Damon Anderson

Productivism and Ecologism: Changing Dis/courses in TVET

This chapter synthesises ideas and arguments about technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and sustainable development in the Australian context. The central proposition is that, in the context of a post-industrial risk society characterised by manufactured uncertainty and global ecological crisis, it is necessary to examine the claims and assumptions that underpin TVET and to re-envision TVET for the future. The role of productivism in the historical formation of TVET as an institution and its constitutive effects on current TVET policy and practice are examined. The chapter concludes that TVET must reflect critically upon its origins, assumptions and purposes in order to adapt to the changing global landscape and to promote actively the development of sustainable livelihoods for all.

Navigating the Rapids: The Role of Educational and Careers Information and Guidance in Transitions between Education and Work.

Abstract In a context of rapid and uncertain change, lifelong learning is gaining recognition as both a social right and economic necessity. As the past certainties of lifelong jobs and careers evaporate, people are required to make study and career choices on a more regular basis throughout their lives. At the same time, contemporary trends and developments have made it increasingly complex and difficult to make meaningful choices, and to negotiate effective pathways and transitions from education to work/unemployment and vice versa. This article argues that educational and careers information, advice and guidance perform an essential role in assisting people of all ages to navigate rapid change and participate effectively in lifelong learning. To support this contention, the article outlines major social, economic and educational trends, and examines key international and Australian reports which highlight the need for improved educational and career services. Recent data on student and graduate satisfa...

TVET and Ecologism: Charting New Terrain

This chapter builds upon the understandings of the discourses of ‘productivism’ and ‘ecologism’ in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) outlined in Chapter 3. The natural environment is a silent stakeholder in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Yet as a major supplier of skilled labour to industry, TVET is directly implicated in the reproduction of ‘productivism’, the globally dominant ethos that presupposes economic growth is a permanent and necessary feature of human existence, regardless of its environmental impact and consequences. Productivism gives precedence to the needs of industry over all others and reifies work (as paid employment) as the principal source and measure of social worth, to the virtual exclusion of other human values and vocations (Giddens, 1994). Although omnipresent since the birth of TVET as an institution, productivism has become more pervasive and deeply embedded in contemporary constructions of TVET as a result of the ascendancy of neoliberalism (sometimes referred to as economic rationalism) and human capital theory over the past two decades. As markets become increasingly global and competitive, governments and supranational organizations faced with the problems of structural unemployment and underemployment are intensifying pressure on TVET systems to produce more economically productive and employable workers (ILO, 2002; OECD, 1996; World Bank, 1991). TVET has been systematically harnessed to the logic of economic growth and industrial production since the mid-1980s through processes of structural adjustment and training reform. These processes, which emphasize the economic importance of skills formation and involve the marketization of TVET and the introduction of competency-based training (CBT), have tightened the connections between TVET and economic production (Anderson et al., 2004; Bennell et al., 1999; Gill et al., 2000; Marginson, 1993). Discursive strategies have been mobilized to justify the

Adult learners and choice in further education and training markets: constructing the jigsaw puzzle

Abstract With the rise of education and training markets and the rhetoric of lifelong learning, individuals have been reconfigured as learner-consumers and vested with responsibilities as choosers of their own destinies and, by implication, agents of government economic policy. Against this backdrop, this paper reviews empirical research on adult choice in further education and training (FET). The nature and limits of existing knowledge are discussed, and gaps requiring further research are identified. The paper concludes that although extant studies have begun to assemble the jigsaw of adult choice in FET, the pieces do not always fit readily into place and many are still missing. Moreover, the overall form and character of the jigsaw remain sketchy and ill-defined. A more complete picture is required so that the grand designs of governments can be evaluated against the realities of adult choice in FET markets.

The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning in TAFE: Challenges, Issues and Implications for Teachers

Abstract In recent times, governments have introduced new policies and programs to address the needs of early school leavers. One such initiative is the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), which aims to provide a vocationally-oriented alternative to the academic senior school certificate. Since the implementation of VCAL in the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) sector from 2003, TAFE institutes have been experiencing an influx of young learners for whom most teachers have not traditionally catered. To date, however, there has been inadequate research on the impact and implications of the VCAL in TAFE. This paper begins to address this gap by examining the challenges posed by the VCAL in TAFE from a teacher perspective. Based on a small-scale research study at one TAFE institute, the paper draws primarily upon data from in-depth interviews with key teaching and support staff. It finds that TAFE teachers face a number of significant issues which need to be addressed if the VCAL is to be delivered effectively in TAFE on an ongoing basis.