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In three parts, using Australian examples, this paper reviews the intersection between trade unions and vocational education and training (VET). Part one considers the global and Australian contexts of the union-VET relationship by explicating the economic and social interests that influence it. Part two identifies the three principal methods used by Australian unions to promote access to VET: political lobbying and affiliation; collective bargaining; and the direct provision of training services. Part three examines the impact that changes in Australia's industrial laws from the 1980s onwards have had on Australian unions' capacity to promote access to VET.

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Maintaining and improving the capacity to be effective in work is held now to become an important social goal in order to maintain, individual, local and national well-being, including standard of living (Organisation of Economic and Cultural Development [OECD], 1996). Yet, without knowing more about how individuals are able to engage in work and learn through that work, and are motivated to continue to learn, there can be no certainty about whether the expectations upon individuals are realistic. This paper reports the initial findings of an investigation that aims to understand something of these relations through understanding the working lives of five individuals. It aims to explore these individuals’ working lives including how they exercised their agency ethically at work. In doing so, it aims to identify how this agency is shaped by individuals’ identity and subjectivity, and how these shape their participation in, and learning through, work.

Published abstract reprinted by the permission of the copyright owner.

The volumes from which this paper is taken are indexed from TD/TNC 77.351 to TD/TNC 77.353. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 77.354 to TD/TNC 77.437. Show less

This paper represents a progress report on a continuing research project investigating the working life and learning of roadside work-seekers around Cape Town, South Africa. As many of the roadside work-seekers display boards and tools representing the construction trades, the intended destination for work or employment appears to be the construction sector. Many of the roadside work-seekers are inter-provincial migrants and immigrants, who have moved to find work and may have more limited social capital. Characterisations of the work-seekers as 'unskilled labourers' are questioned as many of the work-seekers display the tools of their trade to attract work. The terminology of 'roadside work seekers' describes the physical locations of work-seeking but also some of the work-seekers claim artisan trade skills. A mixed method approach is adopted to explore the questions: How do these vulnerable workers develop a vocational identity? What brings the men to the roadside and critically how do they progress?

The findings highlight the lack of participation of contractors in the present skills development system, and the concomitant implication of unattainability of occupational qualifications not only for the roadside work-seekers but many other permanent employees within the construction sector. The small to medium construction contractors require a tailored sector-specific skills development system that allows for the recognition of small segments of skill acquired to be recorded and recognised - an electronic 'badging' or passport system is proposed. The research demonstrates the value of analysing labour law influences on human resource management practices, allied with sociological constructs to provide a holistic and humanising insight into the reality of roadside work-seekers.

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This paper, prepared for the OECD ILO conference 'Employment and industrial relations: promoting responsible business conduct', held in Paris in June 2008, considers how seasonal migrant workers can best be protected by the application of international conventions, state regulation and private sector corporate responsibility.

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This paper was presented at the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA V), organised by the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE) in cooperation with UNEVOC and held in Hamburg, Germany, from 14-18 July 1997.

The paper presents the perspective of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) on the changes taking place in the world of work as a result of global economic competitiveness and rapid technological change, and the implications for workers, their trade unions, and the economy. The author draws attention to issues such as the violation of trade union rights in some countries, the protection of workers outside regular employment relationships, job security and working conditions. Adult and continuing education is presented as a tool to enable workers and their trade unions to adapt successfully to such change. The priorities of the ICFTU concerning adult education are outlined and include the responsibilities of both governments and trade unions. The need for effective partnerships between employers, unions and governments in market-led development is advocated.

The volume of collected papers is indexed at TD/INT 59.65. Show less

The Swiss [vocational education and training] VET, in its current institutional form, was gradually established over a 50-year period between 1880 and 1930. Beside the Confederation and the Cantons, the third main actor in this institutionalisation process can be identified in professional associations in the craft sector. On the contrary, trade unions play a minor role in the all process. The paper presents the main reasons that could explain the discreet presence of trade unions in the process of institutionalization of the domain and analyses the consequences of this on the first laws on VET and on the successive evolution to the present day.

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An assumption in the labour market (mainly derived from human capital theory) posits that workers have a powerful incentive to acquire new skills and qualifications, as this should lead to higher wages. However, the process of recognising qualifications (as a proxy for skill) in the form of higher wages is not automatic, determined solely by market principles, nor consistent across all qualification types and fields. The societal effects literature can better accommodate a more nuanced relationship between education and training institutions, industrial relations institutions and wage outcomes.

This paper examines the role that awards and enterprise agreements play in the recognition of workers' qualifications and in so doing the ongoing relevance of industrial relations to skills policy. Using data from the longitudinal Australia at Work survey, this paper reveals that workers with vocational and university qualifications who were employed on awards report higher wages over and above the qualification premium received by workers on other wage setting arrangements. This finding did not extend to workers on enterprise agreements. The paper confirms the positive role of awards in promoting skill acquisition, especially among the low paid, award-reliant workforce.

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This paper argues that different systems of industrial relations foster or discourage social dialogue in relation to training and other matters. Countries which have more cooperative or consensual based systems of industrial relations, tend to have greater dialogue between the social partners on training than those which do not. They also appear to have more comprehensive and integrated approaches to training at micro and macro levels. It should be emphasised that, while industrial relations do not act in a deterministic way to create particular outcomes, they appear to have an important influence on these issues. Furthermore, while the institutional bases of industrial relations systems are in the process of change and the concept of social partnership is becoming broader, social dialogue is likely to continue to play an important role in skill formation and development.

Published abstract.

The collected papers are indexed at TD/TNC 62.972. Show less

The conjunction of training and industrial relations in the search for higher productivity is the focus of this paper. Globalisation and international competitiveness necessitate improvement in productivity in key industries to ensure Australia's continuing economic viability. Training is a source of increased productivity. How best to become competitive; the complexities of reform; the extent to which training reforms and industrial relations reforms are industry-driven; the community of interest; and a fall in the numbers of awards with reference to training are discussed. The declining emphasis on investment in training and growing emphasis on negative cost-cutting associated with new decentralised industrial relations such as enterprise bargaining runs counter to industry's needs for productivity growth for international competitiveness. To reverse this trend and meet industry needs, vocational education and training (VET) providers need to assemble human resource bundles of more than just task training for a broadly educated workforce which can negotiate enterprise agreements which include training. The complete proceedings of this conference in one volume may be found at TD/TNC 53.04. Show less

This paper reports on research in New Zealand (NZ) into the role of unions in educational and training reform over a decade. It is based on selected findings from a large membership study of the New Zealand Dairy Workers' Union (DWU) and a study of the policies and strategies of the NZ Engineering, Printing, and Manufacturing Union (EPMU). The paper's specific purpose was to explore Streeck's thesis that vocational training, as part of a new type of cooperative industrial relations, offers unions the possibility of a new strategic role in a neo-liberal environment. Law and Piercy found some support for Streeck's thesis but also found that political strategies are necessary when unions' survival under neo-liberalism can depend on some of the more radical traditions of solidarity building.

Selected papers, roundtables and symposia are indexed from TD/TNC 70.310 to TD/TNC 70.347. Volumes of papers are indexed from TD/TNC 70.306 to TD/TNC 70.309. Show less