Vocational Voices
Episodes
Centring diverse voices and support in VET
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Davis interviews presenters from the 34th National VET Research Conference 'No Frills', held on 9 - 11 July 2025 on the Gold Coast. In part two ...
Building inclusive VET systems and pathways
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Davis interviews a group of presenters from the 34th National VET Research Conference 'No Frills', held on 9 - 11 July 2025 on the Gold Coast. I...
VET partnerships powering a dynamic workforce
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Davis interviews a diverse group of presenters from the 33rd National VET Research Conference ‘No Frills,’ held on 10-12 July 2024 in Perth....
Facing Australia's transition to electric vehicles
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia is on the journey to reducing carbon emissions, so what does this mean for the automotive industry? Various sources indicate that electri...
Best of 2023: highlights from Season 8
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Davis, Simon Walker, Joanne Payne, Tabatha Griffin, Tom Karmel, Jenny Dodd, Hinemoa Priest, Melanie Kyle, Erica Smith, Olivija Komadina, David L...
Building effective RTO-employer partnerships
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discuss the vital role of partnerships in the VET sector. These partnerships help connect training with the skills that industries...
VET pathways to meaningful careers
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The concept of “meaningful work” is something that’s been regularly discussed by vocational education and training (VET) researchers for many ye...
Skilling Australia’s current and future workforce
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the past few years, the VET sector has faced rapid socioeconomic, demographic and technological change. When unforeseen events such as COVID-19 eme...
Reimagining the tertiary education system
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is the time right for change and "to be bold and think big, and challenge the way we think about tertiary education" in Australia? In this episode, we...
Overcoming VET delivery challenges in regional Australia
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Making sure the VET sector serves regional, rural and remote Australia remains an ongoing policy priority. In this episode, we talk about the challeng...
Best of 2022: highlights from Season 7
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2022, we invited expert vocational voices from the VET sector to share their views, stories, experiences and insights on a range of hot topics. ‘...
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on VET
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Aside from the health and economic impacts, the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected Australia’s VET sector. The full sca...
VET’s role in transforming the future
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Steve Davis for some handpicked highlights from three panel discussions at the 31st National VET Research Conference ‘No Frills’ held in...
VET and higher education: should we push for integration?
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Both vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE) offer the skills, knowledge and qualifications needed to equip students to prog...
VET In Schools and the shadow of ATAR
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Participation in higher education by school leavers has increased significantly in the last decade. VET participation has lagged by comparison. Are st...
Best of 2021: highlights from Season 6
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Davis, Simon Walker, Linda Simon, Martin Powell, Kira Clarke, Joanne Waugh, Bryan Palmer, Professor John Buchanan, Megan Lilly, Dr Kaye Bowman, ...
Past informing the future
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Davis interviews a collection of presenters from three panel discussions at the 30th National VET Research Conference 'No Frills', held on 7-9 J...
The role of micro-credentials in VET
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Short-course training, often referred to as 'micro-credentials', is seen as an increasingly important form of training, particularly as governments re...
VET's role in youth unemployment recovery
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Youth unemployment post-COVID is an all-hands-on-deck challenge. For young people who have lost work or have been looking for work, post-COVID recover...
Quality of VET teaching: perceptions and realities
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Should we be concerned about the quality of VET teaching? Recent research suggests there are key issues affecting the quality of VET teaching that nee...
Best of 2020: highlights from Seasons 4 & 5
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2020, we invited expert vocational voices from the VET sector to share their views, stories, experiences and insights on a range of hot topics. ‘...
Rationalising VET qualifications: support for a clustered model
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are there too many underutilised qualifications in the Australian VET system? Are some qualifications past their expiration date? One method of r...
Investing in our workforce: cadetships vs apprenticeships
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Young people are finding it harder and harder to get a foothold into those highly-skilled, better paying jobs that will set them up for the future. Ho...
Traditional trade apprenticeships: still a trusted brand?
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do we value tertiary and vocational education equally? Have apprenticeships lost their sense of purpose? With recent budget announcements and the nee...
Workforce ready: challenges and opportunities for VET
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Davis interviews a collection of presenters from two panel discussions at the 29th National VET Research Conference 'No Frills', held on 7-10 Ju...
VET’s response to Industry 4.0 and the digital economy: what works
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Digital skills are now essential for almost all occupations and workers in Australia. So how do we best incorporate them into VET courses? And how do ...
The future role of public providers
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Thirty years ago, the Australian VET system was on tenterhooks as two major reports were released into the management and costs of training for enterp...
Skills sets: their role now and into the future
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are skill sets likely to take on extra significance as Australia responds to the shifting workforce demands and challenges, particularly in the health...
Online VET: a good course of action?
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Online learning can be just as effective as face-to-face instruction if it’s done well. But what makes for good quality and good practice? While sub...
Qualification design for the future of VET
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Qualifications are an essential part of the VET system, and therefore a key consideration in the broader approach to VET sector reform. Join special g...
Youth pathways: from school to work and everything between
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
New research has revealed how young people’s post-school pathways are diverse, individualised and complex. Steve Davis, Simon Walker Managing Direct...
Training packages: meeting student needs?
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Competency based training (CBT) is the model of curriculum at the heart of the VET system and for some it’s a shorthand way of referring to the syst...
Unaccredited training and why employers use it
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why do around half of Australian employers look outside the nationally accredited VET system to provide their employees with training? To find out, St...
The student journey: skilling for life
13 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Davis interviews a collection of presenters from the 28th National VET Research Conference ‘No Frills’, held on 10-12 July 2019 in Adelaide ...
Apprenticeship rates - should you believe the hype?
30 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It is hard to dispute that the apprenticeships model, which combines employment with formal training in a trade, is an effective way of developing ski...
Industry 4.0 - what does it mean for jobs and skills?
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How will Industry 4.0, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution as it’s also known, affect the jobs we do and how we train for them? To find out, Steve D...
What next for tertiary education? Some preliminary sketches
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with author Francesca Beddie about her paper, What next for tertiary education? Some preliminary sketches, which...
Industry currency and professional obsolescence: what can industry tell us?
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher, Berwyn Clayton, about the report Industry currency and professional obsolescence: what can indu...
The impact of schools on young people's transition to university
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with former NCVER Managing Director, Tom Karmel, about his report which uses data from the 2006 cohort of the Lon...
Educating oneself out of social exclusion
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this phone interview, Hielke Buddelmeyer, talks about his report which explores the impact of education and training on social exclusion using a mu...
Shaken not stirred? The development of one tertiary education sector in Australia
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this 13 minute interview, Steve Davis talks with Leesa Wheelahan about the report Shaken not stirred? The development of one tertiary education sec...
Attrition in the trades
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this 9 minute interview, Steve Davis talks with former NCVER Managing Director, Tom Karmel, about the report Attrition in the trades. This report i...
Outcomes from combining work and tertiary study
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Cain Polidano about the report Outcomes from combining work and tertiary study. This study invest...
Developing the child care workforce: understanding 'fight' or 'flight' amongst workers
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Tanya Bretherton about her report Developing the child care workforce: understanding 'fight' or '...
The role of vocational education and training in the labour market outcomes of people with disabilities
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Cain Polidano about his report on the role of vocational education and training in the labour mar...
Apprenticeships and traineeships in the downturn
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with former NCVER Managing Director, Tom Karmel, about his report Apprenticeships and traineeships in the downtur...
Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in education and training
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, Steve Davis talks with researcher Michael Dockery about his report, Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in education an...
Is VET vocational?
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview Steve Davis talks with former NCVER Managing Director, Tom Karmel, about his report Is VET vocational?, which explores the issue of ...