Quality Assurance in Vocational Education: meeting the needs of the nineties

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1 The Vocational Aspect of Education ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: Quality Assurance in Vocational Education: meeting the needs of the nineties K. K. Navaratnam & Rory O'Connor To cite this article: K. K. Navaratnam & Rory O'Connor (1993) Quality Assurance in Vocational Education: meeting the needs of the nineties, The Vocational Aspect of Education, 45:2, , DOI: / To link to this article: Published online: 11 Aug Submit your article to this journal Article views: 259 View related articles Citing articles: 1 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at Download by: [ ] Date: 23 December 2015, At: 03:16

2 The Vocational Aspect of Education, Volume 45, Number 2, 1993 Quality Assurance in Vocational Education: meeting the needs of the nineties K. K. NAVARATNAM Department of Employment, Vocational Education, Training and Industrial Relations, Brisbane, Australia RORY O'CONNOR New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Wellington, New Zealand ABSTRACT The skills base of the workforce in Australia is critical in setting the foundations for micro- and macro-economic resurgence and, consequently, in making the nation internationally competitive. The significance of the quality movement is therefore gaining recognition in vocational education. As with industry, quality is seen as critical and quality assurance is being demanded in skilling the workforce. This paper describes vocational training as a process and depicts how quality can be assured in every aspect of the process. It presents a practical approach to quality assurance in vocational education. In addition, it emphasises the need for a continuous management commitment for the successful implementation of quality assurance in vocational education. The paper describes how the concept of quality assurance can be used to improve the standards of vocational training. It also emphasises that now is the time for meeting the needs of stakeholders and for fostering innovation and improvements in vocational education through quality assurance. Introduction It is impossible to pick up journals, magazines, reports and newspapers without reading something about calls for reform in vocational education. Since the early 1990s, we have seen a spate of reports on and a plethora of special commissions in vocational education in Australia (Deveson, 1990; Commonwealth of Australia, 1991; Finn, 1991; National Training Board, 1992; Mayer, 1992; Carmichael, 1992). In addition, vocational 113

3 K.K. NAVARATNAM & RORY O'CONNOR education is undergoing significant structural, organisational and funding changes in order to be more responsive to the emerging demands for skills. These demands will create new expectations of and new tasks for those who are responsible for and work in vocational education (Commonwealth of Australia, 1991). With the growing momentum and interest in bringing about changes into vocational education, 'quantity' is currently regarded as more important than 'quality' of vocational education (Holland, 1992, p. 99). However, the overall quality of vocational education is critical to the current vision for the future of Australia. The Answer Is 'Quality* The current push to increase the provision of vocational education will not be enough by itself to achieve training excellence and to produce a clever, capable and competitive workforce that will have world-class recognition. From this point of view, many questions about the present training systems arise. Basic questions include: What is excellence? What is quality? How can a vision and a mission for excellence and quality be established? Who are the customers? What are their quality expectations? What will satisfy them? How do we satisfy them? How are we to measure their satisfaction? Who is responsible for quality? Such questions need to be answered in a practical manner. In spite of the barriers of existing economic conditions, limited resources and the changing facets of industry and award restructuring, many manufacturing and service-oriented organisations have found the answers to similar questions of quality. These answers are all related to the application of quality concepts - to strategic planning, development, implementation and evaluation and continuous improvement of their processes. This suggests that seeking quality is the way to achieve excellence in vocational training. Process and Outcomes in Vocational Education Vocational education is a combination of various processes: the design and development of courses; the accreditation of courses and registration of providers; the selection and recruitment of teachers; 114

