Vocational Skills Development Research Articles

Editorial: training and the limits of supply‐side skill development

The acquisition, development and use of vocational skills have assumed a growing importance as part of the employment relationship. Employers, especially those engaged in high value-added production, are concerned about the supply of appropriately skilled employees and employees themselves are concerned about their levels of skill development as they seek employment in increasingly deregulated labour markets. Skills at and for work have assumed a greater importance for employers and employees, but the way in which these skills are developed is shaped by social institutions and social actors in the vocational education and training (VET) system and the industrial relations (IR) system. The development of vocational skills in educational institutions cannot be examined in isolation from the way in which skill utilisation and reward are shaped by the institutions that regulate the employment relationship. These simple considerations mean that access to training has important effects on employment outcomes, that the exercise of employee voice in relation to training is an important issue for the IR system and that the engagement of employers and employee representatives in the provision of training is an important issue for the VET system. The articles in this special issue all consider recent developments in VET and present fresh insights into these relatively under-examined concerns.

A best practice in education and support services for independent living of intellectually disabled youth and adults in Mexico

This article describes a best practice in the field of intellectual disability, a program for independent living offered by the Center for Integral Training and Development (CADI per its abbreviation in Spanish) for people with intellectual disability in Mexico. A detailed description of an effective program that fosters autonomy, social inclusion and high quality of life in people with intellectual disability is presented. The program encompasses four areas: a) a therapeutic academic area that teaches applied living skills; b) development of social skills; c) development of vocational skills, and d) skills for independent living. The program is divided into three levels: a) initiation to independent living, where clients develop basic abilities for autonomy, b) community integration and social independence, which provides clients with the skills necessary for social inclusion and economic independence, and c) practical and psychological support, which offers counseling for resolving psychological issues and enables subjects to maintain their autonomy.

Curriculum and “Training Package”: A Changing Mode of Governance in Australian Vocational Education and Training

This paper traces changes in one of the modes of governance in vocational education and training in Australia. This was achieved by displacing a vaguely defined, but nevertheless robust notion of curriculum which played a role in the governance of vocational education in the Australian states for nearly two hundred years, becoming demonstrably unsustainable as a mode of governance under a differently constituted national system which incorporated 'work-place training' into accredited courses. As an assemblage of routine classroom practices curriculum is performed in different modalities: demonstrating a plasticity of form that has afforded it a singular level of durability. Since the seventeenth century curriculum has articulated schooling as first a middle class and then general Western cultural form, eventually becoming a vehicle for government educational policy. During the 19080s Australian vocational curriculum became a pre-eminent instrument of policies aimed at establishing a national training system. Through that process curriculum took on a role as policy: moving into domains way beyond its original relational and territorial boundaries. By the mid-1990s the socio-economic relations of fast capital and the demands posed on vocational skill development by a globalising economy had extended the reach of curriculum-as-policy beyond the limits of its managerial elasticity, Curriculum-as-policy finally collapsed in 1996, under the weight of its own highly-engineered constituents and the expectations visited upon it. As a mode of governance, curriculum was quite suddenly displaced by a mechanism with a more modest brief, and a correspondingly broader reach. This was a device named, somewhat ambiguously, as the `Training Package?, and articulated as multiple `Training Packages?. In this moment of change, definitive categories (school/workplace; learner/worker; teacher/supervisor; state/market) wavered, and new modes of ordering and governance coalesced in the ontic spaces that were opened as a result.

