Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, a series of Federal Government papers and major reports called for changes and improvement in the skills formation of the Australian workforce, in an attempt to create a highly skilled and flexible workforce. Training reform was seen as a means of achieving the flexibility and skill levels required for general economic improvement. The Federal Government proposed increased investment in training by industry and government, and the transformation of the training system from a time-based approach to a competency-based approach. A National Training Board was established to assist in the implementation of the reform. The National Training Board perceived the national training reform agenda as a national response to increase the competitiveness and productivity of industry through the implementation of competency-based vocational education and training. (For complete abstract open document)

Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, a series of Federal Government papers and major reports called for changes and improvement in the skills formation of the Australian workforce, in an attempt to create a highly skilled and flexible workforce. Training reform was seen as a means of achieving the flexibility and skill levels required for general economic improvement. The Federal Government proposed increased investment in training by industry and government, and the transformation of the training system from a time-based approach to a competency-based approach. A National Training Board was established to assist in the implementation of the reform. The National Training Board perceived the national training reform agenda as a national response to increase the competitiveness and productivity of industry through the implementation of competency-based vocational education and training. (For complete abstract open document)

This thesis develops a multi-faceted picture of competency based training and the impact it is having on vocational education. The thesis is a personal attempt to act agentically by deconstructing the discourse of vocational education within which I am positioned in my working life. It is an attempt to push back the boundaries of the discourse and to explore and create spaces for contestation. In order to do this I undertake three different readings of a set of texts. The texts come from two sources. The first is a set of documents identified in the Framework for the Implementation of Competency Based Training and which represent the official government position on competency based training. The second is a set of interviews I undertook with teachers at the Canberra Institute of Technology regarding their views about competency based training. Details of the texts are provided in Section 2 of the thesis. The body of the thesis is a set of three readings of these texts. The particular view of 'reading' used in the thesis is a post structuralist one. Each of the readings brings into play the understanding of the texts created within a particular discourse. I draw on the work of Michel Foucault for the understanding of discourse used in the thesis. The first reading is from within the discourse. It is a reading which seeks to understand competency based training in its own terms, and in relation to the critical debates within the literature of vocational education. I argue in this reading that competency based training emerges as a grand but flawed vision for the future of vocational education. The second reading takes the viewpoint of the work of Michel Foucault, and in particular his book Discipline and Punish. It uses the metaphor of the panopticon to explore the nature of power/knowledge within competency based training and the regime of truth which it brings into being. The final reading is from a feminist post structuralist position. I argue in this reading that the discourse of competency based training is phallocentric. I explore the liberatory claims of the discourse and conclude that the claims are limited because they do not challenge the fundamental and powerful dualisms through which competency based training is constituted. Finally in the conclusion I briefly explore whether I have achieved the aim of the thesis. I question what it means to act agentically and whether the type of thesis I have undertaken constructs the possibility of doing so.

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Training and empirically evaluating caregivers’ implementation of behavior management skills is a particularly challenging task in large residential contexts. A pyramidal training approach provides an efficient and effective way to conduct large-scale competency-based behavior skills training. The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate a large-scale pyramidal staff training program for behavior management skills. One hundred nine caregivers and 11 behavior service professionals at a large, residential care facility participated in this project. Interobserver agreement was utilized to develop and refine measurements systems to detect caregiver acquisition of skills, behavior service professionals’ ability to score caregiver performance and behavior service professionals’ ability to deliver a specified portion of the curriculum. Pre- and post-test probes were conducted utilizing standard role play scenarios and checklists to evaluate caregiver acquisition of three specific behavior management skills. The results supported the following conclusions: first, interobserver agreement measures were useful to develop a reliable measurement system, to refine some curriculum elements, and to evaluate measurement conducted by behavior service professionals. Second, behavior skills training (BST) resulted in caregiver acquisition of all three behavior management techniques. Third, the pyramidal training approach was effective to teach behavior service professionals to deliver BST and accurately measure the performances of trainees.

