Van Berkel (1997, p.25) argues that the ‘Australian industry and workers are now operating in a global marketplace …which demands a rapid response to accommodate customer needs and technological change’. Industry is ‘driven by internal and external competitiveness to produce the best outcome in the most efficient and cost-effective ways’. These changes in industry mean that workers change jobs several times in their working lives.
CBT had introduced a change of direction in the Australian industry. ‘Strategies were developed by the industry parties which would meet the needs of industry…and expectation of workers’. This was the first time for many workers that any form of career path, access to skills training and recognition of skills was available to them, (van Berkel 1997, p.22).
Van Berkel (1997, p25) stated ‘Workers who were lucky enough to get some form of entry-level training, like an apprenticeship, generally remained in that occupation for their entire working lives’. These jobs were tightly defined and demarked, so once the opportunity arose for long term training (apprenticeships) it possibly meant a career path that would evolve over decades. Diverse employment opportunities in today’s society has given employees a vast arrangements of career paths, which meant a major review of the VET system was needed if it was to accommodate everyone’s needs.
CBT moves away from the original VET structure of time-based programming. Teachers were required to be at a specific point in their text books during any specific time of the year, the teacher was the provider of information, and it was up to the student to keep pace with them, regardless of their progression. Students who do not do well in a test often had little time for individual assistance as the teacher needed to move on in order to adhere to the established time schedule. Norton (cited in Sullivan 1995, JHPIEGO Strategy Paper, and p.2) believes that CBT should be used as opposed to the ‘Medieval concept of time based learning’. Ideally, progress within a CBT program is not based on time. As soon as students have achieved or demonstrated the outcome required in a module, they can move to the next module. In this way, students may be able to complete a program of study much faster or indeed more slowly if they require extra time to achieve their outcomes. Training time is used more efficiently and effectively as the trainer is now a facilitator of learning, as opposed to a provider of information.
Watson (cited in Sullivan 1995, JHPIEGO Strategy Paper, p.3) states that the competency-based approach ‘appears especially useful in training situations where trainees have to attain a small number of specific and job related competencies’. To accommodate new career paths for employees, long term training programs have been broken into segments of learning outcomes (modules) giving the employee a broader selection of career path opportunities.
The implementation of CBT brought about the development of competencies. Van Berkel (1997, p.23) states that recognition of prior learning (RPL) and development of industry-driven competency standards are now accepted practices. Once these common competency standards are obtained they are recognised on a national scale, making it easier for recognition and for the transfer of skills.
Along with any major overhaul of a system, so large and constantly under public scrutiny there will be minor problems. Cornford (1995, p.2) states ‘clearly there are likely to be teething problems with the implementations of any new system like CBT’. Problems like ‘failure to teach higher order thinking skills’ and ‘breaks down complex learning into small, disconnected steps ’(Ryan 1997,p.22) can be overcome by the grading of competencies; and the teacher focussing on how they relate to other associated skills, upcoming modules and industry requirements.
As Van Berkel (1997, p.25) says ‘Even though the VET system is still not fully accommodating all the components of CBT, those…in place are already producing outstanding results for industry and workers alike’. He argues that there are still some practitioners left in the VET system that need to adjust to CBT, saying they should ‘brush the chalk dust from their cardigans, and have a look at the real world’.
Morgan (2003, p.1) states that ‘Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a technique used to assess a person’s ability, knowledge and experience. It can refer to skills learned through work, training or life experience’. RPL enables the individual to gain a qualification in less time by recognising skills already achieved through work experience. It provides an option to study at their pace and can significantly improve employment prospects for both the young and older people rejoining the workforce. RPL provides students with a faster way of achieving a nationally recognised qualification.
There has been a remarkable growth in apprenticeships and trainees since 1997. Traditional apprenticeships such as building and butchers have seen modest growth, while the expansion to broaden non-traditional occupations has grown spectacularly. Karmel (2004, p11) states ‘traditionally, apprenticeships and traineeships went only to young persons and new entrants, but now existing workers can obtain an apprenticeship or traineeship and there are large numbers of adults and older workers taking advantage of the system’. This system not only encourages young workers into the workforce but gives the older population a better chance of increasing skills and employment opportunities.
However, issues have arisen about these developments and a number of reviews have been carried out. Currently, the federal government is reviewing aspects of apprenticeships and traineeships, with the focus on the structure of the incentives to employers that have no doubt assisted in the rapid growth in numbers. Other issues of whether it is appropriate to allow existing workers to become apprentices or trainees, along with the shortened duration of their training time remains questionable (Karmel 2004, p11).
The implementation of CBT was essential for Australia to remain competitive in industry. CBT builds confidence because participants know what level of performance is expected, how knowledge and skills will be evaluated, that progression through training is self- paced and that there are opportunities for practice until mastery is achieved. It delivers greater flexibility, encourages lifelong learning, and introduces the need of industry into the education system. CBT delivers the necessary reform package needed to develop Australia as a leading nation in educational training and industry.
Our VET system has made an enormous contribution to Australia’s economics success. Australian businesses need highly skilled, productive workers to complete even more successfully in the global market. The future of the Australian training system will need to be even more responsive to the ever-changing needs of industry. The training system will continue to build its reputation with young Australians, broadening their options after school. It will attract mature aged Australians back to study, and provide them with specialised skills, and pathways to new careers.
Reference List
Cornford, I. (1995). Competency-Based Training: An Assessment of Its Strengths and Weakness by NSW Vocational Teachers. AARE 25th Annual Conference, Hobart 26-30 November, 1995.
Electronic version
Retrieved 28 March, 2005
Karmel, T. (2004).Current directions in Australia’s vocational education and training system. International Vocational Education Conference, Tianjin, China.
Morgan, S 2003, ‘Recognition of prior learning’, Superfunds, 9 December, p.43
Ryan, R. & van Berkel, C (1997). Does Australia need CBT?: Round one and round two. Australian training review, 23: 21-25, 35.
Sullivan, R. (1995). The Competency-Based Approach to Training. JHPIEGO Strategy Paper.
Electronic version
Retrieved 17 March, 2005
