The work roles and development needs of vocational lifelong learning professionals in British higher education

Abstract

PurposeConsiderable research has been conducted into the outcomes of vocational lifelong learning (VLL) funding in terms of courses offered and their effectiveness, but much less into the work, professional development needs and careers of staff organising and delivering VLL programmes. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the career management and development needs of such university staff.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted of VLL professionals in higher education to establish the position and their future prospects.FindingsA survey revealed that experienced VLL staff are being required, in some cases unwillingly, to move away from activities concerned with external training to take on work in areas such as technology transfer and general student recruitment. This development is likely to be to the detriment of VLL provision by universities.Practical implicationsVLL staff identify further knowledge of new developments in the field, stronger IT skills, and competence in conducting research as their major development needs.Originality/valueThe paper puts forward some concrete suggestions for improvements.