Vocational, adult and professional education research
Publication Date
1-2017
Subjects
Aged care; Child care occupations; Early Childhood Education; Vocational education, Entry level training, Employers, Employment qualifications, Interpersonal competence, Work attitudes
Abstract
In the majority of vocational qualifications, assessment of competence incorporates a structured work placement (SWP). Increasingly, host employers are using these placements as part of recruitment strategies, particularly for entry level roles. In effect, the placement is becoming the new ‘interview’, and the new interview is morphing into an extended audition where a learner’s non-technical, ‘employability’ skills may play a critical role. But do learners know what their host employers are really looking for, and to what extent are their training programs helping them to develop and demonstrate the skills that are most likely to influence an employer’s recruitment decisions? This study explored the degree of alignment between the employability skills valued by employers, the skills learners bring to the new work context and the skills their training programs assess and/or actively foster. It was undertaken for the SA Department of State Development (SDS) in conjunction with the City of Playford, and focused on two industry sectors, child care and aged care. It involved employers, trainers and learners associated with two training programs operating in Adelaide’s northern suburbs and funded through the SA WorkReady Program. A key feature of the study was the trialling of the Core Skills for Work developmental Framework (CSfW) to explore its potential as a systematic mapping and consultation tool.
Recommended Citation
Perkins, K. (2017). What do employers really want? Helping vocational learners crack the code. Australian Council for Educational Research. https://research.acer.edu.au/transitions_misc/36
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2017 Government of South Australia
Place of Publication
Melbourne
Publisher
Australian Council for Educational Research
Geographic Subject
South Australia
Included in
Early Childhood Education Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Vocational Education Commons
Comments
Report prepared for the Skills and Employment Division, South Australian Department of State Development