School, work, and vocationalism : a historical and comparative review of the major issues (1970-1985)

Abstract

Tle literature which has developed from the debate about the relationship betvveen school and work is extensive, especially so since the arrival of the so-called 'post-industrial' society and the crisis in employment, both of which have brought to the surface the problernatic between what students expect from schooling, what formal education promises them, and what life afte'r school presents them with. This chapter sets out to draw on some of the major studies that have appeared between 1970 and 1985 in such English-speaking countries as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom: Australia, and New Zealand. The time-span considered in this review is significant: it leads up to the economic crisis and its aftermath, when the discourse regarding the link between education and the world of work was developed, and when governments had to find 'new' ways of managing the transition between school and un/ employment. The focus on that period therefore has more than a merely historical interest. It provides a critical background to many of the debates that surround the field today, whether we are talking about vocational education, apprenticeship, or the preparation of students for productive lives.