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This paper reports on a research project undertaken by the author within a major Australian company which utilised mentoring as part of a leadership training program for potential supervisors. Six pairs of mentors and mentees were asked individually about their perceptions of the mentoring process and of the value of their involvement, personally and professionally. Those responsible for the supervision and conduct of the program were also interviewed. Overall it was clear that the mentees believed they were learning from the mentoring process, in terms of improving their general understanding of the company's operations and in dealing with practical management issues. The extent of that learning appeared to be influenced by the degree to which the relationship had developed on the basis of openness and trust. The mentors indicated they were also learning from the mentoring process - outcomes which they tended to see in work-related terms, but with some personal benefits as well. Concludes with a discussion of the place of mentoring in a learning organisation, and suggests some key factors in developing effective mentor-mentee relationships in a business environment.

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This paper explores the question: 'What is the role of non-accredited community language, literacy and numeracy learning in engaging adult learners in education and training?' The project addresses two particular questions within that broader question: 1. What are adult learners' motivations and goals in non-accredited language, literacy and numeracy programs? 2. To what extent is there a link between growth in confidence and the development of language literacy and numeracy skills in non-accredited adult learning? This paper also draws on Australian and overseas research into non-accredited learning and into the significance of confidence as a factor for adults engaging in learning. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of non-accredited learning in language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) for widening adult participation in education and training in Australia.

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This paper reports on the author's experience in initiating and facilitating two learning circles over a period of 15 to 18 months for two different groups: health professionals and human resource and organization development professionals. There were 10 to 12 regular attendees in each group, and in both cases the participants came from a number of different organizations. Drawing on the author's records and observations, using a descriptive approach and personal narrative, the paper discusses the intentions of the circles in relation to integrating work and learning, the nature of the participants, the process over the 12 months, and the apparent outcomes. Within the context of literature on the theory and practice of learning circles, particularly in comparison to a case study from Sweden, the paper reflects on likely reasons for the decline of both groups and makes suggestions for sustaining a work-based learning circle for professionals drawn from across a number of organisations.

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This article describes the establishment of an adult education programme for Australian troops towards the end of the first world war, and the relationship of this programme to previous educational programmes in Europe and to modern Australian adult education. Show less

This paper reports on a 1997 research project undertaken in collaboration with a major Australian company which uses mentoring as part of a leadership training program for potential supervisors within the organisation. Six pairs of mentors and mentees were asked individually about their perceptions of the mentoring process and of the value of their involvement both professionally and personally. Those responsible for the supervision and conduct of the program were also interviewed. The first round of interviews from early in the mentoring process are reported here, and mentoring as an approach to workplace learning in a business environment, and possible lessons for developing effective mentor-mentee relationships are discussed. Show less

Adult education has often been on the margin of university offerings in Australia and elsewhere, sometimes regarded as 'non-core' business or at least as a financial drain on the institution. Arguably the longest-running and most successful university continuing education program in Australia is offered by the University of Sydney, currently through the Centre for Continuing Education. Sydney University has been providing some form of structured adult education, alongside its formal undergraduate and graduate programs, for more than 140 years. This paper charts the early, sometimes tumultuous, years of that development, to the end of the first world war, and discusses some of the features established in that period which enabled an adult education program to be sustained at the university through sometimes turbulent times into the present century.

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The origins and focuses of adult education across Western countries are often about meeting adults' needs, and for purposes they have nominated, not those compelled by others. Unlike other sectors (e.g. schools, vocational colleges and universities) that were mainly initiated and sustained by church or state, adult education has long been grounded in communities and provided through hybrid institutions. Across Western countries, the term 'movement', is often associated with adult education's origins, and it is sometimes regarded as a 'fourth sector' of education, apart from schools, vocational education and training and university studies. In recent times, the concept has expanded and diversified, however, making it more amorphous and less distinctive as an educational 'sector'. Nevertheless, one of the continuing features of 'adult education' has been its concern for adults' learning needs and preferences.

This paper proposes that the formation and continuity of adult education have been based particularly on three key premises: (i) meeting adults' specific but heterogeneous learning needs; (ii) educational purposes and purposes being understood in the local context; and (iii) the enactment of adult education being shaped by local considerations. Furthermore, the values underpinning 'traditional' adult education have not only been sustained in what is now more commonly known as Adult and Community Education (ACE) but have expanded into other educational contexts. Informed by considerations of selected research projects the authors have been involved with in recent years, this paper identifies how the three premises have emerged as features of other educational provisions for adults.

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This report tackles a vexed and complex area. The alignment of research with policy and practice has been the subject of much debate, but few generally-accepted conclusions are reached. Vocational education and training (VET) is an area of particular complexity because of the multitude of stakeholders in its arena of activity. The report adds some insights to the debate, based on extensive fieldwork which includes a range of methods. Alongside its intellectual contribution the report offers some practical tools for evaluating the worth of research and suggests the types of evidence that might be considered in making such judgements. Key points include: (1) most VET research in Australia is government funded and therefore identified in publicly available statistics; (2) there is a range of interest-holders in VET who have particular perspectives about what constitutes worthwhile research and specific premises for how the worth of an individual piece of research, a research publication or a body of research might be appraised; (3) nine premises upon which the worth of research can be appraised were identified; (4) in educational research generally, and therefore in VET, there will be ongoing tension between the concern of some researchers to qualify and nuance their findings and the needs of those end users who want clear application and unambiguous measures of benefits (5) while single pieces of research can be significant in themselves, there is general acceptance that building up a body of knowledge over time can have an impact on both policy and practice; (6) overall, some of the most influential impact factors appear to be timeliness, applicability, accessibility, credibility, dissemination and availability; and (7) directly aligning research, policy and practice is difficult to achieve, but there are signs that at least small collaborations might be possible.

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Governments are currently mobilising their national workforces to compete effectively in a globalised economy where being export-effective and import-competitive are necessary to secure national economic and social goals. Australia is no exception here. Yet, in this country, as in others, similar mobilisations occurred in earlier times, most notably in wartime. This article describes and discusses two particular measures during and after the Second World War: the Commonwealth Technical Training Scheme and the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme. Beyond providing an historical account of these two national schemes for skilling Australians, the paper identifies the importance of securing a national consensus and the engagement of all parties, and showing sensitivity towards those who participate in such programs. Particularly salient is that although national-focused, the success of these programs was premised on effective localised arrangements, where diligent administrators and educators seemingly worked closely with local employers and unions to realise their effective implementation.

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There is general consensus that the Australian (vocational education and training) VET sector faces a number of workforce issues including the aging of VET teachers, the high level of casualisation, industry currency and the need to increase the capacity of trainers. An underutilised resource that could contribute to the availability of VET practitioners might be industry experts who are highly knowledgeable and experienced in their sector. Through interviews and surveys with registered training organisations and current VET practitioners, this research sought to better understand how training organisations recruit and retain industry experts.

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