Exploring a First Nations pathway from VET in Schools to a Bachelor of Education at Charles Darwin University

The Australian teacher workforce is characterised by a distinct lack of parity between First Nations teacher numbers and non-First Nations counterparts. Increasing First Nations teacher numbers could contribute to increased First Nations educational expertise, increased First Nations student engagement, the application of more First Nations pedagogical approaches, and teachers as role models of First Nations educational success.
This presentation, delivered by two experienced First Nations Australian educators and researchers, discusses a 2-year HEPPP-funded Charles Darwin University (CDU) project exploring the potential of the pathway for First Nations senior secondary students into a teaching degree at CDU. The potential of such a pathway as a viable strategy for increasing First Nations teacher numbers was considered, with early findings suggesting that it has been under-utilised to date.
The research was conducted with a mixed methods approach using online surveys and semi-structured interviews, quantitative data on student enrolment and completion, and existing administration processes of qualifications.
The over-arching research questions were -
• Is there a clear pathway from VET in schools to a Bachelor of Education at CDU?
• What are the enablers for the success of such a pathway?
• How are Indigenous students successful in this pathway?
• Are there improvements to be made to engage more Indigenous students?
The findings were surprising and raised more questions than answers. Participants listed numerous perceived barriers and suggested some strategies for improvement. Relevant topics explored included Higher Education systems, First Nations engagement, Higher Education enrolment and completion, and perceived First Nations student aspirations. Students were not recruited as participants for this research. This project recruited Northern Territory senior secondary VET coordinators and career advisors, NT Department of Education office-based VET program staff, CDU teacher education lecturers, and CDU VET staff.
The research outputs included creating a visual representation of existing, potential and suggested pathways. Future research would best focus on First Nations senior secondary students as participants to test the visual pathway’s effectiveness and delve deeper into First Nations student aspirations about becoming teachers.