This module introduces students to debates concerned with the changing nature of work and skills in the 21st century. It draws on a range of disciplinary perspectives to explore international differences in the way that skills are developed and used, how work is organised and the relationship work and skills have with inequalities in income, life chances and the development of a sustainable society.  

Governments worldwide exhort their citizens to develop and exploit their human capital, with education and skills framed as a central answer to problems of social inclusion and economic competitiveness. However, growing concerns have been raised about widening inequalities in income and wealth, deteriorating job quality, fears around the replacement of human labour with robots and the detrimental impact of growth on the environment.   

• Demonstrate critical understanding of differently organised and competing skills (education and training) systems within different international contexts.   

• Understand and explain different theoretical approaches to defining skill and the implications they have for policy and practice.  

• Critically analyse the extent to which education and training contributes to or reinforces inequalities.  

• Critically reflect on theoretical approaches to analysing the links between skills, social justice and economic development   

• Analyse the causes of different trends and patterns of low wage work, job insecurity and under-employment.   

• Critically evaluate different approaches to developing a green agenda in the workplace and the potential for the creation of green jobs.   

• Identify and assess the potential of new technologies to replace and reconfigure work. 

The module will be delivered through a mix of large group and small group sessions, as well as online teaching and learning activities and materials. Full details on the delivery mode of this module will be available on Learning Central at the start of the academic year – and may be, in part, determined by Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidance. 

Academic  

• Finding, reading, summarising and synthesising information from multiple sources   

• Construction of argument  

• Critical analysis, evaluation and discussion of empirical research  

• Critical analysis and evaluation of theoretical concepts  

Module-Specific  

• Thinking critically about education and work issues, their causes and potential solutions   

• Analysis and evaluation of skill policy and practice   

• Applying concepts and theories to education and work questions and problems   

Employability  

• Setting individual (and group) goals and aims   

• Written and verbal communication  

• Independent and team working (collaboration, compromise, and leadership skills)  

• ICT and presentation skills  

• Ongoing feedback and guidance from the lecturers, peer discussion, evaluation and review “in situ”.   

• Self-reflection and evaluation  

• On-line quiz with feedback covering the first three weeks of the module - Week 3 

Summative:  

• Essay 35% - The students will write short responses to a small number of questions covering material from the first three weeks of the module. 1,000 Words - mid-semester 

• Essay 65% - The students will complete a 2000-word essay - end of semester  

This module critically examines a range of theoretical perspectives that have been used to conceptualise the way work is changing, how skills are formed and used and the impact they have on the economy and inequalities. The module offers students the opportunity to draw on a range of disciplinary approaches, for example, the sociology of work, political economy, public policy, industrial relations and education.   

The focus is on the UK, but will systematically draw on international comparative approaches and examples. More specifically, it will critically discuss a) the meaning of skill and the different ways in which skills are formed and developed, focusing on implications for the academic and vocational divide and for inequalities in relation to socio-economic status and gender; b) how far investment in education and skills contributes to economic performance and improving the quality of work and pay, and c) the future of work in the context of environmental challenges and greening skills and jobs, development in robotic technology and issues of job and income insecurity, and the gig economy.   

The module explores the role of policy in shaping skills and work outcomes, and provides a forum for  debate and discussion on different approaches to state intervention.