Erica Smith

Article From Industry Training Advisory Bodies to Jobs and Skills Councils. A Contribution to the History of Sector Skills Councils in Australia was published on October 1, 2025 in the journal International Journal of Vocational Education Studies (volume 2, issue 2).

This paper describes and analyses the ways in which women are disadvantaged in the Australian apprenticeship system. While women make up 47.9% of the Australian workforce, only 28.0% of apprentices and trainees are women. ‘Traditional trade’ apprenticeships are still predominantly undertaken by men. The newer ‘traineeships’, introduced in the 1980s to provide apprenticed training to more occupations and to allow equal access to women, receive less funding and fewer training resources. The paper traces the developments by analysing government reports, participation data by gender in the apprenticeship system, and apprentice/trainee funding rates for the main occupations. The paper also shows how post-COVID developments in the economy have been harnessed to favour male-dominated occupations in the apprenticeship system. The paper argues that the encouragement of women into trade apprenticeships has moved from an ‘equity’ argument to a ‘national interest’ argument, paralleling the conscription of women to fill the gaps left by men during the Second World War. The discussion shows that the disadvantaged status of women is largely consistent with existing theories on gender and work, but there are some points of departure. The paper argues that more research into traineeships is needed to inform developments. It would provide a voice for feminised occupations and would assist in countering the monopolisation of the debate by masculinised interest groups. While the data are Australian, the issues potentially apply to all countries which have apprenticeship systems, but have the most relevance for women in countries where male-dominated occupations are privileged in apprenticeship policy.

The paper sets out to provide evidence towards explaining the disadvantaged position of women in apprenticeships in Australia. Women form only about one-third of apprenticeship commencements and are disproportionately concentrated in occupations which have proved vulnerable to policy changes, due to the influence of certain stakeholder groups. Despite well-meaning efforts, women have been reluctant to enter the "traditional trade" occupations. The paper provides evidence which explains the policy shifts which firstly extended the system to feminized occupations, and then disadvantaged those occupations. It proposes a new insight, based on an historical precedent, into recently renewed attempts to attract women into masculinized trade occupations. This is a major question which cannot be answered in one paper, but the paper will aid understanding.

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to examine whether there really is a shortage of VET teachers, and if so, whether there are links to the salary offered and to the qualifications required.Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses three main approaches to examine the narrative of a shortage of VET teachers in Australia.Findings: There was no documented evidence of a VET teacher shortage, beyond a general perception of shortage in line with other occupations due to the post-COVID economic recovery. Salaries for VET teachers were found to compare well with other education occupations and other jobs in the economy. There was no evidence of the required qualifications deterring entry. The main concern appears to be whether VET can adequately train workers for other sectors in shortage.Research limitations/implications: The research did not include empirical survey work and suggests that this needs to be carried out urgently.Practical implications: The research provides evidence that will challenge current assumptions and help in the recruitment of VET teachers.Social implications: It argues for a recognition of the importance of the VET sector beyond its function of serving industry.Originality/value: It highlights ways to make VET teaching a more attractive proposition and to better promote its advantages.

This paper examines the use of informal training for workers, by Australian companies and other organisations. Using survey data, it reports the prevalence of informal training and also the utilisation of different types of informal training. Differences are found by employer size, particularly for the different types. By examining qualitative responses, it is found that employers' perceptions of informal training are often not those reflected in existing literature. The paper therefore argues for a new definition of informal training which is comprehensible to employers and workers alike, so that more, and more reliable, research can be undertaken.

A survey of over 500 teachers and trainers in the Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector was carried out to examine whether their teaching practices and approaches varied with their qualification levels. The survey, carried out with teachers and trainers from different types of training providers – public and private – formed a major part of a larger research project on the topic. The project was carried out because of an overall decline in the qualification levels of the VET teaching workforce over a 20-year period, and national debate on the appropriate qualification level. Analysis of the survey results showed that those with pedagogical qualifications above the regulatory minimum were more confident overall, and were more able to deal with the demands of different teaching contexts and of diverse learner groups. Teachers with higher level qualifications also reported, in qualitative questions, specific gains from their qualifications. They were also more likely to undertake professional development, challenging an often-cited view that professional development activities can compensate for lower qualification levels. The findings have implications for policy development in Australia and elsewhere.