This study explores the mechanisms utilized by adults in Australia and Korea to keep their skills current or enhance their range of skills.
The study identifies areas of the vocational education and training systems in the two countries, which are providing positive outcomes for adults who are retraining and upskilling, and highlighted areas of the sector inadequately servicing the needs of this group. Synergies were identified between the Korean and Australian training systems to assist each country in improving their delivery of vocational education and training to adults who wish to improve their skills

KRIVET

English

Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education & Training

  2000 Research Abstracts  91
Ⅴ. Suggestions
This study was conducted to analyze the costs and benefits of national 
technical qualifications. The following are suggested to reinforce the operation 
of the vocational qualification system.
First, financial support for national technical qualification should be ensured.
Second, the cost of national technical qualification should be invested in 
response to needs arising from industrial and technological changes.
Third, a cost-benefit analysis of national technical qualification should be 
conducted periodically to collect information about the effectiveness of the 
national technical qualification system.
Fourth, development of task-oriented items within national technical 
qualifications is needed in order to enhance the effectiveness and usage of 
qualifications in the industrial area.(seoch@krivet.re.kr)
Adult Retraining and Reskilling in Korea and Australia
RR 00-23
Young-Hyun Lee
Young-Sun Ra
Katrina Ball
Panh Phan
This study explores the mechanisms utilized by adults in Australia and 
Korea to keep their skills current or enhance their range of skills.
The study identifies areas of the vocational education and training systems 
in the two countries, which are providing positive outcomes for adults who are 
92  2000 Research Abstracts  
retraining and upskilling, and highlighted areas of the sector inadequately 
servicing the needs of this group. Synergies were identified between the 
Korean and Australian training systems to assist each country in improving 
their delivery of vocational education and training to adults who wish to 
improve their skills.
Ⅰ. Adult education and training
There has been increasing demand for adult training in Australia and Korea 
over the last decade. The shift in growth of employment in the service sectors 
of both economies has resulted in increased demand for skilled workers, and 
a decline in the demand for unskilled workers. The demand for skilled workers 
has increased due to changes that have taken place in the manner and mode 
of employment. Demographic changes taking place in Australia and Korea have 
also influenced the training needs of older workers.
Over the coming years, it is anticipated that participation in formal 
education or study will continue to increase among Australian and Korean 
adults. Adults will be required to upgrade their skills and learn new skills 
throughout their lives to keep up-to-date. The training sector will need to be 
more flexible in their provision of training, and adapt to the changing 
requirements associated with the growth of nonstandard employment, such as 
the shift to part-time, casual, outsourced or home-based work, downsizing, 
occupational changes and the development of new occupations.
Furthermore, as the proportion of young people in the Australian workforce 
declines, employers will need to look towards older people as a source of 
labor. The skill requirements of employers, currently being met by training 
young people who are entering the labor force will, by necessity, need to be 
partially met by reskilling older workers.
  2000 Research Abstracts  93
Ⅱ. Implications from the Australian and Korean experiences
Although there are differences in the economic and enterprise structures and 
industry profiles of the Australian and Korean economies, both economies are 
currently facing changes of a similar nature, particularly in the growth of 
employment in the service sector, and in the nature of work.
Therefore, the vocational education and training systems in both countries 
need to be responsive to economic change. Both countries need to give more 
attention to adult retraining and reskilling as the proportion of young people 
in the working age population declines.
1. Implications from the Korean experience
Outcomes from training provided by employers
Although the proportion of employers providing training to employees is 
comparable in Australia and in Korea, the types of training provided and 
outcomes for employees differ between the two countries. Korean employers 
are much more likely to provide training that will assist employees to gain 
higher-level skills that enable them to gain a promotion. On the other hand, 
training undertaken by Australian employees is usually relevant to the tasks 
performed in the current job. Australia could do well by developing a training 
culture that encourages employer sponsorship of training in higher-level skills.
