This article about workplace learning examines the relationship between, firstly, individual learners positions and dispositions, and secondly, their working and learning within the workplace community and practices. Drawing on research with secondary school teachers, it presents case study accounts of two teachers from the same school to…

Explores the relationship between progressivism, vocationalism, and General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs), concluding that GNVQs are not unequivocally progressive. Suggests that the cultural context of controlled vocationalism is antithetical to progressive tendencies toward learner autonomy. (SK)

A study of four people enrolled in General National Vocational Qualifications courses shows that career and educational choices are constrained by culture and by issues of status and prestige. Simply giving choices does not address social inequalities, market forces, or status differentials, making GNVQs less empowering than intended. (SK)

Case studies of the British Training Credits (TC) initiative show that the notion of a market for training driven by young people as customers is largely mythical, due to such factors as recession, importance of local networks in finding employment, and marginal involvement of small businesses. (SK)

Examines Britain's General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) from four perspectives: ideological tensions in government policy and cultural values; relationship between GNVQs and the new managerialism in postcompulsory education; GNVQs, the labor market, and upskilling; and the importance of addressing wider educational issues beyond…