Work Based Learning: Linking Academic and Vocational Qualifications

The debate in the UK over the relationship of vocational and academic qualifications has taken a new turn. From arguments over compatibility, the current interest is on their integration. Indeed, from seeing them as separate currencies, an emerging view is going even beyond a convertible currencies approach to regarding them as a common currency. This is scarcely new for some professional qualifications1 but is alien to the broad swathe of higher education awards. Drawing on practical experience both in the UK (especially Middlesex University) and internationally, this paper charts and explores this development. It identifies and examines various approaches which higher education has adopted to learning in the workplace2 and discusses major issues which these raise. It questions the validity of maintaining rigid distinctions between academic and vocational qualifications. It argues that work based learning3 is bringing integration in the forms of comparability and transferability between them.