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The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is a socio-technical, ideological, and rhetorical construction rooted in the neoliberal discourse that reflects key tenets of global capitalism, is believed to have considerable implications for the development of employees in advanced manufacturing environments. This paper aims to explore the ways in which the learning needs of employees in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution could be appropriately identified and how employees could further develop their skills through the design of suitable development curricula. To this end , the paper seeks to interrogate the ways in which the employees' learning needs are likely to be identified in the middle-range future, and problemate the focus of highly specialised and exclusively focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curricula that are likely to be designed to help employees respond to the perceived demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The paper further seeks to explore a preferred liberal future, drawing on the work of Martha Nussbaum, to create the possibility for an alternative future guided by a more holistic conception of employee development through the establishment of learner-centred, liberal – and liberating – interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the Australian phenomenon of Enterprise Registered Training Organizations (RTOs). These are organizations that do not have training as their main business but that are accredited to deliver training and award qualifications, primarily to their own workers. Although Enterprise RTOs have been in existence in one form or another for around 15 years they have not been previously examined in the scholarly literature. The paper uses qualitative and quantitative data from two recent research projects to describe the nature and experiences of these RTOs and their workers. The findings are analysed using a framework recently used in an evaluation of the pilot of a similar English scheme: quality concerns, resource intensiveness, impact on the training market, and restriction to larger firms. The paper concludes that enterprise RTOs have been beneficial to workers and companies alike, although not without problems, and that the Australian system appears to present fewer risks than the proposed English system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the paper was to address the relevance of adult vocational skills-upgrading strategies for low-skilled workers. The research was based on an identification of core elements such as time, cost and access which define and impact on formulation and implementation of adult vocational skills-upgrading strategies. The literature review has identified potential challenges for low-skilled workers brought by skill-biased technological changes and labour market conditions, which define the correlation between low-skilled workers, employers and training opportunities. By illustrating adult vocational skills-upgrading strategies in Denmark and South Korea the paper concludes that elements such as time, cost and access have direct implications for low-skilled workers' skills acquisition and their integration into the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge is a defining characteristic of professions but, given the ever-increasing knowledge base, curricula in professional disciplines are becoming overcrowded. This paper discusses propositional/declarative knowledge in relation to the accounting knowledge base. Historically, professional areas such as medicine, law and accountancy have expanded their curriculum to encompass new areas. However, core curricula have been introduced recently in medicine and law to provide space for the development of wider skills, to equip students for lifelong learning and to enable them to tailor their study in line with interests, aptitudes and career intentions. These core curricula are examined in order to assess the arguments for and against a core curriculum for accounting. The paper concludes that the introduction of core curricula in undergraduate accounting education could address the problem of the increasing knowledge base while providing breadth, opportunities for developing interpersonal skills and allowing students to tailor their degrees. In this way, the vocational and academic aspects of undergraduate accounting education could be balanced more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines recent development in Apprenticeship training in England. Since the introduction of Modern Apprenticeships in the mid-1990s this form of training has been subject to much analysis and reform. This paper summarises the current situation and highlights some of the challenges and opportunities which face Apprenticeship over the short to medium term as it seeks to establish itself as a main alternative to the academic pathway through further education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apprenticeship plays a key role in the preparation of skilled trades people and as a pathway into labour markets. In the face of scarcity of resources, effectiveness and efficiency of apprenticeship become important. Attrition and retention in apprenticeship constitute important indicators of efficiency and effectiveness of the training system and are therefore legitimate issues of concern and investigation. This paper examines the reasons for non-completion of apprentices in automotive trades of the informal sector prior to Ghana’s introduction of a National Apprenticeship Programme seeking to formalise the current informal apprenticeship system. The paper also reports on non-completers’ desired interventions that could help prevent early exit. One-on-one interviews were conducted with 60 non-completers obtained through a snowballing process, either face-to-face or by telephone. The four largest urban centres in Ghana, namely Accra (and neighbouring Tema), Kumasi, Takoradi and Cape Coast were covered. Frequently mentioned reasons for non-completion included financial hardships, not getting on well with