Supporting vocational and career development learning in ACE: implications for VET teachers and VET teacher education

Supporting vocational and career development learning in ACE: implications for VET teachers and VET teacher education

Increasing numbers of diverse learners are seeking Vocational Education and Training (VET) opportunities to develop the skills and capabilities they need to negotiate the challenges of living, learning and working in an increasingly globalised and uncertain 21st century world. The ability to successfully navigate career pathways and transitions is a 21st century skill that requires an ongoing engagement in learning to manage change (Field, Gallacher & Ingram, 2009). However it has been argued that “privileged social groups enjoy a seamless integration of different types of learning that is denied to the disadvantaged” (Colley, Hodkinson & Malcolm, 2003 p. 109). These so-called ‘disadvantaged’ include people who are marginalized due to unemployment, geographic or social isolation, poverty, disability, language and literacy barriers, learning difficulties and cultural differences.
As the education sector firmly located closest to the community and embracing an informal and learner-centred approach, the Adult Community Education sector (ACE) and community-based models such as place-based learning communities and community volunteering and service learning programs are well situated to support delivery of the kinds of vocational and career development learning opportunities that cater for these diverse learners (Arden, 2016a, 2017). But what kinds of pedagogies can teachers and trainers use to facilitate their students’ vocational and career development learning? And how can VET teacher educators empower VET teachers to use their influence to help learners make the all-important connections between different learning types and settings in order to successfully navigate their lifelong learning transitions and pathways?

To propose some answers to these questions, the author draws on the findings of a phenomenographic case study investigating younger and older community volunteers’ experiences of informal learning in a Community Informatics project called “GraniteNet” (Arden, 2016b). Informed by the work of Eraut (2004, 2007), Illeris (2006) and others, this lived experience of community-based learning is analysed and interpreted to shed light on the processes, mechanisms and incentives for vocational and career development learning. Some implications for VET teachers’ pedagogies and VET teacher education are discussed.

No evidence of copyright restrictions preventing deposit of online version.