Article 2011

Apprenticeship as a model of vocational 'formation' and 'reformation': The use of foundation degrees in the aircraft engineering industry

GD
Guile, David John
Journal of Vocational Education and Training
Journal · Vol. 63 · Issue 3 · pp. 451-464
Abstract

This article argues that once apprenticeship is conceptualised as a social model of learning, then it no longer follows that apprenticeship is an age- or phasespecific model of vocational formation. The article explores this claim through drawing on a case study of the design of a Foundation Degree (FD) in aircraft engineering, which was explicitly designed to support the formation of 'new entrants' and the reformation of 'career switchers' vocational practice. Using the concept of recontextualisation the article highlights how: (1) the company (KLM) and the college (Kingston) FDs designed the teaching and learning curriculum to facilitate the above goals; and (2) learners used the opportunities provided by these curricula to develop their vocational practice. The article concludes with a number of observations about the conceptual and policy implications of its analysis. © 2011 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.

Keywords

Author Keywords

workplace learning pedagogy adult learning vocational he Learning Theory vet and development

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Institute of Education, UCL Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom
Funding & Acknowledgements
Economic and Social Research Council, ESRC
Grant: ES/F037104/1
Economic and Social Research Council, ESRC
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