1 Learning for livelihoods: Lessons from training in diverse desert contexts

The Australian desert region covers over two-thirds of the land mass of the continent and spans five state and territory jurisdictions. Access to training for the more than 30,000 people who belong to Aboriginal desert communities is inhibited by a number of factors including English language, literacy and numeracy, remoteness, seasonal inaccessibility and high costs associated with service delivery to these areas. Nevertheless, learning in a variety of forms does contribute positively to the livelihoods of those living in the desert region. Research on which this paper is based, funded by the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research and the Desert Knowledge CRC, explores the linkages between these learnings and desert livelihoods. The research comes at a time of considerable change both in the Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) sector within Australia and the direction of policy relating to the Australian Government’s approach to addressing Indigenous well-being, particularly in remote communities. The paper reports on the findings of four case studies conducted across the jurisdictions of the desert region and considers the impact of training in four different vocational settings. The focus of the paper will be a cross-cutting analysis of the issues that have arisen from the case studies along with an exploration of ‘what works’. Given the changing nature of policies impacting on Aboriginal communities in the Australian desert (particularly as they affect training, employment and community capacity more generally), this paper will provide an important contribution to the understanding of the dynamics of VTE practice in a fluid policy context