Response to Review of Doing Time in the Garden: Life Lessons through Prison Horticulture

Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 17 No. 4 (2007) ISSN: 1546-2250 Response to Review of Doing Time in the Garden: Life Lessons through Prison Horticulture James Jiler Horticultural Society of New York Citation: Jiler, James. (2007). "Response to Review of Doing Time in the Garden: Life Lessons through Prison Horticulture." Children, Youth and Environments 17 (4). Retrieved [date] from http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/ As a just metaphor of gardening, the The Horticultural Society of New York’s GreenHouse “Jail-to-Street” Program on Rikers Island is continuously evolving to better prepare inmates for their release from jail. As stated in the book, 600,000 men and women leave jails and prisons each year, many ill-equipped to handle the pressures of home life and finding and keeping a job. A majority of ex-offenders suffer not only from long-term substance abuse, but are mentally ill or physically disabled. While the program focuses on this population with on-going horticulture therapy, education and vocational skill development, only a percentage of our students will pursue a career in the horticulture field. The others will hopefully use their experience in the garden to seek continued help in aftercare to live healthy and productive lives outside of jail. GreenHouse and its after-care GreenTeam Program are therefore doing more to reach at-risk youth in order to put young lives on track with skills and employment before they become institutionalized through the criminal justice system. Over the past two years, GreenTeam has worked actively with youth agencies such as Federation Employment and Guidance Service (FEGS), and with foster-care organizations such as Graham-Windham. The idea is to teach youth essential job skills in horticulture through handson work building gardens throughout New York City. Often, exoffenders from Rikers become mentors and instructors to the adolescent men and women who join GreenTeam. 413 As their skills develop, the youth “interns” are given responsible tasks working directly with clients and the Society’s organizational staff. This in turn builds their self-esteem, their confidence and their ability to navigate in a mainstream world as empowered equals. The results thus far have been extremely positive: FEGS youth who complete a GreenTeaminternship have a much higher job retention rate than any other group in the New York City FEGS agency. While Doing Time in the Garden offers an anecdotal snapshot of our work on and off Rikers, the curriculum we offer is a valuable tool for any program that aims to educate, teach and connect youth or adults to nature and gardening. The story, however, is on-going, and is played out in a variety of institutional settings across the country. As time passes we hope to integrate our experience with more scientific data in order to better understand how programs such as this impact individual lives. At the least, our interns are leaving in their wake, garden-by-garden, a simple roadmap for improving the social and environmental health of the city while transforming and hopefully improving their own lives. James Jiler is Director of The Horticultural Society of New York's GreenHouse Program, a jail-to-street horticulture program at New York City's jail complex on RikersIsland. He is author of the book Doing Time in the Garden (NewVillagePress, 2006), which details the GreenHouse approach to rehabilitation and explores the role of gardening in jails and prisons around the country. Prior to his work at Rikers, James worked as an urban ecologist in inner-city neighborhoods in Baltimore and New Haven, and with USAID developing an urban green belt in Ahmedabad, India. He also lived in Kathmandu, Nepal where he worked for the Ministry of Agriculture establishing ecological farming systems in the Himalayas; as a lecturer at Nepal's graduate university in writing; and as a Himalayan trekking guide for a U.S.-based adventure travel company. He holds a Master’s Degree in Forestry from YaleUniversity. ...

Effects of training and assessment in vocational education and training (VET): Reflections on the methodology of assessing the development of traits of self-regulation

This article focuses on the development of traits of self-regulation within vocational education and training (VET). This perspective is in accordance with the general objective of VET within the German speaking countries and is addressed in the objective “education and training for the ability of self-directed planning, regulation and evaluation of vocational performance”. In order to foster these and other relevant abilities, specific vocational training programs were developed and implemented in a training center in Switzerland. One such program was evaluated in a longitudinal study. From 1999 to 2003, a cohort of more than 100 aprentices was monitored with respect to the development of vocational skills and traits. One of the instruments used was a German-language version of the Trait Self-Regulation- Questionnaire (TSRQ) by O'Neil and Herl (1988). Participants filled out the questionnaire 5 times in the course of their 4-year apprenticeship. In this article, a first focus of the data analysis is on the development of the traits of self-regulation over time, looking especially at self-efficacy according to Bandura (1997). Results indicate differential effects for subgroups among the trainees. In a second focus, the analysis reflects on the effects of using a self-evaluation instrument within the longitudinal study. In this respect, the issue of validity of measurement is under consideration.

