Moral learning for the workplace: A role for VET

Abstract

The paper explores ways that vocational education and training (VET) might become involved in the development of moral ‘know-how’, ready for workplace practice. The primary concern here is the transformation of earlier-learnt ethical principles to their applied moral behaviour, essential for appropriate practice within workplace environments. The argument is grounded in literature and a research study of 14 construction workers from various sectors of the industry in Queensland, Australia. The study identified four influential factors that frame the reports of the study participants’ learning to judge, decide and act morally within the construction industry workplace: (1) upbringing, (2) schooling, (3) social contexts, and (4) workplace experience. The paper discusses the less-than-adequate way participants learnt their morals for workplace application and goes on to outline a potentially better way to train them through such paths. The conclusion from the study is that it is necessary to present moral contextualisation through sustained learning over time to gradually develop moral ‘know-how’, and that VET has a role to play in this process.

Keywords:

• Vocational education and training (VET)
• contextualisation
• ethics
• morals
• workplace