Essays on Gahan

Summary of Argument (Introduction)

Since the commencement of the 1990s consecutive Australian national governments (from both right and left of the political spectrum) have supervised a move in the guideline of employment relations from one based on centralised arbitrated awards to one of enterprise-bargaining(Gahan et.al,2000). The ostensible purpose of this policy was to facilitate the development of workplace-focussed systems of regulation, which were sensitive to the need for flexible production and employment systems in the context of the global economy. However, this policy was introduced only subject to certain conditions, which purported to guarantee the security of workers (Watson, et.al, 2003). These ...

Introduction

Apprentices and trainees currently represent 25 per cent of the 1.7 million students enrolled in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system and 3.8 percent of the entire workers (NCVER, 2010). More than 13 per cent of the entire Australian workforce comprises of 1.2 million workers in the technical and trade sector (Expert Panel, 2011: 8). Therefore, the quality and effectiveness of the Australian Apprenticeships systems will impact on the productivity of the wider Australian economy. For decades, Australians have completed apprenticeships and traineeships that have provided pathways into satisfying and rewarding careers in trade or vocation, or into ...