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The transition from a post-industrial society to a knowledge-based economy is driving the integration of vocational education and training (VET) and human resource development (HRD), resulting in new systems for lifelong learning. In the perspective of lifelong learning, VET and HRD are no longer separate systems but part of a common developmental approach. This approach supports people in developing their employability and transferability and acknowledges that learning may take place anywhere and can take different forms. The challenge is to develop systems, models and learning arrangements in which VET and HRD are seen as parts of a common frame for lifelong learning. This volume presents perspectives on the policies, dynamics and effects of VET and HRD systems. The introductory chapter is: Emerging research approaches in the European VET and HRD arena / Loek F. M. Nieuwenhuis & Wim J. Nijhof. Section one, 'Analysing systems', contains the following chapters: The VET system between private demands and public interests: the Dutch challenge / Wim J. Nijhof; 101 initiatives but no strategy: policy on lifelong learning in England / Frank Coffield; The learning-oriented company and policy perspectives for VET and HRD / Lorenz Lassnigg; Continuity and change in pathways from education to work / David Raffe. Section two, 'Organising learning processes', contains the following chapters: Competencies in a post-industrial society: the imperative of bringing professions back in by integrating work and learning / Ben Hovels and Paul den Boer; Action-taking orientation of vocational education and training in Germany: a dynamic concept or rhetoric? / Gerald A. Straka; Work-related learning: elaborate, expand and externalise / P. Robert-Jan Simons & Manon C. P. Ruijters; Some hints on the success or failure of self-directed learning at the workplace / Frank Achtenhagen; Innovation and learning in small companies / Loek F. M. Nieuwenhuis. Section three, 'Assessment of output', contains the following chapters: Authentic assessment in vocational examinations: approaches within the German dual system / Klaus Breuer; Assessing institutional effects of colleges: the labour market success of their graduates / Roel J. Bosker, Rolf van der Velden and Peet van de Loo; Vocational education from an economic point of view / Hans Heijke.

Individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 71.215 to TD/TNC 71.226. Show less

This is the annual update of the Training and Skills Commission's Skills for Jobs five-year plan for skills and workforce development in South Australia. The Commission's advice in the 2012 plan focuses on the twin challenges of participation and productivity which will drive growth for tertiary level qualifications over the next five years. During 2013, the Commission will focus on strategies to reach a 69 per cent workforce participation rate by 2025. To achieve higher levels of participation it is important that training gives individuals the skills they need for sustainable employment. The State Government's Skills for All policy, announced in February 2011, is making fundamental changes to the [vocational education and training] VET system in South Australia. Skills for All is largely in line with the Commission's reform recommendations to government, including the fundamental shift from a supply focused system to one driven by student and industry demand. The Commission is working with the State Government to ensure that graduates of the new system have the skills and knowledge that industry needs.

Edited summary from the TASC website. Show less

The Green Paper '14-19: extending opportunities, raising standards' (indexed at TD/IRD 88.170) outlines the consultation proposals to develop a coherent and flexible education system in the UK for the 14-19 age group. This document is the Learning and Skills Council's response to the paper. It is presented in two parts. The first part highlights the Council's views on six particular issues: 14-19 curriculum and the overarching award; 14-19 qualifications and assessment; Collaboration; Support and guidance for young people; Resources; and Implementation and next steps. The second part contains the Council's response to the specific questions raised in the Green Paper. Show less

This issue of the journal is entitled 'Assessing adult learning in diverse settings: current issues and approaches', edited by Amy D. Rose and Meredyth A. Leahy.

In this article Ottoson asserts that the transfer of learning to the workplace continues to be an issue of concern to trainers and educators in all venues. She explains the benefits of using multiple lenses to assess training effectiveness.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner Show less

The challenges facing young people as they become adults are more complex and demanding than ever before. Education has become vital to young people's life-chances and a central part of strategies for economic prosperity. The author argues that educational research should focus on the connections between schools and society, rather than focusing on spending money on making schools more effective as institutions, more attention should be given to the connection between schools and society. This book reviews projects from the UK and other countries which represent the beginning of a new approach and explains how this approach can be used to address some of the most pressing challenges for education, promoting active citizenship, developing employability and tackling chronic underachievement. The author also stresses that in an increasingly complex society, dedicated teachers must not be solely relied on to deliver the understanding and personal qualities young people will need to thrive. Effective education will have to extend beyond the classroom, using a broader range of resources - cultural, social, finnacial and physical. This book provides a wide-ranging review of educational innovation and on contemporary analyses of economic, social and technological change. It outlines a vision of education which combines the rigour and depth of the best professional instruction with the flexibility of community-based collaborative learning. Show less

