CAE’s assessment will provide insight into critical thinking, problem solving, and written communication skills among Australian vocational education and training students
The Council for Aid to Education, Inc. (CAE), a nonprofit developer of performance-based and custom assessments that authentically measure students’ essential college and career readiness skills, today announced a new partnership with GOTAFE, the largest vocational education provider in regional Victoria, Australia. The organizations’ first pilot project will use CAE’s Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) to study vocational education and training (VET) students’ critical employability skills.
“CAE’s partnership with GOTAFE aims to strengthen what, until now, has been a lack of research into the implementation and impact of foundational skills in the Australian VET sector,” said Mark Keough, D. COMM., fellow for Asia Pacific, CAE. “Our assessments will greatly assist GOTAFE students by allowing them to understand their personal strengths and areas for improvement in the skills necessary for employability, and desirable job and community opportunities.”
The results and analysis from the CLA+ performance-based assessment will create benchmark measurements of essential skills relative to the general population. The data can then be used country-wide to enhance the quality of VET education programs to develop these skills, improving student outcomes.
CLA+ authentically measures the foundational or essential skills — critical thinking, problem solving and effective written communication — most in-demand by employers and post-secondary institutions. The assessment situates students in real-world scenarios where they must analyze and synthesize data, evaluate options, and recommend and defend a course of action.
“GOTAFE is thrilled to partner with CAE and positively impact the national landscape of quality improvement in Australian VET students,” said Karen Taylor, GOTAFE executive director of education. “By focusing on skills that are key to employability, we will create predictive measures of employment outcomes, giving these students the best possible opportunity for career success.”
To learn more about CAE and the CLA+ assessment, visit www.cae.org.
About CAE
A nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve student outcomes, CAE develops performance-based and custom assessments that authentically measure students’ essential college and career readiness skills and identify opportunities for student growth. CAE’s Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) for higher education, College and Career Readiness Assessment (CCRA+) for secondary education, and the new Success Skills Assessment (SSA+) for any level, evaluate the skills educational institutions and employers demand most: critical thinking, problem solving and effective written communication. Based on CAE’s research, these skills are predictive of positive college and career outcomes. CAE also partners with its clients to design innovative performance assessments that measure the constructs vital to students, educators, and institutions, including subject area and grade-specific assessments. Since 2002, more than 800,000 students at over 1,300 secondary and higher education institutions globally have completed CAE’s assessments. To learn more, please visit www.cae.org.
About GOTAFE
GOTAFE strives to be more than an education facility; we aim to enable people to realise their potential and enhance their communities. Offering over 120 courses and with 540 staff across eleven campus locations in Victoria, GOTAFE brings up-to-date, real-world skills directly into the classroom. Leaders in providing quality education, industry-focused facilities and a student-centric experience, GOTAFE creates opportunities to achieve. GOTAFE graduates enter the workforce strengthened by skills that meet the needs of the region and on a journey of lifelong learning and personal development.
