Search Results for
"education"

There is much interest from researchers and from third way governments in the concept of social capital. Debate exists over whether or not government interventions create or destroy social capital. This article explores the relationship between the vocational education and training (VET) policies of the New Zealand Labour Government and social capital. Although no empirical evidence is presented, by drawing on official evaluations of the Labour Government' s key VET programmes and other documents, this paper argues that the Labour Government appears to have created social capital. However, it appears to be narrow in scope, it resides in the networks of professional providers and employers and it is highly regulated. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

This paper examines the significance of the inter-firm provision of entry-level vocational education and training in Australia by studying a key group of interfirm providers, namely, group training companies. The nature of group training schemes is discussed with reference to two case studies, and two different kinds of group training companies are identified. The paper then goes on to argue that group training companies in Australia have developed a unique model of training provision, one that reduces the costs and the risks for employers of the employment relationship associated with contracts of training. Group training companies do this by directly employing trainees on behalf of employers thus establishing a market-based, contingent employment relationship between the trainee and the host employer. The paper concludes with a discussion of the risks entailed in this type of training provision if it is merely seen as an effective way of providing labour market programs while the broader skill formation function of group training companies is overlooked and ignored. © 2003, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The German institutional setting of skill formation is supposed to enable young people smooth and structured transitions into the labor market. For decades, the large majority of graduates of the "dual system" of vocational education experienced good chances to immediately access appropriate job positions. However, labor market entry has become less stable in the last two decades. In this paper, we examine the changing transition from vocational training to the first job in Germany. We analyze the consequences of inter-firm mobility and unemployment after finishing vocational education for the transition to the first job. Our results show that leaving the training firm, and especially unemployment, strongly enhance occupational shifts at labor market entry. In addition, not keeping one's trained occupation negatively affects the chances to enter skilled job positions. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Foundation Degree was introduced into the United Kingdom awards system by the Government in 2000 as part of a wider strategy to widen participation and to enhance the development of vocational awards at higher education level. The award was controversially called a ‘degree’, despite the fact it was of only 2 years duration and not at honours degree level. This appears to fly in the face of the European Bologna Declaration. At he heart of the Government's vision for this degree was the concept of partnerships involving higher education, further education and business, in consortia-based development and operation of programmes. The authors examine the concepts of partnership and consortia, and the role they have played in the introduction of the Foundation Degree in the United Kingdom. They focus on the key players including national agencies, educational institutions, employers and students in order to examine the benefits and pitfalls, which can be identified in partnership and consortia arrangements in the development and delivery of vocational awards. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Vocational education and training (VET) systems throughout the world have undergone unprecedented change over the last 15 years. The policies of new vocationalism together with the emergence of new economic times have transformed VET. As a result many traditional VET policies and practices have undergone major changes in terms of their organisation and purpose. These changes are often spoken of as one response to the changing nature of work brought on by the impact of new technologies and globalisation on national economies. More VET research has also occurred as a response to the changes in VET. However, given the unprecedented nature of VET change it is perhaps timely to consider whether VET research itself has responded sufficiently to the challenges presented by these changes. This article examines this issue using concepts drawn from organisational theory to investigate recent VET research undertaken in Australia. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The twin pillars supporting contemporary lifelong learning theory in Britain–and also to some extent in the USA, Europe and Australasia (Field & Leicester, 2000)–are the development of vocational skills for economic competitiveness, and the fostering of social inclusion and cohesion. Clear and direct links are made between inclusion and economic prosperity in the ‘vision of a society where high skills, high rewards and access to education and training are open to everyone’ (DfEE, 2001, p. 6). However, although this policy does, to some degree, represent a break with the rampant neo-liberalism of the 1980s and 1990s in Britain (Hyland, 2002)–underpinned by (third way) values, which emphasise ‘economic efficiency and social cohesion’ (Giddens, 2000, p. 78)–the concept of economic capital always takes pride of place and there is a real danger that the social capital objectives of contemporary British vocational education and training (VET) may be neglected in the obsession with economic competitiveness. Since work-based learning (WBL) is now a central element in all current VET policy initiatives, it is suggested that attention to the systematic management and support of learning on WBL programmes can go some way towards achieving the important social objectives of lifelong learning. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Partnership arrangements involving institutions of further and higher education provide educational provision to a broad audience. It is essential that within the framework of a partnership arrangement there is a structure in place which allows senior academics and administrators to ensure that the partnership is maintained, developed and realizes the objectives set by senior management. This paper makes reference to a centre of entrepreneurship, which academics and administrators can establish, to facilitate the development of partnership arrangements and can be viewed also as a catalyst for developing new products and services which can be turned into marketable products and services, leading to increased opportunities for income generation. The framework outlined in this paper can provide a basis for establishing a professional and relational marketing approach that should ensure that customer expectations are met, and can be used to audit, evaluate and manage a partnership arrangement. © MCB University Press.

Certain proposals are difficult to challenge and appear to be beyond debate. The call for improved quality of healthcare is one of these. And certainly, the call for more leaders and more highly skilled leaders in the healthcare industry is another, especially in these times of rapid change, strained resources and concern about quality. Though the goal of preparing more leaders, and in particular preparing more highly skilled leaders, is meritorious, the premises underlying this goal and the methods of achieving it deserve careful examination. This commentary questions the ability to accurately forecast the supply of and demand for leaders in the healthcare industry and examines selected aspects of the 10 principles for leadership development proposed in the lead paper.

This paper outlines a study designed to validate competencies for dental vocational training (DVT) and general professional training (GPT) in order to ensure their accuracy and acceptability. A highly inclusive approach is described whereby all trainers in Scotland were invited to participate in the exercise. The 168 individuals recruited were drawn from all branches of the dental services and all regions in Scotland. Using online or paper questionnaires, quantitative and qualitative data were collected for each competency statement over 9 months, after which focus groups discussed and decided which changes should be made. A high response rate was observed and from the 160 competencies originally identified, almost half (47.5%) were redrafted as a direct result of the validation process. Sections of the competency document that required most attention are discussed, as are the nature of changes made to the competencies. As a result of this study, a fully validated competency document for DVT and GPT has been produced and will allow a high degree of standardization of training through the provision of essential consistent information to trainers and VDPs.

The relationship between higher education institutions and their environment has changed markedly during the last two decades. Massification and diversification of the higher education system, economic globalisation, novel modes of knowledge production, new professional requirements and the establishment of new vocational higher education systems in many countries have challenged higher education institutions to develop new forms of collaboration with working life. The new situation also challenges higher education to develop pedagogical and educational thinking and practices. The purpose of this article is to examine the pedagogical aspects of the increasing interaction and collaboration that is taking place between higher education and working life and to outline what kind of challenges it poses for research on higher education. It is emphasised that from the pedagogical viewpoint integration between theory and practice in work-based learning is essential. Our general conclusion is that the relationship between higher education and working life should be examined at least from four different perspectives: (1) from the viewpoint of student learning and the development of expertise, (2) from the viewpoint of educational institutions and staff, (3) from the viewpoint of working life organisations and employers, and (4) from the viewpoint of society and the system of education.