Search Results for
"Vocational education"

University adult education, with its roots in the Victorian reform of the ancient universities, was conceived and consumed as a political project and, until the present generation, has always carried progressive political connotations. This article surveys its history by examining four different phases through which it moved, each associated with a different form of political commitment. Initially intended by reforming Liberals of the 187os and 1880s to make responsible democratic citizens of the working class, after 1900 the adult education movement altered its focus in order to educate the emergent labour movement for the exercise of power. This in turn was challenged by a more class-conscious educational project, embodied in the Plebs League and Labour Colleges during the interwar period. In each of these forms, education was understood to have social ends, and students were encouraged to see themselves as members of quasi-political movements. Since the 1950s, however, under many influences, the special association of adult education and politics has been questioned and lost its relevance as new forms of continuing education have emphasised strictly personal development and vocational training. This article examines an educational tradition now at an end, which caught up many leading progressive intellectuals and in which education was axiomatically political.

The University for Industry (UfI) is set to become the chief vehicle and change mechanism for the government's new policies for vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning. A principal target and priority for the UfI will be the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector, which has traditionally had a poor record of investment in education and training. We examine the chances of success for the UfI in this important sector of VET activity against the background of our recent national survey of firms, which specifically addressed the views of SME owner-managers, in particular, in terms of awareness of attitudes to and expectations of the new organisation. Given that the UfI is still in its pilot stage - with the official national launch not due until the year 2000 - the general 54% awareness amongst the 6000 firms contacted may be described as modestly optimistic. We conclude by offering a number of general recommendations based on the emerging picture and on the basis of matching owner-manager expectations against UfI priorities and strategies.

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Health education graduate students were surveyed to assess perceptions of their professional responsibility to be role models of healthy behaviors, characteristics of a professional role model, and related socializing experiences during professional preparation. A total of 233 randomly selected health education graduate students participated in this study nationwide. Significant inverse associations were found between students’ year in graduate school and sense of excellence as a role model, graduate program satisfaction, and professional commitment (all ps < 0.05). Students'sense of professional marketability and competence to role model were statistically significant in predicting their perception that role modeling healthy behaviors is a professional responsibility, F(2, 215) = 110.25, p = 0.00001. Positive associations also were found between students’ desire to improve fitness behavior, nutrition, and weight and/or body fat ratio with self-ratings as role models (all ps< 0.05). Implications for the profession and preparation are provided. © 1999, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.

This article examines the development of the Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Occupational Therapy Support against the background of recent reforms and changes in health, social and educational arenas. Learning theories relevant to educational initiatives are addressed briefly and a rationale for liberal humanism is proposed. The significance of role clarification, task analysis and skill mixing is highlighted within the context of the drive for effectiveness and efficiency of services. Eternal shortages of occupational therapists necessitate an increasing use of support staff. It is suggested that their role is now, more than ever, important in terms of client care and raising the profile of the profession, and that support staff may be empowered to become more flexible and reflective practitioners. Employers demand a trained and responsive workforce. Competence-based vocational education, such as the HNC, employs experiential learning programmes to encourage the link between theory and practice, thus encouraging staff to develop and update their knowledge continually.

This is the second of two papers which look at the relationship between the development of individual physiotherapists and the development of physiotherapy as a profession. It explores the nature of professional knowledge and the process of professional learning which is seen to be crystallised through an integration of theory with practice in the workplace. Important influences of situated cognition and situated learning on physiotherapy practice are identified and discussed in the context of theories of social action and symbolic interaction. These theories challenge the curricular assumptions on which many undergraduate education programmes are based. It is concluded that education programmes which aim to facilitate professional development may more effectively link theory and practice to promote professional learning which is relevant to changes in the ethos and delivery of health services and work in healthcare teams.

Following the theme of 'educating for uncertainty in a changing world', this article delves into some of the issues that emerge for remote area indigenous Australians when change, cultural maintenance and an uncertain future collide. As a minority culture living alongside a Western colonizing culture, indigenous Australians confront a range of issues. This is particularly the case, as this paper argues, in the field of vocational education and training (VET). By discussing the establishment of the current VET system developed for a 'mainstream' context, and contrasting this to the remote area context, the article highlights the differences between the two and provides a basis for understanding the issues that arise. A discussion of the current social and political milieu furthers an understanding of these issues, which coalesce around the notion of control and access. It is apparent that these key notions remain pivotal if remote indigenous Australians are to educate for uncertainty in a changing world.