Priorities for the development of vocational skills in management accountants: A European perspective

In recent years there have been many calls for a re-orientation of accounting education in order to include the development of competencies such as communication, group working, and problem solving skills. However, concern has been expressed that the proposed changes are possibly biased towards the interests of public accounting employers. This paper presents and compares the opinions of the employers of management accountants in Spain and the UK, and then by using a weighted importance indicator determines vocational skills development priorities. The factors that the Spanish and UK employers identified as major constraints to the development of vocational skills are also compared.

Work-based learning programmes and social capital

The twin pillars supporting contemporary lifelong learning theory in Britain – and also to some extent in the USA, Europe and Australasia (Field & Leicester, 2000) – are the development of vocational skills for economic competitiveness, and the fostering of social inclusion and cohesion. Clear and direct links are made between inclusion and economic prosperity in the ‘vision of a society where high skills, high rewards and access to education and training are open to everyone’ (DfEE, 2001, p. 6). However, although this policy does, to some degree, represent a break with the rampant neo-liberalism of the 1980s and 1990s in Britain (Hyland, 2002) – underpinned by (third way) values, which emphasise ‘economic efficiency and social cohesion’ (Giddens, 2000, p. 78) – the concept of economic capital always takes pride of place and there is a real danger that the social capital objectives of contemporary British vocational education and training (VET) may be neglected in the obsession with economic competitiveness. Since work-based learning (WBL) is now a central element in all current VET policy initiatives, it is suggested that attention to the systematic management and support of learning on WBL programmes can go some way towards achieving the important social objectives of lifelong learning.

The vocational skills gap for management accountants: the stakeholders' perspectives

Previous research into the views of employers of accountants has identified the need to develop a broad range of wider vocational skills. This paper identifies the relative importance of a specified range of vocational skills needed for a chartered management accountant to discharge his/her duties. Views are sought from the employers of management accountants and from management accounting students who are currently in the process of qualifying. By analysing the relative importance of the skills and the level of skills actually exhibited, this study prioritizes areas for development and training. The findings of this study confirm that employers and students recognize that it is important for accountants to develop a range of vocational skills. There is broad agreement between the employers and the students on the areas to prioritize. However, there are differences in the specific priorities. The employers and students also agree that the development of vocational skills should be integrated into the accounting curriculum.

The Employers' Priorities

There has been increasing pressure on the providers of higher education to align courses with the needs of employers. Surveys have documented the importance of developing a broad range of vocational skills. However, priorities must be established, based on the demands of the workplace, within this identified skills gap. The first section of this paper identifies the need for the development of vocational skills in general, and then specifically in the area of management accounting. The second section presents the views of employers of management accountants on the relative importance of a specified set of vocational skills, and the level of these skills exhibited by graduates and recently qualified management accountants. These measures are then combined in a ‘weighted importance indicator’ to indicate the skills that are most in need of development.

Lifelong learning and the limitations of economic determinism

The contemporary efflorescence of lifelong learning discourse in education and social planning is argued here to be, substantially, the product of economic determinism. That discourse is evaluated from the perspective of three progressive sentiments that have informed lifelong learning advocacy: the individual, the democratic and the adaptive. Each progressive sentiment is seen as expressing a central programmatic purpose for educational reform and as capturing its ethical thrust. Contemporary lifelong learning discourse is found to be only superficially expressive of these informing sentiments. The progressive, ethical, liberatory nature of each sentiment is marginalized or excluded from the discourse, which may best be seen, accordingly, as seriously regressive, counter-ethical and non-liberatory. It is substantially lacking in critical concern, social vision, and any commitment to social justice and equity. It constructs education as a commodified private good, for which individuals should pay. It focuses strongly on individual interests and on vocational skills development. That education which is funded by the state, is focused increasingly on the development of basic life and vocational skills in the interests of engagement in and service to the global economy. Educational engagement is increasingly seen as desirably embedded in the economically productive activities that are its desired outcomes, further limiting any opportunity for socially progressive learning. It is suggested that if the prevailing lifelong learning discourse is to be made more culturally progressive- in both its educational activities and its learning outcomes- it cannot be through a return to traditional progressive ideologies. Rather, it must accept prevailing epistemology in refocusing that discourse. Paradoxically, although non-compliant educationists are now largely marginalized and ineffectual in their influence on the nature of the contemporary lifelong learning agenda, their vocation and their increasing suffusion throughout contemporary cultural formations places them in a potentially strong position to lead cultural and educational change in directions that are more culturally progressive.

