Workplace trainers in enterprises : merging and emerging areas of practice

Workplaces are important sites for promoting the skill development required to meet goals for increasing the number of workers attaining vocational qualifications. Since the earliest training reforms of the 1990s in Australia, one of the most important outcomes has been the (re)-claiming of the workplace as a legitimate learning environment. Current policy imperatives in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia acknowledge the value of lifelong learning and the important role that professionals play in ensuring that quality learning opportunities are available to meet the needs of individuals, enterprises, and industries (Hoeckel et al. 2008). The VET system has expanded and now includes over 3,000 private training organisations as well as technical and further education (TAFE) providers (Harris et al. 2006). Enterprises are increasingly engaging in the process of providing learning opportunities for their staff, drawing on the services of the TAFE sector, private providers and consultants, and, where available, their own in-house capabilities.