CEET Seminars 2006

22 November 2006

Presenter: Doug Fraser
Time: 11-12 noon
Venue: Monash University, Clayton Campus
Topic: Eleven dimensions of skill (and two more) - a first cut at an operational taxonomy, Presented by Doug Fraser, Australian Innovation Centre, University of Tasmania

The concept of skill has been deconstructed in a number of ways. This seminar will present a comprehensive taxonomy of all the different dimensions of skill. It will provide a structured framework for the analysis of specific skilling problems and skill deficits. Eleven dimensions, ranging from the commonplace and uncontroversial (hard/soft, cognitive/manual/behavioural) through to more esoteric ones like embodied/embedded and adaptive/repeatable, are defined. Each skill dimension is defined by a polar opposition. It is argued that taxonomy of skills such as this can help the development sound policies on skill formation and skills shortages.

Doug has been involved with VET policy since 1979. For eight years he worked as a policy analyst in DEET where he evaluated the Training Guarantee. He has advised the Commonwealth Parliament on VET and employment issues. Doug is currently a doctoral candidate in the AIRC.

1 June 2006

Presenters: Dr Paula Hyde and Dr Anne McBride, University of Manchester, UK
Time: 11-12.30 pm
Venue: Department of Human Services, Conference Centre, Level 1, 50 Londale Street, Melbourne
Topic: Plugging the skills gap: Approaches to career development in the British health care system
Presentation

Skill shortages, spiralling costs and changes in professional regulations are some of the drivers of changes in workforce configuration and skill-mix in the healthcare sector in recent times. There is also a growing recognition of the substantial differences in the structure and deployment of the healthcare workforce, which exist internationally. Attempts to tackle workforce reorganisation and job redesign have experienced limited success though. In the UK healthcare system, two initiatives have sought to tackle predicted skills shortages by either introducing different ways of working or developing alternative career routes:

• The Changing Workforce Programme (different ways of working) achieved some local success but new roles often increased the quality of care offered to patients, rather than reducing costs or increasing productivity.
• The ‘skills escalator’ (alternative career pathways and skill mix changes) enabled organisations to focus on skills shortages but has tended to adopt traditional routes for certification that may lack any real development of new skills.

This seminar explores how these two initiatives have been able to plug perceived skills gaps in the system whilst questioning whether they can be linked to real opportunities for career development. These types of initiatives may fail to recognise existing unutilised skills that workers already have. Moreover, locally developed training tends to serve immediate local organisational goals. The ideas of ‘training for skills development’ and ‘education for lifelong learning’ are contrasted to illustrate the inherent contradictions, implications and points of compatibility in these two initiatives.

Paula and Anne are senior lecturers at the Manchester Business School who are currently involved in a number of projects in the healthcare area including workforce modernisation in the NHS and developments of national policies on skills mix changes in health systems. Some of their common research interests are effects of organizational structures and systems on individuals, gender relations at work and public sector industrial relations.

16 February 2006

Presenter:  Professor Richard Pearson, Leicester University, UK
Time: 2.30-4.00 pm
Venue: Productivity Commission, Rattigan Room, 28th floor, 35 Collins Street, Melbourne
Topic: Will 'managed migration' help the UK skills challenge?
Paper: Presentation slides available [ppt format: 58kb]

Successive waves of migration have helped the UK develop and prosper over the centuries. The current level of inward migration is, however, a highly political issue. Last year over 500,000 people entered the UK from outside the European Union area to work or live including over 230,000 from the new EU accession states and 23,000 asylum seekers. Despite these inflows, skill shortages affect many sectors of the economy, especially public services. The government is now seeking to rationalise the more than 50 entry routes for migrants into five broad ‘points based’ tiers, to facilitate easier migration for the skilled, to limit entry by the less skilled, and to boost public confidence in a new managed migration system. This presentation will assess recent trends in migration, and the long term need for economic migrants to sustain economic growth and public services. It will then assess the extent to which the government’s proposals for a more managed system will meet the country’s long term need for skills.

Richard is Associate Director (Research) at the Employability Forum, and an independent adviser on work force planning, pay, and migration. Recent clients include major companies and public bodies, the EC, and the OECD. He is also a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Remuneration Committee which advises on salaries of the judiciary, senior armed forces, senior civil service, MPs and the Cabinet. Prior to this he was Director of the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) for 12 years. He has published widely and for 10 years wrote a monthly column for Nature. In 2001 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) by the University of Leicester.