Session Information
15 SES 05, Research Methods for Knowledge Creation in Partnerships
Paper Session
Contribution
This paper revisits research funded by the Australian Research Council and completed in the state of Victoria in Australia to consider the possibilities for collaborative decision-making and action in responding to the needs of young people at risk of disengaging from education, training and employment. From 2001, thirty one Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLEN) were established across all areas of Victoria, Australia in line with recommendations of a Ministerial Review into Post Compulsory Education and Training Pathways (Kirby, 2000). That review reported that, in the globalised context, youth in transition from schooling to independence faced persistent and severe difficulties unknown to previous generations; it also found problems were frequently concentrated in particular groups and regions. The key idea driving LLEN is the idea that the collaborative expertise and experience of local education providers, industry, community organisations, individuals and government organisations can enhance opportunities, and outcomes, for young people[1]. LLEN are fundamentally focused on community building: enhancements will occur as a result of their local decisions, collaboration and capacity building efforts. My research questions concerned the extent to which a government-implemented network could function as an independent learning community capable of effecting systemic change.
While LLEN were initially funded as a three-year initiative, progressive positive reviews (Victorian Learning and Employment Skills Commission, 2002, 2003, 2005) have resulted in on-going investment, albeit at decreasing levels. In my own work I suggested that, from 2008, it was unlikely that government investment would continue beyond 2008 (Kamp, 2007). However, from 2010 with the introduction by the Australian federal government of the School Business Community Partnership Brokers program (jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments under the National Partnership on Youth Attainment and Transitions) and the decision to deliver the programme through LLEN until 2014, the LLEN network in Victoria remained intact. In 2014, funding for a further four years was eventually confirmed, again at a reduced level. However, despite over a decade of sustained activity, ‘uneven awareness’ of LLEN across the state remains, as do enduring challenges in regard to ‘consistency of performance and aspects of LLEN accountability to government’ (The Allen Consulting Group, 2012).
In this paper, I revisit the research data collected with one LLEN to focus on the possibilities for the use of discretionary judgement, creativity and innovation in a context of increased accountability and uncertain viability; I pursue this through two case examples. The first is micro and concerns the effort to implement an alternative education programme in a second level school; the second is macro and concerns the forms of accountability and related tools and techniques applied by the government in their management of LLEN and the impact of this on the ‘first order’ business of the LLEN. Subjecting the data to discourse analysis provides some insights into the consequences of attempting to use old keys to open new doors at a time when the need for LLEN has never been greater (Geelong Region Local Learning and Employment Network Inc, 2014).
[1] Originally, LLEN focused on young people aged 15 – 19 years of age. That focus was subsequently expanded and LLEN now work with and for young people aged 10 – 19 years.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Central Statistics Office. (2012). Profile 3. At work. Dublin Stationery Office. Geelong Region Local Learning and Employment Network Inc. (2014). Annual Report 2013-2014. Geelong: Geelong Region Local Learning and Employment Network. Kamp, A. (2007). A case of productive entanglement? Researching a post compulsory learning network. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Conference, London. http://brs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/brs_engine Kirby, P. (2000). Ministerial Review of Post Compulsory Education and Training Pathways in Victoria. Melbourne: Department of Education, Employment and Training. Parliament of Australia. (2012). 1.5 Youth Unemployment. Retrieved 30 June 2013 http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/MSB/15 Rittel, H. W. J., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155-169. Santa, M., & Barkin, N. (2013). Europe's youth jobless drive meets with scepticism. Reuters UK. Retrieved from http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/27/uk-eu-youth-idUKBRE95Q12O20130627 The Allen Consulting Group. (2012). Review of the Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN ) Model of Network and Partnership Support: Summary Report. Melbourne: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Traynor, I. (2013, 28 June). EU Pledges E6bn To Tackle Youth Unemployment, The Guardian, p. 42. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/27/eu-pledge-6bn-youth-unemployment Victorian Learning and Employment Skills Commission. (2002). Evaluation of the Local Learning and Employment Networks. Melbourne: Department of Education & Training for the Victorian Learning and Employment Skills Commission. Victorian Learning and Employment Skills Commission. (2003). Making A Difference - Local Learning and Employment Networks. Melbourne: Department of Education & Training for the Victorian Learning and Employment Skills Commission. Victorian Learning and Employment Skills Commission. (2005). Review of the Local Learning and Employment Networks (pp. 1 - 73). Melbourne: Post Compulsory Division, Victorian Department of Education & Training.
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