Training and education – Pisces


A very modern model BY MARTYN HAINES M


Martyn Haines, director of Pisces Learning Innovations, reflects on the development of work based learning – and how it could evolve


y attention was drawn to the growth in modern appren- ticeship recruitment recently, indicating a renewed interest in work based qualifications by industry. This bodes well, as such schemes are the best way for many to gain the qualifi-


cation in aquaculture that they need to further their careers. The trend also sits comfortably with the main thrust of the Wood re-


port, published by the Scottish government last year, which recommend- ed that employers play a far bigger role in schools and colleges. The dawn of a new age of innovation for work based learning is her- alded to drive quality improvement and ensure that employers’ needs are met and ambitious work based learners are helped to progress to ‘advanced technician’ status. These are all laudable aims and clearly intended to raise the status of


work based learning and qualifications while assisting economic recov- ery. Although it does beg the question as to what ‘high quality’ work based learning and qualifications should look like for aquaculture and the extent to which we share the same vision.


Turning back the clock Work based learning has a chequered history. In the early 1980s, as


today, the UK was struggling with recession, leading the government to set up the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) in order to tackle youth unemployment. Sounds familiar? The Youth Training Scheme (YTS) was born at about the same time as the first set of industry occupational standards was emerging. This allowed qualifications reflecting employers’ needs to be developed and delivered by quality assured training providers, such as the colleges, and the provision grew for aquaculture and other indus- tries.


Although the new vocational qualifications purported to be ‘work based’, the reality was more debatable. The formal teaching occurred within a college during block or day release courses. No problem there, as this worked fine for employers able to release their trainees, and many were happy to delegate responsibility for their training. However, much of the assessment was also undertaken in col- lege facilities as opposed to the work place. Nowadays, assessment evidence gathered in this way would be reject-


ed, as in order to gain an NVQ/SVQ or modern apprenticeship, learners must demonstrate their competence at work, not within a college or other simulated environment.


Changing the paradigm Today, delivering work based qualifications to a much larger aqua- culture industry, with much of its ‘shop floor’ scattered – in Scotland – across the highlands and islands and largely out of reach of a suitable college, will always be a challenge. In-company training predominates as the industry has become in-


creasingly self-reliant and independent of the educators. Although this commitment to staff development is commendable, I believe that the ‘quality bar’ can be raised much higher if a new partnership between the industry and the educators is forged. Investment in the modernisation of aquaculture work based learning


32


quality bar’ can be raised much higher if a new partnership between the industry and the


‘“The


educators is forged


”


systems, taking full advantage of all that the communication technologies can offer, could move the paradigm towards industry, as op- posed to company bespoke solutions. So, what would this utopian future for work based learning look like? I see a geographically disparate scattering of learners coming together within one learning community, being joined by aquaculture subject specialists and industry mentors, exchang- ing knowledge and learning together within a secure and well managed ‘virtual learning environment’. The industry – supported by its scientists – will be constantly discovering how best to farm fish and reflecting this new found knowledge within their occupational standards. Well informed educators will be designing and developing stimulating learning resources using language and media most appropriate to learners and their occupational level. Competent company trainers and witness testimony providers will be working as a team with qualified assessors and internal verifiers and making reliable assessment decisions. The potentially onerous work based assess- ment and quality assurance processes will be managed by the educators, utilising sophisti-


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