An association for VET’s professionals: What’s the story?

Hugh Guthrie and Berwyn Clayton, Victoria University

Abstract
When the Reframing the Future program was closed governments agreed that responsibility
for VET workforce development rested with the states and territories and with individual
providers. There has been no national and broad-based approach to VET workforce
development since 2008.

In a recent paper Skills Australia proposed the development of a national VET workforce
development strategy (Skills Australia 2011). The Productivity Commission (2011) proposed
increasing attention on Continuing Professional Development (CPD). In an extension of the
discussions of CPD, Skills Australia (Skills Australia 2010) suggested that a professional body
to support the development of VET professional practice might be considered. Wheelahan
and Moodie (2011) found strong support for establishing such a body with a national focus
in their research on the quality of VET teaching. They recommended that further work be
undertaken to examine the viability this idea.

Victoria’s TDC commissioned a scoping study of the feasibility of establishing a national

association for VET professionals early in 2011. This mixed-method study involved a review
of relevant literature on professionals and professionalism, analysis of organisational
documentation to help establish the key essence, features and possible models for such an
association and the production of a discussion paper (Clayton and Guthrie 2011). An on-line
survey was also developed and consultation sessions held with a number of individuals and
key bodies and in several jurisdictions. In addition, the idea was picked up as a discussion
theme on the Australian VET leader’s forum on Linked-In.

This paper will present the preliminary findings of this scoping study. These ‘work-in-
progress’ findings will be put in context and the range of complementary and competing
factors likely to affect the establishment and viability of such an association will be
discussed. The survey findings so far show strong support for establishing a professional
association in some form, but both survey respondents and consultation participants have a
range of qualifications and concerns.

Background
In a recent paper Beaton (2010) noted:

…because of the growth of knowledge and the power that knowledge brings, it is necessary
to extend the professions and to hold more and more groups of people with specialised
knowledge to professional standards – that is, to proliferate both professions and
professionalism. This necessity springs from a very good and simply stated reason, namely, to
ensure the power that knowledge brings is used for good rather than evil (Beaton 2010:9)

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This is the nub of this paper and the notion of a professional association gets to the heart of
a number of VET’s workforce issues: its professionalism, and particularly that of its teachers
and trainers and the essence of being - and being seen as - a professional. As Blom and
Clayton (2002) suggest:

The VET professional’s identity is a complex one, informed by dual professional allegiances
that involve loyalty to the discipline in which they were first trained and to that of education
as well. (Blom and Clayton 2002: 148)

The term ‘VET professional’ came to prominence in Dickie et al’s 2004 work on VET
professionals and their capabilities. In their view VET professionals include VET practitioners
- those most directly involved in teaching, training, learning and assessment - and those
staff who provide leadership, management and support for teaching, training and
assessment within registered training organisations. Thus VET’s professionals have at least
two or even more identities. Many add a management or even an educational specialisation
- such as instructional design or e-learning specialist - on top of their professional identities
as a discipline specialist and educator. Nevertheless an increased reliance on a contingent or
peripheral workforce and the relatively low level of the initial qualification required for
practice (the Certificate IV) have led to the de-professionalisation of VET’s practitioners
(Harris et al. 2005). On the other hand, these same authors acknowledge that new work
roles and ways of working have opened the door to the development of a ‘new VET
professional’ (Harris et al. 2005, Mitchell et al. 2006a).

This raises the issue of what constitutes professionalism, professional practice and a
profession. Day (1999) sees it in terms of autonomy and accountability. Lester (2010)
characterises a professional in generic terms, including:

…the possession and use of expert or specialist knowledge, the exercise of autonomous
thought or judgement, and responsibility to clients and wider society through voluntaristic
commitment to a set of principles. (Lester 2010: 2)

A profession might be seen as an occupation that can be reasonably clearly defined and
meets a defensible set of criteria for being one. What constitutes a profession can depend
heavily on perspective, however. Thus there can be a variety of views about what
constitutes a profession. At one extreme it is one built on standardised training, formal
control over entry, expertise and occupational demarcation (Lester 2010) while another
view sees professions and professionalism more in terms of ongoing learning and reflection
linked to practice (IfL 2009, Lester 2010). Professional bodies, too, can take a variety of
forms, including learned societies, semi-formal associations based on communities of
practice, self-regulating professional associations, state-backed registration bodies and
organisations such as unions (Lester 2010). Critically, a profession does not necessarily need
a professional body to be seen as one.

