Four emergent themes were identified in the IDR process, namely: Corporatisation. Policy. Management. Culture change. Corporatisation
As a result of the IDR process two themes have emerged, namely: Corporatisation of education.
You get what you pay for.
Full details of steps that resulted in the identification of these themes are contained in Table 4.13 Each theme is then discussed in the following sub- sections.
Table 4.13 Corporatisation
Rspndt Comment Construct Concept Theme
AB2
I think because there is [a] real push, the squeezing of the budget means that we do not do things well, and if things are not done well, in respect to the teachers, I don’t want to be held accountable for that.
A budget squeeze means we do not do things well … I don’t want to be held accountable for that.
Corporate responsibility is adding pressure. Corpora- tisation of education AB3
So economic measures have advantages and disadvantages, my personal view: it has no place in a democratic society. Is my personal view. It has no place in the educational society.
Economic measures have no place in educational society. Economic measures versus social responsibility. AB2
I have never expressed it that way but, I am feeling a bit disenfranchised by the sector, not by the organisation, because of the way the sector is managed.
I am feeling a bit disenfranchised by the sector … because of the way it is managed. Lack of motivation in the VET sector. AB2 It attacks my professionalism; I wouldn’t deal with things that way. I partly understand that, if you are not going to pay good money, you will not get good admin staff. If you are not going to train them properly, you won’t get a good system.
If you are not going to pay good money, you will not get good admin staff. If you are not going to train them properly, you won’t get a good system.
Cost cutting affects quality of
management
and operations. You get
what you pay for
AB2
If you are not working innovatively, you are not going to improve those systems, and this comes about from the problem at the top, not paying enough.
You are not working innovatively; this comes about from the problem of not paying enough. Loss of innovative thinkers in the system. Corporatisation of education
There is a real sense of the educational budget shrinking each year, and some staff are not happy with the decrease in quality of education, to the point that they do not want to be accountable for this minimisation of educational quality.
Squeezing of the budget means we do not do things well … I don’t want to be held accountable for that. (AB2)
Corporate responsibility is putting pressure on individual’s work responsibilities. Staff can understand the importance of organisations being
profitable, but they do not believe the business model has a place in educational society:
Economic measures have … no place in the educational society. (AB3)
The problem is that economics cannot measure the social responsibilities of education staff.
The feeling of being disenfranchised is now expressed openly among staff; AB2 believes that the current business management model is having a negative effect on the educational outcomes:
I am feeling a bit disenfranchised by the sector, because of the way it is managed. (AB2)
The corporatisation of education and training delivery as a product for profitability is have a demotivating effect on many staff, many of whom argue that this new business model has no place in the education system.
You get what you pay for
The lack of content with management can be partly explained by the lack of budget to recruit suitable professionals in management positions, which has contributed to a poorly developed and managed educational system.
If you are not going to pay good money, you will not get good admin staff. If you are not going to train them properly, you won’t get a good system. (AB2)
Some staff would suggest that this lack of creativity and innovation starts from the top level of management.
You are not working innovatively … this comes about from the problem of not paying enough. (AB2)
Cost cutting is negatively impacting quality management and operating systems in the organisation. At the same time, there is a need to attract and develop staff with the appropriate skills necessary to promote efficiency in productivity, innovation and creativity at management level.
Policy
As a result of the IDR process two themes have emerged, namely: Education versus skills.Policymakers in VET.
Full details of steps that resulted in the identification of these themes are contained in Table 4.14. Each theme is then discussed in the following sub- sections.
Table 4.14 Policy
Rspndt Comment Construct Concept Theme
AB2
The plumbers will keep doing the same old, same old. They are not the engineers that will create the new fittings and the new ways of doing things. If we keep producing the [same] plumbers our country will stay stagnant. We can have them all working, we can have low employment but are we educating our nation?
If we keep producing the [same] plumbers our country will stagnate. We can have them all working … but are we educating our nation? A broad education is required for future development. Education versus skills AB2
But I could be wrong. If we do not consider the term education to be the primary purpose, and I can see where it comes from, you know do we want everyone to have a job; do we want them to be employed? It’s very important.
If we do not consider the term education to be the primary purpose … do we want to have a job, or do we want them to be employed?
AB2
Last month the Southern Cross Station was shut down for four hours; something went wrong at Flinders Station and it shut down the whole network. You know what my theory is on that; my Dad used to fix things and if he didn’t have the tools to fix things he would make the tools to fix them. Now we don’t have thinkers, we have people just regurgitating things.
