Bridging the Academic and Vocational Divide – a Case Study on Work-Based Learning in the UK NHS

It is difficult to overcome the division between vocational, professional and higher education. However, the National Health Service Training Division (NHSTD) has developed a set of national occupational standards for Information Management and Technology (IM&T) professionals in health care. The standards form a coherent and integrated framework for knowledge and its application and have been used as a basis for developing a set of professional and academic awards for IM&T practitioners. The writers describe the technical-rational and the ‘professional artistry’ models of education and give an overview of the innovative Professional Awards as based on the portfolio assessment framework, which allows a work-based approach and accreditation of prior learning.