Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Vocational Education Researcher

🎯 Role Definition

The Vocational Education Researcher designs, conducts and communicates rigorous research and evaluation focused on vocational education and training (VET), apprenticeships, skills development and workforce readiness. Responsibilities include mixed-methods study design, quantitative and qualitative analysis, learning outcomes and competency assessment, stakeholder and industry engagement, grant writing, and translating evidence into actionable policy and practice for training providers, employers and government.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Research Assistant in education, social sciences or workforce development
VET Trainer or TAFE Lecturer transitioning to research
Policy Analyst in education, employment or skills

Advancement To:

Senior Researcher / Lead Researcher (VET evaluation)
Research Manager / Head of Evaluation (education or skills portfolio)
Principal Investigator or Academic (Higher Education)
Policy Lead / Director — Skills and Workforce Development

Lateral Moves:

Program Evaluation Specialist (NGO or government)
Curriculum Developer / Instructional Designer for VET providers
Learning Analytics Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead and manage end-to-end mixed-methods research projects evaluating vocational education, apprenticeships and training programs, including study design, sampling, data collection, analysis and reporting to ensure robust evidence on learning outcomes and employability.
Design and implement quantitative analyses (longitudinal, cross-sectional, quasi-experimental, propensity score matching) to measure program impact on employment outcomes, credential attainment and skill acquisition.
Develop and conduct rigorous qualitative research (interviews, focus groups, case studies) to capture employer perspectives, learner experiences and training provider practices in VET ecosystems.
Design, pilot and validate assessment instruments, competency frameworks and rubrics aligned to national qualification frameworks (e.g., AQF, NVQ) to measure competency-based learning outcomes accurately.
Create and administer large-scale surveys of learners, trainers and employers; ensure high response rates through robust sampling, communication plans and ethical practice.
Lead data management and governance for sensitive VET datasets: maintain data quality, documentation, anonymisation, secure storage and compliance with ethical approvals and privacy legislation.
Use learning analytics and LMS data (e.g., Moodle, Canvas) to track learner engagement, completion patterns and micro-credential uptake, translating metrics into improvement strategies for providers.
Prepare high-quality policy briefs, evidence summaries and technical reports for government departments, funding bodies and training organisations, translating research findings into practical recommendations and policy options.
Develop funding proposals and competitive grant applications to secure research funding from government, foundations and industry partners, preparing budgets, timelines and research methodologies.
Coordinate multi-stakeholder consultation processes with employers, industry peak bodies, unions, training providers and accreditation bodies to align research questions with real-world workforce needs.
Monitor and evaluate pilot initiatives (e.g., industry-placed apprenticeships, short courses, micro-credentials), producing timely formative feedback and final summative evaluations.
Conduct cost-effectiveness and return-on-investment analyses for VET programs, modelling employer benefits, learner earnings gains and public funding impacts.
Lead accreditation and quality assurance studies to assess provider compliance with regulatory standards, training package implementation and continuous improvement activities.
Mentor and supervise junior researchers, research assistants and research associates, providing technical guidance on methodologies, analysis and dissemination best practice.
Present research findings at national and international conferences, stakeholder workshops and industry roundtables; produce accessible dissemination materials including executive summaries, infographics and webinars.
Manage research project budgets, timelines and deliverables; ensure projects meet contractual obligations and reporting deadlines for funders and partners.
Establish and maintain longitudinal cohorts and administrative data linkages (e.g., VET provider records linked to labour market data) for rigorous impact measurement over time.
Lead mixed-methods meta-analyses and systematic literature reviews on topics such as skills shortages, apprenticeships effectiveness, and training-on-the-job impacts.
Design and run randomized controlled trials (where feasible) or strong quasi-experimental designs to evaluate interventions aimed at improving retention, completion and employment outcomes.
Provide expert advice to curriculum designers and training delivery teams on how to integrate evidence-based practices, competency-based assessment and employer-led training models.
Ensure all research activities comply with institutional ethics, human research ethics committees and industry-specific regulatory requirements, preparing ethics applications and consent materials.
Collaborate with data engineers and IT teams to build reproducible research pipelines, dashboards and visualization tools for ongoing monitoring of VET performance indicators.
Translate research into professional development modules for trainers and assessors, supporting evidence-based instructional practice and assessment validation.
Conduct stakeholder mapping and engagement strategies to ensure research is co-designed and implemented with meaningful employer and community input.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for internal teams and partner organisations.
Contribute to the organisation's research strategy, knowledge mobilisation plan and data roadmap for vocational education and training initiatives.
Collaborate with program managers and business units to translate research insights into operational requirements, policy adjustments and curriculum redesign.
Participate in agile project planning, sprint reviews and cross-functional working groups to integrate research outputs into product and program development.
Provide technical peer review of research outputs, ensuring methodological rigor, transparency and reproducibility in published findings.
Support communications and marketing teams with evidence-based content for stakeholder engagement, funding proposals and public awareness campaigns.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced research design and evaluation skills (experimental and quasi-experimental methods) tailored to VET and workforce development programs.
Strong quantitative analysis using statistical software (R, Stata, SPSS, SAS) and experience with econometric techniques, multilevel modelling and causal inference.
Qualitative research and analysis expertise (thematic analysis, grounded theory, NVivo, ATLAS.ti) for stakeholder and case study work.
Survey design, sampling methodology and experience administering large-scale surveys and longitudinal cohort studies.
Learning analytics and LMS data analysis (SQL, Python, R) to extract, clean and interpret engagement and outcome metrics from learning management systems.
Data management, cleaning and reproducible research pipelines (Git, RMarkdown, Jupyter, data dictionaries).
Strong report writing and policy brief development with the ability to translate technical findings into accessible recommendations for non-academic audiences.
Experience with program monitoring & evaluation (M&E) frameworks, KPIs and logic models specific to education and training programs.
Proficiency in data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI, ggplot2) to create dashboards and visual narratives for stakeholders.
Competency in cost-benefit and economic impact analysis applied to education and training interventions.
Grant writing and research funding acquisition experience, including budget development and funder reporting.
Working knowledge of vocational education frameworks, accreditation processes and regulatory environments (e.g., AQF, RTO standards).

Soft Skills

Excellent stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills with employers, industry bodies, training providers and policymakers.
Strong written and verbal communication with the ability to present complex evidence clearly to diverse audiences.
Critical thinking and problem-solving skills with an evidence-driven, pragmatic approach to policy and program recommendations.
Project and time management skills with experience delivering multi-site, multi-partner research on deadline.
Facilitation and workshop design skills for co-design sessions, employer roundtables and trainer professional development.
Leadership and mentoring capability to develop junior researchers and cross-functional teams.
High ethical standards, cultural sensitivity and commitment to inclusive research practices with diverse learner cohorts.
Adaptability and intellectual curiosity to respond to emerging skills trends and changing labour market needs.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Master’s degree in Education, Vocational Education, Social Science, Economics, Public Policy, Statistics, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

PhD in Education, Vocational Education and Training (VET), Applied Economics, Public Policy, Sociology or related research discipline with a strong applied evaluation focus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Education Research / Educational Measurement
Economics, Labour Economics or Applied Economics
Public Policy / Public Administration
Statistics, Data Science or Applied Social Research

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–10 years of applied research and evaluation experience in education, training, workforce development or a related public policy area.

Preferred:

5+ years of demonstrated experience evaluating vocational education programs, apprenticeships or workforce development initiatives.
Experience working with government departments, Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), TAFE/technical colleges, industry partners or philanthropic funders.
Track record of published research reports, government submissions, funded grants or academic publications in VET, skills policy or education evaluation.