Faculty of Education - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 6 of 6
-
ItemManagers perceptions of workplace learning( 1999)This thesis sets outs the post-industrial organisation as the learning context in which the manager manages. By highlighting the set of skills that is required of the post-industrial manager it then examines how the manager learns these in the course of daily work. This was achieved by conducting interviews with a limited range of managers who are employed by the same retailing company but work across two store locations. What is apparent is that the successful manager needs to be able to respond to the emotionality of the workplace by having well honed 'people' skills of which communicability is uppermost. It was found that the 'people' skills were not only the hardest to learn but also contributed to the definition of the successful manager. The thesis also establishes that managers learn to manage in and through the workplace experiences of managing thereby supporting the contention that learning is fundamentally a socialisation process which occurs within a specific context and, within that, the most meaningful individual learning is, indeed, experiential. Learning to manage is very much about dealing with 'people' issues and, in this respect, the experiences of trial and error, then reflection, are the manager's teacher.
-
ItemManagement development strategies and their contribution to organizational learning( 1998)This study investigates the role of frontline managers in bringing about change in the workplace and the ways in which the learning needs of these managers can be supported in a production environment. Within the context of economic reform and technological change, as discussed in the literature, a group of frontline managers from a rural food production company was interviewed. Their responses are discussed, in light of the current understanding of the importance of the development of the workplace as a learning environment and the valuable contribution that all forms of learning, including formal and informal learning experiences, can provide. The fieldwork indicates that the "culture" of the workplace dictates and influences the types of learning that are recognized as legitimate and, therefore, considered valuable. Whilst training opportunities for managers have been made available within the organization, these have not been specifically planned for individuals, but rather have been in response to the organization's perception of developing generic management skills. The thesis concludes that frontline managers, whilst playing a central role in bringing about positive change within the workplace, need support to develop appropriate skills and it is also clear that recognition must be given to the role of all employees, not just managers, in contributing to the development of a long-term enterprise vision.
-
ItemA Review of the changes necessary to ensure the successful implementation and maintenance of a competency based training and assessment program into the Australian Customs Service( 1995)This review examines the changes necessary to to ensure the successful implementation of competency based training and assessment into the Australian Customs Service as recommended by the "Review of the Australian Customs Service and Australian Customs Service - Report of the Consultancy for a Human Resource Development Plan" completed in November 1993.
-
ItemFactors influencing the development of a public policy in technical and vocational education and training in Nepal( 1995)Many developing countries are experiencing persistent problems with their technical education and vocational training (TVET) systems. Nepal is no exception, and is facing major problems with a largely uncoordinated and fragmented TVET system. Nepal has neither a public policy on TVET nor an explicit framework for coordination. In order to understand the policy-making process, or lack thereof, the study examines a selected number of major policy issues and attempts to determine the extent of influence or effects of various factors. These issues are treated within the social, political and economic context of Nepal and other developing countries in the region. The literature review includes policy theory to provide a conceptual basis for the discussion, a review of some general policy issues and a discussion of specific policy issues. The conceptual framework is based on a series of research questions arising out of the literature review. The methodology employed is essentially that of a policy analysis. A simple comparative framework was developed to facilitate the analysis. A number of major conclusions can be drawn from the study. The lack of a national policy-making capacity, one of the greatest constraints on policy formulation, was found to be at least partly due to the lack of priority accorded by government to policy questions and the influence of donors. The failure to separate the policy development function from the implementation of training programmes, and the undue emphasis on training per se, were shown to have contributed significantly to the lack of a public policy. The view of coordination as control clearly led to the fragmentation and duplication of training programmes. The limited impact of TVET on poverty alleviation, and the cultural and social constraints on women's participation in TVET, were among the more disturbing findings of the study.
-
ItemAccommodation and resistance: the adult and community education sector response to competency-based training 1985-1995( 1996)The thesis examines the Adult and Community Education (ACE) sector response to Federal Government vocational education and training reforms, and particularly Competency-Based Training, during the period 1985-1995. The government, motivated by its inability to meet a burgeoning demand for vocational training, has courted ACE authorities and adult educators to gear more of their educational effort to meeting workforce needs as a partner in a generously funded national reform process. The characteristics which define ACE as a separate sector and the rationale for, and claimed benefits of, the vocational education and training reforms are documented. It is shown that much of the reform process and CBT, in particular, is at odds with the ideologies, purposes and education traditions of ACE. These differences and the manner in which the reforms have been imposed, have kindled a massive debate and polarization of opinion about educational philosophy and practice in Australia. Obstacles to the successful implementation of reform are examined from an ACE perspective. These include: a perceived lingering ignorance and prejudice about ACE within government and other education and training sectors, the deliberate avoidance of criticism and debate about CBT by government agencies, a shifting new training discourse which has displaced valued language in education, and a perceived inadequate economic rationale for the CBT approach to education. In addition, a number of claims about the value of the CBT doctrine are challenged and discussed, including its unsuitability for all curriculum, the inadequacies in the notion of 'competence' and finally, the view argued by CBT proponents, that there is no difference between education and training. Evidence is also offered to demonstrate the substantial successes and benefits of the VET reform process, including those for ACE students. However, although the ACE sector has accommodated many of the changes, it has continued to oppose CBT, in particular, seeking a more holistic approach to curriculum. One response to this, which is described in the thesis, was the development of a Competency-Based Learning model between 1992 and 1994, which, for hundreds of adult educators, accommodated their concerns about CBT, in that it provided options, flexibility, a defined holistic description of learning and most of all, it respected the key tenets of adult education ideology.
-
ItemPrivate and public providers in the open training market( 1994)This thesis examines the nature, role and significance of private training provision from an intersectoral perspective, and in the context of the emerging training market in Australia. In so doing, it explores and charts the terrain of a hitherto neglected sector of post-secondary vocational education and training (VET). The report begins by examining the historical and policy context in which private providers have assumed unprecedented importance. It traces the emergence of the 'open training market' (OTM) as the central organising principle of the National Training Reform Agenda, and defines the underlying principles and forces shaping its development. This analysis establishes the link between the OTM and the rise to prominence of private training providers and argues that the OTM is transforming the structure and balance of the post-secondary VET sector. The lack of prior research on private training providers and the private/public interface in the VET sector is highlighted in a review of relevant international and Australian literature. Various taken-for-granted assumptions about the nature and contribution of private providers are identified. Major gaps are identified in our knowledge about private training providers and the development of training markets. The nature and extent of private training provision is then examined on the basis of information collected via national surveys of training authorities. A detailed comparative analysis of the structure, culture and educational profile of private and public providers is undertaken on the basis of six major case studies of commercial and TAFE colleges. This analysis provides the basis for identifying the distinguishing characteristics of private and public provision. It examines their relative positions in the training market, factors affecting their growth and development, and major trends in the training market. The views and perspectives of providers and clients on the private/public alternatives and barriers to the effective implementation of the training market are explored. A series of key policy issues are identified and the implications of adopting a market-based approach to the provision of VET are examined. The thesis concludes that a parallel private training sector is undergoing formation in Australia. It argues that while certain key differences persist, the roles and relationships of private and public providers are being altered in some fundamental ways by the transition to an OTM, and that the nature of VET itself is being redefined in the process. In view of these trends and the potential implications of the shift to a fully fledged market paradigm, serious questions are raised about the current directions of government VET policy.