Towards a new approach to mid-level qualifications

Abstract

This report is part of a wider three-year program of research, Vocations: the link between post-compulsory education and the labour market, which is investigating the educational and occupational paths that people take and how their study relates to their work. Previously the authors identified three main roles for mid-level qualifications, as a labour market qualification (entry or upgrade), a transition to a higher-level qualification, and to widen access to higher-level qualifications. They also proposed a new approach to qualifications based on vocational streams and productive capabilities, which would strengthen educational pathways and occupational outcomes. In the final year of the research, the authors tested this new approach through consultations with stakeholders in four industry areas: agriculture; engineering; finance; and health and community services. This report focuses on the outcomes of those consultations and also suggests how the new approach can be progressed.