CONSIDERATIONS IN THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH HEARING LOSS

It is crucial to the development of speech, language, academic, social, and vocational skills that children with a hearing loss be identified as early as possible with an intervention plan developed that encourages family inclusion and participation. Research indicates that early intervention is key to speech intelligibility and the development of age-appropriate language skills. Bess and colleagues found that without appropriate intervention, children with minimal hearing loss experience significant academic delay and social-emotional problems by the third grade. Because most children with an educationally significant hearing loss are in the mainstream of regular education, the best hope for true integration and inclusion is to implement a proactive management plan that prevents failure with its lifelong consequences.

Designing the User/Using the Design:

Competency-Based Training (CBT) is a newly introduced national system of vocational skills development, designed to improve the performance of Australian enterprises through upgrading workers' skills. This paper presents a modified network analysis of the development and use of CBT by the various actors - including government, industry, unions, organizations, training practitioners, trainees, training protocols and training materials - making up this `social technology'. `Competency training' is taken to conform to a conventional approach to systems design, where things are divided up according to the separate spheres of planned development and practical implementation. I deal, first, with the constitution of CBT's design, including its manifest and hidden heterogeneities; second, I show how this design is translated into use. I argue that relations of design and use are created and sustained together. Where this relationship is understood, design can serve as a ground for critique. More generally, I consider the limitations of actor-network conceptions of `heterogeneity'. I argue that translation implies exploring both similarity and difference, with difference having a positivity and non-assimilability that tend to remain hidden in actor-network theory. Using concepts from post-structuralist and feminist interactionist analysis, I argue that recovering the hidden heterogeneities of networks of technology design and use (for example, users' contribution to design) serves to complexify network accounts, and to help deal with forms of technology analysis with political relevance.

Searching for Authenticity: a socio‐cultural perspective of vocational skill development

ABSTRACT This article proposes an approach to vocational skill development which emphasises the authenticity of learning experiences. Authenticity is defined in terms of a socio‐cultural construction of vocational knowledge. Using empirical data, current research and theorising, it is argued that learning arrangements situated in the workplace present a viable option for the development of vocational skills. Particular significance is afforded to the socio‐cultural contribution to problem‐solving and the transfer of learning. These key qualities of thinking processes are used to Illustrate the pervasive nature of a socio‐cultural construction of understanding within vocational practice. Theoretical bases within cognitive psychology, sociology and cultural psychology are drawn upon to present a concept of learning which includes the authenticity of activity and the guidance of expert others within a culture of vocational practice. The article attempts to make explicit the application of this emerging view ...

Cognitive shifting as a predictor of progress in social understanding in high-functioning adolescents with autism: A prospective study

Although striking and pervasive failure of social understanding is commonly viewed as a major defining characteristic of people with autism, few follow-up reports were published that have focused on improvement of social intelligence. In this prospective study in which 17 high-functioning adolescents with autism were involved, cognitive shifting as measured by card sorting tests, unlike overall intelligence, was shown to be the only significant factor in predicting progress in social understanding as assessed by social comprehension tests. A pretest-posttest design was used. During the 2-year follow-up all the subjects were in residential care and enrolled in educational curricula focusing on the development of social intelligence, living, and vocational skills.

