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Date: July 2020

Author: Bruce Mackenzie, Mackenzie Research Institute

Response to the Productivity Commission Interim Report into the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development Review

Download Productivity Commission Interim Report submission (PDF- 916kb)

Date: May 2020

Author: Bruce Mackenzie, Mackenzie Research Institute

The Mackenzie Research Institute submission argues the questions in the Skills for Victoria’s Growing Economy Issues Paper raises complex concerns that are directly impacted by a range of other factors such as industry investment, industrial relations, industry policy and the state of the economy. Clearly, an issue for vocational education is the amount of guidance the sector is given in regard to real employment needs for quality jobs.

This paper discusses the importance of a balanced workforce in the development of innovative, productive economies and socially inclusive societies. It focuses on the importance of the intermediate workforce. It argues that three education sectors (upper secondary, vocational and higher education) play complementary roles in skill formation and development, whether in supporting students to enter into further education and/or gain employment.

A central issue raised in the paper relates to the contribution that post-secondary education makes to productivity and occupational mobility, particularly regarding transitioning from low skilled work to intermediate skills and raises issues based on evidence about the effectiveness of this framework.

Since 2000, upper secondary and tertiary education in Australia has been planned around issues of productivity, transitioning from a manufacturing to a service economy, and ensuring that the appropriate skill mix, in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, were available to industry. Increasing year 12 completions and uncapping access to university education underpinned our skills formation framework.

Download the Skills for Victoria’s Growing Economy Issues Paper Response – Part 1 (PDF - 2,428kb)

Date: June 2020

Author: Bruce Mackenzie, Mackenzie Research Institute

Part 2 of the Mackenzie Research Institute's response to the Skills for Victoria’s Growing Economy Issues Paper puts forward some strategies that would assist people in the most vulnerable situations to improve their employment status. It provides information about who benefits most from lifelong learning.

Some of the factors that are key to lifelong learning relate to the importance of having or obtaining core skills; being able to access higher education that caters for different learning styles and is sympathetic to non-traditional learners especially adults; being able to access courses at flexible times, especially for adults, who want to study part-time; and offering suitable courses for those whose learning style is applied rather than theoretical.

It suggests that the shift to a competitive system should be evaluated in terms of costs to the taxpayer and whether the social and educational objectives that underpinned competition have in any way been achieved. Preliminary observations are that competition has been an expensive and fruitless exercise that has caused untold damage to the vocational education and training sector and has stifled the desire for lifelong learning.

Download the Skills for Victoria’s Growing Economy Issues Paper Response – Part 2 (PDF - 941kb)

Date: May 2020

Author: Bruce Mackenzie, Mackenzie Research Institute

The pandemic crisis has raised significant issues concerning the current and future direction of Australia’s economy and underpinning systems, including education. This paper discusses the effectiveness of educational pathways programs in upper secondary education in Victoria.

• It suggests that existing pathways are ineffective and there is significant confusion about their purpose.
• Alternatives to existing arrangements based on international developments are outlined, as well as comments on the importance of a connection from this Review with Jenny Macklin’s Review into VET in Victoria.

State-wide destination surveys indicate that vocational education for completers and non-completers of year 12 is a declining proposition. International reforms in upper secondary education have seen governments, concerned with an overemphasis on university education, opting for two pathways for upper secondary level students, i.e. an academic or a technical/professional option.

Download Review on Vocational and Applied Learning Pathways in Senior Secondary Schooling Submission (PDF - 93kb)