A pedagogy for the vocationally educated learner entering Higher Education: from competence to capability

Abstract

A pedagogy for the vocationally educated learner entering Higher Education: from competence to capability • Widening Participation and Transition • Teaching and Learning to support Transition ‘First year students who had undertaken vocational education and training before they started their HE studies describe their transition into HE as a complex and often difficult process’ (Hayward et al, 2008) The aim of this workshop is to share with participants one way of conceptualising the vocational learner’s transition experience on entering Higher Education (HE), which may offer a new insight and useful ideas about the process of transition as reported by Hayward et al (2008). Activities, debate and literature will be used to explore and test out the usefulness of the concepts of competency and capability cultures, which can mean different things to learners and educators, to generate debate and potential approaches towards facilitating this required cultural shift. It will be proposed that focus is often placed upon ‘competency’ within vocational education and traditionally by employers and in contrast upon ‘capability’ within HE. However, this differentiation is rarely made explicit, leaving the learner to work out why previous strategies are less successful or valued in the different culture of HE. Some of those in HE, teaching vocationally-educated students, may argue against adapting their teaching and learning approach based on often historic assumptions about students’ academic preparedness. Alternatively they may not be aware of ways to develop other types of intelligence in the more practical learner. The background to the workshop is the widening participation agenda of the past decade, which has been supported by significant investment from government, through Aimhigher and more recently through Lifelong Learning Networks, and is intended to increase progression opportunities into and through Higher Education (Little et al, 2008: 4). Upskilling the workforce is a key goal of Leitch (2006) and remains a government priority. Workforce reform in sectors such as the Children’s Workforce is creating new roles which require those leading practice to develop capability as well as competency, thus requiring those who, traditionally, have followed vocational training to make the transition into HE level study.

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