Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
ASSIGNMENT 2
3141EBL – CHANGE AGENCY
COURSE CONVENOR: PROF. STEPHEN BILLETT
SUBMITTED BY: DAVID MARTIN
STUDENT #2636349
S2636349@STUDENT.GRIFFITH.EDU.AU
DATE SUBMITTED: 31 OCTOBER 2008
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Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
While the use of information and computer technology (ICT) has become part of the daily
experience for many people, when problems arise or specialist advice is required those in
the information technology (IT) industry are employed. People participate in the IT industry in
a wide variety of specialist roles to sell, maintain and support computers, software packages
and the necessary technological infrastructure to make it all work. This is a role that involves
customer service, technical, project and time management skills. Further, participants need
to have knowledge on past, current and future trends of products being used in the wider
community and how that will affect the industry and how VET makes provisions for this.
This assignment will give a critical account of the current and transforming work
requirements of those employed in a fast changing technological environment. It will be
shown that the speed at which technology is being created, distributed and then discarded is
a challenge to gaining continuous employment. Further, the widespread adoption of
information technology has placed increased demands on the number of those in the
vocation and at the same time allows for some to obtain highly specialised positions within
the industry. Participation in the workplace will be examined, including trends in
contract/non-permanent employment and what type of organisations offer employment. It will
be argued that while there is not a recognised trade qualification for this industry there are
educational qualifications and other on-going learning involved in developing and
maintaining key requirements for employment in this vocation. Barriers to participation will
also be identified and the implication of all of the factors on workers will be analysed. The
implications for the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector will be analysed and it
will be argued that the ability to accurately predict or rapidly adapt to demand and
technological change is critical to successfully delivering lifelong learning in this industry.
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Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
Current and transforming work requirements
It is difficult to concisely describe the work practices of an employee in the IT industry as
there are many areas of specialisation; networking, services and support, database design,
software development and design, system administrations, web/multimedia technologies,
customer contact centres and programming (Innovation and Business Skills Australia).
Census figures differentiate between computing professionals/technicians and electronic
engineers and shows that there was a large increase of technicians and a decrease in
engineers between 2004 and 2006 (Australian Bureau of Statistics). While those employed
as engineers receive a trade qualification through an apprenticeship system, computing
professionals and technicians may have educational qualifications but do not obtain a trade
certificate. This report examines the work requirements of computing professionals and
technicians who are using the vocational education and training (VET) system to participate
and maintain their professional practice in the IT industry. The following skill areas will be
examined as important work requirements; technical knowledge of computer equipment and
software, customer service, training and communication skills as well as the ability to
manage projects and create or maintain documentation.
Technical knowledge of computer equipment and software can be gained through both
hands on experience as well as training or research. It involves not only being able to
operate the computer hardware and software packages, but being able to customise, locate
and rectify faults and integrating different components to a customer’s specific requirements
or specification. The availability of job specialisation combined with rapid changes in
technology means that technical knowledge is the major component of being a successful
worker in this industry. It needs to be constantly updated and used for workers to retain
current industry knowledge and remain employable and efficient.
Customer service and communication skills are required as the majority of work will be for
end users. These may be internal customers as part of an organisation or external
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Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
customers that have paid the employer for a service. Communication skills are also required
to request information and stock from vendors. In many instances what is initially indentified
as hardware or software faults may in fact be user generated. In these cases effective
communication skills are required to convey the problem and solution in a way that can be
understood by a non-technical end user and often one on one training skills are required to
ensure that the user does not make similar mistakes again, or that the end user can rectify
or work around the problem themselves.
Project and time management skills are also of importance. For entry level workers time
management skills are necessary to ensure that work targets are met and that if problems
cannot be solved in a timely manner they can be escalated to more senior technicians.
Project management becomes more important as a career advances and more complex,
expensive and time consuming jobs are undertaken. It is often the case than more than one
vendor is involved in supplying a complete IT solution for a customer. This sort of situation
involves monitoring all aspects of the job to ensure everything arrives, can be installed,
tested and delivered to the customer as promised. Documentation is another important
aspect of an IT job. The complexity and multi user nature of IT means that effective
documentation of proposals, procedures, inventory, fault finding and solutions needs to be
done to ensure a professional and consistent relationship can be developed between the
technician, his employer and clients.
