A Teacher's Voice on Workplace Change and Curriculum Influence Through Industry Placement

This paper discusses the nature of workplace change within vocational education and training (VET) in Australia, and explains some of the contextual forces that continue to shape and impact upon teaching and learning practice. The effectiveness of the existing educational system and the extent to which it is, in fact, an appropriate model to meet the complex needs of the post modern society is considered. The authors highlight some of the deficiencies that currently exist, particularly in relation to teacher workload and managerial approaches that are driven by an increasingly regulatory framework that is also influenced by industry input. This has resulted in teachers being marginalised in the process of curriculum development. The paper argues that through teacher placement in industry, communities of practice may be developed. These community links may provide an avenue for teachers to influence industry and thereby regain their voice in future curriculum development and design. This paper concludes that the teacher should be allowed to provide a pivotal pedagogical role in the development of a curriculum that will deliver a more knowledgeable society in the future