the boss or other people at the workplace, wrong career choice or loss of interest in the trade, being treated as cheap labour or being exploited, getting a new job, and bullying. To prevent early exit, the non-completers surveyed proposed some interventions that included financial support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper arises from my PhD thesis on the learner biographies of retail and motor vehicle maintenance apprentices in Germany and England which explores the interrelationship of social structures and individual agency in identity formation over time and in particular learning environments. The paper reports initial findings, focusing largely on the English case study of motor vehicle apprentices. It challenges common assumptions of young people in vocational education in England as second-chance learners being socialised into pursuing low-status occupations and invites reflection on the particular model of apprenticeship in England and its role in shaping young people's identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author presents a note on the first issue of the "Journal of Vocational Education and Training" in 2012. She hopes that both new and existing readers will find the papers and the review essay stimulating. She says that the journal has a truly international scope and encourages articles from a range of disciplinary perspectives and methodological approaches.

Vocational education taking place in the dual contexts of workplace and school often lacks integration of concrete experiences with theoretical knowledge. The interplay between workplace and school contexts and their often antagonistic priorities call for a specific model that transforms these divergences into learning opportunities and connects different forms of knowledge into an integrated body of knowledge that contributes to developing vocational competence. This paper presents a multidimensional pedagogical model, called the ‘Erfahrraum’, for the design and implementation of educational technologies as a way to foster this integration in initial dual vocational education and training (VET). The ‘Erfahrraum’ model informs the design of shared spaces for capturing and reflecting on experiences made in different contexts in which VET takes place. The model particularly emphasises the importance of shared reflection processes to turn concrete experiences into relevant integrated knowledge. Examples of implementations in different professions using a range of different technologies illustrate the power of the ‘Erfahrraum’ model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the changing global economy, employability skills increasingly are the focus of vocational education and training institutions. This paper explores the effect of academic disciplines, students’ background characteristics and industry training on the acquisition of employability skills through competency-based training. A significant relationship emerges between academic disciplines and industry training on the acquisition of employability skills. Some partial evidence suggests an impact of pre-education on the acquisition of employability skills; however, no such relationship appeared between gender and the skill acquisition. The results demonstrate the need for academic disciplines to determine specific employability skills required for social and community practice, as a basis for enhancing the development of employability skills in training programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports the results of a survey of more than 2000 managers examining perceptions of skills gaps in a range of Australian firms. It finds that three quarters report a skills gap, and almost one third report skills gaps across the whole organisation. Firm size and industry differences exist in perceptions of the effect of the skills gap on the organisation, the causes of the skills gap, the strategies used to address the skills gap, the types of skills which are lacking, and the management of training and development. The research shows that managers believe leadership, management, and professional and industry-specific roles have the greatest needs, and that basic skills are generally strong. There is evidence that training and development is being under-used as a remedy for skills gaps, and that small firms may not be strategically recruiting due to perceptions that there are few qualified job candidates. Although skills gaps may be more of an issue for large than for small firms, the needs of small firms and those in 'non-big business' areas such as charities and the not-for-profit sector should not be overlooked. There is not a 'one size fits all' approach to reducing skills gaps which will fit all firm sizes across all sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports results to date of a three-year project by Athabasca University, intended to determine the education and training needs and interests of employees in a work camp in northern Alberta's oil sands. (Future reports will address results of efforts to provide programming suiting the needs identified, and the uptake, satisfaction, completion rates, further requirements, and impacts on the careers of workers who become students as part of the project.) In initial project investigations, the areas of business, finance, and management (including interprovincial business certification for tradesmen), health and safety, and project management constituted 56% of enquiries by workers; also of interest to workers were courses in trades and engineering. Barriers to enrolment were found to be related both to the demands of the workplace and to the workers' backgrounds and situations, including: long hours (with regular overtime, and often with long commutes to and from the worksite); work pressure (the site was in the final phases of construction); high mobility of employment, resulting in frequent relocations to new work camps; lack of information about the potential relation of training to promotion opportunities within and outside of the present employer; ignorance about open and distance learning in general, and misinformation about technology-based learning delivery in particular; and concerns about costs were among these. