Unions and the ‘knowledge society’

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the outcomes of the 1999 Labour Party Manifesto Skills for 21st Century: the Tertiary Education Strategy (TES), the Statement of Tertiary Education Priorities (STEP) 2003-2004, and the industry training review. Specifically, the paper evaluates the role of unions within the post-compulsory education and training sector (PCET). Thus the paper: analyses the policy changes in post-compulsory education and training, particularly that relating to industry training; reviews, briefly, international literature which focuses on the role of unions in post-compulsory education and training; and assesses the extent to which the re-introduction of unions can contribute to the necessary capacity building needed to overcome 10 years of marginalisation.