ABSTRACT
This chapter commences with an understanding that universities originated as places of training and reflection in a vocation, the Church, however, over the centuries have become more concerned with the generation of subject or discipline knowledge and expertise at the expense of vocational and technical learning. They have evolved into institutions that find it increasingly hard to relate to the workplace experience and the forms of learning found there. Workplace learning used to be all about acquiring competence to perform prescribed tasks, in other words, technical education, but the knowledge economy requires people to understand these tasks and seek ways to improve their effectiveness. Companies used to manage employees as if they were cadres on prescribed career paths. University admission procedures tolerate those without entry qualifications who have deep workplace experience, but are stricter with those who are new to work.
