Search Results for
"Vocational education"

This paper argues that much contemporary educational policy makes assumptions about learning that are directly contradicted by the best research and theorising of learning that has occurred over the last decade and more. This worrying mismatch is largely attributable to adherence by policy makers (and other key stakeholders such as employers), to 'common sense' notions of learning transfer. In fact, these 'common sense' notions of transfer have increasingly been discarded even in the learning transfer literature. However, we go further in arguing that transfer is a totally inappropriate metaphor for thinking about most learning, but especially for vocational learning. Accepting that thought about learning inevitably involves metaphors, we consider the merits and otherwise of various other learning metaphors including participation and construction. We conclude that the conceptual flaws of transfer can be avoided by employing alternative metaphors. The value of our recommended alternative is illustrated by its power to illuminate data on learning collected from various research projects. © 2009 British Educational Research Association.

The problem and the solution. This article provides an overview of knowledge management and discusses its link with human resource development (HRD). It also provides a short preview of what is included in this issue. The authors outline the major points in this issue for HRD scholars and practitioners as they work to leverage knowledge management as an HRD learning tool. Copyright 2009 SAGE Publications.

We reviewed anaesthesia training program in Australia. Anaesthetists in Australia and New Zealand need to obtain the Diploma of Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FANZCA) to be recognised as specialists. The training sequence approved by ANZCA encompasses an initial two-year Prevocational Medical education, Training (PMET) period, and the five-year period of ANZCA Approved Training, which included two-year Basic Training and three-year Advanced Training. On completion of all Training Program requirements the Trainee is awarded the Diploma of Fellowship and is entitled to use the qualification of FANZCA. The assessment of trainees in anaesthesia is principally by examination and the staff of the hospitals in which trainees work. There are a number of specific goals to be achieved during training. ANZCA accredits Hospital Departments of Anaesthesia and other training institutions across Australia, New Zealand, and South-East Asia, to provide approved training in anaesthesia for ANZCA trainees. Accreditation requires an onsite review by the College in order to assess a hospital's ability to provide training and supervision of the required standard, and its degree of compliance with ANZCA Professional Documents.

[No abstract available]

A majority of engineering courses in the university have these characteristics such as much period, extensive content, very strong practice etc. The paper takes auto detecting and maintenance specialty as an example to analyze problems of engineering courses in the university in the practice teaching, and put forward many methods, means and new teaching mode to resolve these problems to improve further classroom teaching effect. The virtual instrument technology and the network technology are applied in teaching practice, which resolves the contradiction between more students and short teaching resource. © 2009 IEEE.

This article investigates gender differentials in skill-use and training participation in the aftermath of vocational training in Germany. We find that women use less of their apprenticeship skills than men once they have left their apprenticeship occupation. Moreover, women are significantly less likely to obtain further formal training upon completing apprenticeship than men, whether staying within the same occupation or not.

The concept of asset specificity has become very prominent in the literature on skill formation, welfare states and labour markets. Building on the varieties of capitalism (VoC) school, this paper points out three distinct shortcomings of this literature: first, the VoC approach does not fully account for the variation of skill regimes in coordinated market economies (CMEs); second, the VoC approach underestimates the importance of authoritative certification in determining the real portability of vocational skills; and third, the complementarities between skill formation and social policies are different from what is expected in the VoC contributions. I argue that the variation of skill regimes in CMEs covers not one, but two separate dimensions: firms' involvement in skill formation and the vocational specificity of the education system. On the basis of three case studies, I demonstrate the existence of three distinct skill regimes in CMEs: the segmentalist (firm-based) skill regime of Japan, the integrationist (school-based occupational) skill regime of Sweden and the differentiated (workplace-based occupational) skill regime of Germany. © The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press and the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics. All rights reserved.

This paper develops a social realist critique of competency-based training (CBT) by drawing on the philosophy of critical realism and the sociology of Basil Bernstein as complementary modes of analysis. CBT is the mandated model of curriculum in the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia. It results in an impoverished education that disenfranchises students from access to the knowledge they need to participate in 'society's conversation' and in debates within their occupational field of practice. The paper argues that the relationship between constructivism and instrumentalism structured the development of CBT, even though they are distinct theoretical approaches to curriculum. Constructivist discourses around student-centred learning, situated learning and the contextualised nature of knowledge were appropriated and reworked through the prism of instrumentalism, thereby contributing to the justification and legitimation of CBT, but also to its continuing theorisation and development. The synergies between constructivism and instrumentalism arise because both are committed to the experiential within the contextual as the source of knowledge and this provides the scope for instrumentalism to plunder constructivism. Both emphasise the contextual, situated and problem-oriented nature of knowledge creation and learning and curriculum based on 'authentic' learning in the workplace. © 2009 Taylor & Francis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate whether recent changes in the National Health Service (NHS) dental contract may have caused increased anxiety and concern among vocational dental practitioners (VDPs). METHOD: A total of 606 questionnaires, which had previously been piloted, were distributed to VDPs across England and Wales at the end of the vocational training (VT) year in 2007. The questionnaires contained a range of questions about VDPs' attitudes and fears, the influence that they perceived the new dental contract for the General Dental Services of the NHS had on their VT training experience, and their expectations for the future. RESULTS: A 71% response rate was achieved. The results reflected changes in opinion about the dental profession among VDPs between when they applied for university and six years later on their completion of VT. During this period, they reported that their feelings of job security had declined from 93.1% (n=390) to 34.1% (n=145) and financial security from 94.8% (n=405) to 51.5% (n=219). Anxiety about the potential lack of funding in the NHS was felt by 77.6% (n=330). The effect of increasing numbers of dental graduates on employment prospects produced anxiety in 72.5% (n=305) of VDPs. On completion of VT, 19.4% (n=83) of VDPs did not have employment for the following year. CONCLUSION: At present, the future is more uncertain for new dental graduates than in the past. The dental profession needs to become more aware of the pressures that graduates are facing and further research is needed to investigate them and the effects that they are having on the future of dentistry.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the level of employability skills among the students of a technical and vocational training institutions. There are about 436 final year students from the institution were chosen as a sample of this research. The data was collected by questionnaires which was adapted from Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). Descriptive analysis and inferences such as ANOVA, and t-test were used to analyzed the data. This finding showed that the majority of the respondents are male. Most of them pursuing education in Certificate of Skills in one of these five area of specializations: art and building, electric, electronics, automotive and mechanical. The finding indicated that the employability skills among students were average. The findings also shown that there was a significant difference between employability skills and area of specializations. There were significant difference between employability skills for basic skills and informational skills and gender. The study suggests that Technical and vocational Educational Department should provide a curriculum which includes employment element skills which are needed by the employers. The institutions and the industry should also create a compact joint-venture for students need in order to produce higher quality workers.