Governments are currently mobilising their national workforces to compete effectively in a globalised economy where being export-effective and import-competitive are necessary to secure national economic and social goals. Australia is no exception here. Yet, in this country, as in others, similar mobilisations occurred in earlier times, most…

There have been various published histories of Australasian universities but none as rich as the two most recent relating to the universities of Sydney (1991) and Melbourne (2003). The latter, in particular, was the catalyst for this exploratory study. How was it that at a time when many major British cities lacked a university institution, towns…

The development of human resource development (HRD) can be considered from two perspectives--the development of HRD as a concept and the development of HRD practitioners. If HRD as a field of study and practice is to develop, then the development of HRD practitioners is of paramount importance. In Australia, HRD is just beginning to come into its…

A conceptual framework for school-based vocational education and training (VET) in Australia is based on a United States model. It implies VET has purposes beyond equipping young people with skills. Global themes in VET development are government use of VET as an economic and social policy tool to ensure skilled workforces; provision of VET…

This book reports on an examination of educational policy in Australia and focuses on the educational and training needs of and provision for young people entering working life. The content is in two parts. Part 1, which comprises two-thirds of the report, has ten chapters. Chapter 1 identifies nine topics on which the report is focused. Chapters…