Books. Education and Work in Great Britain, Germany and Italy

Citation

(2002), "Books. Education and Work in Great Britain, Germany and Italy", Education + Training, Vol. 44 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2002.00444bad.001

Books. Education and Work in Great Britain, Germany and Italy

Education and Work in Great Britain, Germany and Italy

Annette Jobert, Catherine Marry, Lucie Tanguy and Helen’Rainbird (Eds)Routledge1997ISBN 0 415 15333 6 (hardback)£65.00Keywords: Education, Work, Research, Europe

Well written and informative cross-border books on comparative educational perspectives are rare enough to deserve a review in dedicated journals, and this edited research monograph goes further than that: it conceptualises educational issues in the context of work cultures in Great Britain, Germany and Italy. It contains 19 well-written and scrupulously researched chapters on an array of topics and subtopics related to education and work. Some chapters are specific to the individual countries specified in the title, others are comparative and some focus narrowly upon the causal links as well as research methodologies in an educational context. Interestingly, the editors acknowledge that this book was the result of research financed by the French Ministere de l'Enseignment Superieure et de la Recherché – a tantalising link which further intrigues and makes me wonder why France was not included in this superb comparison of education and work across the dominant economies of Western Europe. The opening chapter, by Jobert, Marry and Tanguy critically assesses issues related to comparisons in educational research between Germany, Great Britain and Italy. It discusses both conceptual and contextual issues related to education, skills and work that are topical agendas across developed and developing nations. Comparisons are drawn between the concept of education in Germany, Great Britain, Italy and France. A further section, dedicated specifically to comparisons with France, rounds up a well-argued proposal for further and more specific comparative educational research in Europe.

In the second chapter Marry deals largely with education, vocational training and employment in Germany. We learn a great deal about the German dual system of vocational education and the transition from school to university and/or into work, both before and after the socio-economic and political "reunification" of the early 1990s. The main changes that affected Germany's educational and work systems are comprehensively outlined and critically evaluated. The chapter concludes with an examination, from a French perspective, of the overlapping boundaries of the education/employment relationship in Germany. In the next chapter Krais treats the reader to a virtual marathon of 30 years of sociology of education in West Germany. We are told that even after more than three decades of research the sociology of education is still dominated by a normative pedagogical paradigm and, as a result, has some difficulty in imposing itself as a field of knowledge with a well-defined sociological perspective. The proposed solutions have much to offer sociologists across national borders and cultures. Chapter four, written by Margit Frackmann, also focuses upon Germany but from the perspective of vocational pedagogy and the history of its development in this country. This is an outstanding critique of vocational pedagogy and its impact upon the much-admired German dual system of training. Within it, we are treated to a robust examination of experimental training programmes for women, a section of topical value to the ongoing debate of gender discrimination across the "New Europe". Heinz and Nagel describe and analyse contemporary school-to-work transitions in the context of social change. This chapter is rich in conceptual micro contexts that challenge the readers understanding and expands our knowledge in related and lateral issues concerning school-to-work transitions. The next two chapters focus upon practical issues involved in the transition from education to employment. Drexel focuses upon education and employment in the context of training in work organisation that exploit new technologies. Schomann centres upon the dynamics of transitions and argues for applied research and comparative approaches to the highly segmented labour markets in these countries.

The next five chapters concentrate upon the British perspective on education and work. The Tanguy and Rainbird chapter outlines the recent historical background of the relationship between education and work in Great Britain. This is a useful background chapter for anyone interested in educational issues under conditions of industrial decline and employment restructuring. The chapter by Raffe provides a succinct basis of comparison with the British school to work transition. Taking 1980 as a base year, the author compares and contrasts research on this topical issue up to and after this crucial cornerstone in school to work transition. Included are sharp surveys of recent and new policy initiatives in VET. David Ashton's contribution tackles labour market approaches to the study of the relationship between education and (un)employment in Britain. This is an important chapter that contrasts and names various approaches to, and the overall achievement of, the labour market approach. A critique of issues relating to different cultural perspectives on youth transitions in Britain is provided by Chisholm in chapter 11. The importance of youth research in the modern society cannot be overstressed and in this context cultural perspectives on youth transitions obviously play an important role. The author concludes that the field of youth transitions cannot usefully be reduced to generalities and snapshot outcomes. Education-work relationships comprise institutional, organisational and cultural complexities and meanings that often translate into crisis situations, a long way beyond the conventional analysis of actual or perceived entry and exit routes to work. Helen Rainbird provides us with the most challenging and enjoyable chapter in the book. It outlines a survey of the research on training from a variety of perspectives including, organisational, Marxist, feminist and competence-based reconstructions of the concept of skill. She concludes that research on training in Britain involves prior assumptions about the historical and social context of skill acquisition. The particularly British concern with institutions and policies is based on a need to understand the nature of skills and their acquisition in the workplace and in society. The next chapter includes an analysis of the various economic approaches to the relationship between training and work. Marsden attempts to view education as a precondition of improved economic performance, even though the link is yet to be conclusively proven. He rightly concludes that economists have focussed far too much upon apprenticeships and, as a result, this approach has suffered from the marked decline in this particular system of vocational training.

In chapter 14, Annette Jobert approaches the topic of education, training and employment in Italy from the perspective of a perceived North-South divide. The regulation of the Italian labour market is seen as the main barrier to effective reform of the national educational system. We are told, nevertheless, that due to the growing involvement of unions and management, major changes are occurring in the Italian system of vocational training. The Benadusi and Botta chapter is devoted to a critical analysis of the relationship between schooling, employment and performance of the economic systems. Various perspectives and considerations are used in this critique of Italian education to work transition. Perhaps the most pertinent and topical perspective charts the re-emergence of the idea that education and training, are key factors of economic development. This fits neatly in the human capital theory and the knowledge intensive concept of sustainable competitive advantage. The chapter written by Giovine focuses upon youth (un)employment and related public policy in Italy. We are told that the outcomes of costly "active labour policies" in this country fell short of providing a comprehensive solution to the (re)training needs of the economy. Meghnagi widens the argument by incorporating the influences of unions and collecting bargaining on job training in Italy. Arguments for and against change in VET training policies are summarised by Capecchi, who attempts to explain apparent changes in attitudes towards the relationship between training policies and industrial development in Italy. In chapter 19, Bini summarises the socio-economic approaches to Italian labour market studies and their impact upon actual and perceived imbalances. The reader is left with the overall impression that continuity and change are the most acceptable solutions to labour market failures.

This substantial volume is a welcome addition to the existing comparative literature on education, training and work in Europe. It would contribute to, and enrich the knowledge of, a wide readership including educators, trainers, students, practitioners, support staff and policy makers across industrially developed and developing nations. I would not hesitate to recommend it as an outstanding attempt to bridge existing knowledge and define future research agendas in this important multidisciplinary and topical area of study.