Centre for Human Resource Development and Training (CHRDT) - Australia

Source: Centre for Human Resource Development and Training (CHRDT)

• Establishment and Functions
• Management and Leadership in VET Organisations
• Training Services and Development

Establishment and Functions

The Centre for Human Resource Development and Training (CHRDT) of the University of Melbourne was established in January 2000 to provide the focus for the research, teaching, consultancy and short-course programs in the fields of human resource development, vocational education and training and lifelong learning.

CHRDT performs the following functions.

• Research into human resource development, vocational education and training and lifelong learning.
• Development and delivery of the Faculty of Education's suite of award courses in VET and training and development.
• Supervision of postgraduate research students at the masters and doctoral level in human resource development, vocational education and training, and lifelong learning.
• Development and implementation of award courses internationally.
• National and international consultancies in human resource development vocational education and training, and lifelong learning.
• Development and implementation of fee paying non-award programs through its Training Services and Development arm.

Management and Leadership in VET Organisations

Very little is known about management and leadership in the Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) which now form the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Recent research has shown that the roles of educational personnel, most particularly education managers, have changed significantly in response to a changing operating environment. The various reform initiatives introduced by governments over the past decade have been the impetus for much of this change.

The project, 'Management and Leadership in VET Organisations', aims to identify the expertise that VET managers and leaders now need in order to perform their management and leadership roles. Thus, we are concerned to establish the kinds of knowledge and skill in management and leadership that VET managers and leaders require to operate in an increasingly competitive environment. A key assumption underpinning the research is that the roles of managers and leaders within VET organisations are expanding, consequently, new 'know-how' is required in order to perform these roles. Funded by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, the project is being conducted by the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with four other universities, three TAFEs and a Community College. It is based in the Department of Education Policy and Management at the University of Melbourne and led by Dr Dianne Mulcahy and Professor Brian Caldwell.

The project aims to address the following four questions:

• What are the roles and functions of senior and frontline managers within VET organisations and how are they changing?
• What are the requirements of VET organisations for expertise in management and leadership, in relation to this change?
• What practices of management and leadership, and approaches to management and leadership development, can best serve these organisations?
• How do we sustain valued management and leadership expertise in the VET sector?

In addressing the questions above, information is being collected at three levels:

• systemic or institutional level where the structural demands upon VET management posed by various external initiatives and changes (eg reforms required under the National Training Framework) can be examined;
• organisational level where organisational practices of management and leadership (eg knowledge management) and the knowledge and skills that support these practices can be identified;
• individual level where the development needs of managers and the most appropriate means of meeting these needs can be mapped. The emphasis here is on management development as experienced by individual managers.

A survey questionnaire is currently being administered. The questionnaire is being sent to 1500 RTOs in five major states. These organisations comprise public training organisations and private training organisations, including private not-for-profit organisations.

The overall aim of the survey is to collect demographic and attitudinal information from a sample of VET managers in order to establish the kinds and range of activities that constitute the VET manager and leader role and the qualities and skills that are demanded within these roles. Specifically, the survey aims to explore the changing nature of the roles of senior and frontline managers in VET providers and identify the skills that they need in order to perform these roles.

The questionnaire is divided into four sections designed to gather information on the attitudes and perceptions of VET managers with respect to:

• their changing operating environment ('The VET context')
• the extent of their management and leadership roles ('The changing roles of VET managers')
• the skills/capabilities needed to perform these roles and processes for developing these skills ('Responding to changing roles')
• as well as background or demographic data on VET managers and VET organisations.

The second empirical component of the research consists of telephone interviews with senior and frontline managers, to give a more individual perspective, from the viewpoint of managers with different roles and responsibilities. The selection of organisations for the telephone interviews will be made according to the same criteria used for the survey (ie sample will stratified by type of provider, size of provider and state). Thirty (30) interviews will be made in each of five major states (150 interviews altogether). These interviews will expand the broad body of information obtained through the survey and provide a detailed picture of the conditions that enable effective leadership and management in VET from an individual and organisational perspective.

The third empirical component of the research involves intensive case studies (10) of organisational practices of managing and leading in RTOs. The selection of RTOs will be made using purposive sampling to obtain maximum variation and increase the scope or range of data gathered. A multi-case study approach has been chosen to explore the potentially different perspectives of participants in public VET providers and private VET providers, including non-profit providers (Group Training Companies). These studies will provide a detailed understanding of management and leadership roles and requirements in different operating environments. The case studies will involve:

• observation of organisational practices: an observation schedule will be developed focusing on skills demonstrated by senior managers and frontline managers as they go about their everyday work; arrangements for management and leadership development; specific management and leadership practices and the contribution of these practices to 'followers' and the organisation, etc.
• in-depth, semi-structured interviews: fifty (50) in-depth, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with various individuals (eg. senior manager, front-line manager, manager developer (eg. coach), staff members or 'followers'). This interview data will provide a 'thick description' of the conditions that enable effective leadership and management in VET organisations.

Four related research projects, three of which are also commissioned by NCVER, and running concurrently with 'Management and leadership in VET Organisations' are:

• Management and leadership capabilities required of senior managers, directors and departmental heads in VET, Victor Callan, University of Queensland;
• Contexts within which managers manage, Ian Falk, University of Tasmania;
• Evaluating the front line management initiative, Llandis Barratt-Pugh, Edith Cowan University;
• Research into the development of a leadership program for chief executives and senior managers in Australian TAFE institutions, Anthony Tyrrel, TAFE Directors Australia.

Training Services and Development

This is the commercial arm of the Centre. Training Services and Development (TS&D) provides CHRDT with essential links to the broader VET sector. This enables the University, through CHRDT, to play a role in supporting the national government's goal of enhanced industry productivity through the delivery of quality workplace training. It also provides a pathway for industry personnel to the University's programs.

Established in early 1997, the primary role of TS&D is the design, marketing and delivery of workplace training and assessment modules and programs, other related programs, and consultancy services and projects. All activities are specifically designed to meet client requirements, both in Australia and overseas.

As a major component of "The University of Melbourne" Registered Training Organisation (RTO), TS&D is a registered training provider and currently offers:

• Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training 2003
• Diploma of Training and Assessment Systems
• Frontline Management Development modules.
• Specialised short courses for education and training practitioners which complement the above Certificate and Diploma, and which articulate into the University of Melbourne's award courses in human resource development and vocational education and training.
• Consultancy services and advice in human resource development and training in the workplace environment

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