If he didn’t have the tools to fix things he would make the tools to fix them. Now we don’t have thinkers, we have people just regurgitating things.
Rspndt Comment Construct Concept Theme
AB2
I mean the leadership will be liberal oriented and business oriented. We tend to get socialists under a social structure. So when we say the government sanctions, that means that puts that person in place, and that gives them a certain power to do certain things and that feeds down the system.
The present
government is liberal and business oriented, people are put in place to ensure this ideology carried out.
The influence from policymakers is dynamic but often one- sided. Policymakers in VET AB2
The government wants certain things to happen, our CEOs are not employed by the government but they are sanctioned by the
government, I mean if you have a liberal government you will always find a liberal voting CEO.
Our CEO is not employed by the government but is sanctioned by the government … if you have a liberal government you will always find a liberal voting CEO. Governments influence the choosing of staff... AB2
So I think there is a control right from the very top, unless you get somebody, there was an article in the age today that said very clearly, the biggest mistake Julia Gillard made in my eyes, is that there is no one minister with the term education in their portfolio. Simon Crean heads the work skill portfolio and education falls under that folio.
The biggest mistake Julia Gillard made in my opinion is that there is no one minister with the term education in their portfolio. Policymakers do not value education. AB3
But this is not the fault of the managers; this is how the system works. I respect my managers and if I was in their position I would have to do the same thing.
But this is not the fault of the managers; this is how the system works. In their position I would have done the same thing.
The system dominates management decision making. AB2
But people being educated will get jobs, people who have jobs are not necessarily educated. Being trained in skills does not lead to an educated person, and an educated person is to me a big responsibility of the country. Otherwise what have you got?
People who have jobs are not necessarily educated. Being trained in skills does not lead to an educated person, a big responsibility of the country.
A clear vision for the future generation is required.
AB2
Trades people in Australia get paid more than an educated person. Work skills are above education. But do we really want to progress Australia in a global market?
Trades people in Australia get paid more than an educated person. Work skills are favoured above education. Work skills are more important than being able to innovate.
Education versus skills
There is a need to develop skilled trades people who can think and resolve problems. There is a sense that we need to do more than just skill our youth, we need to educate them.
If we keep producing the [same] plumbers our country will stay stagnant. We can have them all working … but are we educating our nation? (AB2)
Vocational education should not be just about skilling, it should also be about the creation of careers, not just jobs.
If we do not consider the term education to be the primary purpose … do we want to have a job, or do we want them to be employed? (AB2)
Many vocational students come out with a set of practical skills, but most have not been taught to develop a set of thinking skills that should come with practical skills.
If he didn’t have the tools to fix things he will make the tools to fix them. Now we don’t have thinkers, we have people just regurgitating things. (AB2)
Some trainers believe we can no longer focus on training our students in trade skills; we must also educate our students for the future. There is a need for policymakers to address the broader issues of education – the system needs to produce ‘thinkers for the future’ as well as ‘doers of today’.
Policymakers in VET
Educational systems are influenced by political parties and their policymakers at the top level and this influence is dependent on the ruling party’s ideals and vision; AB2 is a political realist:
The present government is liberal and business oriented; the government sanctions actions that support this and places people in the position to make things happen; this feeds down the system. (AB2)
Policymakers in organisations have an agenda (sanctioned by government) that they will want to implement; this agenda will be actioned by heads of
school that are expected to believe in and be passionate about the same agenda. AB2 believes this is inevitable.
Our CEO is not employed by the government but they are sanctioned by the government … if you have a liberal government you will always find a liberal voting CEO. (AB2)
Control of the educational system comes from the very top level of politics, and this is evidenced in the titles politicians are given. If they do not have education as the focus of their portfolios, then education will not be the main driver of any political reform; AB2 believes that this weakened the educational policy of the former Labour government led by Julia Gillard.
The biggest mistake Julia Gillard made in my opinion is that there is no one minister with the term education in their portfolio. (AB2)
AB3 believes that any mistakes made in educational decision making do not lie with the actions of centre managers; they are just following the system set up by policymakers:
But this is not the fault of the managers; this is how the system works. In their position I would have done the same thing. (AB3)
AB2 sees educating the nation as being the responsibility of all governments; it is not just creating jobs and developing skills – the focus of VET’s work skills program.
