Ways of Seeing: Reconceptualising Skills
The phrase ‘skilled work’ is often used to describe only those jobs that have traditional apprenticeships attached to them. The dangers of this outdated way of perceiving skill have been all too apparent in the recent debates over migration and international students, where it has been easy for influential commentators to affect government policy in ways that are detrimental to the service industries.
This project seeks to challenge such notions of skill and realign the way that Australian policy makers, analysts and industry stakeholders think about skill. It will consider why relevant Australian policy-makers and practitioners think some jobs are skilled and others are not.
Furthermore, this project will move towards a superior way of looking at skill by developing a conceptual framework for examining and analysing skill in jobs specifically for the service industries.
By producing an initial exploration of the topics this project is intended to function as a pilot for a future project that will involve comparisons with other industry areas and conduct additional research.
The aims of this pilot project are to:
- Provide an initial critical account of the attitudes towards skill that are held by different stakeholder groups in the training and workplace relations systems.
- Involve stakeholder groups in the development of an evidence-based multiple-frame model that can be used to examine skill.
- Validate the multiple-frame model in a range of jobs and service industry areas, and verify its utility for policy development.
- Shape the multiple-frame model into a practical tool for trial use in policy and practice as well as a theoretical model.
For further details or enquiries, please contact Andrew Pleffer apleffer@serviceskills.com.au.