Another important factor of transforming work requirements is the size of the employer and
the terms of employment. The IT industry has a large number of small businesses employing
small numbers of workers and a small number of large businesses employing a large
percentage of the workforce (Innovation and Business Skills Australia). The 2005-2006
censuses showed that there were 246,700 people employed as computing professionals and
technicians and that 91.4% of them were employed full time. (Australian Bureau of
Statistics). This statistic is at odds with examples of an increase in the number of short term
contracts and Halvey & Melby (2005, p. 1) state that for most businesses outsourcing of
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Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
information technology is more common now compared to 10 years ago. Therefore, workers
may not be directly employed for the company at which they are working.
Implications for maintaining and developing professional practice
Continuing education and upgrading of skills is necessary to develop and maintain
professional practice in the IT industry. In some high technology companies, there is no
place for an entry level worker, employees require vocational or university qualification to
obtain work in the industry (Whittingham, 2003, p. 7). Further, over half of all are technically
or professionally qualified (Australian Computer Society, 2008, p. 5).Therefore to maintain
professional practice within the IT industry, workers will need to be aware of the changing
environment and educational requirements of their current or future job role.
Changing work environments can result in challenges to workers identity. A large part of a
person’s identity can be made up by their work, how they see themselves as an employee or
part of an organisation (Noon and Blyton et al. cited in Billet, Pavlova, 2005, p. 199). The
implications of more workers being employed on short term contracts or as part of an
outsourcing agreement is that they will be considered, or consider themselves interim
workers, employments becomes a non-permanent agreement and therefore less meaningful.
Individuals are becoming more responsible for their own training as a form of developing
personal agency. People need to find a balance between a sense of self and being able to
participate in the contentious work environment (Billet & Pavlova, 2005, p. 199). If IT workers
are to make use of the cyclical nature of short term and contract work ongoing education and
retraining should be considered part of the down cycle. When a contract is expired it is a
chance to learn new skills and provide the possibility of a new direction or the chance of
extending their current position.
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Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
There are several barriers to participation in this industry, including the image and character
of the industry that prohibits participation by women, dated career information in schools,
inappropriate teaching and learning strategies and the influence of the home on career
choices (Cameron, Edwards, Grant, & Kearns, 2002, p. 4). Government support for
educational change for participants in the IT industry vary. Some are specifically designed to
address target group participation, which addresses barriers in the short term. Policy is also
attempting to make TAFE and VET in general more responsive to industry and economic
change.
VET provisions supporting lifelong learning
Rapid technological, economic and social changes in modern society have changed the
education and work patterns of people in every vocation. The notion of a standardised lifecourse is no longer identifiable and there is an increase in unpredictable ordering of events
that affect the ability of participation in the workforce (Martin, 2007, p. 12). The university
sector is more likely to cater to people involved in a more standard life course (Martin, 2007,
p. 32), leaving the vocational training sector as the main alternative.
However, TAFE does not have a good record of supporting lifelong learning and professional
advancement for those in the IT industry. Except for mixed field programs, information
technology graduates were shown to be the least likely to be employed after training, at
64.3% of those surveyed (NCVER, 2007, p. 8). There are two training packages that are
suitable for this industry, the Information and Communications Technology Training Package
(ICA05) and the Telecommunications Training Package. The ICA05 package contains 22
qualifications from certificate 1 to advanced diploma and also provides 14 areas of
specialisation. However, many training organisations would not be able to offer this variety
because teachers would bring with them only the skills from their own area of specialisation.
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Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
With the rapid changes in technology it is would be difficult to achieve industry currency with
the limited industry and professional development time allocated to VET teachers.
The national framework is often seen as slow, unable to rapidly change to meet industry and
societal needs. Industry bodies, such as the Innovation and Business Skills Australia provide
input into the development of curriculum and training packages. This may not be enough
because VET planners “require skills in identifying emerging industry trends and determining
rapid changes in technology” (Whittingham, 2003, p. 73). Industry bodies need to assist the
VET sector in this sort of planning, especially when the technology and trends change so
rapidly in the IT industry.
