Enterprise-based education and training: a literature review: report to the Ministry of Education New Zealand

This document offers a literature review of enterprise-based education and training. The first chapter discusses the aims and scope of the review, offers a brief overview of recent policy developments in the area of industrial training in New Zealand and briefly describes the contents of the review.

The review focuses on literature from 1993 onwards that presents and analyses empirical research from reputable sources on enterprise-based education and training, its distribution and outcomes. Enterprise-based education and training is defined as any learning or skill development that is undertaken by workers in order to improve their capacity to do their current job or a future job and is not always easy to delineate. Three different forms of training are given (study for a recognised qualification, formal training and informal training) but it is noted that these are not used consistently in the literature. The review looks at recent policy developments in New Zealand which include deregulation of the economy, changes in labour market regulations, to industry training via the Industry Training Act 1992 and reform of the apprenticeship system.

The review concludes that the literature can provide some, though limited guidance in the area of enterprise-based training with the most basic problems being: informal training, which makes up a substantial proportion of the total training effort, remains unmeasured; and measurements of formal training are unreliable.

The paper was prepared for Wahanga Mahi Rangahau (the Research Division) of Te Tahuhu o te Matauranga (the Ministry of Education), New Zealand. Show less