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has shown that the UK's Advanced Apprenticeship Programme (AAP) struggles to develop the forms of 'vocational practice', that is, a combination of knowledge, skill and judgement, employers are looking for in the creative and cultural sector. Employers' reluctance to get involved with the AAP does not mean that they are uninterested in training. They are concerned that the UK's Department of Education and Skills promotes the AAP to serve 'educational' goals (i.e. route for academic progression), rather than functioning as a genuine attempt to develop the sector-specific vocational knowledge and skill that they feel it is important for apprentices to develop. To understand why many employers distance themselves from the AAP, the paper compares and contrasts the AAP with the 'Technical Apprenticeship', which has been developed by Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with regard to the different notions of skill formation, skill transfer and employability. It concludes by raising a number of questions and issues as regards: (1) the future development of apprenticeship in the creative and cultural sector in the UK and internationally, and (2) the concept of vocational practice in Vocational Education and Training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a representative employer‐employee level dataset, this paper answers four questions: (1) What characterises employer provided training in Norway? (2) What characterises firms that invest heavily in employer provided training? (3) Is it the same firms that invest in employer provided all the time? (4) Has the level of employer provided training increased in recent years? First, employer provided training in Norway is paid for by the firm and it creates skills that are quite general and transferable to other parts of the labour market. This result is especially interesting when found in a labour market like the Norwegian, characterized by a very compressed wage structure. Second, unionized firms, female dominated firms, high‐educated firms, small firms, firms using new work practices, and technology intensive firms are more likely to offer training to their workers. Third, firms that invested heavily in training in the previous period are most likely the same firms that invest much in training in the present period as well. Put simply: ‘Training firms’ train all the time, ‘Non‐training firms’ do not train at all. Fourth, the level of firm investments in training has increased in recent years, but the increase disappears as soon as we control for the level of education. Our interpretation of this is that higher level of education among the employees has created an increased need for training, so the level of training has increased, but for a given level of education, the level of training is approximately the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The findings reported in this article are based on qualitative research that explored the views and experiences of key stakeholders, including employer-bodies, training providers, employers and apprentices of Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) in retail. The study identifies fundamental barriers to the successful implementation of MAs in this sector. These are related to the culture of the sector, including the mobility of young workers, who frequently change jobs, and the preoccupation with serving the customer, which can restrict and fragment training and development opportunities. The stresses and strains of this working environment do not provide conditions that support the use of MAs. The paper explores some of the steps that could be taken in order to increase the demand for training and more generic skills among employers. However, it concludes that government initiatives such as MAs alone will not change employers' attitudes towards training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous people tend to pursue education in their mature age. Indigenous employees thus, may need additional training opportunities in the workplace. As their preferred way of learning are different from other employees, training programmes for Indigenous employees should be designed and delivered with their preferred ways of learning in mind. In this article, we analyse what Indigenous employees working in health services in rural and regional Australia value in a business training provided by a private vocational education and training (VET) provider. The training programme attended by Indigenous employees was offered to Indigenous employees only. Analysis of the semi-structured interviews with the graduates of the programme identifies key aspects of the training that graduates value. This has important implications for engaging Indigenous employees in training programmes through their workplace, and improving design of business training programmes in the Indigenous context. Finally, our findings have implications for government policies and practices in supporting Indigenous training programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autistic adults are willing and able employees but face a number of barriers to gaining and maintaining meaningful employment, one of which is a lack of exposure to work experience and workplace training opportunities. A case study of an autism specific employment program is presented, which provided an opportunity for autistic candidates to learn role-related tasks at the employment site over an extended training and assessment period, and comprehensive training and transition support for successful applicants. To date, limited data exists evaluating autism-specific hiring programs involving a vocational education and training component, which is addressed by this study. To evaluate the program, one-on-one interviews were conducted, approximately three months post-employment, with the successful autistic employees; focus groups were also conducted with their co-workers. The study identified a number of positive aspects of the program (e.g. extended exposure to the role and workplace prior to role start, individual support, modifications), and areas for improvement (e.g. further training for co-workers). The findings suggest that programs that provide extended onsite vocational training and support may benefit autistic job candidates and allow an effective transition into the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary function of any firm is not to train but to produce goods and services. However, firms in collective skill formation systems, such as those in Switzerland, train apprentices in 'dual' vocational education and training programmes, where the firms become important educational actors. Generally, all training firms are coined by their context and are situated in an area of conflict between production and training. A core contextual factor is firm size, which influences the firm-specific provision of learning opportunities and pedagogical practice. Regarding providing apprenticeships in Switzerland, micro enterprises are highly important because around 40% of all apprentices are trained in firms with fewer than ten employees. Despite their importance, little is known about their everyday challenges. Therefore, we ask the following question: How do micro firms deal with the tension between production and training requirements? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study scrutinises the production of bodies in skin and spa therapy education and training. More specifically, it focuses on how bodies are produced when participants are positioned and position themselves in classroom interaction and interviews. Drawing on a post-structural approach, inspired by Butler, regularities of description and self-description were analysed. This approach provided analytical tools for analysing how people engage with discourse in this micro-context of education and training, and enabled an understanding of how these processes are gendered. The results show how these educational arrangements enact a process where the students learn to adapt a critical gaze towards bodies, wherein they position themselves as self-aware and responsible through femininity. These self-governing processes produce particular relations to the bodies of others, disciplining others through disciplining oneself. Bodies are produced as biological entities that are unruly and - if left without discipline and correction - imperfect. At the same time, the imperfect body is produced through and produces normativity, offering alternative ways of producing normative femininity, alongside naturalising skin and spa therapy consumption and activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Awareness of the mechanisms underlying training and development (T&D) programmes is crucial in creating sustainable learning conditions in organisations. The organisational and psychosocial aspects of the work environment in Swedish elderly care is the focus of this longitudinal study, and the relation between process and results of a T&D programme is investigated. A mixed-methods design enabled exploration of the content of the quality improvement efforts, followed by an examination of how aspects of the work environment are influenced. The perceived learning climate, workload and resource adequacy are shown to be influenced differently by different contents. Insights into the complexity surrounding T&D programmes are then offered. It is concluded that even if a seemingly sound method of quality improvement is implemented, this is not enough to guarantee success. Also, it is apparent that changes may sometimes be at the expense of employees’ work environment, which may hamper continuous learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reforms of the vocational education and training (VET) system in Spain are committed to a closer relationship between the VET system and companies’ needs. One of these needs is for a greater contribution of the VET system to innovation in companies, especially SMEs, which have limited resources to innovate. This contribution could materialise through a closer relationship between VET centres and SMEs, and also through a greater participation of employees with VET qualifications in innovation in SMEs. This article examines the role of these employees in SME innovation processes. We present the results of a survey of industrial SMEs in two Spanish industrial regions with high levels of experimental cooperation between VET centres and SMEs. The results point to the existence of obstacles to this participation. However, other factors that enable greater participation of this employee profile in SME innovation were also observed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research examines what practitioners in vocational education and training (VET) organisations and external auditors judge to be the key issues in the current and future use of e-assessment. Applying the framework of legitimacy theory, the study examined the tensions around the use and growth of e-assessment in training organisations, and challenges to both training bodies and auditors around their legitimacy to operate. Forty-eight interviews, 10 focus groups and 2 industry workshops were completed with practitioners and auditors who had in-depth experience in e-assessment and audit practices. Results revealed tensions between training providers and auditors around the current validity, authenticity and security of e-assessment. However, there was also strong agreement between the groups about the practical steps for resolving these tensions between auditors and VET institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An appreciative lens has been used to explore the question: what is it in the performance of managers, other employees, vocational educators and apprentices themselves, which enables an apprentice to experience a sense of thriving at work? The apprentice is understood to be involved in a process of continually developing and becoming as their social identity as a tradesperson emerges. Previous researchers have noted how learning to both ask for, and offer, help is a key competence that successful apprentices develop during their training. This helps to focus attention on the social context of the apprentice’s experience. This study suggests that when managers, vocational educators and apprentices engage in behaviours that promote affiliation they have the opportunity to develop not only more meaningful relationships but also to experience a sense of thriving at work. