Bruce Spencer

Research and the pedagogics of work and learning

This paper argues that workplace learning is a problematic activity that may not result in the celebration of employee empowerment and autonomy that is often claimed but in the reverse: the entrenchment of existing power relations. It argues for an understanding of workplace learning within a broader economic and social context and for researchers and adult educators to acknowledge their historic responsibilities to argue for socially responsible adult education.

Labour Education in Canada: A SoliNet Conference

ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY is an open, distance university located in Athabasca, Alberta. Its mandate is to break down barriers that traditionally restrict access to university-level education. This mandate is interpreted broadly to include constraints of time, space, educational background, and social position. In the latter case, the university offers innovative programmes in the areas of womens studies, native studies, and labour studies. Athabasca Universitys Labour Studies programme is one of a small number of similar programmes in Canada. It is unique in a couple of ways. For one dung, like all of Athabascas programmes it is available entirely through distance education, making it the only distance education labour studies programme in the world to our knowledge. It is also unique in that the programme has a mandate to provide education to its adult constituency, which in the first instance is the Albeitan and Canadian labour movements. One of the ways this mandate is achieved is to collaborate with organizations, services, and educators in the labour movement. In one such collaboration Athabasca University is cooperating with die Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Solidarity Network (SoliNet). CUPE is Canadas largest union, with over 400,000 members in 2200 locals scattered across die country. It represents public sector workers in hospitals, schools, municipalities, and other such workplaces. SoliNet is an electronic mail and computer conferencing system owned and operated by CUPE since 1987, and made available to die Canadian labour movement generally. It links over 1000 users from across die country, as well as some subscribers from the USA and other countries, providing a vital information medium that is unconstrained by time and physical space. It is apparent both to CUPE and to Athabasca University that collaboration is mutually beneficial. It is in CUPEs interest to expand its educational offerings on SoliNet. Indeed, one of SoliNets educational ideals always has been to offer an on-line university labour programme. Similarly, die Athabasca University Labour