Research

Summary page

Research

Project no: nr1007

Publication title: Making experience work: Generic skills through the eyes of displaced workers

This report presents the findings of qualitative research which sought to develop a better understanding of generic skills in life, work and (re)employment. The study draws on the voices and experiences of displaced workers. This group has had to seek alternative employment and hence would be very aware of the importance of generic skills-those skills which can be transferred to a new employment context. The aim of the research was to use the insights of this group of people in addressing key issues in the generic skills debate.

The main questions this study investigated are:

How are generic skills perceived and understood by displaced workers?
How have working people developed generic skills?
How has work contributed to the development of generic skills?
How are generic skills developed and reconstructed at work?
How do generic skills transfer to a new context?
How can vocational education and training (VET) practitioners and enterprises foster the development of generic skills?
How can the VET system best assist the development of generic skills for the new workforce?
What means of assessment can best represent generic skills for experienced workers?
What is the relationship between generic skills and employability?

Research method

The study was qualitative in nature. Data were collected by three different methods: individual interviews, focus groups and a survey questionnaire. A total of 127 displaced workers participated in the study in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and regional Victoria. The sample represented a broad cross-section of the workforce in terms of job categories. Most participants (80%) had undertaken some form of post-school education and training or re-training in order to maintain or obtain employment.

Results

The results of this study demonstrate how generic skills are developed in all areas of human endeavour, in family, education and community environments, as well as in the context of employment. The study finds, however, that the primary context for the development of generic skills is work, and that the primary mode of acquisition is experiential learning.

The study also reveals how the changing nature of work has impacted on the issue of generic skills. There are now demands for high levels of generic skills (as well as technical skills) and different kinds of generic skills (for example, entrepreneurialsm and enthusiasm for change) are now valued while the more 'traditional' generic skills are being devalued.

While many of those who participated in this study felt that they were reasonably well prepared for the demands of the current employment market, others felt that their skills had been superseded, and that their values and aspirations no longer matched the requirements of work in the new economy.

The study also raised questions about how generic skills are transferred from one work context to another. This study argues that transferability is poorly understood and crowded with assumptions that do not bear critical scrutiny. The work of Down (2001) describes the transfer process as neither automatic nor passive. She advocates a process of packing, unpacking and repacking skills in the transfer process. This study supports the educational value of such an approach.

Issues and implications

The findings of this study pose considerable challenges for various stakeholders within the VET system.

First, they challenge current VET practice by demonstrating that generic skills are basically developed through experiential learning. The challenge is for practitioners to create opportunities for skill development through experiential learning in workplaces and in more formal educational settings, such as technical and further education (TAFE) institutes. Practitioners need to assist individuals to reflect upon their experiences and to consciously identify and develop the transferable capacities that may be drawn from these experiences. Practitioners need also to conceptualise learning activities within VET in relation to this important insight. This implies a fundamental renegotiation of the ways in which VET practitioners work within workplaces and classrooms.

Second, the findings challenge employers to provide working environments in which employees would be able to develop and utilise their generic skills. For this to happen, workplaces need to ensure the involvement of workers in problem-solving, and in continual learning through shared processes of reflection on practice. In this context there are implications for work organisation and the ways work relationships are valued and developed.

Third, the findings reflect the need for structures and services which support lifelong learning within and beyond the world of work. The legitimate needs of displaced workers for access to support, training and recognition of prior learning processes must be recognised. The study has shown that support groups and re-training opportunities provided by TAFE (where they exist) have been invaluable in offering the kinds of support, advice and training which maximise the chances of unemployed people returning to the workforce. Those groups and training programs need to be widely available and properly resourced so that their access is assured for all displaced workers.

Fourth, there is a challenge that goes beyond the VET system to other training and education sectors, including the adult and community education sector, and workplaces. As generic skills have gained prominence within the context of employability, there is a need for professional development for teachers and trainers in this area. The existing Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training does not equip teachers and trainers to know how to support and promote the development or transfer of generic skills.