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Workplace training is a key strategy often used by organisations to optimise performance. Further, trainee motivation is a key determinant of the degree to which the material learned in a training programme will be transferred to the workplace, enhancing the performance of the trainee. This study investigates the relationship between several components of the Revised Human Resource Development (HRD) Evaluation and Research Model. This model provides a framework for diagnosing and understanding the causal influences of HRD intervention outcomes on training effectiveness. Data were obtained from an online questionnaire completed by 105 employees of various organisations. Findings revealed that affective organisational commitment, job involvement and utility perceptions are predictors of motivation to learn and transfer learning. An interaction effect was found, with increased affective organisational commitment predicting greater motivation to learn when training was of lower perceived utility. These findings suggest that the design and delivery of training should emphasise the relevance and utility of the programme in order to encourage greater trainee motivation and maximise return on investment. Additionally, implementing strategies aimed at promoting organisational commitment would appear beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The German and Swiss economies value skilled work highly and initial vocational education and training (IVET) has been the predominant traditional pathway into such work. However, concerns about a more ‘knowledge-based society’ and the ‘academic shift in the labour market’ are starting to undermine the status associated with those who complete IVET pathways and these former trainees also face competition from graduates from the relatively new Bachelor programmes in Switzerland and Germany. An international project investigated whether these developments pose a threat to developed IVET systems and whether companies are changing their recruitment strategies and how they rate the status of IVET. The findings from Germany and Switzerland were compared with the situation in England, the home of two-phase HE structures along with a very different tradition of vocational training. The findings from individual case studies in England, Germany and Switzerland are presented here, with the focus on the expectations of companies towards applicants with experience of IVET or Bachelor’s degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we seek to explore the motivations for studying a vocational qualification of 40 students currently in further education. We consider student decision making, in terms of the support and guidance received, and examine the value these students place on their training, particularly with respect to their future employment. Drawing on qualitative data from 40 students we argue that a student’s sense of their educational identity is important in understanding their motivations for vocational training in the first instance as well as a lack of good careers information and guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unique features of the 2006 census, as well as 33 employer interviews, provide an opportunity to test key assumptions in Canadian apprenticeship policy. Apprenticeship is widely understood to be a crucial contributor to the national skills supply, but also an institution critically vulnerable to market failures, mainly due to the insecurity of private contracts for training. The census data reveal a low overall incidence of apprenticeship certification among trades workers, revealing a trades labour market substantially dependent on uncertified labour. Strong inter-occupational differences in the certification rate make it unlikely that participation is impeded by a uniform set of contracting problems. At the firm level, the interviews reveal substantial diversity in employers' training practices, levels of investment, and modes of engagement with the apprenticeship system. Consistent with recent literature in the political economy of skills, the present findings support a view of apprenticeship as an institution centred on collective action rather than private contract. They suggest that current Canadian apprenticeship policies offer indiscriminate subsidies with negligible and potentially negative effects on private skill formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traineeships are apprenticeship-like training arrangements that were initiated in Australia in 1985. They were designed to introduce apprenticeship training to a broader range of industries, occupations and individuals; they are available in occupations outside the traditional trades and crafts. Many companies use them on a large scale, some recruiting their entire shop floor workforce as trainees. This article uses findings from a national project on traineeships in six industry areas to examine the ways in which employers adopt them and the factors which affect their take-up across industries and enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apprenticeship training system in Germany, where training takes place in both private companies and vocational schools, has traditionally played an outstanding role in the development of young skilled workers. However, particularly since the start of the new millennium, the chances of smooth transition from secondary school to an apprenticeship have worsened. As a consequence, there has been an intensive political and academic discussion about whether the German dual vocational training system is still in keeping with the times. In the following, we will examine whether apprenticeship training can continue to be the primary model for recruiting