ABSTRACT

In this chapter it is argued that the certification of workplace learning only becomes problematic as an issue for public policy under certain specified social conditions. One of the most important of these has been the emergence of new forms of work organization which place a premium on workplace learning. However, just whether or not this translates into issues of public policy will depend on the underlying relations between capital, labour and state and in particular on how these are shaped by the institutional framework of the system of vocational education and training. The chapter uses examples from a range of different types of vocational education and training (VET) framework to illustrate the argument.