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The 1980s saw recession and substantial levels of unemployment in developed countries, followed by increasing globalisation of trade and an intensification of international economic competition. As a result of these pressures, a restructuring of industry seemed an imperative in a number of developed countries in the late 1980s. As this economic reorganisation took place, an increasing desire for change in the vocational and general education systems became evident in many developed countries.

The economic restructuring of the 1980s required changes in work and work practices and the need for such changes became the impetus for an examination of the relationship between education and work in many countries. The prime outcomes of this examination might be described as the generic and work-related skills movement of the 1980s and 1990s that can be seen in many developed countries, and particularly English speaking countries.

Published abstract used with the permission of the copyright holder.

The complete issue of the journal is indexed at TD/TNC 73.283; individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 73.284 to TD/TNC 73.289. Show less

This report documents a project that involved a literature review and subsequent consultations with a small group of key stakeholders whose different perspectives helped to inform this research. The main focus of the review was on work published since 1990. The purpose of the review was to identify the issues and the changes which have occurred in thinking about literacy and to provide an intellectual platform from which further debate about the nature of literacy today can take place in an Australian context. It examines some of the often contradictory ways in which literacy has been defined before considering how and why literacy conceptions have changed over the years. The final section of the paper outlines a number of implications for literacy policy and practice highlighted by the research. It indicates that literacy can no longer be assumed to be either a universal or unitary concept, nor can literacy policy continue to be linked to the demands of a globalised economy and a national training agenda which sees adult literacy primarily in terms of vocational outcomes. A broad conception of literacy entails a pedagogy (and an assessment) that can be described as focused on meaning-making. That is, rather than merely reproducing uncritically what is taught, learners are able to make sense of the world and construct their own perspectives. This implies both an engagement with the world and the capacity to critique that world. If this broader conception of literacy is overlooked, then literacy becomes reductive, little more than the mastery of a series of sub-skills such as using punctuation marks correctly, rather than the genuinely transforming experience that current conceptions of literacy - as social practice, critical engagement, situated and multiple - suggest it should be. Show less

This paper looks at a range of possible approaches to competency assessment in the professions. Wider issues associated with competency-based assessment, and the advantages and disadvantages of various assessment approaches are discussed. The chapters are: Overview; Conceptualising occupational competence: implications for assessment; Setting standards: implications for assessment; Choosing methods of assessment; Maintaining an assessment system.

A companion paper, ‘Establishing competency-based standards in the professions’ is indexed at TD/TNC 87.1474. Show less