So why a VET professional association and why now? Skills Australia (Skills Australia 2010) in
its paper on a future direction for Australia’s VET system notes the need to develop the
capability of VET professionals so they are in the forefront of designing and delivering
diverse responses in a rapidly shifting education and training market. This, it suggests, may

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require new work roles to be recognised, improved industry currency and a much wider
repertoire of professional expertise. Further, Skills Australia raised the possibility of a
professional body to improve quality and support the development of VET professional
practice. It also proposed that a VET workforce development strategy be developed (Skills
Australia 2010, 2011).

In its report on the VET workforce the Productivity Commission noted concerns over both
the quality and quantity of the continuing professional development on offer and suggested
that participants in their consultation process saw a role for a workforce development
strategy to enhance the professionalism and status of the VET workforce (Productivity
Commission 2011). The Productivity Commission’s report also recognised that a range of
organisations and networks had a development role, which needed to be better co-
ordinated. It suggested that this might occur through the Industry Skills Councils (ISCs). In
their report, Wheelahan and Moodie (2011) found strong support for establishing a national
VET professional association and suggested that, amongst its possible functions, it could aim
to provide a focal point for teachers and trainers’ sound and continuing professional
development as well as a more coherent voice for VET professionals on national and other
issues. In addition, they suggested it also might:

support VET teachers and trainers to take greater responsibility for the profession and its
knowledge base, make an important contribution to the development of VET teaching
standards, contribute to improving the quality of VET teaching and play a role in accrediting
VET teaching qualifications and evaluating the quality of VET teaching. (Wheelahan and
Moodie 2011: 53)

As Wheelahan and Moodie (2011) pointed out, and many of us know (for example, Mitchell
et al 2006b), there are a plethora of organisations, associations and networks with an
interest in improving the quality of practice in VET by providing information, offering
opportunities for networking and discussion and - possibly - a range of professional
development activities. They continue to exist because they clearly meet the needs of their
members. However they are diverse, often small, state and territory based and focussed on
the needs of particular groups. They are largely specific and siloed, and have not tended to
act collectively, to share and to provide any sort of national, coherent and representative
voice for VET’s professionals. Thus, there is currently no one body of sufficient size, ‘grunt’,
influence and coverage to represent the broad and diverse interests VET’s professionals
have. Because of this, VET professionals tend not to have a singular, strong and effective
national voice in helping to shape policy and practice (Goodwin et al. 2010).

Informed by Skills Australia’s suggestions and the specific recommendation of Wheelahan

and Moodie (2011) the TDC in Victoria commissioned the authors to conduct a scoping
study of the feasibility of establishing a national association for VET professionals in mid-
2011. They did this because they felt the recommendation needed longer and deeper
consideration. In this paper - which reports on a work in progress - we will briefly outline the
method used, report and discuss our interim findings and finally draw some conclusions
which can be used to inform the next steps.

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Methodology and characteristics of the respondents
This small scoping study has involved a mixed-method approach. So far, and until early
February 2012, the project team has:
• Developed a discussion paper (Clayton and Guthrie 2011) and an on-line survey which
has been widely circulated through TDC’s website and other established links and
networks throughout Australia, including the National VET Workforce Development
Managers Network and their individual jurisdictional contacts
• Consulted directly or indirectly with a range of key people and stakeholder bodies
• Held limited consultations with interested individuals in both Queensland and New
South Wales. Further such consultations will have been held in both South and West
Australia by the time this paper is presented at AVETRA
• Followed the discussion line on the proposed VET professional association on the
LinkedIn site for the VET Leaders’ Network where 16 individuals posted one or more
comments during the discussion.

At the time of writing about 700 individuals had accessed the survey, with about 650 of
these providing responses to some or all questions. In addition, about 80 people
participated in either individual or group consultations involving telephone calls, face-to-
face meetings and video conferences.

