Enterprise culture has underpinned policies designed to reduce state intervention and welfare dependence, and to stimulate economic growth. This paper looks critically at changes in the higher education system and in the professional education and training of social workers, into which employer involvement and a competences model have been introduced. It argues that these changes have challenged social work's professional autonomy and values and prepare social workers for working in more regulated and regulating ways in a residualised welfare system. Yet there are also opportunities offered in this time of change, and social work needs to adapt to a more diverse welfare system, with less professional dominance and more account ability both within welfare and education systems. The notions of competences and of employers therefore both need reconsideration if contemporary developments are to be taken in the direction of social justice.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ball, S.J. (1980) Politics and Policy-Making in Education, London: Routledge.
2.
Barnett, R. (1990) The Idea of Higher Education, Buckingham: SRHE/Open University Press.
3.
Bennett, R.J. (1994) 'Training and Enterprise Councils: arc they cost-efficient? ', in Policy Studies15(1), 42-55.
4.
Black, H. and Wolf, A. (eds) (1990) Knowledge and Competence: Current Issues in Training and Education, Employment Department.
5.
Brewster, R. (1992) 'The New Class? Managerialism and social work education and training. Issues in Social Work Education Vol. 11, No 2. p81-93.
6.
Burgess, H. and Jackson, S. (1990) Enquiry and Action Learning: a new approach to social work education, Social Work Education, Vol 9. No 3. p3-19.
7.
Cannan. C. (1992) Changing Families, Changing Welfare: family centres and the welfare state, Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
8.
Cheetham. J. (1992) Social work and community care in the 1990's: pitfalls and potential in Page. R. and Baldock, J. (eds) Social Policy Review 5, SPA/University of Kent.
9.
Chown, A. and Last, J. (1993) 'Can the NCVQ Model be used for Teacher Training? , Journal of Further and Higher Education, Vol 17, No 2, p15-25.
10.
Clarke, J. and Langan. M. (1993) Restructuring Welfare: the British Welfare Regime in the 80s' in Cochrane, A. and Clarke, J. Comparing Welfare States: Britain in International Context. London: Sage/ Open University.
11.
Cohen, P. (1990) Teaching Enterprise Culture: indivudualism, vocationalism and the New Right' in Taylor, I. (ed) The Social Effects of Free Market Policies: an international text, Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
12.
Cooper. D. (1993) Child Abuse Revisited: Children. Society and Social Work. Buckingham: Open University Press.
13.
Coulshed. V. (1993) Adult Learning: implications for teaching in social work education, British Journal of Social Work. 23, pl-13.
14.
David. M. (1993) The citizen's voice in education: parents. gender and education reform in Page, R. and Baldock, J. (eds) Social Policy Review5, Social Policy Association/University of Kent.
15.
Davies. B. and Durkin, M. (1991) ''Skili". "competence" and "competences" in Youth and Community Work, Youth and Policy. No 34. September. 1991, p1-11.
16.
de Maria, W. (1992) On the Trail of a Radical Pedagogy for Social Work Education', British Journal of Social Work. Vol 22. No 3. p231-52.
17.
Gilroy, P. (1992) 'The end of antiracism' in Donald. J. and Rattansi, A. (eds) 'Race'. Culture and Difference. London: Sage.
18.
Glennerster, H.. Power and Travers, T. (1991) 'A New Enlightenment or a New Leviathan?. Journal of Social Policy. Vol 20, No 3, p389-414.
19.
Graham, H. (1992) 'Feminism and Social Work Education'. Issues in Social Work Education. Vol 11, No 2, p48-63.
20.
Guirdham. M. and Tylor, K. (1992) Enterprise Skills for Students. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.
21.
Harris. J. (1990) 'Enterprise and Welfare States: a comparative perspective '. Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Vol 40. p 175-95.
22.
Heelas. P. and Morris. P. (1992) Enterprise culture: its values and value in Heclas. P. and Morris, P. (eds) The Values of the Enterprise Culture: the moral debate. London: Routledge .
23.
Issit, M. and Woodward, M. (1992) 'Competence and Contradiction' in Carter. P., Jeffs, T. and Smith. M. (cds) Changing Social Work and Welfare. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
24.
Jordan, B. (1991) 'Competences and Values'. Social Work Education. Vol 10. No I. p5-11.
25.
Keat, R. and Abercrombie. N. (cds) (1991) Enterprise Culture. London: Routledge.
26.
Keat. R. (1991) 'Introduction: Starship Britain or Universal Enterprise ?' in Keat, R. and Abercrombie. N.op cit.
27.
Kelly. A. (1991) 'The "new managerialism in social services' in Carter. P., Jeffs, T. and Smith. M.K. (eds) Social Work and Social Welfare Yearbook 3, Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
28.
Kemshall. H. (1993) 'Assessing Competence: scientific process or subjective inference? Do we really see it?', Social Work Education. Vol 12, No I., p36-45.
29.
Levick. P. (1992) 'The Janus Face of Community Care: an opportunity for radical possibilities? Critical Social Policy, 34. Vol 12, No 1, p75-92.
30.
Lowe. R. (1993) The Welfare State in Britain since 1945. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
31.
Mayo. M. (1994) Communities and Caring: the mixed economy of welfare , Basingstoke. Macmillan.
32.
McCarthy. M. (cd) (1989) The New, Politics of Welfare-an agenda for the 1990s? Basingstoke : Macmillan.
33.
Morris. P. (1991) 'Freeing the Spirit of Enterprise: the genesis and development of the concept of enterprise culture' in Keat, R. and Abercrombie, N.op cit.
34.
Ramsay, J. (1993) 'The Hybrid Course: competences and behaviourism in Higher Education'. Journal of Further and Higher Education , Vol 17. No 3, p70-89.
35.
Robertson, D. (1992) 'Courses. Qualifications and the Empowerment of Learners' in Finegold, D. et al. Higher Education, Expansion and Reform. London: IPPR.
36.
Schon, D.A. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
37.
Timms, N. (1991) 'A new diploma for social work or Dunkirk as total victory' in Carter, P., Jeffs. T. and Smith. M. (cds) Social Work and Social Welfare Yearbook 3. Milton Keynes. Open University Press.
38.
Tuxworth, E. (1989) 'Competence based education and training: background and origins' in Burke, J.W. (ed) Competency Based Education (and Training. London : Falmcr Press.
39.
Webb. D. ( 1992) 'Competencies. contracts and cadres: common themes in the social control of nurse and social work education'. Journal of Inrerprofessional Care. Vol 6, No 3, p223-30.
40.
Wright. P. (1992) 'Learning through Enterprise: the Enterprise in Higher Education Initiative' in Barnett, R. (ed) (1992) Learning to Effect, Buckingham: SRHE/OU Press.
