Djama & Vet Volume 1&2

Djama & Vet: Exploring Partnerships and Practices in the Delivery of Vocational Education and Training in Rural and Remote Aboriginal Communities (Volume 1&2)

ANTARAC (Australian National Training Authority Research Advisory Council)

Djama and VET addresses the pressing issues of Vocational Education and Training delivery to rural and remote Aboriginal communities. The publication is the report of a collaborative research project involving Batchelor College, the Northern Territory Employment and Training Authority and the Northern Territory University.

The research was funded by the Australian National Training Authority through its Research Council in 1996. The research produced six case studies and a synthesis volume in which an argument is developed for best practice in the delivery of Vocational Education and Training to Aboriginal communities.

Delivering vocational training to rural and remote communities is rarely straightforward. The case studies in 'Djama and VET' are stories which capture some of the difficulties and successes when training providers attempt to deliver appropriate training. Training which is delivered within cultural contexts is markedly different from those encountered in mainstream Australia and through which the National Vocational Education and Training System (NVETS) is heavily influenced.

This research report raises the key issues of access and equity for Aboriginal communities through the NVETS while acknowledging that VET delivery in remote cross-cultural contexts is a complex area. An area that involves consideration of community development priorities, factors of distance, isolation, high resource and delivery costs, and the need for specific professional development amongst private and public providers who deliver courses.

The six illustrative and accessible case studies (Volume 2) provide practitioners with insights and directions in relation to VET delivery in rural and remote communities throughout Australia. The synthesis volume (Volume 1) provides advice for policy makers in the VET sector. It concludes with a statement of Principles of Best Practice for VET Delivery with Remote Aboriginal Communities, and an indication of the changes required in the organisational and systemic structure of NVETS to accommodate these principles.