Our team ran a randomised control trial to increase the number of classes that apprentices and trainees (‘learners’) attend. We significantly increased course attendance by sending employers a text message detailing what their learners are studying at their vocational training organisation (TAFE).
Continue reading “Strengthening Education and Training”
This was me en route to my stakeholder meeting! This is for our project on improving services and support for vulnerable people at risk of reoffending. This has been a massive project that I have loved working on. This group of people are underserved and yet over policed. They want a second chance after a life time caught up in the criminal justice system.
Continue reading “Second Chances”
This was the route to a stakeholder meeting in Bankstown, Western Sydney! We discussed our second project on vocational training and education, focusing on course enrollments.
Continue reading “After the Results, What Comes Next?”
A couple of weeks back, I travelled to the other side of the Sydney central business district to present our work on vocational training, to a public sector audience.
Continue reading “Vocational Training Completions”
Social science offers sophisticated methods for governments to better understand social media. Social scientists are using established research techniques to improve meaningful collection of social data via social media.
Continue reading “Improving Management of Social Media”
In a previous post, I explained how social science helps local governments implement public health planning and programs. This time, I’ll provide some specific examples about how social science addresses issues of social inclusion for vulnerable and marginalised community groups.
Continue reading “Health and Social Inclusion”
Health and wellbeing development trends go beyond individual factors, by connecting community trends to broader Australian and international social issues. This includes the services and facilities that people have access to, their experiences of social connectedness (which can impact knowledge and access to local services) and broader socio-economic patterns.
Continue reading “From Local to Global Health Connections”
Fieldwork in Dubbo, New South Wales, was very interesting! It was especially useful to learn about how to better support people with mental illness who are caught up in the justice system and how to deliver culturally relevant programs to Aboriginal communities.
Continue reading “Support for Mental Illness in Justice System”
Fieldwork means long hours and of course lots of travel through small towns. The research so far has identified themes about how to better personalise service delivery for vulnerable people.
Continue reading “Fieldwork on Service Delivery”
In the field again, this time for a new education and training project I’ll be taking over soon. It is a longitudinal study of youth cohorts in regional areas, exploring their support networks for study and work. I am visiting training organisations and workplaces, and interviewing students. Continue reading Education and Work
Social Science Insights 