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"education"

Changes in the system of vocational education, at least in The Netherlands, are based on the idea that the curriculum should focus more on competencies and work-related experiences. In a competency-based curriculum the content is not the central issue but the assessment and monitoring of what is learned and acquired relevant to (later) successful performance. Therefore, it is essential to link assessment with instruction that is focused on performance and aligned with later work. In this paper a framework is developed showing how to organise curriculum and instruction around competencies in vocational education. As an example, the Educational Assessment and Development system is introduced to highlight procedures and experiences of the integration of assessment with instruction in an institute for vocational education and to draw some lessons from this case for future design and construction of curricula. © 2000 Taylor & Francis Ltd.

The movement of the health care and education professions from an apprenticeship model in the early half of the century to the tertiary education sector has brought an awareness of the key role field experience or practicum plays in professional development. The literature has demonstrated that field experience during teacher education and clinical education is a valuable part of preparation for entry into the teaching and nursing professions. The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the perceptions of final year students from three distinct undergraduate field experiences. Queensland University of Technology students from adult and workplace education, secondary education, and nursing participated in the study. Data were collected through a series of focus group interviews with groups of five to nine participants across the three discipline areas. Students described their expectations of the practical side of their learning and the learning outcomes that eventuated during the practicum.

Governments in the advanced industrial countries increasingly rely on supply-side reforms to intervene in the economy. This article examines one such reform, that of vocational education and training in France, whose successful implementation required that private actors cooperate not with the state, but with each other. As demonstrated through an empirical analysis of two employment zones, theories of institutional design that underscore the necessity of sanctioning cannot explain the successful emergence of cooperation, because new sanctioning regimes lack credibility under the uncertain conditions of economic reform. The primary obstacle to successful implementation of these reforms is uncertainty about the consequences of reciprocal cooperation, and the article highlights the mutual roles of states and employers' associations in overcoming this uncertainty. Active collaboration between policymakers and employers' associations, which have uniquely good access to private information about firms, is necessary to enable state policies to target those firms which are the most likely potential cooperators.

It has been recognized internationally that undergraduate medical education must adapt to changing needs, as illustrated by the Tomorrow's Doctors recommendations from the General Medical Council. This paper aims to relate contemporary educational theory to undergraduate medical educational requirements, specifically highlighting conditions (e.g. experiential learning) for: professional knowledge acquisition; critical thinking, problem-solving and clinical problem-solving; and lifelong professional learning. Furthermore, problem-based learning (PBL) is highlighted as potentially providing such conditions. There are lessons from contemporary educational theory for the reform of undergraduate medical education. These include valuing prior knowledge and experience; promoting learner reponsibility through facilitating rather than directing learning; encouraging learners to test out and apply new knowledge, and using small-group work to foster explicitly the elusive skills of critical thinking and reflection. Contemporary educational theory contributes valuable insights, but cannot dictate the ultimate 'mix'; at best it provides some principles for reflective analysis of the learning experiences created for tomorrow's doctors.

Gutersloh BTZ has practiced vocational training for the mentally handicapped since August 1995. The main goal is to place the clients into employment in the regular workforce. This is done by intensive vocational training yet without having workshops attached to the institution itself. Gutersloh BTZ is comparable to other training centres in Germany like those in Hamburg, Duisburg, Koln, Dortmund, Paderborn, Straubing, Wiesloch and Schleusingen. They are similar in terms of personnel key, financial support for participants and standards of quality. The main difference between Gutersloh BTZ and other training centres is the absence of attached workshops. In Gutersloh training takes place on the job in the regular labour market like industrial firms, craftsmen establishments and service agencies. The 'heart' of Gutersloh BTZ's concept is the reference group. It consists of not more than 8 participants. Two social workers are assigned to each group and provide intensive attention from the participant's first day in BTZ to aftercare on the regular job. The individual rehabilitation aim can only be achieved by establishing a tailor-made concept of support. This calls for a broad range of media, flexible methods and individual aims. In addition to the individual orientated concept, pedagogical groupwork with three to five participants plays an important role in the work. Here the emphasis is on close relationship. Incentive, start, duration and contents of internships in agencies and firms are to a high degree individually structured. A flexible graduated plan helps the participants to progress from a trial practicum to a long-term practicum and finally to a regular (and subsidized) job in an agency. The Gutersloh BTZ's quota of successful placement into the regular labour market as well as into subsidized jobs is similar to those in other BTZs in Germany. Participants who can't be placed in a job have to achieve a defined perspective of life and an alternative to regular work. This standard of quality is established in the written concept of BTZ. Gutersloh BTZ compares its work and success with other BTZs through uniform social- scientific BTZ evaluation.

A concept of teaching basic mathematical knowledge and skills related to the vocational training of master craftsmen in the field of electrical engineering and metal engineering is described. The provision of application-oriented mathematics is pointed out as an important basis of competence needed by master craftsmen in their professional surroundings. A framework for the development of training supporting materials for mathematics learning is explained on the basis of earlier experiences as well as on newer constructivistically oriented instructional approaches of educational psychology and in consideration of current professional guidelines and examination regulations of the Chambers of Industry and Commerce. These materials are developed into three CBT-units which are to be of fundamentally different design in order to enable learning on different levels using the material on the learners' own initiative. Active self-organization is offered to the course participants via the use of interactive multimedia-based presentations.

The Defence Force School of Music (DFSM) has been responsible for the education of Australian Defence Force (ADF) musicians since its inception in 1984. Previously the preparation of soldier-musicians had been the responsibility of the Army School of the Army School of Music, which was part of the Army Apprentices' School. Preparation of sailor-musicians had been the province of the Royal Australian Navy School of Music. Thus, with its roots in a tradition of training for music as work, the DFSM has been well-positioned to adopt the principles and practices of Vocational education and Training (VET). This paper reviews the principles of VET, describes the DFSM and its work, and addresses the questions: "How has the DFSM's philosophy and practice of Music-education-as-VET been shaped by its history?" and "What is the nature of the experience of students at the DFSM?".

The benefits of incorporating the concepts of contextual learning and cognitive apprenticeships into a cross-functional safety curriculum within industrial technology, are discussed. Interactions between industrial technology disciplines can lead to a more efficient use of departmental resources across a larger number of classes. The safety students take the real-life challenges seriously because manufacturing faculty are interested in their suggestions and recommendations. Successful cross-curricula interactions can lead to experiences that are more realistic for the students and heightens interest level among students for content outside of their area of focus.

Examines some of the changes that have occurred in the labour market for young people in the last quarter of a century. Then proceeds to describe the nature of the relevant policy interventions during this same period, in particular the exhortation that “learning pays”. This provides the context for the identification of three challenges for all those directly and indirectly associated with the labour market for young people. In the viewpoint of the author, these challenges are: to espouse the cause of education and training; to create a flexible learning structure to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn both through and over time; and to improve the quantity and quality of information flows within this learning infrastructure. © 1999, MCB UP Limited

Starting from the recent discussions on the crisis of vocational education and the increasing destandardization and jeopardization of educational and professional careers, the author analyzes the importance of vocational education in the careers of six different cohorts born in the Federal Republic of Germany between 1919 and 1961. The empirical study centers on the question of how much the behavior of the West German birth cohorts regarding vocational training and further education changed over a period of more than four decades. In more concrete terms, the author examines whether cohort-specific patterns of vocational training and further edcation have become more irregular and precarious or whether, on the contrary, trends of long-term stability and continuity in the experiences regarding vocational training predominate.