Search Results for
"Vocational education"

During the VT year the VDP and the trainer could choose to progressively check and complete each of the competencies listed and using the skills evaluation document make the appropriate record. Any areas of further training needs would be identified and a learning plan implemented. The whole process would be supervised by the VT advisor group who could be the resource for further training or support in conjunction with the VDP and trainer. This would be a self evaluation with external validation by the trainer and advisor group similar to the AEGD model in the USA.5, 6 This would be an assessment that was valid reliable and feasible as indentified by Freeman.8 The use of a skills evaluation procedure would be similar to a LEP which would support the validity of the process.10 A record of completion of each key skill (competency) could be made using the supplied paper work and presented periodically as a log of achievement to the VT Advisor group. Of course the whole process also relies on the fact that the trainers need to be competent themselves in using practice based assessment, and an appropriately resourced pilot programme will be needed to make this an effective tool in assessing the overall competency of new graduates in vocational training.

[No abstract available]

This paper describes the Cascade Communication Skills Teaching Project, which is a programme of facilitator training enabling communication skills teaching in the consultation to general practitioners to be cascaded throughout the former East Anglia Deanery. The paper also explores the project's educational and organizational effectiveness. The programme is based on an ongoing training programme for a cohort of around 30 district-based communication skills facilitators, and was set up in the autumn of 1995. These facilitators are now able to act as a resource to cascade high-quality communication skills teaching into vocational training schemes, trainer education and the continuing professional development of established general practitioners throughout each district in the region. The project has now been extended into medical student teaching, specialist teaching at junior and senior level, and multidisciplinary teaching.

This article traces vocational education policy in the province of Alberta from the 1960s federal Technical and vocational Training Assistance Act to the provincial endorsement of new curriculum and transition initiatives in the 1990s. The purpose is to understand the implications of shifts in policy over time. Our examination suggests that although the current provincial approach is strengthened by the commitment of local educators and employers, it is hampered by the lack of institutional support including resources and research into outcomes, as well as coherence and clarity about educational policy objectives. The resilience of existing structures, attitudes, and practices also poses challenges to the implementation of policy.

This paper makes recommendations for the improvement of assessment in postgraduate dental education. The recommendations are based on a twelve-month study conducted in 1998/99 which evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the existing assessment systems. Evidence was taken from examination syllabi, assessments and records. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from national bodies and with trainers and trainees in the West Midlands. Strengths in parts of the system include: commitment and professional experience; commissioned work; opportunity to share experience; a monitoring framework; procedures for maintaining standards and examples of broadbased assessments. Weaknesses include: lack of assessment of quality; existence of some forms of unregulated assessment; lack of transparency and lack of clarity between training and assessment. Development is recommended in three broad areas: a competence-based model of assessment; distinguishing assessment from the analysis of educational needs and quality assurance. The introduction of a competence-based model is the most significant and is addressed in some detail. Specific proposals for consideration by national regulatory bodies and education providers include: strengthening the management of assessment; national leadership in the development of a competence model of assessment; widening the assessment base; clearer criteria for inspection; revisions to how vocational training, HO/SHO training and general professional training are assessed and training for trainers.

This paper summarises the debate on modularisation in initial vocational training provisions in Germany in the context of the German 'dual system'. This system has been increasingly criticised in recent years and the paper describes the on-going discussion regarding potential strategies for the modernisation of this system. The paper then introduces three different concepts of modularisation in training provisions that have emerged from the recent debate in Germany. They are each evaluated in terms of their potential application to the German training framework. Finally, a potential strategy for the modularisation of initial training in Germany is proposed. It draws on research regarding modules and units in training in other European countries and shows how it might be possible to embed the concept of modularisation within the pre-existing training frameworks in the German context.

This article critiques some assumptions shaping the current discourse on workplace learning. It proposes that these assumptions restrict how workplace learning is conceptualised and discussed. Principally, describing workplace learning environments and experiences as ‘informal’ and that ‘informal learning’ occurs in workplaces constrains understanding about how learning occurs through work and, consequently, the development of a workplace pedagogy. As with educational institutions, in workplaces there are intentions for work practice, structured goal-directed activities that are central to organisational continuity, and interactions and judgements about performance that are also shaped to those ends. Therefore, describing learning through work as being ‘informal’ is incorrect. Instead, the structuring of workplace activities has dimensions associated with learning directed for the continuity of the practice, which also often has inherently pedagogical qualities. Moreover, the unqualified description of learning environments as being either ‘formal’ or ‘informal’ suggests a situational determinism. Instead, learning is proposed as being interdependent between the individual and the social practice. The core tension in this relationship is that between those needs for the continuity of the work practice and individuals' needs to realise their personal or vocational goals. It is proposed that considerations of learning, learning in workplaces and the development of a workplace pedagogy need conceptualising in terms of participatory practices. © 2002, © 2002 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

This article presents empirical evidence on labour market performance of graduates of curriculum options in a diversified upper secondary education scheme, with emphasis on the benefit of choosing the vocational intensity of instruction. Such evidence, which was generated for the Greek education system, shows a generally high employment mismatch (68-85%), the largest mismatch attributed to graduates from an integrated comprehensive curriculum option and the smallest to graduates from the occupation specific curriculum option. On the other hand, the evidence shows that the vocational options benefit low achievers, who, because of them remain in school, acquire minimum employable skills and avoid long term unemployment. The evidence did not show differences in earnings relative to the type of curriculum completed, but it did show differences relative to gender (females had lower earnings) and relative to type of employment (i.e. self employment, civil servant, employer, etc.). © 2002 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Provides an overview on a German lighthouse research project called L3 ("Lifelong Learning - Learning as a utility") in the area of e-learning systems that supply e-learning services via a virtual private network. More specifically, this paper focuses on a new approach of meta-tagging learning elements to enable the flexible execution of courses depending on the individual learning styles of the students. The notion of a content aggregation model is introduced and a set of tools and a first prototype of an associated run-time environment are described. An extension to the existing standardization according to SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is given to project future developments in this area to allow more in-depth implementation of didactical knowledge into courseware systems. A basic ontology on instructional units is described, which provides extensions to additionally allow advanced learning scenarios where group learning is supported in the design and implementation of the courseware. First results of the evaluation are provided, as the material becomes used in vocational training centres as part of the e-learning service. © 2002 IEEE.

This article investigates the views of the students of the University of Cyprus concerning the aims and character of the university, in general, and the Department of education, in particular. Moreover, it examines the extent to which the students’ preparation for the labour market is considered satisfactory. Data were collected from 135 students of the education Department of the University of Cyprus through both fixedalternative and open-ended questions. According to the findings, respondents appear to reject a purely instrumental or vocational approach to the formulation of higher education aims. At the same time, they believe that both their university and their department exhibit a vocational orientation in the provision of skills and knowledge to their students. Respondents consider the professional preparation they receive at the university and the department to be satisfactory even though they point out several areas for improvement. The article suggests that universities ought to address the students’ desire for personal development in the context of the humanistic mission of higher education. It also points to the need for improvements in the students’ professional training. © 2002 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.