Partnership in South Africa
Vince Mills and Caroline Tuff
GCU
SCOTTISH CENTRE FOR WORK BASED LEARNING
Boud and Solomon
• In their seminal work Boud and Solomon (2001)
see Partnership at the core of Work Based
Learning (WBL)
• For them work based learners negotiate tri
partite individual learning plans
• There is no fixed syllabus, core content or
essential disciplinary material in WBL
programmes
• But they acknowledge the role of academic
disciplines in WBL
SCOTTISH CENTRE FOR WORK BASED LEARNING
Gallacher and Reeve
•
Gallacher and Reeve (2002) offer a
definition more in tune with GCU practice
•
WBL programmes entail:
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Partnership
Flexibility
Relevance and
Accreditation
SCOTTISH CENTRE FOR WORK BASED LEARNING
Gallacher and Reeve
•
In their 2002 paper they argue that employers must
be involved in the negotiation of the curriculum
•
This may mean tensions between workplace
priorities and learning priorities
•
They accept a shift from the primacy of the academic
tutor to a more inclusive ‘team based’ approach
accommodating mode 2 knowledge (Gibbons et al
1994)
•
The model implies the possibility of a happy marriage
between employing organisations and HEIs
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Reeve and Gallacher (2005)
By 2005, however, the same authors call partnership
into question arguing:
• There is limited evidence that employers wish to
engage in these sorts of relationships with
universities.
• There are problems arising from the different
cultures of the partners and different understandings
of ‘learning’ and ‘knowledge’.
• The quality assurance agenda is reducing the
influence of employers.
• The emphasis on partnership is hindering the
development of WBL.
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Our experience
• We believe these difficulties are overstated
• The nature of the workplace is important, but
cultures can be bridged. This can be done
directly or indirectly
• There are two different types of partnership –
a direct relationship with the employing
organisation and a relationship with an
intermediary organisation
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Current Partnerships
Current Direct Partnerships with organisations:
• Clyde Union Pumps/SPX
• North Ayrshire Council
• North Lanarkshire Council
• South Lanarkshire Council
• Scottish and Southern Energy
• Transnet Freight Rail/ University of Johannesburg
Current Partnerships with intermediaries:
• Institution of Railway Operators – Organisations include:
First Scotrail, Iarnrod Eireann, London Underground, Network
Rail, Virgin
• CEMP in Partnership – Organisations include Novartis:
SCOTTISH CENTRE FOR WORK BASED LEARNING
Transnet Freight Rail/University of
Johannesburg
• This partnership developed over a number of
years though an existing partnership with the
Institution of Railway Operators
• A partnership deal was signed in RSA in 2011
• It was driven by a university objectives of
creating ‘Business Academies’ (partnerships)
and internationalisation
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Internationalisation
“Internationally networked: we will deliver
excellence, competitiveness, and cultural diversity
through new models of international collaborations
with key partners in Scotland and around the
world” (GCU strategic objective, 2012)
• The partnership differs from previous
partnerships because in addition to the client
(TFR) there is an academic partner for delivery
(UJ)
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Key features of the Partnership
• The students are registered as GCU students
• There is face-to-face delivery in RSA
supported by GCU Learn (Blackboard) and
adobe connect
• UJ tutors are given associate lecturer status
of GCU
• Materials generated by the IRO were
customised for RSA purposes
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Some pedagogical issues
• UJ tutors are also using GCU Learn to post materials and
for assessment purposes (Grade Centre)
• There were logistical issues in relation to face to face
delivery in RSA (distance in particular)
• There have been communication issues in assessment –
few students speak English as a first language
• Legacy of apartheid – low level of general education for
black students
• Technical issues like version of software available,
bandwidth, work based access to internet and firewalls
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Some cultural issues
• In partnership dealings there is difference in
attitude towards issues like start dates
(arguably this was a company driven issue)
• There is considerable pressure on students
to perform
• However, both of these examples are not
specific to RSA and could be expected to
occur in the UK.
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Conclusion
• The pilot of 150 students has gone well
• The biggest difficulty has been the impact of
language difficulties on the assessment load
• TFR wish to expand the programme significantly
• GCU welcomes this but acknowledge it will
impact on all of the issues identified and
consequently staff time
• It has demonstrated the power of partnership.
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Any Questions?
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Partnership
• What is your experience of partnership?
• If you are engaged has it been positive or
negative?
• Has it been UK based or wider?
• Are students included?
• Are the issues similar to those explore in the
presentation?
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Flexibility
• What is your experience of flexibility?
• Does it involve place, time and mode
(e.g. online)?
• Does it involve shared design of
curriculum?
• Does it involve shared assessment with
partners?
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Relevance
• Does relevance cause tensions in
relation to academic concerns?
• Are there cultural differences over what
is considered valid learning and
knowledge?
SCOTTISH CENTRE FOR WORK BASED LEARNING
Accreditation
• How important is accreditation?
• Would CPD be more appropriate for
many businesses in terms of workforce
development?
• Should we accept that a range of
bodies should be allowed to accredit
under SCQF/QCF arrangements?
SCOTTISH CENTRE FOR WORK BASED LEARNING