Laos 1992: At the Crossroads

Laos in 1992 faced many dilemmas as well as opportunities which if properly managed could lead the country into a new phase of development. On the political front, the death of Kaysone Phomvihane, Laos' political strongman for nearly forty years, marked a significant disjuncture on the political landscape. While the transition of leader ship was remarkably smooth, some concerns remain as to whether his successors would change the course set during his lengthy rule. However, indications to date are that change, if any, will not be drastic, given the Lao propensity for compromise and consensus. On the economic front too, Laos has reached an important juncture at which some adjustments will have to be made to ensure that the growth trend achieved so far can be sustained. What is clear is that economic development in Laos can no longer neglect environmental or human development issues. Environmental degradation has become a source of worry despite Laos' seeming lack of population pressure and extensive water and forest resources teeming with animal and plant life. Development of appropriate policies to manage the environment will be critical. More pressing is the need for human development, an area which has been sorely neglected for too long. The shortage of skilled manpower as a result of a poorly developed general education base and the lack of vocational or other appropriate skill development at the upper levels has seriously affected the country's absorption capacity, just when the economy is picking up at a favourable pace. The prevailing poor health conditions further undermine the productivity and efficiency levels in all areas of human endeavour, not to mention the immense waste of human life through high mortality and morbidity and low life expectancy. Recognizing the limitations that these problems impose on the country's development, some tentative steps to reform both the education and health structures have been promised. Whether such reforms will be pursued seriously remains to be seen. In the area of foreign relations, Laos in 1992 can be said to be advancing from strength to strength. Rela tions with other countries, especially those in the Asia-Pacific region, have been the warmest in recent history. The continuation of this encouraging trend will certainly augur well for peace and future development.

Towards a theory of workplace learning

This paper examines a range of theoretical issues associated with learning in natural settings, such as the workplace. It considers the need for enhancing theoretical approaches to learning vocational skills in workplaces, giving particular attention to the physical, social and psychological contributions provided in those settings. It is argued that every sort of setting has the capacity to provide physical, social and cultural contributions to learning. Consequently, any learning theory has to take account of settings, enculturation and the social contribution to the learning. However, given the goals of vocational education and the specific contributions of natural settings the development of a theory of learning in natural settings should be addressed outside of the existing theoretical frameworks to provide the primacy that these contributions deserve. It is postulated that such a theory will guide actions in the provision of vocational skill development in natural settings, such as workplaces. It ma...

Education and Imperialism

The educational historians have always emphasized that the primary objective of education is the freeing of mankind from ignorance by focusing on the basic areas of health, the preservation of self, the art of parenthood, development of vocational skills, the development of ethical characteristics, and membership at home. Viewed from the foregoing perspective, the content of this paper will, hopefully, reveal the dynamic force of an alien educational system functioning in the cultural life of a richly-developing country, Trinidad, West Indies (from 1797-1976), under a political system that styles itself a democracy. After its initial discovery in 1498 by Christopher Columbus, Trinidad remained a very poor and insignificant colonial territory of Spain. In 1797, Trinidad was captured by a British squadron. From that time until the island's achievement of independence on August 31, 1962, the British flag flew proudly over This paper will attempt to give an objective appraisal of the status of education in Trinidad during the course of British rule, as related to the process of 'freeing mankind from ignorance. Attention will be given to curriculum development. In 1797, education in Trinidad reflected a seemingly non-organized approach. Essentially, this posed a laissez-faire attitude towards this bastion of freedom. However, the importance of education was not entirely ignored, and was used as the best medium for racial unity. The last Spanish Governor, Don Jose Maria Chacon, emphasized this point in 1796. He deprecated racial disunity. Later, on October 13, 1841, the British Governor, Sir Henry Macleod, wrote the following in reference to education to the Secretary of State for the Colonies:' . . There is perhaps no British colony where, from the mixed nature of its inhabitants, which I have before stated, the necessity of some general plan of Education is more required than in Trinidad. He went on further to say:

Middle School Years and Career Development

EDUCATION should produce good citizens. And those engaged in careers they find satisfying to themselves and meaningful as a contribution to their community are more likely to be good citizens. The life skills needed for citizenship are based on development of cognitive, interactive, creative, and vocational skills. Only when the student as an individual acquires those skills which make possible the becoming, relating, and interacting necessary for full citizenship will education be truly functional and relevant to the world in which the student lives.