Survey examines VET and higher education articulation awareness

A USQ survey has evaluated the impact of government and institutional policies intended to produce better integration between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education.

The web-based Student Awareness Survey, conducted recently as part of the Integrated Articulation and Credit Transfer (IACT) project, analysed the knowledge that Queensland tertiary students have of articulation and credit transfer pathways to determine the best ways of promoting these pathways.

The IACT project aims to develop seamless articulation between the higher education and VET sectors and to enhance awareness of these pathways by increasing the level of partnership between the two tertiary sectors and relevant industry areas.

All current students in vocational education and training (VET) and university institutions in Queensland were invited to take part in the survey, with 12,815 responses provided by students.

The report found that generally, Queensland students were more aware of articulation and credit transfer opportunities than was expected.

While the majority of respondents were aged 16 to 29, awareness by age group differed significantly, with 16- to 19-year-olds being the least aware of credit transfer, articulation and RPL, whilst older students were the most aware.

Of those students who have future study plans, almost 30% of current VET students plan to enrol in a university degree for their next qualification, suggesting that articulation and credit transfer opportunities do provide pathways from VET to university for current students.

Further, 27% of all respondents stated that they were influenced in their choice of study by the potential for credit transfer, suggesting that awareness leads to greater utilisation of articulation and credit transfer pathways, and is a significant motivating factor in choice of study.

Of those students who are aware of articulation and credit transfer, the most frequently stated source of information was teachers or lecturers, although friends, career guidance officers and other students were also significant sources of information.

Surprisingly, the internet accounted for only 21% of sources of information overall, and all other sources of information including advertising were much less significant.

These results suggest that, in addition to using the internet, information and promotion strategies need to be targeted at teachers and lecturers as well as career guidance officers or vocational counsellors, particularly in schools in order to reach the 16-19 year age group which were shown to be the least aware.

Other findings from the study suggest that recent government and institutional policies to encourage people from low socio-economic (SES) backgrounds to enter university may be having an impact.

In higher level VET courses, all SES groups were at much the same proportion at around 12%, thereby providing little difference in the access to university via VET on the basis of SES background, contrary to previous research. Similarly, the proportion of low SES groups undertaking university study in this respondent group was only marginally less than medium SES and high SES.

Little difference was found in the study of awareness of articulation and credit transfer by sector (VET or university), gender or SES in this sample.

IACT Principal Project Manager, Ms Di Paez, said results from the survey were encouraging.

'The findings show that articulation and credit transfer are providing pathways for students from VET to higher education,' Ms Paez said.

'It is essential to raise awareness of these pathways, as this empowers students to make use of the articulation and credit transfer opportunities available to them. Ultimately, this is beneficial to both students and education and training providers.'

The Integrated Articulation and Credit Transfer Project is being undertaken by USQ in collaboration with the Queensland Department of Education and Training (DET), Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) and the Careers Australia Group (CAG) and is funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

More information on the Student Awareness of Articulation and Credit Transfer in Queensland: Results of a Web-based Survey can be found at: www.usq.edu.au/iactproject