Models of delivery of vocational education and training in schools in rural and remote areas: Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia

This report is the outcome of the Strategic School to Work Project, which aimed to assist young people in rural and remote areas in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia in the transition from school to vocational learning. It covered general vocation, enterprise and career education, accredited vocational education and training, work experience, structured workplace learning, part-time New Apprenticeships and school based community enterprises. A particular target group of the project was Indigenous young people.

A range of factors have emerged as critical to the appropriate delivery of vocational education and training in remote and rural communities. They include: use of culturally appropriate trainers; incorporation of vocational learning with accredited vocational education; use of appropriate distance and online learning; awareness in schools and their communities of their roles in successful vocational education initiatives; flexibility of programs and their ability to respond to local needs; and professional development of teachers and their need to access information.

The report makes the following recommendations:

1. resources be developed to support the delivery of existing non-industry specific certificates.
2. career resources of particular relevance to Indigenous students and to students in remote and rural locations be available nationally.
3. further national programs in the vocational education and school to work transition areas be planned in such a way as to explicitly acknowledge and support the special needs of students, schools and communities in rural and remote locations.
4. information of particular relevance to schools and communities in rural and remote locations be incorporated when training packages are being developed or upgraded.
5. new courses appropriate for teacher preservice education be developed in the areas of Indigenous learning styles, ESL methodology and Indigenous culture.
6. consideration be given to the establishment of scholarships for teacher preservice education, requiring remote community placements and study in these new courses.
7. the Commonwealth and/or the states and territories consider means of enhancing access to and outcomes from vocational education for students in rural and remote locations.

This project was funded under the Strategic Component of the School to Work Programme.