Article 1991

Taking Care of Business: Vocationalism, competence and the enterprise culture

Educational Studies
Journal · Vol. 17 · Issue 1 · pp. 77-87
Abstract

The impact of the enterprise culture on education has resulted in a closer identification with industrial and economic activity. This has brought about an ideological and value shift which has given primacy to the efficiency of the education system in meeting the needs of the economy, and a corresponding vocationalising of the curriculum to serve this process. Competence-based learning, popularised through National Vocational Qualifications, has aided this process and now shows signs of filtering down from the post-compulsory to the school sector. A critique of the trend towards vocationalism and competency is put forward, along with a critical examination of recent attempts to provide an ethical justification of the enterprise ethos in education. © 1991, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Author Affiliations
Department of Continuing Education, University of Warwick, Coventry, West Midlands, United Kingdom
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No funding information
References 10 References
1 Economics of Education, (1968)
2 Schooling in Capitalist America, (1976)
3 Assessment Schools and Society, (1979)
4 Bull, Henry W., The Use of Behavioural Objectives — A Moral Issue?, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 9, 3, pp. 74-80, (1985)
5 Competency Based Education and Training, (1989)
6 Times Educational Supplement, (1990)
7 Times Educational Supplement, (1990)
8 Education in Schools A Consultative Document, (1977)
9 Better Schools A Summary, (1985)
10 A New Training Initiative A Programme for Action, (1981)
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