ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses constructions of western economies that suggest there is something potentially progressive in knowledge-based economies (KBEs). It considers the manner in which we make sense of vocational pedagogy. This may be understood in either an expansive or restrictive manner, which in turn articulates with conceptualisations of KBEs and the role of vocational education and training (VET) in developing a creative and innovative workforce. The chapter focuses on post-Fordism as an ideology, and the contrast that can be made between it and Fordism with respect to the economy, competition, the production process and labour. The 'New Times' anticipated by post-Fordism, together with calls for expansive forms of vocational education and pedagogy, hold progressive possibilities. Post-Fordism addresses the concerns of a particular fraction of capital that coexists alongside other forms. Gorz, with others, suggests that industrial capitalism represents a particular stage of capitalist development and has been transcended by cognitive or immaterial capitalism.
