Identifying VET teacher knowledge and skills at higher AQF levels Steven Hodge, Roslin Brennan Kemmis, Jillian Downing and Michele Simons

Introducing ACDEVEG The Australian Council of Deans of Education Vocational Education Group Productivity Commission study of the VET workforce Task of identifying the higher education contribution to VET teacher and trainer development

Mapping HE VET teacher qualifications Involved analysing 30 VET teacher programs offered by 11 higher education institutions Programs include Associate Degrees (AQF 6), Bachelors Degrees (AQF 7), Graduate Certificates and Diplomas (AQF 8) and Masters Degrees (AQF 9)

Knowledge & skill focus areas Context – social, policy, systemic Curriculum, program and learning strategy Teaching and learning Literacy and numeracy Learner diversity

Knowledge & skill focus areas (continued) Assessment and evaluation Workplace and organisational context The VET profession VET research Leadership and management

One qualification mapped to the AQF The University of Tasmania Bachelor of Education (Applied Learning) The AQF ‘dimensions of learning outcomes’ as a mapping framework Yields a rich picture of the knowledge and skills developed by VET teachers undertaking the program

Current focus Analysing models for representing professional knowledge and skills, e.g. IBSA VET Practitioners Capability Framework AITSL Professional Standards for Teachers Turner-Bissett’s Teachers’ Professional Knowledge Bases Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

Favoured model Heath et al’s Education Discipline Threshold Learning Outcomes model (ALTC/ACDE 2011) Aligns to AQF levels and dimensions of learning outcomes Provides a rich picture of the body of knowledge and skills underpinning teachers’ work Can be customised to reflect the knowledge and skills specific to VET teachers (as revealed in the ACDEVEG mapping work)

Next steps Build on the ALTC/ACDE TLO model to produce a statement of the VET teacher and trainer body of knowledge and skills Used in future development and refinement of ACDEVEG qualifications Used to represent VET teacher knowledge and skills at higher AQF levels for prospective students and stakeholders

Questions? Suggestions?