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THE BBC is an exemplar
of visionary industry training, driving an innovative approach that
features a knowledge management framework and the use of intranet
technology to construct opportunities for interactive learning.
Vocational education and
training consultant John Mitchell says the BBC is just one of a
number of industry leaders in England developing innovative approaches
propelled by a mix of factors including strong awareness of the
need for skilled staff to compete in a European and global marketplace.
The need to shift the
UK from a traditional manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge
economy and the commitment of the Blair government to develop a
high skills, valued-added economy are also drivers.
Mitchell, who heads Sydney-based
John Mitchell and Associates, visited the UK earlier this year to
carry out field research at the BBC and with a number of other advocates
of innovative teaching and learning.
He says that lifelong
learning and social capital are also influencing innovation in industry
training in the UK where the level of awareness of the value of
social capital in the training world appears to be much higher than
in Australia.
Training systems such
as Australia's vocational education and training sector generally
promote the concept of human capital, without using the term, Mitchell
says, through the valuing of competencies and qualifications, but
are generally shy of the less concrete term social capital.
"This shyness may
arise because social capital involves informal learning and social
networks which are difficult to measure," he says in a report
on his field research to the UK.
In addition to the BBC,
Mitchell's field research also examined innovation in industry training
provided by the Department for Education and Skills, the skill sector
agencies, the University for Industry and the Marchmont Observatory.
The Marchmont Observatory,
which Mitchell says models the use of collaboration for bringing
together training providers and industry, was established at Exeter
University as a national project in 1997 as a mechanism to identify
and support good practice and innovation in teaching and to promote
e-learning. The Marchmont website (www.lifelonglearning.ac.uk) includes
a database of good practice in teaching and learning. The observatory
now concentrates on identifying training needs in small business
in the south-west of England. More details are available from the
related website www.swslim.org.uk
The Sheffield-based University
for Industry is a major provider of e-learning which has created
the brand name Learndirect and offers entry to and support for its
courses via many outlets such as 1500 libraries, "high street"
shops and many universities. Some courses at basic levels are free,
paid for says Mitchell by a government concerned with stimulating
industry training and employability skills. The university's website
is www.ufiltd.co.uk.
The Department for Education
and Skills, which is overseeing the allocation of a significant
increase in funding for adult learners, is innovative in its use
of information and communications technology, online curriculum
and leadership programs. One of its current foci is to transform
the learning experience for young people from 14 to 19 years so
that by the age of 16 they are committed to continued learning,
whether in school, college of the workplace.
Mitchell singles out North
East Surrey College of Technology where a strong partnership has
been developed with technology and software companies Cisco and
Microsoft as an example of progressive UK further education college.
The close relationship
between these parties has led to the clever customisation of the
manufacturer's existing content to suit a range of different student
markets and levels. In London, for instance, the physical distance
between the learner and the educational institution is less of an
issue than the time and expense involved in the journey. Saving
students travel time and costs is a motivation for using a mix of
face-to-face and e-learning, notes Mitchell.
According to Mitchell, innovation in teaching
and learning in England is underpinned by an evolving conceptual
framework that takes into account the following components of VET:
labour market requirements and learners needs; informal, workplace
and lifelong learning; social capital; communities of practice;
training partnerships; knowledge management; good practice; flexible
delivery; e-business; technology; evaluation; policy initiatives;
provider strategy-making; business benefits and student outcomes.
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Innovation in Teaching and Learning