What the discussion paper proposed and the survey did

Briefly, the discussion paper considered the purposes of a VET professional association, its
likely membership and whether there are any existing organisations that meet the needs of
a national VET professional association. While others are mentioned in the paper (and this
was by no means a comprehensive list) those proposed included the Australian Education
Union (AEU), The Australian College of Educators (ACE) and the Australian Institute of
Training and Development (AITD). Setting up an Australian arm of England’s Institute for
Learning (IfL) was also put forward as an option, as was a ‘green field’ organisation or one
formed from an amalgamation or other collaborative arrangement between existing bodies.
Other issues considered included gathering views about who should make up the
membership and the paper also made some attempt to scope both the work roles that
might be encompassed by the concept of a VET professional and the sorts of member
services that might be offered. Finally, the discussion paper provided a series of key
questions which informed the group consultations held.

The on-line survey gathered information about the characteristics of its respondents
(including age, gender, work role(s), employment status, years of work in VET and details of
both their vocational and teaching qualifications). It then asked them whether, having read
the discussion paper, they supported the establishment of a VET professional association or
not. If they did not, they were asked why. The survey then went on to canvas views about
membership, member services and their view of the best option amongst the models
presented. Respondents clearly took the survey seriously and many made extensive and
thoughtful comments when given the opportunity.

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Findings and discussion
This section first provides some information about the characteristics of the survey
respondents and then reports and discusses views on the options proposed in the discussion
paper, including a sample of the free responses from the survey.

The characteristics of the survey respondents and consultation attendees

At the time of writing, 281 (48%) of the survey respondents are from Victoria. About 21%
(124), 8% (48) and 6.8% (40) of respondents are drawn from Queensland, Western Australia
and South Australia respectively. Response so far from New South Wales has been
disappointing at around 13% (77), which is well below its relative system size. As it is a self-
selecting sample and one which also depends on the effectiveness of networks and
information flows it should not be considered one which is representative of the spectrum
of VET’s professionals.

The respondents might best be characterised as the older, longer serving and more
permanent of the VET workforce. It is likely that response rates from casual and part-time
staff are well below their proportions of the VET workforce. In part this is probably because
of difficulties in them being aware of - and therefore accessing - the survey. Another factor
may be their feelings of attachment to the VET sector, with some not seeing it as their
primary work. Therefore they may not consider such an association as being of value to
them. However, the survey showed that about 25% of respondents had concurrent work
outside VET and, of these, 28% considered that their external position was their primary job.

The survey is dominated by staff from public and private VET providers, with the
proportions of respondents from enterprise based providers, adult and community
education and schools in particular being relatively low. Again, some potential respondents
from enterprises may not consider VET teaching and training their primary work, or may not
have been tapped adequately through the distribution processes used. VET in schools
teachers may also be more difficult to access and may not see the relevance of such an
association given their own association VETNetwork, or a preference for an affiliation with
professional bodies seen as more relevant to schools.

Private and enterprise based providers have predominated in those attending face-to-face
group consultations, and their opinions match well with those from the survey reported
below.

Support for a professional association

The survey results clearly indicate a strong support for some form of national VET
professional association. Of 596 respondents to this question 546, or nearly 92%, supported
the establishment of such an association, while 50 (around 8%) said no. This was the
impression we also gained from the national consultations. In supporting the idea of a
professional body comments included:

“We need a strong voice to lobby on our behalf”

“It is needed to raise the profile of the VET sector as a profession.”

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 “There's a strong need for such an association as part of the effort to 'professionalise' the
sector. Membership to such an association should accorded to individuals dependent on
meeting certain criteria, so there could be different levels of membership offered similar to
some other associations whose membership is prized.”

“Being recognised as a professional by a professional body may be a good way to the

beginning of setting a real benchmark from which we can improve our teaching quality.”

