We had neither the time nor resources to carry out a major investigation involving significant field research, but that was never our intention. Our research design and methodology were intended to produce an exploratory study; we make no claim to have exhaustively surveyed or even randomly sampled from the 300 or so CDEP schemes across the country. Our aim was to gauge the current state of affairs 'on the ground', to establish the critical issues surrounding training needs in a sample of different CDEP schemes which represent the diversity of programs currently in operation.

We began by drawing up a list of research questions which focused on current opportunities available through vocational education and training, the types of training being carried out, and the strategies individual CDEP schemes employed to identify funding and conduct such training. ATSIC's CDEP office in Canberra then assisted us to locate a range of sites which might be appropriate for exploring these questions. ATSIC contacted their regional offices, calling for suggestions of programs that fitted a range of specific criteria. The response was quick and extremely useful. We subsequently contacted many of these State and regional ATSIC officers, who have direct knowledge of the programs within their areas. We discussed our research with them in more detail and sought further advice on appropriate programs to contact directly. Our sample included large and small programs, some rural, some remote, and some urban. Several of the programs were newly established, while others had been in existence for a number of years. Ultimately, we were able to conduct in-depth telephone interviews with 11 managers of CDEP programs across the country. In addition, a few managers responded in writing to our formal interview questionnaire. This paper is a presentation of our findings, taking up the concerns raised by those we spoke to and in the materials sent to us.