Planning vocational education in Victoria to meet technological developments in the printing industry

Abstract

Thesis (M.Ed.) -- University of Melbourne, 1984

The rate of change in the printing industry has accelerated, having far-reaching effects on the kind of skills required by workers, and on the number of workers necessary to fulfill production requirements. This thesis argues that changing technology within the printing industry has reduced, and will continue to reduce, the skill requirements of many operators and the number of printing and publishing employees. It also argues that these changes will required alternative systems of education and training for the printing industry.

Chapter 1. discusses changing technology in general, and the effects of information technology in particular. It also discusses employment in the printing industry, using statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Industrial Training Commission, and the effect of electronic media on printing.

Chapter 2. traces changing technology in printing from the Chinese era, through Gutenberg and the introduction of movable type printing to modern applications of computers, particularly for data entry.

Chapter 3. concentrates on the establishment of the Melbourne College of Printing and Graphic Arts, and changes that have taken place in curriculum before, and as a result of the Alley award in 1978. It also describes some personal problems that occur as a result of deskilling and prolonged unemployment and outlines some attempted solutions. Finally alternative modes of training and forces or pulls on trainers are discussed.

Chapter 4. looks at four time-frames of interest to curriculum developers, the development and diffusion of technology and their effect on resources at training institutions. This chapter while acknowledging the time gap between technological change and major educational adaptations, proposes some alternatives for the education and training of printing personnel.