As the work of the LLEN focuses increasingly on the integration of what we call our "three pillars" of Education, Business and Community and how best to create regional clusters that support skill development, investment attraction and genuine opportunities for our young people, this most recent report from the NCVER highlights the critical role between high quality training and the development of sustainable communities in Australia.

I highly commend this report to all members, particularly those NOT in the education sector.

This research examines the impact of vocational education and training (VET), and its project-based activities and partnerships, on the development of sustainable communities in regional Australia.

It finds that VET plays a critical role as the entry point to learning and builds considerable social and other forms of capital in regional communities.

‘Building capital’ means making the most of available resources and trying to generate more resources when required. Social capital refers to the network of relationships and skills which result from community and civic activities. This study points to new opportunities for integrating these assets into strategic regional development.

• Vocational education and training, VET partnerships and project-based training have created and mobilised social capital, as well as human, environmental, cultural and built (that is, physical) capital in regional Australia. These various types of capital are core requirements for sustainable regional development.
  
• Vocational education and training and VET partnerships play a critical role in creating individual and community confidence and are often the key entry points to learning and employment.
  
• There is a need for a more holistic approach to training, giving consideration to the continuing learning pathway along which an individual may travel, as opposed to focusing on discrete packages and modules. This is especially apparent in Indigenous communities where training can impose community obligations.
  
• There are excellent examples of VET leadership in regional development but, in general, vocational education and training and VET partnerships are not full participants in regional development plans and strategies. The changing regional landscapes will benefit from more
  input from the VET sector.
  
• VET has responded well to a growing consolidation of larger regional service centres, where the ‘higher order’ skills associated with new technologies and electronics are often required. Less well resolved is the role of VET in smaller centres. There is a need for effective regional delivery models which link these service centres.

You can download the report from the LLEN Research archive here [360KB].

[Source: NCVER]

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