates the likelihood of a family member traveling to see a family member who is currently studying in Australia, despite their regular interactions on digital social platforms. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on the perspectives of earlier conceptual papers by Chacko et al. (2012) and Solnet and Hood (2008) in an effort to identify root causes and a possible solution. The context of Singapore and the international literature are also reviewed to establish theoretical and practical gaps that need to be filled. Findings The study finds that both “perceived media richness” of social media and communication applications and the “perceived connectedness” gained through social media and communication applications have a positive effect on the “intention to travel to the study destination.” Of the two variables measured in the study, perceived connectedness provides the strongest influence with nearly double the path coefficient as compared to the perceived media richness. Overall, an explanation of 32 per cent in one’s intention to travel provides a substantial discovery of travel intentions. Originality/value The role that digital social media like Facebook plays in human connectivity is not a foregone conclusion, when one could argue that digital connectivity especially enhanced by the richness of social media has the potential to replace or minimize physical relationships. Yet, this study demonstrates that such associations between the family members are in fact augmented by social media.

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A reflective account of the VET FEE-HELP initiative as a driver of ethical dilemmas for vocational education teachers in Australia

Cited by 15 publications

References 10 publications

Reformed and reduced: Vocational education and structural oppression

Reformed and reduced: Vocational education and structural oppression

Economic theory, neoliberalism and the interests of educators

How likely is your family to visit you?

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