The Postmodern Challenge to 16–19 Business Education in the United Kingdom

Abstract

At a recent conference examining academic and vocational reforms in the 16–19 curriculum in the UK, Professor Alan Smithers, from the Center for Employment and Education, Brunel University outlined what he regards as three distinct types of learning that can take place in a 16–19 curriculum. He classified these as academic learning, applied learning and occupational learning. He suggested that academic learning takes place in those subjects where the purpose of study is try and make sense of the world in order to try to arrive at certain truths about how the world functions. These academic subjects would include mathematics, physics, chemistry, history, economics and so on. Applied learning occurs in subjects where there are problems to be solved by the practical application of knowledge generated through academic learning. Examples of applied learning would be business studies. Occupational learning is very much geared towards training for a particular job role where academic and applied learning are specifically packaged to ensure an individual can carry out a specific work task such as secretarial/administrative activities. This classification of learning is presently underpinning many of the ideas associated with 16–19 curriculum reform in the UK, including the Dearing report and certain other proposals presently being placed before the new Labour government. It is likely that this classification of learning will be used as a framework for defining the pathways that particular 16–19 subjects will be placed in.