The focus of this OECD study is an in-depth understanding of the way that teaching and learning takes place and student progress is assessed as a formative process, using a small number of exemplary innovations. When the OECD Ministers of Education met in April 2001, a significant part of their discussion was devoted to the promotion of innovative teaching and learning strategies: this study aims to deepen the understanding of what is possible. The importance of tailoring instruction more closely to student learning needs and to individual progress, rather than to suit the administrative convenience of education systems, is a long running theme of the lifelong learning agenda. This study addresses this issue with students in lower secondary schools. In Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador led a team of five provinces, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, which all provided descriptions of their policy and program context, as well as data on their particular case studies, based on an OECD questionnaire (Appendix A). Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Saskatchewan also participated in the in-depth analysis by identifying a case study (based on criteria established by OECD and country experts) and by hosting a study visit from an OECD expert in April 2003. The [Council of Ministers of Education, Canada] CMEC coordinated the activity in Canada.

Excerpt from published introduction reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

It was not the intention of this study to revisit the debate about graded assessment within competency based assessment in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system, but rather, in recognition of the fact that such graded assessment does take place, to update research into graded assessment to take account of changes in the VET environment. The study focuses on an examination of the various approaches to grading that may be employed where a decision to grade has already been made. Definitions of grading, validity, reliability and consistency are offered and a review of Australian and relevant overseas literature is given. Data were gathered through focus groups and telephone and face-to-face interviews with stakeholders. The findings are analysed and a proposal is offered for policy development that will increase the consistency and validity of grading practices without diminishing the flexibility of providers to assess and report learners appropriately. Show less

This article is one of two (the other article is indexed at TD/TNC 65.455) in which the author summarises some of the key findings from a broad program of research led by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) into the development of the apprenticeship and traineeship system in Australia. The National Research and Evaluation Committee (NREC) funded several studies of aspects of the system in support of the program of research. 'Australian apprenticeships: research readings' presents summaries of 11 of these studies and the research contained in the publication is reviewed in this article. The research covered the aspects of system development from early European beginnings through to the present day in Australia, future issues and directions for the system, apprentice and trainee employment in small and medium-sized enterprises, uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships in relation to geographical location, English language and literacy (ELL) skills and learning and workplace performance, on-the-job traineeships, career paths and attrition within apprenticeships in traditional skilled trades, learning and assessment processes, retention, and the quality of learning in workplaces.

This article is part of a special feature on Australian apprenticeships. The articles are indexed from TD/TNC 65.455 to TD/TNC 65.459. Show less

This chapter aims to examine the relationships between, and implications of, changes in the economy and the country's educational needs. Direct empirical evidence that the skill demands of the economy have risen is examined and, focusing on two broad models, the changing nature of work is analysed. The chapter concludes with broad implications for educational reform and for understanding of competence and assessment.

The volume from which this chapter is taken may be found at TD/TNC 67.591; individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 67.592 to TD/TNC 67.607. Show less

Founded in 1971, Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research (COST) is an intergovernmental framework allowing the co-ordination of nationally funded research on a European level. COST Action 11 investigates different aspects of flexibility, mobility and transferability of vocational competencies. Working Group 5 focuses on aspects of evaluation and assessment of these attributes in Member States of the European Union (EU). This paper is one of a series examining specific evaluation/assessment problems within a national context but with general relevance to the European community. The paper begins with an analysis of changes taking place in the Italian training system. It then focuses on innovative methodologies in the evaluation of training programs and on integration processes between vocational and educational systems. This is followed by a case study of vocational training for the long-term unemployed. The evaluation method used to assess the impact of retraining schemes for this group of trainees is described. The evaluation aimed to assess the quality of the training supply.

The volume from which this paper is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 67.267. Selected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 67.268 to TD/TNC 67.279. Show less