One respondent trying to characterise what such an association might look like suggested:
“There will be many subgroups”. In fact, one of the major reasons the 50 believed no new
association was needed is that associations that adequately meet their needs already exist.
Others pointed out that the diversity of VET and its professionals would mean that no one
association could possibly represent the interests of all groups. Typical comments include:

“It’s simply not needed. The aims of this proposed body can be met by existing
organisations.” (And there were many more similar comments throughout the various free
response sections of the survey)

‘Surely professionals can source their own development without any need for another
association”

“We belong to many relevant groups in our industry involvement and ongoing currency, this
is an unnecessary group”

“A new national VET association will never get sufficiently enough current trainers/ assessors
to make it really relevant (unless made compulsory). I feel it creates another layer of
standards upon an over regulated industry…”

“Too many professional bodies taking my money and doing nothing for it. They are of no
benefit”

The form and key functions of the association

Of the 546 respondents answering yes to establishing a VET professional association the
strongest support (245 or 45%) was for setting up a new association - although possibly in
partnership with another body. Another option supported relatively strongly was for
establishing an association from an amalgamation of existing groups (167 or 31%). As a
couple of individuals commented in the survey:

“It would make sense to collaborate with existing organisations/associations already

servicing the VET sector (e.g. AITD).”

“Perhaps initially an umbrella-base organisation that brings together the main players in the
VET field both state and commonwealth as well as private providers and peak bodies.”

Of the remaining options around 14% (77) supported becoming a member of an existing
organisation. Of the existing organisations nominated in the discussion paper there is most
support for the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD). There was also a
measure of support for becoming, part of an ‘international’ organisation. The strong
impression, however, is that respondents and those consulted are looking for something
new, comprehensive, valuable and fresh. For example:

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 “I would like to be a member of an org that is genuinely creating outcomes of substance;
where I can enjoy that feeling of "I am glad I joined" because I am really getting something
from this. There are only so many seminars, lectures or websites that one can sit/read
through under the banner of a so called member benefit, I need to obtain something of
enduring substance.”

“Any association must be ecumenical - the status that must be promoted is VET
professionalism. It doesn't matter whether the professional works in a private provider, a
secondary school, an ERTO, an ACE provider, a workplace, or whether the person is a
freelancer. If it's not inclusive, it can't work.”

Of its potential functions there was most support amongst those supporting a VET
professional association for being a strong and respected national voice for VET
practitioners in shaping policy and practice (average rating 3.7 out of 5). The next strongest
was for fostering continuing professional development. Having a voice was also seen as a
very high priority from those that attended the consultations. This response is unsurprising
because many VET professionals clearly feel that theirs is not one which is considered in the
formulation of policy and practice yet it is they who have a key role in enacting such
decisions. For example, as one survey respondent said:

“A body that is a recognised voice of the profession is needed. All current ones are either
industrial (AEU) (ACPET) or for the leaders (TDA). All of these are not accessible to many
people working in the VET sector. A new association needs to be recognised and respected,
therefore consulted by political and government bodies, but also representative of its
members, open and transparent. As well it needs to be a hub so that members can access
professional development, other networks and support when needed. In that way it will
become about excellence and quality.”

As some of the comments show it is not surprising that there is also support for a role in
continuing professional development (average rating 3.56), although it was evident that
there may be a variety of views about what constitutes professional development. While
several respondents noted the need for CPD of enduring substance, it would seem that
some may see PD in a more limited and personal sense than do others.

In responding to the question on the possible roles for a VET professional body others rated
relatively highly as well:
• Recognise excellence and promote high standards of professional practice (average
rating 3.45)
• Develop a code of professional conduct (average rating 3.23), and
• Developing strategic alliances with a range of other organisations with
complementary interests in Australia or internationally (average rating 3.00).

Other roles suggested in free response include acting as a clearing house for useful
documentation and publications (although such a role might best be achieved in
collaboration with NCVER) as well as a role in research.

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The membership and member benefits
There is strong support for a broad membership base both in the survey and in the
consultations, with 374 (70%) of survey respondents supporting the establishment of a
professional association suggesting that it should be all VET professionals as we defined it in
the discussion paper, with a further 93 (17%) suggesting it should be anyone with an
interest in VET. Only a small proportion of survey respondents (69 or 13%) suggested it
should be VET practitioners only.

While quite a number have raised the possibility of levels of membership, determining what
those levels might be - and their basis - is potentially more difficult. No clear trends emerged
in either the survey or the consultations, although a wide range of alternatives - too wide to
discuss here - was proposed.

There is a measure of support for the notion of such an association having a registering role
for individuals or for providers offering relevant qualifications. Others proposed that
membership might bestow some sort of advantage on those holding it (“Strict membership
requirements that would enable HR departments for example to rely on membership to the body as
‘fully qualified”.). However, the consensus view seems to be to start simple, and make the
membership as broad as possible.