skilled workers. It will be shown that the insufficient number of apprenticeship places in recent years is less the result of any supposed obsolescence of this training system than of the close link between the apprenticeship system and the employment system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the growth of practitioner research in England through the creation of the Learning and Skills Research Network (LSRN) and identifies its effect on subsequent developments in what is generally known as the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS). It offers an analysis of this development as a case study in developing practitioner research. Staff in further education (FE) and adult and community learning (ACL) are normally expected to focus on teaching and training rather than undertake research, in contrast with their counterparts in higher education (HE) where, particularly in the more traditional universities, staff are expected to undertake research as primary focus. The increasing focus on evidence-based policy making by government provides a growing impetus to foster research capability within the LLS. The large organisational structures that comprise the LLS today demand strong management of resources, human, capital and financial. For any government targets to be met, the sector needs to be galvanised into appropriate and effective action. To best achieve this requires research and development and the practitioners could benefit from this need to develop their own research skills in the creation of, and use of, research findings. The author argues that research in the LLS needs to be designed appropriately but also needs to be undertaken where the intervention and origination of targets and goals is not a political but a sector-led endeavour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to add to current policy and debate on apprenticeships and youth transitions more widely by reflecting back upon the historical experience of the apprenticeship model. The research comprises in-depth interviews with 30 people who undertook apprenticeships in a range of trades in Great Britain in the period 1944-1982. The discussion focuses upon the socialisation aspects of apprenticeship and concludes that a key feature of good apprenticeships in the post- war period was that they offered a sheltered and extended period in which the young person was able to grow up and become job-ready. Reconstructing the social, industrial, familial and community conditions that made this possible is very difficult in the contemporary period, although further work in oral history has considerable potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The views of 14- to 16-year-olds who have undertaken vocational courses in further education, and those of parents and staff, raise issues regarding the ways in which schools and colleges support learning. Staff differ in how they understand vocational education, reflecting not only conceptual differences but also differences in the market position and interests of their organization. Nevertheless, the experience of young people in further education is generally seen as very positive. The article suggests that the success is due to a pedagogy that makes use of experiential and social forms of learning in an environment which allows students to connect more fully to a future adult world. The article concludes by exploring the possibilities of making this successful experience more widely available to 14- to 16-year-olds. Government plans are suggested to be inadequate in addressing the degree to which the competitive environment and different cultures will undermine collaborative arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussion of communities of practice in workplace learning is widespread. Here the authors seek to consider how we can make use of communities of practice theory in practical teaching in a formal undergraduate educational context. The concept of what the authors call the double shift is discussed; a shift from the workplace as community of practice to the educational institution then the shift back from the educational context to the workplace. The authors describe methods used to manage the transition between different communities based on reflection linked to the development of Continuing Professional Development programmes. They conclude that the learning that takes place in an educational context is in a dynamic relationship with the community of practice of the workplace and the methods proposed can contribute positively to this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information technology (IT) has been characterized as central to globalization and nation‐states’ competitive edge in the global economy. A highly masculinized field, IT is paradoxically characterized as gender‐neutral, a field which expands opportunities for women’s career and income development. For these reasons, feminist researchers regard it as an interesting context in which to explore contemporary issues of gender, learning and work. Based in Canada, our study broadens the scope of the literature in this area, extending the conceptualization of the IT field beyond its central occupations such as computer programming, software engineering and network administration, to niches such as technical communication, project and operations management and even librarianship and secretarial jobs. In this article, we focus on how gender has shaped the learning pathways and the politics of recognition experienced and articulated by women working across the IT field. We have purposefully gathered work and learning histories of women without formal IT credentials. Their stories offer an important counter‐narrative to the neo‐liberal discourse of equality and re‐insert informal learning into the mainstream discourse of lifelong learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors consider two quality‐related aspects of large employers’ apprenticeship programmes. The first is their contribution to national educational objectives, including the creation and strengthening of ladders of vocational attainment. Such ladders