Towa rds a competent workforce

For over a decade the UK has been engaged in a radical reform of its vocational education and training. As part of that process new methods have been devised to analyse and describe the outcomes which people are expected to achieve at work - which are called occupational standards. This book contains the first comprehensive description of Functional Analysis, the method developed to define occupational standards and National Vocational Qualifications. It also discusses changes in contemporary work patterns, arguing that a new model of occupational competence is needed - the Job Competence Model. The authors have both been closely associated with the methods and models described in the book and their personal insights add enormously to the value of the material. The text is in four parts. The first argues for a more strategic role for vocational eduction and training - to develop a competent workforce able to meet the challenges of changing economic needs. Part II charts the development of models of occupational competence which reflect these changing needs. Parts III and IV together constitute a manual on how to use functional analysis to develop and define the occupational standards which describe the performance characteristics of a competent workforce. Anyone involved in vocational training or professional development will find this book invaluable both as a source of information and as a guide to action.