Search Results for
"Vocational education"

The aim of this chapter is to raise awareness of the points of view of students in post16 education who are required to learn mathematics, or deal with mathematical ideas, whilst studying other subjects. These students are likely to be following vocational courses, such as the General National vocational Qualifications (GNVQs), the National vocational Qualifications (NVQs), the Modern Apprenticeship scheme or BTEC. Many of the ideas and issues raised in this chapter could also be of relevance to teaching on more academic courses. © 2002 Compilation, original and editorial matter, The Open University. All rights reserved.

From the time of Booker T. Washington to today, and William Julius Wilson, the advice dispensed to young black men has invariably been, "Get a trade." Deirdre Royster has put this folk wisdom to an empirical test—and, in Race and the Invisible Hand, exposes the subtleties and discrepancies of a workplace that favors the white job-seeker over the black. At the heart of this study is the question: Is there something about young black men that makes them less desirable as workers than their white peers? And if not, then why do black men trail white men in earnings and employment rates? Royster seeks an answer in the experiences of 25 black and 25 white men who graduated from the same vocational school and sought jobs in the same blue-collar labor market in the early 1990s. After seriously examining the educational performances, work ethics, and values of the black men for unique deficiencies, her study reveals the greatest difference between young black and white men—access to the kinds of contacts that really help in the job search and entry process. © 2003 by the Regents of the University of California.

In 1992, the National System of vocational education Training (ESEEK) was established by law 2009/92 to enhance the training of the middle-echelon workforce in the context of competitiveness for economic growth within the single European market. The Organisation for vocational education Training (OEEK), a legal entity created by the same law, was charged with the establishment, organisation and operation of vocational Training Institutes (IEKs). The report introducing the law refers to the incomplete technical and vocational training provided at Comprehensive Upper Secondary Schools (EPLs), Technical and vocational Schools (TES) and vocational education and Training Colleges (TEE) due to lack of modernisation. On the basis of this necessity, IEKs officially opened on 1st February 1993. In this article I look at the organisational structure of IEKs and their coherence with the formal education system and the labour market, the target groups and the types of training programmes and vocational opportunities, and the problems and future perspectives of an institution that ten years after its establishment has not yet been able to prove its market value. © 1998 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The paper provides the outcomes of two small-scale sets of interviews carried out in the Netherlands and in England on views about and interpretations of the work-based route for young people. In the light of current revival of interest in work-based learning for young people, and in particular the apprenticeship model in England, I was particularly interested in the issue of parity of esteem between the work-based route and other routes. Whereas in the Netherlands the focus for the development of vocational education and Training (VET) is on the full-time vocational route, which has a reasonably high status, England has opted for the apprenticeship route to be the development tool for high quality VET. The paper explores what we can learn about our own experiences in England in the light of what is happening elsewhere (Raffe, 1998; Raffe et al., 1999). It becomes clear from the data obtained that policy development in the Netherlands aims to increase the status of work-based learning through incorporating the route into the full-time route and providing end qualifications that can be achieved through either a full-time college-based route or through a work-based learning route. The modern apprenticeship route or work-based learning route as such has not a high status, contrary to what is sometimes claimed to be the case. In England, the aim of policymakers is to create a work-based learning route, which is considered to be a high quality route, and is comparable to the general/academic route. The paper shows that there are various reasons as to why this attempt might fail. Both countries aim to provide a 'ladder' or 'column' of opportunities in VET. The research shows that very few young people in fact move up a ladder, but rather move into work-based learning or apprenticeships at certain points on the continuum, and subsequently move sideways into general or theoretical provision in order to be able to progress higher up. Target groups for work-based learning are different at the lower end from those at levels 3, 4 and 5. Very few participants in either country move from level 1 up to level 4 through participation in a work-based route, and it may therefore be appropriate to talk about the provision of a climbing framework, where young people move backwards and forwards and sideways, rather than about a ladder of opportunities. © 2003, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

A participant observation study, located in central Scotland, was carried out to observe the process of skill acquisition among informally trained auto mechanics in the workplace. As well as noting processes of workplace learning, the benefits/limitations of this type of learning was noted and suggestions made as to how this information may be of benefit to the development of vocational education programmes for mechanics. lthough it is accepted that workplace learning by itself does not create an adequate formal training programme, it is an important constituent of most training regimes and, as such, the processes of skill acquisition should be of interest to those involved in the development or presentation of such programmes. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

There is a crisis in the vocational training provision of the Channel Island of Jersey's construction industry that has similarities with the British situation. Unavailability and inappropriateness of skills, nonviability of current training and recruitment policies on the island, fragmentation of the training infrastructure, the demand-driven and task- or job-specific nature of training, the Jersey-born and male focus of recruitment, and the uncoordinated, traditional and short-term approach of the local construction industry towards promotion and financing of training provision were found to be working against the industry's long-term needs and restricting its ability to respond to the variability of the production process. In contrast, a structured training policy incorporating the needs of both education and industry (employee and employer), and holding a longterm vision should enable the construction industry of Jersey to reverse the downward spiral. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The issue of gender-related differences in the transition of secondary vocational education graduates from school-to-work is discussed, relative to ‘male’, ‘female’ and ‘neutral’ curriculum choices, using findings from a national survey of graduates. The discussion explores this issue using matched employment and earnings as critical indicators. Comparisons are made with corresponding findings in a survey conducted by CEREQ for France. This article suggests that gender equity in entry and transition to labour market is a complex issue, when explored relative to gender-related choices of vocational streams and gender differences in transition performance. The findings were generally consistent with expectations, relative to the social context, which prevails in Greece. The evidence supports the French conclusion that, under certain conditions, non-traditional education and training can benefit young women in their school-to-work transition. On the other hand, unlike the French findings, data on some segregated training programmes show that female labour market performance is surprisingly favourable, especially for pre-vocational training courses, which have a stronger general education component in the curriculum than vocational education courses. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

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.