Belonging, Becoming and Being: First Year Apprentices’ Experiences in the Workplace Ako Aotearoa Tertiary Research in Progress Colloquium Selena Chan May 2011

Overall Purpose of the Project 1)Identify factors influencing apprentices' - initial decisions to enter into and - commit to an indenture, - and factors which contribute to continuation of the apprenticeship. 2)Compare experiences of potential, continuing, and unsuccessful apprentices. 3)Design guidelines for the improvement of induction processes and initial training for apprentices.

Research participants  First Year Apprentices - focus groups, individual interviews, survey questionnaire  Employers - survey questionnaire  Pre-trade students - focus groups  Apprentices who have discontinued - individual interviews

Literature Foundation  Socio-cultural approach - socially and culturally mediated practices in workplace learning (Billett, 2004; Wenger, 1998)  Vocational imagination (Higgins, 2010)  Vocational identity formation (Kirpal,  Belonging to a workplace (Chan, 2008)  Learning as becoming (Hodkinson, Biesta & James, 2008)  Workplace learning pedagogy (Billett & various others)

Research Approach  Constructive – interpretative paradigm  Mixed case study  Case study theory building - within-case analysis and the congruence method (George & Bennett, 2005).  Narratives constructed - not as narrative inquiries (Riessman, 2008), but more as analytical lenses (Chase, 2005) and closer to the ‘storytelling’ aspect of case study (Stake, 2005).

Outputs so far  All data collection completed  Individual reports to each ITO and a background report produced  Data analysis re-consolidation underway  Final report and guidelines in progress

Themes towards constructing guidelines  Matching ‘vocational imagination’ to reality  Establishing a sense of belonging  Maintaining engagement and momentum towards apprenticeship completion

Matching ‘vocational imagination’  Firm goal of becoming a trades person  Strong sense of affinity with chosen industry  Clear views of future options  Reality not always portrayed – industry and apprenticeship  Need for clearer, succinct and accessible information

Belonging to a workplace - A sense of belonging - need for clear articulation of responsibilities - timely response to queries - workplace support crucial

Maintaining momentum - Setting goals and objectives - providing incentives - building vocational identity - exploring alternatives

Where to from here  Completion of final report  Design brochure  Disseminate findings to a wider audience.

Thank You Contact:- Selena Chan Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology blogging at:- Project team  Dr. Robyn Chandler, Christchurch Polytechnic,  Nicholas Huntington, Industry Training Federation,  Tracey Shepherd, Agriculture ITO,  Charles Hayward, Boating ITO,  Loretta Garrow, Building and Construction ITO,  Paul Town, Competenz,  Erica Cummings, Hairdressing ITO,  Glen Keith, Hospitality Standards Institute,  Deb Paul, Joinery ITO,