Policy Press
One Producing skills: conundrums and possibilities
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Abstract
Many believe that the workplace has changed dramatically in response to a new competitive business environment that is marked by flexibility, fast response time, and managerial and technological innovations. This new workplace is thought to require workers with higher and more varied skills, particularly general skills such as problem solving; unfortunately, schools are not perceived to be producing students who have such skills. The result, it is commonly argued, is a ‘skills’ gap that threatens … productivity and competitiveness. (Stasz et al, 1996, p 2)
At the turn of the 21st century, education and training continues to be a major focus of public policy across practically all countries. However, such policy is now couched in terms that ring with evangelical zeal – a new ‘educational gospel’ (Lazerson and Grubb, 2004) – which espouses the importance of education and training to meet the skill demands of the 21st-century workplace while simultaneously curing a myriad of social ills. Thus, the gospel advocates the importance of more years of formal education, followed by an individual commitment to lifelong learning, as the means to achieve the twin aims of economic growth and social inclusion. This book critically examines the assumptions underpinning this ‘educational gospel’ from a variety of different perspectives.
In some countries, such as the UK and the US, the policy concern – economic growth and social inclusion – is underpinned by a sense of long-term crisis (see Chapter Four of this volume). In others, such as the Nordic countries, a rather more sober approach nonetheless involves a serious questioning of the purposes and arrangements being made for young people.
Abstract
Many believe that the workplace has changed dramatically in response to a new competitive business environment that is marked by flexibility, fast response time, and managerial and technological innovations. This new workplace is thought to require workers with higher and more varied skills, particularly general skills such as problem solving; unfortunately, schools are not perceived to be producing students who have such skills. The result, it is commonly argued, is a ‘skills’ gap that threatens … productivity and competitiveness. (Stasz et al, 1996, p 2)
At the turn of the 21st century, education and training continues to be a major focus of public policy across practically all countries. However, such policy is now couched in terms that ring with evangelical zeal – a new ‘educational gospel’ (Lazerson and Grubb, 2004) – which espouses the importance of education and training to meet the skill demands of the 21st-century workplace while simultaneously curing a myriad of social ills. Thus, the gospel advocates the importance of more years of formal education, followed by an individual commitment to lifelong learning, as the means to achieve the twin aims of economic growth and social inclusion. This book critically examines the assumptions underpinning this ‘educational gospel’ from a variety of different perspectives.
In some countries, such as the UK and the US, the policy concern – economic growth and social inclusion – is underpinned by a sense of long-term crisis (see Chapter Four of this volume). In others, such as the Nordic countries, a rather more sober approach nonetheless involves a serious questioning of the purposes and arrangements being made for young people.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements iv
- Preface v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Producing skills: conundrums and possibilities 1
- Fit for purpose? Sixty years of VET policy in England 13
- The European policy regarding education and training: a critical assessment 35
- ‘I can’t believe it’s not skill’: the changing meaning of skill in the UK context and some implications 53
- Qualifying for a job: an educational and economic audit of the English 14-19 education and training system 77
- Does apprenticeship still have meaning in the UK? The consequences of voluntarism and sectoral change 101
- Tradition and reform: modernising the German dual system of vocational education 117
- Learning in the workplace: reappraisals and reconceptions 149
- Interests, arguments and ideologies: employers’ involvement in education–business partnerships in the US and the UK 171
- Compatible higher education systems and the European labour market: Bologna and beyond 187
- The expansion of higher education: economic necessity or hyperinflation? 203
- Becoming a chef: the politics and culture of learning 219
- Index 245
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements iv
- Preface v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Producing skills: conundrums and possibilities 1
- Fit for purpose? Sixty years of VET policy in England 13
- The European policy regarding education and training: a critical assessment 35
- ‘I can’t believe it’s not skill’: the changing meaning of skill in the UK context and some implications 53
- Qualifying for a job: an educational and economic audit of the English 14-19 education and training system 77
- Does apprenticeship still have meaning in the UK? The consequences of voluntarism and sectoral change 101
- Tradition and reform: modernising the German dual system of vocational education 117
- Learning in the workplace: reappraisals and reconceptions 149
- Interests, arguments and ideologies: employers’ involvement in education–business partnerships in the US and the UK 171
- Compatible higher education systems and the European labour market: Bologna and beyond 187
- The expansion of higher education: economic necessity or hyperinflation? 203
- Becoming a chef: the politics and culture of learning 219
- Index 245
