Provided by Institute of Education EPrints
Developing vocational practice in the jewelry sector through the
incubation of a new ‘project-object’
David Guile, Kaori Okumoto
Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL, UK
Abstract
Key words: vocational practice, project-object, epistemic practice, pedagogic practice
1. Introduction
The creative industries, which encompass art and design, performing arts, film, television
etc, have moved from the fringe to the mainstream of national economies in the last decade,
because they are widely perceived as a major trigger for the further transformation of post-
industrial economies (Bilton, 2006; Florida, 2002). All industries in the UK face, according
to a recent Department of Trade and Industry (DtI) paper UK competitiveness: moving to
the next stage (Porter & Ketels, 2003), the economic challenge of moving from an
economic model based on increasing the level of labour force utilisation to an ‘Innovation-
Driven’ model based on the upgrading of productivity by competing on ‘more unique and
more innovative products and services’. This model requires new management behaviour,
targeted investments and the strengthening of and the creation of ‘new ties between
educational institutions and industry’ (Porter & Ketels, 2003, p. 44).
The recommendations contained in the Treasury commissioned review of the future skill
needs of the UK economy from Lord Leitch (2007) falls, however, firmly between the
labour utilization and innovation economic models. The report argues that productivity
should be increased and skill levels raised, however, it only prioritises funding basic skills
(i.e. literacy and numeracy) and at UK Level 2 qualifications. There are a number of
problems with this strategy: first, these qualifications, as (Delorenzi, 2007, p. vi) points out,
‘are often used as a way to certify existing skills rather than helping people to acquire new
ones’; and, second, increases in productivity are best achieved either by managing the
labour force more effectively (Keep, 2007) or by supporting adults who already hold Level
3 qualifications to broaden the base of their expertise (Delorenzi, 2007, p. ix).
Unfortunately, neither work organisation, job design nor funding for horizontal skill
formation is centre-stage in the post-Leitch policy debate in the UK.
This suggests that if the government is to realize its vision of an innovation-driven
economy it faces an additional challenge, namely to supplement its skills agenda by