4 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION the selection of students; the course delivery, assessment and awarding of students; the provision of student support services; and the administration and management of the system as a whole. These processes are interdependent and complementary to each other. In many instances the processes are not continuous and thus it is difficult to have unified control measures. In fact, many mutually exclusive processes are operated and managed even within the same organisation. Each component of the vocational education process must meet the standards and measures set for its performance. Every process uses inputs and produces outcomes. The outcomes include both tangibles and intangibles. The context, inputs, processes and outcomes provide a forum to introduce the concept of quality. That is, the quality of inputs, context and processes must be assured to produce quality outcomes in vocational education. Thus, quality of vocational education is the sum of quality of course design, quality of learning, quality of graduates, quality of services, quality of teaching and quality of management. The context, input, processes and outcomes also provide a basis for measurement. Initiation of quality assurance requires an understanding of the processes involved because some aspects of quality are not valued or measured by all stakeholders. Vocational education is a purposive activity and is targeted on explicit outcomes. It should meet the needs of stakeholders. What Does Quality Mean to Vocational Education? Quality is a simple concept to incorporate into the vocational education industry. There are various interpretations and applications of quality by practitioners in various fields (Sutcliffe & Pollock, 1991, p. 19). It is normally taken to mean a training programme that is strategically planned in conjunction with the stakeholders, that is linked to the goals of training and skills formation, that is incorporated into all aspects of the training process, and that offers worthwhile training relevant to industry. Benefits can only be achieved through a well planned and managed training programme. That is, value can only be added to vocational education programmes through a strategic and planned approach to its quality. Few would disagree that vocational education should be of high quality if it is to make the contributions expected of it in the immediate future. However, the notion of quality has different meaning to different stakeholders in vocational education. Several combinations of 'customers and suppliers' relationships can be found among the stakeholders, and at the same time, one can be either.or both customer and supplier. Multiple expectations, multiple contexts of training, multiple use of inputs, multiple processes and multiple outcomes are associated with learning, 115

5 K.K. NAVARATNAM & RORY O'CONNOR teaching and managing vocational education. Thus, quality in vocational education has a multi-dimensional perspective. What Does Quality Mean to Learning, Teaching and Managing? Quality of learning is important because the expectations of students are changing with the changes in schooling, workplace training and university education. Students demand relevant curriculum content, teaching and learning methods, and support services. An effective vocational education system must meet the needs of millions of individual students who pursue vocational training to enhance their occupational skills and improve their job prospects. An Evaluation of the Quality of Learning Outcomes in TAFE and Senior Colleges (Navaratnam, 1991) in Queensland revealed that students want not just courses and certificates and awards, but they want to acquire skills that are assessed and certified against industry expectations. In addition, they said that they want to be assured that the colleges in which they are enrolling, the teachers who are teaching them and the hands-on experience they are receiving, are those required by industry, both nationally and internationally. Quality of teaching is important because it can contribute to the acquisition of useful pre-employment skills expected of graduates by their prospective employers. Teachers are expected to have relevant and up-to-date technical expertise and teaching skills. Teachers cannot assume that industry and students will accept what they are teaching without question. They need to improve teaching skills and qualifications continuously. Quality teaching is expected to encompass course content, timing, location, methods of delivery and assessment. The contribution of individual teachers is crucial in producing quality learning outcomes. Quality vocational education has become more important to industry because employers see a skilled workforce as fundamental to getting and maintaining a competitive advantage (Soden, 1992). Industries want students who can understand their work, their product or their services, be creative and adaptable, and capable of becoming multi-skilled. Industries demand that vocational graduates possess vocational knowledge, skills and attitudes that are central to industrial innovation and practice. Industry needs relevant and high quality vocational education based on recent technological innovations. Quality of vocational education is important to both government and the general public. It has been drawn into the main economic statements of governments and their policies. The public demands quality education and training from the existing training providers. It also wants training programmes and courses that do not create confusion among stakeholders but meet their requirements. The application of quality assurance is critical to the future of vocational education because training must be geared to the needs of 116

6 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION individual workplaces and the graduates who seek to work in them. Employers want quality graduates. Industry sets the standards for vocational skills in different occupations. In turn, students expect that such skills and standards required by industry are provided to them by the training providers. This has implications for the work of teachers and the organisation of training providers. To achieve these varied expectations, some strategic goals must be established to guide the system through change, continuous improvement and management by quality objectives. Stakeholders want quality vocational programmes when they want them. They will not be prepared to accept lower standards of quality in course content, teaching processes and resources. Similarly, they will not accept procrastination in the delivery of first-class training (Navaratnam & Mountney, 1992). Assuring Quality in Vocational Education There are numerous ways of introducing quality into vocational education. Many providers systematically deliver programmes and ensure a minimum level of quality. This minimum quality is currently ensured mainly through the accreditation of courses and registration of providers. However, this accreditation-based approach must be expanded if vocational education is to meet the expectations of stakeholders. Quality assurance is the prevention of quality problems through planned and systematic activities including the establishment of a good quality-management system and the assessment of its adequacy, the audit of the operation of the system, and the review of the system itself (Oakland, 1989, p. 5). Quality assurance refers to activities directed toward providing customers with products or services of appropriate quality (Evans & Lindsay, 1989, p. 16). Accordingly, quality assurance in vocational education may depend upon several essential and inseparable components. Because quality learning outcomes in technical and further education (TAFE) are multi-dimensional, an emphasis must be placed on all the components to produce the desired outcomes. The vocational education system already has an established organisational structure and functional frameworks. Thus, it has the necessary foundation to incorporate quality assurance with minimum additional resource requirements. However, it must identify and overcome existing internal inefficiencies in the process of delivery and accreditation of courses. It must perform efficiently if it is to gain a competitive edge through quality concepts. Vocational education must show an ongoing improvement in operations and in producing quality outcomes. Teachers and managers should make quality one of their priorities by incorporating the principles and practices of quality assurance. In fact, the current process and 117

