Phenomenographic analysis of written statements of 52 clerical-administrative workers revealed five distinct conceptions of competence: (1) basic skills; (2) essential knowledge about a job; (3) personal attributes; (4) efficient work; and (5) flexible, holistic thinking. (SK)

Group Feedback Strategy was used to evaluate data from 73 employers, 18 tutors, 156 students, and 45 graduates involved in work placements in a library and information science program. Respondents showed reasonably high satisfaction for the following characteristics of placements: teamwork experience, assessment of capabilities, training…

Government intervention and external change are having an impact on the governance of British further education colleges and vocational education. Policy initiatives make contradictory demands on teaching practice and create tensions between lecturers and administrators. (SK)

As the economy changes from Fordist to post-Fordist, questions about the correspondence between new workplace demands and National Vocational Qualifications/General Vocational Qualifications in Britain arise. The new curriculum demands a new kind of professionalism for vocational teachers and a new kind of teacher preparation. (SK)

The attempt to bring all postsecondary qualifications into a single qualifications framework has not been without a struggle between the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and the universities. The resolution of these issues has implications for policy developments in Britain. (SK)

The new youth training initiative in Britain is termed "modern apprenticeship." However, the history of the decline of apprenticeship over the last 30 years raises questions about whether this model can be reinvented to meet contemporary workplace needs. (SK)

Interviews with nine nursing students revealed that they are able to define experiential learning, consider role playing the chief method, are aware of theory-practice issues, understand the importance of reflective practice, and view clinical supervision as an integral part of experiential learning. (SK)

A three-phase study identified current practice and potential good practice in the implementation of General National Vocational Qualifications in Britain. Although good practices were found, flaws were also apparent. A systematic induction program was deemed an integral part of implementation. (SK)

As engineering technician training developed in New South Wales in the 1950s-1960s, technical educators were marginalized by power struggles over apprentice recruitment and the complications of industrial legislation. However, educators and professional associations took a leadership role in the development of technician training in the metal…

The British government's Modern Apprenticeship initiative has the following features: adoption of the best aspects of traditional apprenticeship, links with National Vocational Qualifications, breadth, and industry ownership. Key issues in the design of learning include holistic approaches to the attainment of occupational competence; effective…

The trend of locating professional education courses in the workplace, not in academic institutions, was investigated through interviews with students and workplace mentors. Results highlighted the limitations of work-based education and the value of academic coursework in providing a conceptual framework. (SK)

Studies of gender identity and activity preferences in young children and of the characteristics of work culture in traditional male trades are used to support the argument that women seeking nontraditional employment are faced with a work identity based on a traditional concept of masculinity. Reconstructing work cultures to ensure equal access…

Interviews with teachers in 13 British schools in which students participated in the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative showed that learning from work experience is not valued in the formal curriculum. Teachers did consider that it enriched the social development of students of average or below average ability. (SK)

At the University of Glamorgan (Wales) business school, students entering through traditional routes were compared with those following the competency-based approach of the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). The latter outperformed traditional students on most assessments, indicating that NVQs can widen access to higher education without…