For member services and benefits:

• A website was seen as most important (average rating 3.53 out of 5), followed by
• Organised events (average rating 3.47), and
• A mentoring and support system (average rating 3.09). This might include
communities of practice and networks, including international ones.

Other services and benefits include an e-portfolio system (average rating 2.84) and an
awards system to recognise excellence (average rating 2.68).

Discussing the findings

In considering the outcomes of the survey and the consultations to date, the findings are
much as might have been expected. In establishing a new and truly national association with
the desired credibility and voice is difficult in a sector where there are already a wide and
diverse range of voices, none of which really has the critical mass to say that it represents
VET professionals broadly. The Productivity Commission (2011) estimated that there are
about 73,400 Technical and Further Education (TAFE) employees and that about another
150,000 workers are involved in VET delivery by non-TAFE providers, but higher numbers
have been suggested by others (e.g. Mlotkowski and Guthrie 2010). Whatever the real size
of VET’s workforce, the survey and consultations have only scratched the surface of any
potential membership by its professionals. It seems to us that who makes up VET’s
professionals requires further clarification, and a deeper consideration of the nature of their
professionalism is also needed.

The key issue for most respondents seems to be gaining a voice for professionals, whose
views can so readily be ignored at present. This requires building critical mass and
credibility, and finding ways this might be done. The most viable approach may be for a
number of existing bodies to come together rather than creating a new professional

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association, or by finding ways in which existing organisations can work more collaboratively
and corporately. Whatever the solution, it is likely it will not be rapid - and it will require
care. Funding remains a very real issue, and the cost of membership needs to be balanced
by and reflect the benefits membership brings. Member benefits need to be very tangible,
and any new or amalgamated association has to offer much more than is presently
available. Thus, the possibility that nothing will happen, and that any initiative will flounder,
remains very real. In part this is because a number of respondents to the survey and those
in consultations are concerned that the association might be dominated - even high jacked -
by particular individuals, voices and interest groups. And this may be part of the ‘evil’ that
the Beaton’s 2010 quote at the beginning of this paper had in mind. Thus, it will need the
‘right’ leadership and operational structures. It will also need to recognise diversity and be
diverse itself, probably involving a potentially wide and growing range of special interest
groups, as well as being accessible and relevant to those VET professionals working outside
the major cities.

A professional association is clearly one way of recognising VET’s professional practice for
what it is: at its best, very professional. It also represents a way of building professionalism
from within - a positive counter to the constant demand of the sector’s stakeholders who
seem always more concerned to highlight the sector’s deficits and lack of capability than its
achievements. As two of the survey respondents put it:

In relation to both the paper and the fact that this survey has been sent out to a number of
VET practitioners for feedback. I would feel that the light is definitely on for those wanting to
commence with a professional association for the most diverse complex educational sector in
Australia and internationally. The VET sector in Australia is one that is being targeted by
Governments (both state and national) for radical shifts and changes…In conclusion a
professional association is strongly needed to support and validate the very sector that is
supporting and validating the Australian community like no other.

In the changing environment of the VET sector a professionalism in quality qualifications and
ongoing improvement by our instructors is required to maintain and sustain the future of all
stakeholders…

It seems to us, and to others, that not to look for ways to build professionalism and
professional standing from within will only lead to the impost of even more and tighter
regulatory control from without.

Conclusions and next steps

In conclusion, and from the information gathered so far, there is strong support for
establishing a national association for VET’s professionals. But, there are many and diverse
views about what its nature might be.

It is hard to gauge the depth and breadth of this support because we cannot be sure of
whose voices are missing or those that are over or under represented. There are natural
suspicions about such an association even from those who support it in principle and so
more work is clearly needed to help establish how it might work and if it is viable. The very

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size and diversity of the sector and the professionals who make it up makes the job of any
single, national professional association difficult.

An important next step will be to share these initial findings with key influencers and
stakeholders in the sector as well as bringing together some of the key groups to explore
how existing bodies might work more effectively together or even amalgamate. The answer
lies in building on what we have already and exploring ways in which what we have can
work better.

References
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2012)
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