‘They get a qualification at the end of it, I think’: incidental workplace learning and technical education in England

Abstract

Workplace learning is increasingly central to the international lifelong learning agenda but has made limited contributions to full-time vocational education in England during the last 30 years. A more central role is envisaged within the technical education proposed by the 2016 Sainsbury Review and Post-16 Skills Plan, with access to work placements dominating discussion of policy implementation. A multicase study of workplace learning among post-16 students in England on current ‘study programmes’ was mapped to four of the technical routes designated by the Sainsbury Review and Skills Plan, using documentary, observation and interview data. The study drew on theorisation of the workplace as the site of situated or incidental learning, whilst noting that its opportunities are differentially allocated according to organisational or personal differences, in ways that have particular implications for young people on placements. Whilst access to more advanced learning opportunities was secured through planned, collaborative approaches, reliance on incidental learning offered more routinised experiences to students less prepared for autonomous learning. The study indicates that questions of access, knowledge and pedagogy remain to be addressed if plans for ‘technical education’ in England are to provide meaningful learning opportunities and support transitions to fulfilling work

The Work Performance of the Graduates of 3-Yp Vocational High Schools and Its Follow-Up

“…Kirschenbaum's proposal needs to be completed with the basis of spiritual competence development, because it has been admitted as a condition which enables character education to be managed easily with relatively good result [15]. Moreover, Esmond in [16] found that questions of access, knowledge and pedagogy remain to be addressed if plans for 'technical education' in England are to provide meaningful learning opportunities and support transitions to fulfilling work.…”

What will T levels change? The portrayal of technical and vocational education in England: tensions in policy, and a conundrum for lecturers

“…Perhaps this was first endorsed fully in the Wolf review, where the need for learning through and in work experience was formally identified (Wolf, 2011a). As a result of this we saw the evolution of work experience being required by the external inspection regime Ofsted (Esmond, 2018). Esmond argues that the concept that learning occurs within a workplace setting is supported well by a number of theories such as situated learning and community of practice theories (Hordern, 2016;Lave, and Wenger, 1991;Rainbird, 2002).…”

VET Realignment and the Development of Technical Elites: Learning at Work in England

“…Case studies were developed, using a multiple case study design which anticipated different patterns of theoretical replication (Yin, 2018). Earlier studies of work-based learning and placement development work (Esmond, 2018;Newton et al, 2018) had suggested areas of divergence in placement practice, and these were expected to provide useful data about how such practices shaped students' transitions to different types of employment: Initially four cases were planned. However, as Yin (2018) points out, case definition is an iterative process, in which the tentative definition is derived from the research questions but can be revisited during the study (2018, p. 29-30).…”