From the sidelines to the centre: Indigenous support units in vocational education and training

Abstract

Indigenous Australians are significantly disadvantaged in comparison with non‐Indigenous Australians on all socioeconomic indicators. Education and training are seen as a means of reducing inequality, and high levels of Indigenous participation in vocational education and training (VET) indicate that this sector has a central role in this process. This paper draws from an interview study undertaken to investigate the VET experiences of Indigenous adults in Victoria, Australia. Retrospective interviews were conducted with a sample of 128 current and former students, and teachers and other stakeholders in order to identify the factors that promote engagement in the system and improve qualifications and employment pathways. A major finding of the study was the vital role played by Indigenous Support Units in enabling Indigenous students to successfully negotiate their pathways through the VET system.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank John Polesel for his helpful advice and Lionel Bamblett and Neville Atkinson from the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated for their feedback on earlier versions of this paper.

Notes

1. Apparent retention rates are calculated as the number of full‐time Year 12 students expressed as a percentage of the number who started secondary schooling in Years 7 or 8. In some jurisdictions secondary education begins in Year 7 and in others in Year 8. It is important to note that aggregated data on school completion tend to mask regional differences. Completion of Year 12 is strongly associated with place of residence, with early school leaving more likely in rural and remote areas (Marks & Fleming, 1999; Teese, 2002). Proportionally more Indigenous Australians live in remote parts of the country than do other Australians and access to schools is often more difficult in remote regions simply because there are fewer schools. Relatively few Indigenous communities in remote areas have a secondary school in or near the community and this has a strong effect on attendance (Biddle et al., 2004).

2. The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a unified system of national qualifications in schools, vocational education and training and the higher education sector. In the VET sector, AQF levels range from Certificate I to Certificate V (diploma and advanced diploma)

3. Community Employment Development Program, a scheme whereby Indigenous people work for the equivalent of the dole in community‐based programs. It has been estimated that about one in three Indigenous people officially counted as employed are working in CDEP programs (Cully, 2005).