What are we measuring? A study of UK vocational education reforms with similarities to recent reports into Victorian vocational education

This paper explores the implementations of the recent and ongoing English vocational education and training reforms implemented since early 1990 in light of the current Australian reform agenda. The underpinning principles of both the Schofield report and the Kirby report are similar in ethos to the recent English reforms, which lead to notions of impending impacts and uptakes within the Australian reform context. A qualitative study tour was undertaken of English Further Education colleges and various governmental agencies to explore these thoughts. Questions of particular interest were what precipitated the English reforms? What were the implications for post-compulsory vocational education coming out of the reforms? What could we learn from their experiences? The study highlighted some key observations. These were the need for careful implementation of increased rigour in audits, the possibility of a reward-based process to ensure quality of teaching and learning, peer self-assessment as an effective means of ensuring quality of teaching and learning, and the need for a national, single planning and funding arrangement for Australian vocational education and training.