Creating Collective Skill Formation? the Politics of Vocational Training Reform in Liberal Market Economies

Especially in times of the current economic crisis, collective skill formation is an "en vogue" topic among politicans and political economists alike. This papers analyzes apprenticeship reforms in three LMEs (Australia, Ireland and the UK) - all least likely cases for the emergence of collective skill formation. While all attempted to build up more collective solutions and to increase employer involvement during the last three decades, only Ireland and Australia (until the mid-90s) have successfully moved into this direction, while the UK continuously failed in its reform attempts.

Drawing on an actor-centered, historical institutionalist framework, two findings are presented to explain institutional diversity. First, the emer­gen­ce of cross-class coa­li­ti­ons between capital and labor is necessary for the sustainability of col­lec­ti­ve solutions towards skill formation. In absence of such coalitions, policy reforms will not lead to institutional change and are bound to be continuously contested and prone to market fai­lure. Second, governments not only have preferences with regard to training policies, but also towards the role organized interests play in training politics. While a col­­lective approach towards vocational training by left governments strengthened the role of u­nions within industrial relations reforms and contributed to the emergence of cross-class co­a­­litions, the curtailment of union influence in vocational training can be regarded as part of right governments project to decollectivize industrial relations, with the corollary that col­lec­ti­ve approaches towards apprenticeship ceased to be feasible in the reforms aftermath.