3011VTA - Contexts of Adult and
Vocational Education
David Martin – Student #2636349
Phone - 0439208033
david.martin3@student.griffith.edu.au
Date Submitted: 30 August 2007
Assignment 1 - The learning society
and learner identities
Course Convenor: Leesa Wheelahan
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
This assignment analyses the relationship between contemporary economic, social and cultural
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changes and adult vocational education policy and practice in relation to my own experience
and history as a learner and how my future learning is being shaped. The changing nature of
work, globalisation, lifelong learning, the learning society and reflexive modernisation will also
be analysed and interpreted.
The home environment has been the single most influential factor of my learning history. My
father left school early, which unlike today seemed to have little consequence for employment
opportunities (Wheelan, 2002, p. 1) and became a trade electrician in the very late 1960’s. We
were for the most part a single income working class family. A changing work environment was
evident to me growing up, with Dad moving into electronics and then the computing field over
time. One way we were out of the ordinary for our socio-economic group was access to
technology, there has been at least one computer in our home for the last 25 years, with the
technology being updated continuously. Technology and communication are major factors in the
shaping of the current and future vocational and personal culture. The rapid changes within this
area mean constant retraining and education is required to keep up. These factors have been
the biggest personal influences in being shaped into a lifelong learner within a changing work
environment.
The town where I was raised, educated and worked was Gladstone; a Central Queensland town
with a social structure based on predominately male orientated jobs within heavy industry and
associated retail services, with unemployment around that of the state average. It is a very
strong working class environment, with the local TAFE having a large pre-vocational role, and
apprenticeships in the trades and production work the most popular employment opportunity
(Census of Population and Housing, 1996), (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006).
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
In primary school I was an achiever being conforming to the structuralist and hidden pedagogies
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of student life. However, secondary school showed me no direct link between specific education
and specific employment outcomes that interested me. This was the start of my dissatisfaction
with the functional structuralism and the regulative educational discourses that shaped the
resistance to education that made up my mid and late teens (Singh, 2001, p. 255). I began to
sense, though unable to articulate the unequal and constraining social structures (Jarvis, 1985,
p. 10) that meant I wasn’t at the top end of the capitalistic food chain. Further interpretation of
the situation at the time leads to my lack of understanding of the hidden pedagogies or
curriculum in high school. Specifically the knowledge of what unsaid assessment was being
done and how, and the school system being an enforcer of existing social and economic
structure. While schooling started as a positive learning influence, the results of my secondary
schooling were average and uninspiring.
I finished high school at a time when unemployment was becoming an issue, the late 1980s and
early 1990s showing marked increases (Borland & Kennedy, 1998, p. 69). I was pressured into
quickly deciding to either work or study after finishing high school, there seemed no time for rest
or reflection for fear of becoming “on the dole.” I had been working casually during the last year
of high school in retail and my only study area of interest was computers. The local university
did not have a computer degree and striving for higher education seemed irrelevant and
unreachable. I underachieved in the high level maths and sciences at high school and this was
also a tough economic time for my family, and my own aspirations and plans to continue further
education were influenced by the perception of what my parents could afford (Orr, 2003, p.
283). The local TAFE had a Diploma of Business Computing. I enrolled at TAFE even though
this was the wrong course for the vocation I soon chose. The home and small business
computer market was booming, with a real need for staff, and no structured traineeships or
accredited hands-on computing courses were available. This is an example of TAFE’s inability
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
to quickly adapt to respond to market changes at the time (Goozee, 2001, p. 90). However, it
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seems also to exemplify the relationship between the major industry needs of Gladstone and
the vocational education offered locally. Moving out of home, my social condition changed about
as much as it could, with my focus being removed from education. I went into full time retail
work with no real aspiration or medium to long term goals, but did get involved in the computer
sector without a qualification. If a traineeship in the computer vocation been available as they
are now, I would have been educated as I worked; instead this marked the stop of formal
education for many years.