7 K.K. NAVARATNAM & RORY O'CONNOR activities must be changed to meet the emerging needs in skills training. Vocational education cannot rely automatically on its current resources to achieve the quality expected by stakeholders. The vocational education system must identify felt needs of its major stakeholders, such as students, employers and community, by increasing their capability in needs and trends analysis. Course development must become a continuous process, even to the point where changes in course content can be made between semesters, and not every three or five years. Quality must be at the forefront of course and curriculum development. To do so, curriculum designers, administrators, managers, teachers, students and industrial and political partners must better understand quality assurance principles and their responsibilities. Some vocational education systems may be doing well in delivering programmes, but if they are not, they will have missed meeting the needs of their stakeholders and missed the quality standard expected. Quality assurance in vocational education can be established based on either internal or external standards. However, it is desirable to operate a quality assurance system complying with recognised external standards for quality assurance such as AS/NZ 3900 series. Such effort will be an unequivocal proof of management's commitment to quality vocational education and provide objective evidence of quality assurance. First Steps in Quality Assurance In every vocational education system in Australia it is acknowledged that quality is important (Navaratnam, 1993). But unless and until the providers of education realise and agree on the relevance and significance of quality to vocational education, none can even begin to work toward it. In fact, some providers are achieving the quality initiatives better than others. They upgrade courses, use the best teaching and learning strategies, use good management practices, analyse the needs of the stakeholders, and set goals and priorities to ensure that they are consistent with quality assurance initiatives. Establishing an effective quality assurance process in vocational education is a challenging and sizeable undertaking. The introduction of quality concepts requires a new direction in the management and delivery of courses. Considerable commitment of management and resources is required to do it well and to ensure its continuity. Moreover, it is important to develop a customised quality assurance process that is relevant and feasible for the specific conditions found in each organisation. The creation of management commitment is a process of methodologically simplifying the thinking to root out distractions and focus on important issues. Three popular quality experts have emphasised these important issues in many different ways: Juran dealt 118

8 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION with planning process (Juran, 1988); Crosby focused on zero defects and cost of quality (Crosby, 1980); and Deming developed 14 points related to quality (Deming, 1986). Experiences from quality-driven manufacturing and service industries show that management commitment and its strength are the difference between the successes and failures in achieving the benefits of quality assurance (Harris & Navaratnam, 1992). Management commitment must be the first and most important process in quality assurance initiatives because it feeds all other activities and line managers within an organisation. 'Close enough' in management commitment is not enough for the successful application of quality assurance. Failures in quality initiatives can occur with a partial management commitment. Management commitment requires further effort from senior management and quality tools to broaden commitment and put them into practice. Managers must know what the stakeholders want and must contribute toward the goal of delivering the training programmes at the place requested and on time, every time. In fact, quality assurance in vocational education must begin with senior management and pass through line managers, groups and individuals, and finally diffuse throughout the organisation through a step-by-step process. This process can encompass the following: develop a vision and mission for quality, establish management commitment. establish standards for quality performance, choose strategies for implementation, educate the workforce, audit the process and progress, and realise the results and make continuous improvement. Although management skill is vital to the first step in the quality strategy, no single individual can create quality assurance in vocational education. Quality is a team activity and it must have the support and the contribution of everyone in the organisation. In addition, interrelationships between people, technology, information and managerial policy must be taken into account when planning quality assurance programmes. Conclusion By the year 2000, the vocational education industry will have become competitive due to the growth in the training market (Deveson, 1990). Providers must apply quality assurance concepts not only to be among the frontline trainers but also to conform to the requirements of stakeholders. Quality assurance can help develop a training system that has a vision and a mission to transform the training, workplace culture, 119

