Vocational education and training and social capital in New Zealand

There is high (youth) unemployment in several EU countries. These present the latest examples from e.g. Greece, Spain or Italy. Other countries such as Germany or Austria are suffering a brain drain, and consequent depletion of knowledge sources, due to emigration of highly skilled and knowledgeable people. To ensure a broad and productive regional knowledge base, which would enable innovation, regions should develop an integrated human capital agenda. A main pillar of such an agenda is the use of regional untapped potential. To date scholars have only examined the meaning of highly skilled workers as knowledge-holders thereby neglecting the role of vulnerable and marginalized (VAM) groups. This paper focuses on the (re-)integration of vulnerable and marginalized groups to the vocational education and training (VET) system and labour markets using innovative VET solutions such as the approach of mentoring, social media (Web 2.0 and 3.0) as well as social networks. Social networks in particular, contain potential such as the formation of regional social capital through the ability of learners to interact in common learning situations, which may raise regional human capital of vulnerable and marginalized groups. Vice versa, if human capital accumu-lates into a strong regional knowledge base, which can be used for regional (economical) issues, the result will be regional social capital increases. Key words: integration of vulnerable and marginalized groups, vocational education and training, social capital, human capital.

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Developing Social Capital In ‘Learning Borderlands’: Has the Federal Government's budget delivered for low-paid Australian workers?

Literacy and Numeracy Studies ◽

10.5130/lns.v20i1.2617 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 5-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maree Keating

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Vocational Education ◽

Older Workers ◽

Federal Budget ◽

Education And Training ◽

Vocational Education And Training ◽

Factory Workers ◽

Workforce Skills ◽

Language Literacy ◽

And Training

The 2011 Australian federal budget confirmed generous funding for language, literacy and numeracy programs as well as skills recognition and training for older workers as part of a strategy to upgrade workforce skills. In considering possible responses to the announcement, many Australian adult education theorists and practitioners weighed up the contexts in which such programs could build the resources and increase the options of vulnerable workers. One such group of workers, retrenched factory workers, have benefitted from participation in union-run, integrated post-retrenchment programs, which have incorporated access to language, literacy and numeracy as well as vocational education and training programs. Such programs can build on the existing social capital amongst close-knit groups of workers as they develop the confidence to transform their work identities.This article draws on results from a study with a group of retrenched textile workers who accessed broad-based post-retrenchment support and subsequently participated in a high number of vocational education and training (VET) courses before finding ongoing employment. The study suggests that VET participation plays a limited role in broadening the employment opportunities for retrenched factory workers who move into low-paid occupations. Whilst VET participation alongside other factors supported entry into some occupations, it played no role in supporting most workers in their transitions into non-manufacturing jobs.

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