The Gen Green research series
Description:
VET students and their teachers have unique insights into skills for sustainability that can contribute to the further development of these skills in Australia. Since 2008, the Gen Green research has asked participants in the Australian VET system about their experiences of skills and sustainability through online surveys.
There are four reports to date in the research series:
Gen Green 4 Australia: a national study of the demand for and supply of skills for sustainability.
What are the Australian apprentices, trainees and teachers experiences and perceptions of skills and sustainability?
To answer this question Sustainably Pty Ltd partnered with WorldSkills Australia in 2014. Supported by TAFE Directors Australia, the International Green Skills Network and the National Centre for Sustainability, Swinburne University of Technology, we ran online surveys of urban and regional TAFEs and other training organisations across Australia, including those home to WorldSkills Australia Competitors and Judges.
In this research skills for sustainability are broadly conceived as including skills for social, economic and environmental sustainability – a triple bottom line approach. The study provides evidence on the actual depth and breadth of the take-up of these skills within Australian training organisations and workplaces. In summary, the results show that:
- Apprentices, trainees and their teachers cared a great deal about social, economic and environmental sustainability;
- Supply was closely aligned to social demand for skills for sustainability so that demand for skills for sustainability from VET students was almost entirely met;
- There are important differences in the teaching, learning and utilisation of skills for sustainability that are related to gender and age; and
- In-class learning of environmental skills has increased over time and now slightly outweighs learning of these skills at work, however community learning of these skills outweighs both.
Gen Green 3, 2013
The Gen Green 3 study, a partnership between La Trobe University and WorldSkills Australia captured apprentices’ and trainees’ experiences of skills and sustainability in workplaces and courses in 2012. The research indicated a step change in apprentices’ and trainees’ experience of skills for sustainability in work and training between 2008 and 2010, but only minor changes in the experience of these skills at work and in training from 2010 to 2012. Cost was consistently indicated as the most widely experienced barrier to practicing these skills at work and the main driver for gaining these skills was a personal interest in sustainability, an interest that remained consistently high over the three surveys.
Gen Green, 2011
The Gen Green 2011 Survey, a research partnership between Dusseldorp Forum and WorldSkills Australia, captured young skilled Australians experience of skills & sustainability. Though they believed there had been a significant take up of green skills in workplaces and courses, they also thought their very high level of personal interest in sustainability skills, and their strong recognition of the occupational relevance of these skills, was confounded by a lack of guidance and incentives from employers, the market and educators.
Gen Green, 2008
The Gen Green, 2008 project was an online survey targeting 2006 & 2008 WorldSkills Australia National competitors across a range of trades and skill areas. This survey, a partnership project between Dusseldorp Forum and WorldSkills Australia, explored the green skills in the young workforce to meet the challenges of a sustainable future. Previous research, “Growing the Green Collar Economy” (Dusseldorp Forum, CSIRO), demonstrated that the green collar economy had huge growth opportunity.
For more information please contact, Principal researcher or Project Manager across the research series:
Dr Fabian Sack Judy Turnbull
Sustainably Pty Ltd Sustainably Pty Ltd
info@sustainaby.net.au info@sustainaby.net.au
Services we provided across the research series:
- Research creation and implementation
- Collaborative project management
- Survey design and analysis (Qualtrics)
- Literature review
- Academic publication
- Marketing collateral design, dissemination and support
- Communications Strategy
Links:
Gen Green 4, 2014
- Gen Green 4 Australia – a national study of demand for and supply of skills for sustainability
- A3 Poster
- Apprentice & Trainee flyer – colour
- Apprentice & Trainee flyer –photocopy
- Teacher flyer – colour
- Teacher flyer – photocopy
- Teacher Learning Resource – Session Plan
- Teacher Learning Resource – PPT presentation
Gen Green 3, 2013
Gen Green, 2011
Gen Green, 2008