Welfare Reform on the Web (August 2005): Education - Overseas

Apprenticeships in Germany: modernising the Dual System

T. Deissinger and S. Hellwig

Education + Training, vol.47, 2005, p.312 - 324

Despite strong cultural roots and a national reputation for maintaining its practices rather than changing them, reform of Germany's traditional dual apprenticeship system is now on the political agenda. Indeed it seems inevitable following the partial failure of traditional mechanisms operating within the existing system.

Between policy and practice: structuring workplace learning in higher vocational education in Sweden and Finland

M. Lindell and M.-L. Stenström

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol.17, 2005, p.194-211

Study considered the recent reforms of higher vocational education in Sweden and Finland. The Swedish reform has focused on creating a demand-led system with decentralised planning and design of programmes to fit the needs of local labour markets. On the other hand the Finnish polytechnics have retained a strong institutional framework, focusing more on research and development.

Handbook of corporate university development: managing strategic learning initiatives in pubic and private domains

R. Patton and others (editors)

Aldershot, Hants: Gower, 2005

From the moment the first corporate university (CU) was established and the term was coined, the central metaphor of "university" has proved a double-edged sword. The emphasis on "university" has been a driving force in moving companies beyond a restricted and siloed approach to training and towards a central vision for learning within the organisation. On the other hand, there have been failures and many corporate universities have struggled to bring a business rigour to learning or to align their development with the key business and financial drivers of the organization. This handbook draws on experience from around the world, to provide anyone responsible for strategy and learning with a picture of current best practice.

The National Directorate of Employment’s Open Apprenticeship Scheme in Nigeria: new wine in old wineskins?

U. Evawoma-Enuku and M. Mgbor

Education + Training, vol.47, 2005, p. 325 - 336

Nigeria's centrally controlled Open Apprenticeship Scheme was launched 17 years ago by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to promote skill acquisition and youth employment. This report, based on workshop visits in one of 36 states, and on literature from the NDE office, finds that the same training methods as in traditional schemes are being used, that certification, funding, theory classes and resources are lacking, that educational background is low, and that apprentices are paid up to 6 months in arrears.

Reforming the training system in France

P. Méhaut

Industrial Relations Journal, vol.36, 2005, p.303-317

Article analyses the negotiations which took place in 2001 and 2003 between employers and unions regarding reform of the French system of continuing vocational training. Reforms to the system include: an increase in the levy employers pay into their industry training fund; 2) establishment of the individual employee's right to 20 hours training a year; 3) introduction of "re-skilling periods" for employees in danger of losing their jobs due to technological change; and 4) acceptance of the principle of co-investment in training by employers and employees.

Registered Apprenticeship training in the US construction industry

R.W. Glover and C. Bilginsoy

Education + Training, vol.47, 2005, p.337 - 349

Construction apprenticeship schemes jointly sponsored by unions and employers out perform those sponsored solely by employers in terms of enrolment, retention and completion rates, and participation of women and ethnic minorities. The joint schemes have developed various innovations, including college credit for training and scholarship loans, aimed at improving retention and expanding apprenticeships.

Shall I train your apprentice? An empirical investigation of outsourcing of apprenticeship training in Switzerland

B. Walther, J. Schweri and S.C. Wolter

Education and Training, vol.47, 2005, p. 251 - 269

The classical form of dual vocational training in Switzerland is on-the-job training combined with theoretical education in school. However, large firms have started to concentrate their apprenticeship training on one or a few sites and independent companies have been set up to train apprentices for other organisations. Outsourcing to training centres is a viable alternative to in-house apprenticeships for investment-intensive occupations where the development of a steady supply of highly qualified workers is required, but will not suit every company.

The Individualization of consumption: a Trojan Horse in the destruction of the public sector?

M. Bottery

Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, vol.33, 2005, p.267-288

A modern consumer society promises to place the individual at the centre of a personally-specified consumptive universe in which all desires are met by an enormously flexible marketplace. The only role for the individual is to seek out the best experiences for their own self-realisation. This version of consumerism undermines democracy and civil society, and leads to the fragmentation of culture. In such a society, education would be a purely personal good, bought to enable success in self-realisation or to help in competition with others in the marketplace. Educational institutions would be indistinguishable from businesses, focussed on attracting sufficient affluent customers to generate a profit. Individuals with limited means would receive poorer support.

Teachers working in collaborative structures: a case study of a secondary school in the USA

D.H. Cameron

Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, vol.33, 2005, p.311-330

Article explores the tensions expressed by teachers working within collaborative decision-making structures in a US secondary school. Tensions emerged in areas that included:

• Time required vs satisfaction gained from running collaborative programmes
• Autonomy of classroom practice vs collective agreements
• Exposure of teacher leadership to public criticism
• The positional power of the principal vs the lesser influence exercised by teacher leaders.