The Eighth International Literacy & Education Research Network Conference on

SPETSES, GREECE
4-8 July 2001

Athena Vass
VET Careers Co-ordinator, Dept. of Education, Employment and Training Victoria, Keilor Downs College, Victoria, Australia

Alan Montague
Dept. of Education, Employment and Training Victoria, Keilor Downs College, Victoria, Australia

What do Secondary Educators Need to do to Address and Resolve the Vocational and Educational Needs of Adolescent Students?

Abstract

This paper will discuss what secondary educators need to do to address and resolve the vocational and educational needs of adolescent students. The paper will include:

· A description of Vocational Education and Training (VET)

· Labour market statistics that outline the disturbing situation for youth in Australia and similar OECD countries.

· Attitudes of parents, teachers and students to VET

· Inadequate training for teachers in VET

· A general lack of understanding and appreciation of the vocational potential of VET

· A secondary education system that provides a curriculum that is biased towards higher education consequently serving a minority of students needs in Australia.

· The need for a secondary school environment to acknowledge and provide equitable rewards for students that possess skills that are not based on traditional academic abilities.

· A summary of attitude change amongst teachers in the classroom and the wider school community.

· A significant change in leadership and management of the secondary education sector to benefit students in VET terms.

· The need for a secondary school environment to acknowledge and provide equitable rewards for students that possess skills that are not based on traditional academic abilities

Bionotes

Athena Vass is a VET Co-ordinator in a government secondary school based in Melbourne in area that experiences high levels of youth unemployment. Athena has thirteen years experience as a secondary school teacher. Athena is a prominent member of the Careers Education association of Victoria.

Alan Montague joined Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in 1997 to manage the Apprenticeship and Traineeship programs and VET in Schools. Alan has completed post Graduate research in fields related to this presentation. Prior to this Alan was a senior Manager with a Federal Government Department, with expertise in government employment and educational programs particularly in the Apprenticeship and Traineeship VET field. Alan possesses over a decade's experience in program management and Policy development for government labour market and training programs.

Presentation Type
30 min. Paper

Presentation Equipment and Other Requests
Overhead Projector

Speaking Date/Time Restrictions

Country
Australia