AVETRA, the VET Development Centre and the Victorian TAFE Association are pleased to announce an exciting, new VET Practitioner Research Conference to be held in April 2018. The Inaugural VET Practitioner Research Conference, to be held at the VET Development Centre in Melbourne, is a unique opportunity for VET teachers, trainers and other professionals to present and learn about new research in VET. 

Among the exciting speakers the Victorian TAFE Association has secured to present at the conference is José Luis Fernandez Maure, Head of International at TKNIKA (Institute of Innovation and Applied Research for Vocational Education and Training) in the Basque Country and leader of the Applied Research and Innovation Affinity Group of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP).

Practitioner research is practical, applied and impactful at the local level.  It drives innovation in VET curriculum, delivery and assessment and directly contributes to innovation in industry and community settings.

Conference organisers are now calling for Expressions of Interest (EoI) under three categories:

1.       Research capability development workshops (1 or 2 hours)

2.       Research project ‘snapshots’ (10 minutes per snapshot)

3.       Research project presentations (30 minutes per presentation)

EoIs may be submitted by individuals or groups.  To be eligible, you must complete and use the appropriate sections of the EoI submission template for the appropriate category (attached).   EoIs will be peer-reviewed, with outcomes released 19 February 2018. Successful applicants will be given until 15 March 2018 to make any changes requested.

The draft conference program will be released by Friday, 30 March.  EoIs must be submitted by January 21, 2018 to: AVETRA2018PracResConf@mail.com. The cost of the conference has been kept to a minimum with the support of the VET Development Centre and the Victorian TAFE Association.   The cost of attendance will be:

•         Existing AVETRA members: $25

•         Non-AVETRA members: $225 (Please note, joining AVETRA is easy! Just go to https://www.avetra.org.au/ and click the ‘Join Now’ button. You’ll save on attending this conference and enjoy the benefits of AVETRA membership.)

Please direct any questions about the conference, including how to pay and register, to Linda Simon and Steven Hodge at: AVETRA2018PracResConf@mail.com.  Good luck!