[Type text]
Career Education Association of Victoria
Unit 3, 192B Burwood Road
Hawthorn 3122
Tel: (03) 9810 6400
Fax: (03) (815 2490
Website: www.ceav.vic.edu.au
Inquiry into School Devolution and Accountability
School Devolution and Accountability Inquiry
Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission
GPO Box 4379
MELBOURNE VIC 3001
The Career Education Association of Victoria Incorporated
Response to Issues Paper
November 2012
Contact
Bernadette Gigliotti
Executive Manager
CEAV
Career Education Association of Victoria Inc.
1
The Career Education Association of Victoria (CEAV Inc.) is the peak state based association
representing career practitioners in a variety of educational settings. The association also has
representation on its Committee of Management from business, industry and the education and
training sector. The association has a membership base of 670 members from state, catholic and
independent schools. Its primary function is to provide professional development and training in
career education to organisations that deal with young people. The CEAV is a not for profit
association with a 35 year history of providing quality teaching and learning programs in career
education. The membership includes 345 qualified professional members working in schools as
career development practitioners. As the peak state based association we are acutely aware of the
need for an effective model for delivery of career education services and programs in Victorian
schools and we welcome an opportunity to provide input into this issues paper. The CEAV would
also welcome the opportunity to be part of the inquiry, through interviews or community forums.
The association membership is made up of 550 schools with 60% of these members in Victorian
government schools. Our interest in this inquiry is to support the needs of our members as the
implications of devolution and accountability in regards to the delivery of career services in schools
could affect their capacity to provide quality services to the students in their care.
It is often the case that when a funding model provides for a user pay system within a school, that
services such as careers and vocational training are outsourced to the lowest price not necessarily
the quality of service provision. There is evidence to suggest that whilst there is substantial
investment by the state government in career development services “the distribution and use of
these resources across providers is inconsistent and not necessarily matched with need.”1
The association believes that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that a full devolution of career
education services and programs in not in the best interests of young Victorians in the secondary
school system. In his report to the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development titled Making Career Development Core Business, Professor Richard Sweet observes
that accountability requirements are not consistently applied.2
There are significant lessons to be learnt from the devolution of career services in the United
Kingdom to external service providers. This approach was unsuccessful and abandoned by the
government as it did not meet the needs of students at critical times throughout the year.3
The association would like to make the following comments in relation to the Issues Paper:
1.4. 1. Government policy objectives and principles
Information request: What are the advantages and disadvantages of greater school autonomy
and accountability?
For career education services within schools we believe that there are a number of critical
disadvantages that apply to greater school autonomy in relation to career services.
1
2
3
Executive Summary page ix Making Career Development Core Business (2010)
Ibid page ix
Watts, A.G. (2008) The partnership model for careers education and guidance: rise; decline- and fall?
Career Education Association of Victoria Inc.
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Disadvantages Include:
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The lack of access to qualified professional career development practitioners with teaching
qualifications; reliance on out sourcing of services to a third party with no quality assurance
measures in place. Career services in secondary schools are built on trust and relationships
over a period of time and the ability for schools to outsource this service will significantly
impact on the quality of services provided to government school students.
The use of outsourced providers only for the transition points not in relation to the overall
career development of students.
The diminishing of services and over reliance on information distribution on careers via the
internet
The lack of application of industry standards to the delivery of services in a fully autonomous
school system
Loss of quality control measures in relation to the duty of care issue for students
The capacity for a school to ‘bundle’ services for budgeting rather than student outcome
improvements. For example: VET/ VCAL/ Careers/Student Well Being / Teaching/Pathways
and Transition into one role. There is significant evidence that this is already happening in
government schools to the detriment of student outcomes.4
The CEAV is concerned that in a fully devolved system there is no monitor on quality control of
services. The State government needs to ensure that quality assurance measures are in place to
prevent the lowest benchmarks being set by schools in providing career services and programs.
The OECD Report Career Guidance and Public Policy: Bridging the GAP (2004) 5 raises a number of
concerns when reviewing the Australian context for career education services in schools, including
the lack of accountability in relation to public funded programs such as Managed Individual
Pathways (MIPs). This program currently funded by the State Government lacks sufficient
accountability measures in relation to the use of funds for career development services and
programs.
Information request: What principles of good governance should be applied to a devolved school
system to promote optimal educational outcomes?
The primary principle of good governance to ensure optimal educational outcomes should be to
benchmark all services and programs according to industry standards. For career education services
in government schools this should be alignment to the Career Industry Council of Australia quality
assurance measures for the delivery of career services and products. Without the necessary
benchmarks and quality assurance measures 6 there can be no guarantee that public funds are
promoting optimal educational outcomes.
4
Ibid page viii
OECD (2004) Career Guidance and Public Policy : Bridging the Gap
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CEAV Quality Benchmarks for good practice in schools (2010)
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Career Education Association of Victoria Inc.
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1.4.3 The impact of school autonomy and accountability on educational performance
The CEAV makes the following observations in relation to previous reforms and the impact on career
education services and programs in schools. The CEAV was established in 1975 to provide a
professional subject association for teachers wanting to enter the field of guidance and career
education. In the early 1980’s the association received a grant to deliver professional training for
new career advisers in schools. This program was funded for 10 days of training, which provided the
basic introduction to career development services in government secondary schools. Teachers were
then funded to complete a Graduate Diploma of Career Education at Deakin University. The position
of Career Advisor was a full time or .8 position in Victorian government schools for teachers to be up
skilled in career education qualifications. This was a quality assurance measure introduced by the
department of education. Funding was made available from the education department for training
through the CEAV, ongoing training and resourcing of career centers in all Victorian Government
schools was consistent across the state. This level of support for the establishment and training of
government teachers to become professionals was supported until the early 1990’s. The devolution
of funding and limited autonomy of government schools in the early 1990’s, coincided with the
introduction of Vocational Education and Training in schools. The trained professional career
counsellor was given the role of VET Coordinator to bring in the new initiatives in curriculum as they
were the only trained professionals in the school with knowledge of the labour market.