already exist in apprenticeship’s traditional domains, but the prospects for their wider development appear unfavourable. Few employers support an increase in the educational contribution of apprenticeship, whether technical or general, even in sectors in which that contribution is currently minimal. The second issue is the extent of the employer’s responsibility for its apprenticeship programme, which is often seen as important for training quality. No simple relationship is present across employers and sectors between the outsourcing of programme components and such attributes as apprentice recruitment, apprentice status and the employer’s investment in each apprentice. Within traditional sectors, however, sponsorship by a large employer means a substantially greater investment in each apprentice than that by a specialist training provider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of Return on Investment (ROI) in training has hitherto been largely associated with the corporate world where Kirkpatrick's model of training evaluation is widely used. Interest in Kirkpatrick is growing in the public sector. This article examines how the Kirkpatrick model is actually used in a range of commercial organisations and reports that, despite the continuing respect for the model as a whole, there are few examples of organisations moving beyond Kirkpatrick's first level evaluation. Using a grounded theory analysis of interviews with over 40 key decision-makers in a variety of businesses, the article explores what practitioners believe to be important when judging the overall effectiveness of training, and presents a five-stage holistic model for evaluating ROI based on their views and experience. The article concludes with some thoughts on the possible applicability of the five-stage model to the evaluation of public sector education and training initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University-industry research and development links are commonplace. They offer many mutual benefits and have led to the development of significant outcomes. In the main, such linkages are in fields such as science and technology, not in research and development in workplace literacy. This article reports on a collaboration between university researchers and training staff in an international company in New Zealand. The company wanted to develop literacy assessment tools suitable for assessing the literacy training needs of their factory floor workers. This article outlines the policy and intellectual context within which the research and development took place, describes the collaborative process used and evaluates the effectiveness of this process from the university researchers' points of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article outlines the incorporation of vocational education and training (VET) courses into a senior secondary certificate of education, the New South Wales Higher School Certificate, in the largest state of Australia. VET courses were introduced in 2000 to broaden the offerings available in post-compulsory schooling and to cater better for the vocational needs of students not primarily focused on university study. This article reviews the progressive implementation of dual recognition of VET courses in the HSC, and the growth in participation through statistical and interview data. It argues that a major reform to curriculum and reporting of the HSC has led to a more integrated approach. To ensure parity of esteem, the opportunity to have the outcomes from VET courses count towards university entrance has been an important policy objective, but it remains unclear whether (a) structures, processes and embedded cultural practices allow students to take full advantage of this option, and (b) whether a VET option is as unproblematic as intended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing enterprises' expenditure on their employees' vocational education and training (VET) is of concern for governments in many countries. This article identifies and discusses policy goals for increased enterprise expenditure on VET and elaborates options for achieving these goals. Throughout, measures that attempt to mandate and regulate enterprises' responses are contrasted with those attempting to address and change the sentiments - beliefs about and values - of decision makers within enterprises about the worth of skill development. Given that decisions about expenditure will largely be made within enterprises, ultimately the governmental goals for enhanced expenditure may only be met through the development of a sentiment within enterprises that favours this expenditure. Therefore, policy planning and enactment might be best directed to that purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports findings from an assessment of the effectiveness of privately administered ‘structured on-site training’ (SOST) programs funded by the California Employment Training Panel. It reports on the characteristics of SOST programs that increased trainees' competitiveness in the internal and external labor markets. In addition, it provides implications for on-the-job training (OJT) programs that are funded privately and offers additional implications unique to OJT funded with public dollars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a critical evaluation of demand-led training in practice. It focuses on the policy of workforce development and, in particular, on one workforce development pilot project. At the heart of the pilot is the notion of a 'learning broker' whose role is to stimulate demand for training in companies with little history or tradition of employee development, whilst simultaneously ensuring value for public funding. The article explores the tensions inherent to this role, and examines the contextual factors that constrain and enable the effectiveness of the broker. The article also addresses the issues of ownership and commitment to training. Finally, we show how the cases highlight certain systemic problems within publicly funded training in the United Kingdom (UK). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]