A workplace literacy perspective on unlocking employability of Technical and Vocational Education and Training College graduates

[摘要] The inability of young graduates emerging from education and training institutions, including technical andvocational education and training (TVET) colleges, to find employment or socially useful work, constitutes achallenge to economies worldwide. A contributing factor to this crisis is these graduates' lack of employabilityattributes. In this study, modern-day workplaces and the demands of work were explored from a workplaceliteracy perspective to conceptualise workplace literacy and the development thereof.ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Literacy is circumscribed in the context of the workplace, and its development at TVET colleges isconceptualised in an ideological perspective as evolving identity and behaviour. Becoming workplace literatemeans recognising the value and purpose of literacy practice in different workplace-related contexts, andintegrating and applying literacy practices functionally so as to establish a literate identity. This identity includescapabilities to use and produce multi-modal texts. Ultimately, such a workplace literate identity manifests ascreative and critical literacy behaviour, which transforms the individual as a thinking and working being andenhances employability. The resulting conceptual frameworks that result from the review of literature on thetopic, served as basis for the content analysis of a TVET college curriculum from which, in turn, possiblemeasures have been developed to prepare and make TVET college graduates a better fit for the world of work.To validate the conceptual frameworks, a directed content analysis was conducted of the affordances providedfor workplace literacy development in the intended curriculum of the Engineering and Related Designprogramme. The analysis traced these affordances in terms of the aspects and elements of the developmentallayers of workplace literacy as described in the conceptual framework. A comparison was drawn between thenumber and type of affordances provided in the curriculum documents of the fundamental and core subjects ofthis programme. It was found that there are ample affordances to develop workplace literacy at functional level,especially capability with academic literacy practices. However, there are minimal affordances to mastercapabilities in terms of using literacy critically and creatively for purposes of development and transformation soas to prepare for transition to the workplace.From the conceptualisation of workplace literacy and the development thereof and the content analysis, anumber of implications were derived for creating literacy-rich and enabled environments in TVET colleges.These are spelled out as practice turns for classroom practice and practitioner, as well as possible measures forcollege life and culture and TVET policy. A simplified instrument was attempted to guide the evaluation of thecurriculum and the development of workplace literacy practices in terms of affordances for developing workplaceliteracy readiness.The research contributes to the ideological understanding of workplace literacy in a TVET college context.Workplace literacy means more than reading and writing in a workplace and being employable by virtue of being literate. It includes capability with other coding systems and functionally applying literacy practices withintechnological work environments. Developing such a literate identity has the potential to transform anindividual's life and work practices. Although quick solutions to TVET college graduate unemployment andemployability are not proposed, being able to do work as conceptualised in an array of workplace contextscannot but enhance employability.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University