South Africa since the liberation in 1994 has faced a lot of changes. The changes include being a member of the international community. As part of the international community, South Africa is finding itself largely faced by the challenges associated with this position. Looking at other countries South Africa is realizing that the world is looking at better ways of educating their people and organizing their education and training systems so that they might gain the edge in an increasingly competitive economic global environment. Success and survival in such a world demands that South Africa has a national education and training system that provides quality learning and promotes the development of a nation that is committed to life-long learning. Institutions of higher education in South Africa are currently changing their present education system to conform to a Competency-Based Training (CBT) system. This system has only been planned but not implemented yet and it is not clear how CBT will be implemented, especially how the learners are going to be assessed. Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) is an integral part of CBT that needs particular attention if the new system is to succeed. The key aims of this thesis are to investigate the current assessment policy and practice at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) underpinned by Competency- Based Training system. The project will describe and analyze the Competency-Based Assessment system used within CIT's CBT system. The project will focus on: Observing classroom practice of CBA, analyzing students' and teachers' perceptions of their involvement with CBA, and analyzing employers' perceptions of the effectiveness of CBA. The main aim of this thesis is to suggest recommendations for an assessment model that will be suitable to implement within hospitality training institutions in South Africa.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / Boschmans Colliery is, as is the case in the rest of the mining industry, heavily reliant on skilled persons in the Engineering discipline to install and maintain the machinery and infrastructure required for the production of a saleable product. Historically, apprentices were recruited from the ranks of school leavers and were given a good, albeit somewhat condensed training to qualify them as artisans. Artisans on their own are however not able to accomplish the tasks at hand and are therefore assisted by artisan assistants. Artisan assistants were historically recruited from the ranks of the unskilled, and in many instances, illiterate masses and were reliant on an unstructured process of on the job training while working under the direct supervision of an artisan. Given the complexities of modern coal mining machinery, the high cost of labour and training, the inherent dangers associated with the mining process and the requirements of the legislative framework, the current approach whereby all the Engineering skills are concentrated in a select few is no longer acceptable. The current system of apprentice training shortcomings are highlighted and a new system of training Engineering employees from the entry level onward is proposed.

The present study attempted to measure library literacy levels of open or flexible learners at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) during the 1995 academic year, and to investigate to what extent the information skills component of TAFE open learning modules influence adult learners' library literacy levels. To address these issues, a quasi-experimental research methodology was used to measure library literacy levels at the beginning and, again, on or near course completion to ascertain whether any change had occurred, through the administration of a questionnaire. A number of participants were then interviewed to further validate the responses fiom the questionnaires. The study attempted to show that though courses claim to address key competencies in a vocational education and training environment, one component of the key competencies, the ability to collect, analyse and organise information, was not being met. That one component was the ability to locate (or collect) information. No strong correlations resulted fiom the library literacy levels measured and the degree to which the key competency was addressed within course modules. No statistical measures were possible due to the small sample population that eventuated, though it was almost half the original targeted population. No real gain was achieved in library literacy levels between the pretest and posttest stages of the research for either the Experimental or Control groups. Though a highly suitable research methodology, the quasi-experimental research design did have some limitations in this piece of research. The CIT flexible learning environment at the time of the study contributed to the limitations of the study. However, a number of recommendations were made on the basis of the research results, advocating some strategies that might be implemented to improve the library literacy levels of learners undertaking open or flexible delivery courses within CIT, and suggestions to change the research environment to avoid many of the problems experienced. The CIT pilot study was the first known formally documented study of library literacy levels in an Australian TAFE environment of its kind. The study reflects the literature published at the time of the study. At that time, the research in this field was minimal. Many publications and research have emerged since 1995 when this study was conducted, indicating this is an area of great interest.

Training Packages form the basis upon which practitioners in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector in Australia develop their pedagogical processes. As workplaces adapt their practices to compete globally, demand for skilled and knowledgeable workers places pressure on institutional training providers such as TAFE to develop training programs that support the acquisition of higher order thinking skills in graduates. Using a competence based framework as a backdrop, the research centres on the notion of the place of Project Based Learning in a Training Package context. The research proposes that learning through projects is an effective means of integrating Training Package outcomes with an instructional model that engages learners in independent, flexible and reflective learning. The research was conducted retrospectively from a case study of an AQF Level 6 Textile, Clothing and Footwear Training Package Program at RMIT University TAFE. An Action Research approach underpins the investigation, resulting in the profiling of teaching, learning and assessment as areas in need of further examination. These defining themes are explored in the context of the Project Based Learning model developed at RMIT, with consideration given to the potential for broader application. The discussion concludes with a theoretical review of the new understandings of pedagogy. The study aims to establish that a constructive alignment exists between the behaviourist approach of Training Packages and the more constructivist theories behind Project Based Learning; rendering it a suitable instructional model that meets the needs of 21st century learners.

Cooper, Heron and Heward define maintenance as the extent to which a learner continues to perform a target behavior after the intervention has been terminated. Testing for maintenance allows the trainer to see if gains were sustained following the termination of a treatment program. In addition, once it is shown that a learner's skills have remained in the repertoire, assessment of generalization is possible. Previous literature in behavior skills training have assessed maintenance in a variety of settings for a variety of skills. Following maintenance assessments, booster sessions are commonly used to re-train skills that did not maintain at criterion levels. The current project assessed the maintenance of caregivers' skills following a training package used to teach three behavior management techniques (use reinforcement, pivot, protect-redirect) at a large, residential care facility. Procedures were developed to assess caregivers' maintenance of the three behavior management techniques using a pre-test- post-test design. If needed, skills were re-established using 5-20 minute booster sessions. The results showed that time between post-test and maintenance did not seem to have a strong effect on maintenance scores. In general, post-test scores were somewhat indicative of maintenance scores, and patterns were most apparent across tools.