My vocational career has been based on the changing global environment in many ways. I
have been employed as an information service worker; selling and repairing computers and
supporting computer users for over 13 years, a relatively new service industry (The World Bank,
2002, p. 9). Since the mid 1990’s I have been providing people with their internet connections,
showing them how to access the global communications network, however due to my lack of
tertiary qualifications I have not been able to engage in the global labour market (The World
Bank, 2002, p. 17) remaining in the low end of the computer service industry. Through general
dissatisfaction with full time work I found myself unemployed in the mid 1990’s and then offered
a job on the wharf. This was an opportunity to destroy my clean-cut socially acceptable persona
and become part of the working class, an opposition to Reay’s findings on normativity and
working class relationships to education (Reay, 2001, p. 341) where the opposite normally
occurs, working class re-inventing their own image. Quite narrow socio-economic classes of
people were employed there; for a lot of the workers a full time stevedoring job was seen as the
highest paid employment they could see themselves attaining. Literacy and numeracy skills
were generally below average, with a small range of work skill sets. Marxist theorists, wanting to
demonstrate the fundamental social inequality developing from animosity between employers
and employees (Jureidini, Kenny, & Poole, 2003, p. 17) would see evidence in this type of
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
workplace; it was about the time of the Patricks industrial dispute, and sector wide employment
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agreements being re-negotiated. I was introduced to union principles with a more socialist set of
values, It also gave me first hand experience, empathy and the realisation that there are
groups of people that were under-educated not because of lack of intelligence or desire, but
class divisions and domination by the ruling class (Allen, 1992, p. 58). Education and training for
these guys was learning new machinery not gaining educational qualifications. They had ‘failed’
in education previously and didn’t want to confront the possibility again (Reay, 2001, p. 338). It
was through being involved with this socio-economic class that I started to get the idea of
teaching and empowering people (including myself) through education.
The realisation there are increasing demands on workers that want well paid and interesting
work prompted me to look at further education for myself. These demands can be seen as the
effects of globalisation, more competitive markets and changing work economies. Further,
decisions about what happens locally are now more likely to be determined by people outside of
that area (Jureidini, Kenny, & Poole, 2003, p. 12). Therefore, to retain current standards of living
into the future, more income is going to be needed to be earned in a seemingly global market
with an ever increasing pool of skilled and educated workers. This can be argued as
demonstrating that social inequality as a positive functional mechanism for self-improvement
(Jureidini, Kenny, & Poole, 2003, p. 17). Reflexive modernisation follows on with the concept
that the traditional view that education ends when work starts is no longer valid, because of the
competitive and unpredictable nature of current society (Field, 2002, p. 59). It was then I
returned to education. I chose TAFE again as it easily aligned with the computer work I had
done previously and completed a Certificate 2 and then 3 in Computing, the highest the local
TAFE offered. As a result of the increase in information technology in the workplace, the course
that would have been ideal for me at the start of my computer career; was now being offered at
the local TAFE. I undertook the 12 month course at a full time load while working. Attendance
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
was no longer a requirement, and much of the work could be completed self-paced. This
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flexibility is an ideal example of the changed delivery patterns within the TAFE system,
recommended and then implemented throughout the late 1990’s (Goozee, 2001, p. 104). Less
than12 months later I also completed a Certificate 4 in Workplace Training and Assessment,
further education allowing me to start another change in vocation. Starting university at the age
of 34 is a major step into higher education. The government’s priority HECS funding policies
pointed me to university study, rather than paying upfront for TAFE, still demonstrating my lack
of capital and how it affects my educational decisions. I have entered the TAFE workforce as an
underqualified casual teacher, and am enjoying the training environment and the satisfaction of
teaching people skills that they can use. However, I see higher education as necessary, to
compete for work as a teacher and to retain and gain more consistent, enjoyable and better paid
employment.
Still to this day I am dissatisfied with the structuralist nature of the capitalist
economy/democracy in which we must be part of. The birth of a daughter prompted a real
rethink of the social environment and allowed me to finally break free of the indoctrinated need
to stay in the place I was raised and educated. Symbolic interactionism ties development with
social life (Lovat, 1992, p. 69), and the Gold Coast sea change has been enriching in these
terms. Multiple cultures and sub-cultures compared to Gladstone, a different set of industries
and access to diverse education facilities mean a perceived increase in individual choices of
success, failure and my family’s place in society.
As a life-long learner I have enjoyed learning in many environments, strictly face to face
communication, self-paced delivery and on-line tutorials. This is evidence of the changing
nature of education and vocation in terms of technology and global communication. I intend to
continue working as part of the information economy, developing electronic teaching resources,
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
which I see not as replacing face-to-face teaching but as complementary learning tools. I can
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envision the continuing social and economic factors promoting vocational education continue to
move towards globalised markets and my learning will be heavily influenced by technology.
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
Critical Reflection
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This assignment has increased my knowledge of social theories and what to call some of socioeconomic situations I’ve been involved in. The area of TAFE/VET/ACE developments through
Australia’s history has given me an insight into how the changes of government policy affect
society and in particular education.
Through my readings I have notes and concept maps for each module presented in the course.