Many employers and employees are unaware of the underlying framework of the VET
system and what the differences are between TAFE training and VET (Whittingham, 2003, p.
70). There are an increasing number of private providers offering specialist IT training, some
of which do not follow national competencies, but rather qualifications and certifications from
actual vendors of hardware and software from within the industry. This provides an area of
difficulty for the training organisations and those seeking education within the national
framework.
Both VET and lifelong learning should be associated with equitable education and vocational
opportunities across the whole of society. However, there have been a number of equity
groups with limited participation in training for the information technology industry. With
women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, those from remote or rural locations and
students with disabilities having lower than average representation in information technology
enrolments (Cameron, Edwards, Grant, & Kearns, 2002, p. 2). More than providing short
term goals for these target groups, a society that gives incentives to individuals and
enterprises needs to be created (McKenzie, 2001, p. 374).
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Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
Conclusion
The fast paced technology industry creates and maintains an increasing number of workers
who require qualifications, experience and a wide range of skills as part of their vocation.
While there are many different areas of specialisation, there are general skills that are useful
to all workers in the IT industry; technical knowledge of computer equipment and software,
customer service and communication skills as well as project and time management skills.
For IT technicians and professionals there is no apprenticeship but there are vocational and
higher education courses available to develop and maintain the skills used in the workplace.
Increasingly it is becoming the responsibility of the individual to maintain their currency and
overcome barriers to participation in the IT workforce. Economic, technological and social
change is affecting the way people are employed in the IT industry. The increase in
outsourcing of work generates more contract and casual workers, which may affect the way
the individuals value themselves and their work.
The VET system provides some of this lifelong learning but needs to quickly adapt to new
technology, work and education practices. Being part of a national framework is not an
advantage in the IT industry, there are many certifications and training qualifications that do
not fit into a competency based system. VET may be able to supply underlying skills and
attitudes that can assist workers in maintaining a positive outlook on lifelong learning and
allow them to complete the specialised learning that is needed to maintain lifelong learning
for workers in the IT industry. Equity groups are also under-represented in the information
technology industry and this issue needs to be addressed within the VET system.
As with all vocations, those in the IT industry face a changing environment that requires new
or improved skills brought about by lifelong learning. This learning happens in the workplace
and as part of formal and post-school education. The challenges are being met by action
taken by the individual, policies made by government and through vocational and higher
education, though some inequalities exist and improvements can be made.
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Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (n.d.). 6105.0 - Australian Labour Market Statistics, Oct
2006. Retrieved October 3, 2008, from
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202006?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=6105.0&issue=Oct%202006&num=&
view=
Australian Computer Society. (2008). The ICT skills forecast project. First report:
Quantiftying current and forecast ICT employment. Melbourne: Centre for Innovative
Industries Economic Research.
Billet, S., & Pavlova, M. (2005). Learning through working life: self and individuals' agentic
action. International Journal of Lifelong Education , 24 (3), 195-211.
Cameron, B., Edwards, J., Grant, J., & Kearns, P. (2002). Participation in information
technology and communications in education and training: Final report on the project.
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Halvey, J. K., & Melby, B. M. (2005). Information technology outsourcing transactions (2nd
ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons.
Innovation and Business Skills Australia. (n.d.). IBSA - ICT. Retrieved October 16, 2008,
from http://www.ibsa.org.au/content/ict/index.html
Martin, B. (2007). Skill acquisition and use accross the life course: Current trends, future
prospects. Adelaide: NCVER.
McKenzie, P. (2001). How to make lifelong learning a reality: Implications for the planning of
education provisions in Australia. In D. Aspin, J. Chapman, M. Hatton, & Y. Sawano (Eds.),
International Handbook of Lifelong Learning (Vol. 1, pp. 367-377). Dordechdt: Kluwer
Academic Publishers.
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Assignment 2
3141EBL
Curriculum Development in Adult and Vocational Education
David Martin
S2636349
NCVER. (2007). Australian vocational education and training statistics: Student outcomes.
Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training.
Whittingham, K. (2003). Going boldly into the future: Skills and Australian high technology
start-up firms. Leabrook: NCVER.
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