People who have jobs are not necessarily educated. Being trained in skills does not lead to an educated person, a big responsibility of the country. (AB2)
While skilled trades people now receive better wages than educated people, ‘work skills’ are more emphasised than ‘education’. Some staff are wondering if this trend is really the way we want Australia to progress in a global market.
People who have jobs are not necessarily educated. Being trained in skills does not lead to an educated person, a big responsibility of the country. (AB2)
It is hard, if not impossible, to get the right balance by VET industry policymakers to deliver programs that not only provide work skills for
graduates, but also lead to them being educated for the future. Meeting the current skills shortage is important and a big responsibility for VET policymakers; government influence is strong and has greatly impacted the VET system and policymakers.
Management
As a result of the IDR process two themes have emerged, namely: Autocratic management style.
Changing to a corporate environment.
Full details of steps that resulted in the identification of these themes are contained in Table 4.15. Each theme is then discussed in the following sub- sections.
Table 4.15 Management
Rspndt Comment Construct Concept Theme
AB4
There is a distance created between management and staff because of the pressures being placed on managers to increase savings, and reduce staff numbers.
Pressure is being placed on managers to increase savings, and reduce staff numbers. Increase profitability and reduce costs. Autocratic management style AB1
The management power change has definitely been much more autocratic, it’s much more removed, more removed in the sense the communication is, the gap has widened, as far as what I can witness and observe, communication is appalling.
Management is currently much more autocratic and more removed; the communication gap has widened. More centralised and less transparent management. AB6
The manager seems to have all the decision-making power when it comes to hiring and firing of staff and their decision is not always transparent or made in the interest of student learning.
The managers have all the decision- making power when it comes to hiring and firing of staff; decisions are not made in the interest of student learning. Centralised human resource management power. AB6
There is an enormous amount of pressure placed on teachers nowadays. An enormous amount of pressure is now placed on teachers. Pressure on teachers to perform.
Rspndt Comment Construct Concept Theme
AB1
But isn’t it interesting. It comes down to technology and communication. Management comes down to technology and communication. Technology reduces face- to-face interactions AB3 So to me the relationship between me and my students has not changed; however the relationship between management has changed.
The relationship between trainers and students is the same; relationships between trainers and management are different. Weaker work relationship between staff and management. Changing to a corporate environment AB3
And managers are more, um, there is a subtle difference between an educational administrator and a business driven manager, so it has become corporatised. There is a subtle difference between being an educational administrator and a corporatised business driven manager … Managers corporatised and business driven. AB3
This started with VET changes in the late 1990s and the government. So there is a relationship and there are advantages and disadvantages; but I would prefer to see managers as educational administrator rather than a business manager.
Changes in the late 1990s led to changes in management. I would prefer to see managers as educational administrators rather than business managers. Educational administrators replaced by business managers.
Autocratic management style
Centre managers have a huge responsibility to ensure their respective centres are making profits and reducing costs; this pressure has in turn created distance between centre managers and the staff they manage.
Pressure is being placed on managers to increase savings and reduce staff numbers. (AB4)
Communication between staff and management is lacking and management has become more autocratic.
Management is currently much more autocratic and more removed; the communication gap has widened. (AB1)
There seems to be a centralisation of decision making when it comes to hiring and firing of staff, and these decisions are sometimes made not in the interests of student learning outcomes.
The managers have all the decision-making power when it comes to hiring and firing of staff; decisions are not made in the interest of student learning. (AB6)
There is an enormous amount of pressure being placed on teachers to be more and more productive.
An enormous amount of pressure is now placed on teachers. (AB6)
Some staff have attributed this lack of communication between staff and management to changes in and advancement of technology.
Management comes down to technology and communication. (AB1)
There appears to be a trend towards centralisation of decision-making responsibility towards centre managers with the emphasis on increased profitability and reduced costs; management is less transparent than in the past and human resource management has been centralised. With increased responsibilities some managers are finding it easier to communicate via email instead of verbal communication; overall, there is increased pressure on teachers to perform according to this more impersonal, centralised system.
Changing to a corporate environment
There is also a sense of changing relationships between staff and managers, as AB3 observes:
The relationship between trainers and students is the same; relationships between trainers and management are different. (AB3)
Managers are becoming more business driven, and the educational management style has become more corporate.
There is a subtle difference between being an educational administrator and a corporatised business driven manager. (AB3)
Some staff, including AB3, believed this change to a more corporate management style began in the late 1990s.
Changes in the late 1900s led to changes in management. I would prefer to see