I also created a concept map of my education/socio-economic history, and based on the results
of unpacking the questions and going through the readings. I set up some headings for the
different concepts and fill out the paragraphs tying them in with ideas and then with references.
After any break of 3 or 4 days, I re-read the assignment description in the study guide, making
sure I keep focussed on the right stuff. Proofreading is done regularly on screen and through
printouts, but I also pass my assignments onto my others to check.
Self-analysis was the hardest part of starting this assignment, and making sure that the focus
stayed on sociology rather than psychology. After doing a bit of a concept map of key historical
points and linking topics in, the process became easier. The next challenge was filling out the
3000 words with relevant analysis and finding suitable references.
I am happy with the methods I am using to prepare my assignments my computer skills make
the production part of the assignment strong, referencing and citations are handled with
software. Having these skills lets me access electronic resources quite quickly and allow more
reading on the subjects at hand. This is part the first batch of assignments, so I’m both looking
forward to and feeling trepidation about feedback.
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
References
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Allen, J. (1992). Marx: The continuing influence. In T. J. Lovat (Ed.), Sociology for teachers (pp.
57-65). Wentworth Falls: Social Science Press.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2006). National Regional Profile : Gladstone (Statistical
Subdivision). Retrieved August 19, 2007, from
http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3301020002004?OpenDocument&tabname=Details&prodno=33010&issue=20002004&num=&view=&
Bagnell, R. (1999). Discovering radical contingency: Building a postmodern agenda in adult
education. New York: Peter Lang.
Bernstein, B. (2000). Pedagogy, Symbolic Control and Identify, 2nd edition. Oxford: Rowman &
Littlefield.
Borland, J., & Kennedy, S. (1998). Dimensions, Structure and History of Australian
Unemployment. In G. Debelle, & J. Borland (Ed.), Proceeding of a Conference:
Unemployment and the Australian Labour Market (pp. 68-99). Economic Group
Reserve Bank of Austrlia and Centre for Economic Policy Research Australian National
University.
Castells, M. (2000). The Rise of the Network Society. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
(1996). Census of Population and Housing. Commonwealth Government. Australian Bureau of
Statistics.
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
Field, J. (2002). The Silent Explosion. In Lifelong Learning and the New Education Order (2nd
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ed., pp. 35-67). Staffordshire: Trentham Book.
Giddens, A. (1993). Education, Communication and Media. In Socioloy (2nd ed., pp. 424-454).
Camnbridge: Polity Press.
Goozee, G. (2001). The development of TAFE in Australia. National Centre for Vocational
Education Research: Adelaide.
Jarvis, P. (1985). The Sociology of Adult & Continuing Education. London: Croom Helm.
Jureidini, R., Kenny, S., & Poole, M. (2003). The search for society. In R. Jureidini, S. Kenny, &
M. Poole, Sociology: Australian connections (pp. 3-25). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Lovat, T. J. (1992). Sociological views of 'failure' in education. In T. J. Lovat (Ed.), Sociology for
teachers (pp. 67-70). Wentworth Falls: Social Science Press.
Orr, A. J. (2003). Black-White Differences in Achievement: The Importance of Wealth. Sociology
of Education, Volume 76, Number 4 , pp. 281-304(24).
Reay, D. (2001). Finding or losing yourself?: working class relationships to education. Journal of
Education Policy , 16 (4), 333-346.
Singh, P. (2001). Pedagogic Discourses and Student Reistence in Australian Secondary
Schools. In A. Morais, I. Neves, B. Davies, & H. Daniels, Towards a Sociology of
Pedagogy. The Contribution of Basil Bernstein to Research (pp. 251-285). New York:
Peter Lang.
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE
Assignment 1 - The learning society and learner identities
Smith, E., & Keating, J. (2003). From Training Reform to Training Packages. Social Science
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Press.
The World Bank. (2002). The Changing Global Environment. In Constructing Knowledge
Societies: New Challenges for Tertiary Education (pp. 7-22). Washington DC: The
World Bank.
Wheelahan, L. (2000). Bridging the divide: developing the institutional structures that most
effectively deliver cross-sectoral education and training. Adelaide: South Australia:
National Centre for Vocational Education Research.
Wheelan, L. (2002). Post-compulsory education and training in Australia and citizenship. In J.
Searle, & D. Roebuck (Ed.), Envisioning Practice - Implementing Change. Proceedings
of the 10th Annual International Conference on Post-compulsory Education and
Training. 3, pp. 1-8. Park Royal, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast: Centre for Learning and
Work Research, Faculty of Education, Griffith University.
David Martin
Student# 2636349
3011VTA – Contexts of AVE