‘Give courage to the ladies’: expansive apprenticeship for women in rural Malawi

Safford, Kimberly; Cooper, Deborah; Wolfenden, Freda and Chitsulo, Joyce (2013). ‘Give courage to the ladies’: expansive apprenticeship for women in rural Malawi. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 65(2) pp. 193–207.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2012.755213

Abstract

Apprenticeship in developed and industrialised nations is increasingly understood as a theory of learning which connects workplace activity and formal study. The concept of ‘expansive apprenticeship’ defines frameworks for workforce development where participants acquire knowledge and skills which will help them in the future as well as in their current roles, whilst ‘restrictive’ apprenticeships limit opportunities for wider, lifelong learning. In developing nations apprenticeship is a traditional route to learning and employment, but apprenticeships in these contexts tend to reflect a restrictive approach characterized by narrowly defined roles and weak educational outcomes. This paper examines a project in Malawi which uses concepts of expansive apprenticeship to address barriers to female continuing education and chronic teacher shortages. The Malawi Access to Teaching Scholarship recruited one thousand women to follow a year-long combined programme of academic distance study and practical work experience in rural primary schools. The aim is to increase the numbers of women teachers in Malawi, especially in rural areas. The Scholarship materials and support structures are designed to move participants from restrictive to expansive contexts for learning so that Scholars develop hybrid roles as students, community workers and apprentice pedagogues. The programme’s resources and approach offer an innovative model of expansive apprenticeship in Sub Saharan Africa.

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About

• Item ORO ID
• 33499
• Item Type
• Journal Item
• ISSN
• 1747-5090
• Project Funding Details

• Funded Project Name	Project ID	Funding Body
  Not Set	Not Set	Teacher Education in Sub Saharan Africa (TESSA)
  Not Set	Not Set	Government of Scotland

• Keywords
• VET and development; teacher training; philosophy of VET; workplace learning; adult learning; vocational education & training; gender and learning; learning in life & work transitions; VET and economic development
• Academic Unit or School
• Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)
  Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) > Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport > Education
  Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) > Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport
• Research Group
• Education
  International Centre for Comparative Criminological Research (ICCCR)
• Copyright Holders
• © 2013 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd
• Depositing User
• Kimberly Safford