Credentialism, national targets, and the learning society: perspectives oneducational attainment in the UK steel industry

The United Kingdom has devised a set of National Learning Targets to be ach ieved by 2002. Revised from an earlier set of National Targets for Educatio n and Training (NTETs), the latest ones embrace 11-21-year-olds, adults and employers and promote a credentialist approach to both economic and social development. Their primary purpose, according to the National Advisory Cou ncil for Education and Training Targets (NACETT) is to make the country mor e competitive internationally and to promote social cohesion. This paper dr aws on a study of how one occupational sector, the steel industry, measures up to the national targets for the adult workforce. The findings of the st udy question the appropriateness of using qualifications-based targets as a proxy for adult capability in the workplace and industrial viability. The paper argues that this credentialist approach detracts from the real challe nges which the UK faces in becoming a learning society.