Equality or Quality? Selection to Prevocational Courses in South Australia 1981 to 1984

This paper outlines and analyses the debate in South Australia between 1981 and 1984 about entry to trade training and highlights the contradictions between government policies on equal opportunity for women in technical and further education and reform of trade training through the implementation of prevocational training courses. The debate about selection to prevocational courses was dominated till 1984 by those who argued that the persons chosen should be quality entrants, already exhibiting skills well beyond any minimum level of acceptability. Ways of aiding women to enter and succeed in these courses were not pursued and advocates for women, excluded from the tripartite decision-making processes, were unable to have arguments about equality for women considered in the debate until late in the process of reform of trade training.