The in the 1990’s, however the funding for the position of careers counsellor and programs was at
the discretion of the school principal with schools appointing a new teacher each year to the role,
often the under allotted teacher or a teacher close to retirement. Services and funding for the
position were reduced and training was no longer funded to the level that was required. Schools
took control of the position and programs and quality measures were not applied. Over the past
twenty years the position has become marginalized and the effects of this can be clearly
demonstrated in student outcomes. Compare this with the role of Student Well Being Coordinators
who are funded for a full year of training while they achieve professional qualifications to do their
role. There has not been the same level of commitment to ensuring the productive use of career
counsellors in Victorian schools.
The CEAV receives the same grant funding they received twenty years ago this means we can only
provide two days of training per year with the allocated funds. With the introduction of Professional
Standards for the career industry this is inadequate at best and leaves schools with unqualified
career practitioners open for litigation. Currently, in Victorian government schools with limited
autonomy the position has been eroded each year for the past decade and whilst there is an
allocation of time towards the role in most government schools, the Making Career Development
Core Business in Every school report clearly states that it is often difficult to judge the effectiveness
of the programs, there is significant variability in “the qualifications, experience and professional
development activities of career advisors in schools.”7 This is largely due to the capacity of school
principals and administration to appoint from outside the teaching field, unqualified advisers as
MIPs coordinators and using funds from this initiative to resource limited career services in their
schools. Over the past twenty years the CEAV has seen the position of career practitioner in
7
Op cit Page viii
Career Education Association of Victoria Inc.
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Victorian government schools be reduced to the lowest benchmark available; that is someone has a
time fraction in the role. The association holds 25 years of data to validate this claim.
The CEAV has witnessed an increase in the erosion of the careers position in all schools. Time
allocation to conduct career services and programs particularly in government schools has been
significantly impacted by the capacity of schools to self-manage this component of school services.
In 2012, we have four members who have been made redundant in their positions; because the
government school administrators have claimed that the internet is all that is needed in schools. This
line of reasoning when taken to its logical conclusion could also be used to make all education
systems redundant as students have access to a broader knowledge base via the internet rather
than in the classroom. Sole reliance on the internet to provide information driven career centres is
not an efficient use of resources.
The CEAV suggests that the full devolution of accountability to the local school level would not be a
sound business model – in business it is highly unlikely that an employer would give all responsibility
to an employee and simply say – ‘spend it as you like, do as you like’ – however it appears that this
could be the case in such a system. We are seeing the results of this formulae impacting on quality
career services in schools.
Another area of concern for the CEAV is how data in the area of student outcomes can be used in
fully autonomous schools. Of concern to the association is:
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The use of league tables to identify schools that have performed well on academic
examinations; often a strategy used by independent schools both in Australia and overseas
that gives a limited perspective of student achievements and capabilities. The current dropout
rate for students at university level can be as high as 30% in first year a statistic that has yet to
be challenged by the independent model of school delivery.
The capacity for schools to stream students according to vocational ability – this is
happening now with little to no input from qualified career practitioners.
The capacity for parents in low SES areas to access career and transition services as in a
devolved system this would be at the discretion of the school. Currently government schools
do provide some form of career services. Our data shows that parents in Low SES areas access
these services throughout the year. One school in our membership has clear evidence of
vastly improved student outcomes as a direct result of improved career education services in
the school. At Reservoir High School 8; a low SES school in the northern region of Melbourne,
a CEAV member has presented On Track Data that clearly indicated an improvement of
student completions to Year 12 by over 30% in the past four years as a direct result of the
school applying quality assurance measures to the career development services and programs
in the school.
1.4.4 Options for devolution and accountability
The CEAV advocates that quality assurance measures must be in place in order to ensure that
schools can provide efficient and productive career services and programs that:
8
Reservoir High School – On Track Data 2012
Career Education Association of Victoria Inc.
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Comply with industry standards for Australia;
Comply with the CEAV standards for quality service; one full time qualified career
professional with teaching qualifications for every 450 students in a secondary school
supported by two full time associate career development practitioners.
Every school is benchmarked to best practice models of delivery. Schools under this system
are independently audited by the government or established legislative commission to
ensure consistent delivery and student outcomes.
Are independently reviewed to provide assurances to students, parents and the broader
community of the use of public funds in a devolved system.
Provide a local career development service for local need to best service the career
development of students and the local community.
Career education services and programs in schools are managed and maintained by the
government for the long term benefit of all young Victorians.
References
1. Making Career Development Core Business in Every School (2010) Centre for Post
Compulsory Education and Lifelong Guidance, the University of Melbourne, for the
Department for Education and Early Childhood Development and the Department of
Business and innovation.
2. OECD (2004) Career Guidance and Public Policy: Bridging the GAP. Paris
3. Watts, A.G. (2008) The partnership model for careers and education and guidance: rise,
decline-and fall?
4. The Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners (CICA2012)
5. The Quality Career Development Benchmarks for Good Practice. (CEAV 2010)
Career Education Association of Victoria Inc.
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