1. AVETRA Conference April 12-13 2012 Canberra Joe Pagnoccolo Generic skills assessment: Development and validation of an instrument for apprentices in the traditional trades.

2. Skillaroos Teach MPs New Skills  http://www.worldskills.org.au/photos.php?galleryNum=77 http://www.worldskills.org.au/photos.php?galleryNum=77 ©Joe Pagnoccolo - Avetra Conference 2012 2 Skillaroos Teach MP's New Skills

3. Introduction  Specialist skill shortage across Australia in the trades.  Completion rates of apprentices across all trades.  Use of Generic skills in the VET sector ©Joe Pagnoccolo - Avetra Conference 2012 3

4. Aim Of The Study  To develop, construct and validate a measure of six generic skills factors and then survey the instrument to all types of apprentices across Australia.  Motivation for doing it: To provide a measure that could act as a basis for generic skills research and to provide a psychometric measure for future work with apprentices across all trades. ©Joe Pagnoccolo - Avetra Conference 2012 4

5. Method Conduct a literature review relating to generic skills. Find and develop questions relating to the scales chosen. Survey participants Demographics (Stage two) - 93.5% male doing an electrical apprenticeship residing in Victoria, attending a via day release in a public training college in Melbourne. Most of the sample was between nineteen and twenty three years of age and had year twelve as the highest level of education prior to commencing their apprenticeship. © Joe Pagnoccolo - Avetra Conference 2012 5

6. Procedure Stage One – Identified constructs, assembled 122 questions into a survey instrument. Conducted a pilot study across Australia. Stage Two – An iterative refinement process of the questions was organized. The final result, 47 questions across six scales in the questionnaire. Stage Three – Survey conducted across Australia and overseas. (N = 627) Statistical analysis conducted, revealed a multidimensional factorial structure containing 37 items with two existing scales & four new ones. ©Joe Pagnoccolo - Avetra Conference 2012 6

7. Results FACTOR 1 g2.670 Working & Interacting g4.650 g3.619 g1.611 g42.578 g6.568 g20.533 g16.502 g8.496 FACTOR 2 g10.691 Application & Opinion g46.613 g19.602 g24.568 g18.555 g14.505 ©Joe Pagnoccolo - Avetra Conference 2012 7

8. Results FACTOR 3 g23.781 COMMUNICATION g17.738 g11.667 g35.599 g29.578 g40.532 g5.528 FACTOR 4 g37.717 TEAMWORK g9.661 g32.659 g41.587 g43.496 ©Joe Pagnoccolo - Avetra Conference 2012 8

9. Results FACTOR 5 g44.695 Accomplishing & Reporting g45.691 g39.636 g26.631 g47.559 g34.558 g36.549 FACTOR 6 g13.641 g12.623 Active Participation g22.555 ©Joe Pagnoccolo - Avetra Conference 2012 9

10. Conclusion  New tool created, Swinburne University Apprentice Skills Assessment (SUASA)  Can be used with other validated survey instruments.  Contributes to vocational education research  Contains industry required skills.  Benefit to stakeholders of apprentices. ©Joe Pagnoccolo - Avetra Conference 2012 10

11. Thank You 11 (C) Joe Pagnoccolo AVETRA 2012 Contact details: jpagnoccolo@swin.edu.au

12. Widescreen Test Pattern (16:9) Aspect Ratio Test (Should appear circular) 16x9 4x3 Joe Pagnoccolo Avetra Conference 2012 12