abstract: 'Education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty

  and inequality, and lays a foundation for sustained economic growth.

  Aboriginal peoples of Australia experience `overwhelming'' disadvantages

  across every indicator of social and economic well being when compared

  with non-Aboriginal peoples. This disadvantage is experienced across all

  sectors of education, and although Aboriginal students are participating

  at high rates in vocational education and training, their pass rates and

  qualification outcomes remain well below those of non-Aboriginal

  Australians.

  This paper maps the participation and outcomes for Aboriginal desert

  dwellers in the vocational education and training sector and relates

  these to factors such as: (1) compulsory school access, (2) remote area

  labour markets, (3) the state of housing and infrastructure on discrete

  desert settlements, and (4) the policy and program initiatives

  influencing land tenure, income security and labour force status.

  The provision of education services across desert regions epitomises the

  tensions generated when the drivers of desert living - remoteness,

  dispersed sparse and mobile populations, variable climate, geography,

  cultures, languages and histories - interact with the differing factors

  that shape mainstream vocational education. Although innovations in

  program delivery more consistent with learner needs and aspirations can

  and do emerge, they are often framed as pilot projects or materialise in

  parallel program interventions such as youth work or land care. This

  paper explores the nature of these tensions and identifies the

  characteristics of educational interventions that can improve outcomes

  for Aboriginal desert dwellers no matter where they choose to live.'
affiliation: 'Young, M (Corresponding Author), Ctr Appropriate Technol, Alice Springs,
  NT 0870, Australia.

  Young, Metta, Ctr Appropriate Technol, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

  Guenther, John, Cat Conatus, Ulverstone, Tas 7315, Australia.'
author: Young, Metta and Guenther, John
author-email: metta.young@icat.org.au
author_list:
- family: Young
  given: Metta
- family: Guenther
  given: John
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1071/RJ07042
files: []
issn: 1036-9872
journal: RANGELAND JOURNAL
keywords: 'employment; livelihoods; remote communities; vocational and technical

  education'
language: English
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '50'
orcid-numbers: Guenther, John/0000-0002-0080-1698
pages: 177-186
papis_id: 33237f70937371b8867202f19f6a3bfa
ref: Young2008shapeaboriginal
researcherid-numbers: Guenther, John/ABA-5840-2020
times-cited: '8'
title: The shape of Aboriginal learning and work opportunities in desert regions
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000254550200017
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '14'
volume: '30'
web-of-science-categories: Ecology
year: '2008'