All workplaces are sites in which people learn. To state such a fact still seems fairly revolutionary given that many employers and policymakers tend to restrict the meaning of job-related learning to formal episodes of "training" that can be counted and costed. This view is rooted in a wider perception prevalent in society in general…

The author, chair of the new improvement organization for further education and skills, shares her optimism on what the emerging agency can achieve, but she is aware of the challenges facing a sector struggling to keep pace with inspectors' expectations. These struggles include: (1) The slow delivery of curriculum; (2) The sector's struggle to…

This paper is a critique of the initial teacher education (ITE) of further and adult education teachers in the UK. It argues that the employer-led, national standards model in the UK is not the basis for ITE and professional development because it takes no account of learning in the workplace, disregards the multi-specialist and professional…

"Learning for Life--a New Framework for Adult Skills," a thought-provoking report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), manages to be both passionate and well argued. Resulting, in part, from a series of policy seminars during 2006, it makes an interesting contribution to current debates. Simone Delorenzi advocates the…

Discusses Skills 2000, a report that looks at the relative decline of the industrial base of the United Kingdom, taking the perspective of the trade unions. Explores reactions to it through interviews with a number of interested parties. (JOW)

In this article, I explain the practical learning challenges in distributed workplace learning (WL) that are engendered by distance and contradictory motives between distributed instructors. I draw lessons from an empirical study of the institution of a new profession in the British National Health Service that was operationalised through…

Presents data on the unemployment rate of young people in Britain, discusses the personal and institutional barriers that hinder participation of disaffected youth in education and training, and suggests institutional changes that would make curriculum and instruction more suited to contemporary needs and conditions. (SK)

This series of articles cites a variety of sources and synthesizes a number of studies related to education and training efforts in both developing and developed nations. (SSH)

Work-based postcompulsory education has been hindered by association with discredited youth training programs. Interviews with 381 British apprentices (55.7% response) show how this form of work-based education overcomes disadvantages of full-time education, has liberating potential, and is an attractive means of acquiring further education and…

The relationship between vocational education/training (VET) and economic growth is complex. In less-advantaged regions with low skill levels, employers may adopt strategies accommodating low skills, creating a vicious circle. A more proactive strategy may be hindered by the new VET system in Britain. (SK)

Examines the nature of journalism and describes career paths. Details the development and training available and highlights characteristics of a good journalist. (JOW)

Comparison of U.S. and British systems of postcompulsory education leads to reflections on how to achieve a unified system in Britain. Possibilities include requiring education to age 18 and having a single qualification at that age. (SK)

Describes changes being made in the United Kingdom and the parallel efforts guiding that change--one involving the system of education and training and the other the system of vocational qualification. (JOW)

Three job training models for young people are (1) emphasis in full-time schooling to age 18, as in Japan; (2) Germany's dual system of apprenticeship and continuing education; and (3) a mixed model as in the United Kingdom, where a small percentage remain in school to age 18 and a proportion enroll in work-based training programs. (SK)

Includes four theme articles: "Some Remarks on Modular Training in the Federal Republic of Germany" (Zedler); "Modular Initial and Continuing Education and Training: A Comparative Survey of the Education System in the United Kingdom and Germany" (Hammer); "Modules in Vocational Training" (Wiegand); and…