58. Enabling & Celebrating Vocational Excellence (Dr Susan James Relly)

Where would we be without people who excelled in the trades? Skills such as carpentry, auto mechanics, hairdressing, cooking, and plumbing, only to name few, are an essential part of our daily lives. Training for excellence in the trades is not only critical to all of us, but also to the individuals who want to have fulfilling careers in the trades. To discuss the importance of training for excellence in the trades, and how we can make that a reality, I am joined by an expert in vocational education who advocates for excellence in the trades. Dr Susan James Relly is an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Department of Education at Oxford University, as well as the Director of Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE) research centre. Susan’s entire career has been in education in various forms: she taught in secondary schools in Australia and England before starting her academic career. Her research interests include Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems and policy, vocational excellence, and work-based learning. Her interest in vocational education developed while teaching in secondary schools where she recognised the need and importance of vocational subjects for students not interested in a purely academic route. Dr Susan James Relly: http://www.education.ox.ac.uk/people/susan-james-relly/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusanJamesRelly Report: Good People in a Flawed System https://www.worldskillsuk.org/insights/good-people-in-a-flawed-system/ Article: The Political Rhetoric of Esteem https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03054985.2020.1866522 Word Skills Competitions: https://worldskills.org/ Guest Recommendations: Book - The Craftsman https://www.amazon.ca/Craftsman-Richard-Sennett/dp/0300151195 Book – Injustice: Why Social Inequality Still Persists https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00YCU92QW?SubscriptionId=AKIAJA54JMESX73IGPXQ&ascsubtag=701171120-6-&linkCode=osi&psc=1&tag=besdeatod038-20&th=1