Encouragement of enterprise training: the employment insurance scheme
The Korean government introduced the Employment Insurance Scheme(EIS) 
in 1995. This plan has had limited success in increasing the amount of training 
provided by small firms. Large firms have been the main beneficiaries of the 
94  2000 Research Abstracts  
training programs, and not all firms that contribute to the fund actually provide 
training for their workers.
Nevertheless, the number of workers trained in 'advanced' courses has 
increased since the implementation of the new training policy under the EIS. 
Therefore, Australia could consider a training plan, such as the EIS, as a means 
to encourage firms to provide higher-level training for their employees. 
However, the Korean experience suggests that, to be successful, the plan 
should include part-time and casual workers, as well as older workers.
Lifelong learning
The results of the study indicated the value of high school completion and 
post-school qualifications for lifelong learning. In both Korea and Australia, 
people who are better educated were more likely to participate in training 
throughout life. Thus, the low rates of attrition from schooling before the 
completion of secondary school would suggest that Korean students are better 
prepared for operating in a lifelong learning environment than Australian 
students whose school attrition rates are higher.
2. Implications from the Australian experience
VET through lifelong learning
Over the past two decades, Australia has developed a VET system that is 
very broad in its coverage. Adult education is an integral part of the Australian 
VET system and barriers restricting access to adults retraining and reskilling 
have been removed.
Today, most VET participants are adults who are trained or retrained for job 
related purposes. One quarter of all VET participants in Australia are over 40 
  2000 Research Abstracts  95
years of age. In fact, a VET student/trainee is far more likely to be an adult 
who is already employed and upgrading his or her job skills, than a young 
person who is studying in VET to gain an entry-level vocational qualification.
Publicly funded training
The hallmark of the Australian system of VET over the past 30 years has 
been a policy of successive governments to establish and develop a 
comprehensive system of public TAFE colleges and institutes across the nation.
Australia's current VET system, involving a very diverse offering of VET 
training at different levels to such a high proportion of the total population, 
would simply not be possible without a strong system of public TAFE 
institutes and other public VET providers.
Flexible delivery and the modularization of training delivery
The modularization of VET programs involves breaking longer courses into 
shorter programs(such as subjects) that are capable of assessment, as each 
element or subject is completed. This has promoted the environment of a more 
diverse range of students in VET, particularly adults who are already 
employed. Modules have encouraged people to take shorter training episodes 
to meet a particular skill acquisition need, without requiring them to 
immediately enroll in a full VET course leading to a qualification.
The Australian Qualification Framework
The AQF was designed to provide consistent recognition of the outcomes 
achieved from education and training across all sectors of senior secondary 
schooling and universities. The AQF system in the VET sector is designed 
around a set of competency standards that need to be achieved in different 
training programs, rather than qualifications being set according to the amount 
96  2000 Research Abstracts  
of time taken to study. Thus, different people will take different amounts of 
time to complete any given VET qualification.
Students who successfully complete the requirements of a recognized course 
or qualification training package with a registered training organization are 
entitled to a certificate or diploma under the AQF. Status or credit for subjects 
or units of competency completed with another training provider, or through 
recognition of prior learning, should be taken into account when determining 
entitlement to a recognized qualification. In most instances, the certificate is 
issued by the registered training organization on application by the student.
The Korean government is trying to integrate workplace learning into the 
VET system through the amendment of the vocational qualification system. The 
Australian experience suggests that the reforms take place in the broader 
context of the VET systems in Korea.(yhlee@krivet.re.kr)
Promoting Human Resources Development in Companies
RR 00-24
Young-Hoon Oh
Young-Hyun Lee
Sun-Yee Hong
Ⅰ. Overview
This study analyzes the state of human resources development(HRD) in 
private enterprises to identify the problems at hand. Based on this results, 
measures to promote and strengthen in-firm HRD are suggested.


Adult Retraining and Reskilling in Korea and Australia

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Adult Retraining and Reskilling in Korea and Australia

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