Abstract:
Vocational education in New Zealand has recently experienced an upsurge in interest. Trade related education has become an area of focus in terms of government funding and educational policy in both the secondary schooling and tertiary education and training sectors. Despite this we know little about the world of tertiary trade education or the educators whose everyday work involves the skilling and upskilling of a future trade workforce. Tertiary level vocational education on the whole has received little research attention. Possibly this is a result of the complex, complicated and multi-layered environment in which it takes place. Yet tertiary trade-focused education serves multiple purposes and stakeholders and is at the centre of discussion relating to industry skill gaps, social development goals, trades academies in schools, global labour markets, national educational qualification standards and workforce development. This research presents the tensions in the world of work of trade tutors working in polytechnic environments in New Zealand and is primarily concerned with unravelling and illuminating this complex world of work. The thesis explores the identities of trade tutors as educators and contributors to a skilled 21st century workforce and offers possibilities for an agentic educator workforce that is part of the solution for a ‘skilled’ New Zealand.
