Christine Velde

An Alternative Conception of Competence: Implications for Vocational Education.

The purpose of this article is to present current international and national understandings of competence, and to present research examples which are relevant to vocational education. The article presents ‘competence’ as a critical field for research and practice in vocational education, and argues for an interpretative-relational approach to the development of competence, to include all elements of a workplace environment that impact on vocational learning and practice, and one which places the meaning of engagement in practice for the student and/or worker at the centre stage.

Students’ perspectives of workplace learning and training in vocational education

Reports on the evaluation of a programme which was designed to enable students to complete a traineeship or apprenticeship, and their senior certificate in accordance with a variety of combined school and work programmes, including the New Apprenticeship Scheme. A multimethod approach was adopted which includes interviews with students, vocational educators and employers regarding their perceptions of: competencies, learning outcomes and training acquired during the programme. The results of the interviews with the students illustrated some similar and different perceptions between teachers and students, and showed that students’ main reason for undertaking the vocational education programme were the opportunity to gain “hands on” experience, and a “headstart” to employment. Implications for further research included: an investigation into the perceived status barrier between vocational and general education, the development of work attitudes; and the implementation of a strategic business and marketing plan.

Reporting the new competence needs of clerical–administrative workers: an employer perspective

Abstract This paper draws on qualitative and quantitative data to determine: the nature of recruitment and selection practices; the types of competency information employers want to know about applicants when making clerical–administrative (office) personnel hiring decisions; and in what form they want to receive the information so that it is most useful. It builds on a previous article (Velde & Hopkins, 1994) which explored what and how much employers needed to know about reporting trainee competence.

Clerical‐Administrative Workers’ Conceptions of Competence in their Jobs

ABSTRACT The growing number of government‐sourced reports on improving economic performance of the nation through a carefully‐orchestrated National Training Reform Agenda have used the concept of competence as a central plank in their philosophy. All of these reports draw on a rationalistic perspective of competence that is built around designated behavioural outcomes. These outcomes are established in a dualistic way. An alternative approach is to use a humanistic approach to competence in which the concept of competence is explained in terms of workers’ experiences of competence within their workplaces. A study is reported here of working with 52 people in the clerical‐administrative industry in order to establish their conceptions of competence in clerical‐administrative workers. A phemenographic analysis was conducted on the written statements that were prepared by these participants. This non‐dualistic investigation revealed five qualitatively different conceptions of competence in clerical‐administr...

A competence model for professional practice in the clerical–administrative occupations

Abstract This article is one of a series which draws on qualitative and quantitative data to determine: the nature of recruitment and selection practices; the types of competency information employers want to know about applicants when making clerical–administrative (office) personnel hiring decisions; and in what form they want to receive the information so that it is most useful. It also builds on a previous article which explored what and how much employers needed to know about reporting trainee competence. Fifty-two administrators and clerical–administrative personnel drawn from the Australian Council of Private Education Training Providers (ACPET) constituted the sample. A multimethod approach was used incorporating telephone interviews, personal interviews and questionnaire design. Of the respondents, 21 persons responded to a postal questionnaire and 31 to telephone interviews. This article reports on qualitative results derived from personal interviews with 14 non-managerial and managerial staff w...

Introduction Perspectives on Competence Development: Views and Tensions

Today in discussions about individual and collective development and organisational improvement, we speak easily and naturally enough about competence. The idea of worker competence is firmly on our improvement agendas. There is both a concern about the meaning of competence and how it is interpreted in the workplace, and the demand for competence in the workplace, for different kinds of worker competence, for more opportunities to become competent and for it to be sustained and nourished in a lifelong learning way.

Perceptions of Vocational Education and Competence: Implications for Research, Policy and Practice

This chapter presents the results of interviews and visits to relevant schools, colleges, universities and Government organisations which form part of the Japanese Vocational Education System. It also includes results from personal interviews, visits and a survey with relevant Government Organisations, schools and colleges located within the Australian Vocational Education System.