Friday, 02 March 2012
Becoming a researcher is about intent and building capability. But the heart of the journey is about making relational networks and being mentored by experienced researchers in the field, as you explore the politics of doing research, managing relationships and producing frameworks to guide research teams spread across this vast continent.
Having been a manager of vocational education and training (VET) both in the UK and Australia, when Professor Alan Brown gave me the opportunity in 1993 to pass on my knowledge through lecturing, I welcomed it. I simultaneously took up the chance to explore how the practice could be improved.
My research has focused on exploring how workplace learning is managed, and how managers learn. This involves both understanding how individuals and their identity are reshaped at work, and how work relations and practices are changed.
Managing learning and knowing at work have become critical issues both to business and to managers themselves. I find the dilemmas of the organisations we create endlessly fascinating as we oscillate between desires for control and direction and the need to change and do different things in different ways.At present, I am engaged in a collaborative study with the construction industry to investigate the impact of mandatory pre-site safety training, a study of the value of 457 visa workers, the strategies used by researchers to engage industry partners, the changes being instigated by national OHS legislation harmonisation, a national mentoring scheme for VET researchers, and a review of the roles of individuals engaged in HRD within industry.