Learning in the new work order

Abstract

The discussion in this chapter draws on data from research which was conducted within the Civil Construction industry in Queensland, Australia. One company in particular exhibited characteristics of a 'high performance' workplace while adopting the technologies of training packages and fontline management programs. In addition, the company appeared to be developing as a learning organisation in which individual employees were allocated to project teams and encouraged to access training. The purpose of the research was to analyse the discourses relating to learning through examining how staff employed at different levels within this company view training, and in particular, literacy training. In this paper these discourses will be examined, to identify how knowledge is being constructed in the new work order. It will be argued that the discourses of the new capitalism construct literacy as being fundamental to new work practices, the construction of knowledge and worker identities.