An extensive body of workplace learning literature documents the changing nature of professional learning, knowledge and work, but the tensions between the distinctive purposes and interests of professions and organizations have not received the same level of attention. The sociology of professions literature in contrast has paid an enormous…

This paper provides insight on how postsecondary students' work placements were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Results are based on the recent Statistics Canada crowdsourcing data collection completed by over 100,000 postsecondary students between April 19 and May 1, 2020.

Paul Ryan has brought together the writings of the most prominent British research into vocational preparation in Britain in comparison to the other advanced economies, primarily within the EEC. The book, originally published in 1991, documents various aspects of inadequacy in British practice at the time, concentrating upon intermediate skills,…

The apprenticeship training system in British Columbia (BC) includes public post-secondary institutions, the Industry Training Authority (ITA), private training institutions, and employers. Currently, apprenticeship training is available in more than 100 trades, including 49 Interprovincial Red Seal trades. The majority of apprenticeship training…

Realising the potential of work-based learning schemes as a driver of productivity requires careful design and support. The length of work-based learning schemes should be adapted to the profile of productivity gains. A scheme that is too long for a given skill set might be unattractive for learners and waste public resources, but a scheme that is…

Adults tend to lose their information-processing skills as they age, especially if they do not use them. While older adults may compensate for this loss by developing other valuable skills, the importance of being proficient in information-processing skills in determining wages and employment does not diminish as workers age. Probably the most…

The 2016 Apprenticeship Student Outcomes (APPSO) Survey is the twelfth annual survey of former apprenticeship students. Former students who completed their apprenticeship training at a B.C. post-secondary institution between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015 were eligible for this survey. These former students were surveyed by telephone and online…

This article examined the relationship between participation in adult nonformal education (NFE), defined as on-the-job training, attending private lessons, attending seminars, or distance learning, and Canadian immigrant respondents' literacy and numeracy outcomes, using data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies…

This paper looks at the importance of mechanisms that give formal recognition to vocational skills acquired through work-based learning and how such mechanisms might be developed. It describes how skill recognition can benefit individuals, employers and society as a whole, and identifies in which contexts skill recognition has the highest…

In 2013, the BC Student Outcomes surveys collected information from over 30,000 former students. The majority of respondents were employed at the time of the survey and they were asked to give information on their occupations. The information they provided was used to code their jobs according to the National Occupational Classification (NOC)…

This article seeks to contribute to an understanding of questions regarding on-the-job vocational learning, power, and technological change in the context of dynamic notions of knowledge economy and contemporary public sector austerity in the West based on a "mind in political economy" approach inspired by the Cultural Historical…

The Skills and Training Plan (announced September 2012) projects that there will be nearly one million job openings between 2012 and 2020 in British Columbia. Of these openings, 43 percent will need trades and technical training. It is anticipated that there will be a cumulative gap of 22,000 to 32,000 technical and trades workers in the province.…

The purpose of the present study was to explore the prior educational and employment experiences of staff members in urban Aboriginal human services agencies. A total of 44 individuals employed by one of three community sites within one Canadian inner city generated 85 unique responses to the question: "What were your employment and education…

The assessment interaction plan (AIP) is a performance support tool developed by members of the Canadian Defence Academy's Directorate of Learning Innovation. This article provides a brief overview of the performance gap that led to the creation of the AIP, its function within the overall courseware design process, a description of its components,…

This phenomenological study describes seven stages of learning to teach at the university level. Through the use of narratives, twelve Canadian university professors reveal their beliefs and attitudes about teaching and learning as they struggle to become better teachers within various academic settings. The purpose of the study was to develop a…