9 K X NAVARATNAM & RORY O'CONNOR attitudes and best practices needed to become a clever and capable country. Thus, quality assurance in vocational education is vital for productivity, efficiency and effectiveness in the manufacturing and service industries and their contribution to the transformation of the current economy from recession to prosperity through economic development. Achieving high quality must be one of the major goals of management. However, quality assurance alone will not bring about desired changes without complementing it with concurrent changes in policies and institutional development; changes in attitudes and practices; changes in industry input to training; changes in government initiatives and support; changes in curriculum development and assessment of students; and changes in accreditation of training programmes. Development and implementation of a quality-centred approach will change the whole spectrum of occupational training. No matter how well a vocational programme is organised, there is always an opportunity to do it better through quality assurance. With quality assurance, better programmes can become the best. For this purpose, clear standards must be set for high quality achievement in vocational education. By all means, they must be set high enough and must be achievable within the existing organisational and management structure. If vocational education is to achieve success in quality performance, it must practise all the principles of quality assurance. There must be a quality system in place to implement quality assurance because certain processes have to be carried out in a prescribed way. In addition, there is a need to conduct an investigation to determine the impact of quality assurance in vocational education because there are conflicts and controversies concerning the meaning, measurement and management of quality. Providers must identify their stakeholders' needs and their relative importance in their mission. As noted by Sutcliffe & Pollock (1992, p. 12), there are no prescribed criteria and approach to quality assurance in vocational education. Individual systems can devise their own quality assurance programmes. Regardless of what criteria or approach are used, quality assurance is the only proven basis to achieve increased efficiency, effectiveness, objectivity and satisfaction of stakeholders in the vocational education industry now and in the future. Correspondence Dr K. K. Navaratnam, Evaluation and Strategic Audit, Department of Employment, Vocational Education, Training and Industrial Relations, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia. 120

10 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION References Ainley, P. (1990) Vocational Education and Training. London: Cassell. Baldwin, P. (1991) Higher Education: quality and diversity in the 1990s. Canberra: AGPS. Carmichael, L. (Chairman) (1992) The Australian Vocational Certificate Training System (the Carmichael report). Canberra: National Board of Employment, Education and Training. Commonwealth of Australia (1991) TAFE in the 1990s: developing Australia's skills. Canberra: AGPS. Commonwealth of Australia (1992) The Quality of Higher Education (discussion paper). Canberra: AGPS. Crosby, P.B. (1980) Quality is Free. New York: First Mentor Printing. Deming, W.E. (1986) Out of the Crisis. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Employment Education and Training (1990) National Advisory Structures for Vocational Education, Training and Employment. Proceedings of a special ministerial conference on training costs. Canberra: author. Deveson, I. (Chairman) (1990) Training Costs of Award Restructuring (report of the training costs committee). Canberra: AGPS. Evans, J.R. & Lindsay, W.M. (1989) The Management and Control of Quality. St Paul: West Publishing Company. Finn, B. (Chairman) (1991) Young People's Participation in Post-compulsory Education and Training (report of the Australian Education Council Review Committee). Canberra: AGPS. Harris, W. & Navaratnam, K.K. (1992) Empowering people through functional teams, Quality Magazine, 1, pp Holland, S. (1992) Quality improvement in the vocational education and training industry, in What Future for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (conference proceedings, Vol. 1). Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Juran, J.M. (1988) Juran on Planning for Quality. New York: Free Press. Mayer, E. (Chairman) (1992) Employment-related Key Competencies for Post-compulsory Education and Training (a discussion paper). Melbourne: Ministry of Education and Training. National Board of Employment, Education and Training (1990) A Clever Country: Australian education and training in perspective (conference proceedings). Canberra: author. National Training Board (1992) National Competency Standards: policy and guidelines. Canberra: author. Navaratnam, K.K. (1991) An Evaluation of the Quality of Learning Outcomes in TAFE and Senior Colleges (unpublished document). Brisbane: Evaluation and Strategic Audit Unit, Department of Employment Vocational Education, Training and Industrial Relations. 121

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