The Apprentice's Tale: entry to multiple communities of practice for working class boys

339 Pages·2017·4.28 MB·English

by  Robert Galvani

The Apprentice’s Tale: entry to
multiple communities of practice
for working class boys

PhD

Robert George Galvani

Institute of Education, University College London
‘I, Robert George Galvani confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my
own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this
has been indicated in the thesis.’

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Abstract
This small scale, qualitative study examines the apprenticeship experiences of
a group of working class young men from the London area during the years
1959-1989, to determine the impact of those experiences on the formation of
their adult, male, self-identities. The research contributes to current debates and
literature on apprenticeships, youth transitions, masculinity, social class and
identity. It records as social history the recollections of ten ex-apprentices from
the telecommunications and construction industries (five from each sector) and
includes evidence of how they chose their apprenticeships. Data consists of
participants’ memories collected as oral histories during semi-structured
interviews, and from written answers to pre-interview questionnaires.
The research was designed to ascertain the impact of their apprenticeships on
the construction of the participants’ adult identities as defined by the concept of
‘standard adulthood’ (Parsons, 1971). This I describe as a series of
interconnecting communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Wenger,
1998), into which the participants entered as legitimate peripheral participants.
Drawing on situated learning theory (Lave and Wenger, 1991), I contend that
their post-war apprenticeships were part of a social and cultural institution that
continued to serve as an integrative vehicle for the attainment of the ‘classic
markers of adulthood’ (Blatterer, 2007a; 2007b) as a ‘life apprenticeship’, and
through participation in diverse adult social worlds enabled them to become full
participants in society (Goodwin, 2007).
This thesis also examines the influence of social factors such as families,
education and class on the participants’ school to work transitions. The
research reveals a noticeable difference in the ways that these factors
determined the two participant groups’ choice of apprenticeship. Drawing on
social reproduction theory and the concept of cultural capital (Bourdieu &
Passeron, 1990 ), I reveal the extent that family and social class played in
deciding the participants’ future life courses.

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For my grandchildren

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Acknowledgements
I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to my supervision team for all their
support and encouragement over the past six years. Professors Jane Martin
and Lorna Unwin provided excellent guidance and advice for the first few years
of my research, and were ably relieved of this task by Professor Alison Fuller
and Doctor Janet Broad. My thanks go to all, but in particular Alison and Janet,
who have seen me through some difficult times in the past few years and finally
over the finish line. I apologise to all for being such an inept and extremely
difficult student.
Thanks also to my friend, the late Julie Waterson, for encouraging me to carry
on when early doubts clouded my mind. I would also like to thank the
participants in this research-my ‘friend-informants’, who must have thought that
I had lost my sanity in attempting such a task as this.
Finally, my thanks go to my wife Barbara, my sons Robert and Thomas, and all
of my grandchildren who have had to suffer my bad moods, anxieties,
frustrations and general irritability over the past six years. None of this could be
achieved without your love and support. I can now finally start to decorate our
new house.

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Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................... 3
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. 5
Contents ............................................................................................................. 6
Figures, Tables and Pictures ........................................................................... 9
Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................... 10
1.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 10
1.2 Rationale for thesis .................................................................................. 14
1.3 Research focus and questions ................................................................ 17
1.4 Overview of the thesis structure .............................................................. 18
Chapter 2 Historical Context ............................................................................. 22
2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 22
2.2 Historically situating the research ............................................................ 23
2.2.1 The evolution of English apprenticeships .......................................... 23
2.2.2 Post-Second World War to late 20th century: compulsory education in
England and Wales .................................................................................... 42
2.2.3 The Economy and the Youth Labour Market ..................................... 50
2.3 Summary ................................................................................................. 57
Chapter 3: Apprenticeship as a social theory of learning and identity formation:
A Review of the Literature ................................................................................. 58
3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 58
3.2 Understanding the self in the social world ............................................... 59
3.2.1 Social theories of identity ................................................................... 60
3.2.2 Social class and identity .................................................................... 64
3.2.3 The diverse forms of capital .............................................................. 70
3.2.4 Bounded agency ............................................................................... 76
3.2.5 Childhood, ‘standard adulthood’ and ‘hegemonic masculinity’ .......... 79
3.3 Apprenticeship as a social theory of learning .......................................... 84
3.3.1 Apprenticeship as a model of social learning .................................... 85
3.3.2 Situated learning theory ..................................................................... 87
3.3.3 Legitimate peripheral participation ..................................................... 90
3.3.4 Communities of practice .................................................................... 92
3.3.5 A critical analysis of situated learning theory ..................................... 96
3.3.6 Entry to multiple communities of practice as a legitimate peripheral
participant ................................................................................................... 99
3.4 Summary ............................................................................................... 102
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Chapter 4: Work and Society .......................................................................... 104
4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 104
4.2 The relationship between work and society ........................................... 105
4.2.1 The meaning of work ....................................................................... 106
4.2.2 Classical approaches to work and the division of labour ................. 117
4.2.3 Work’s changing relationship to society and the formation of self ... 122
4.3 The workplace as a crucible of working class masculinity ..................... 128
4.4 Summary ............................................................................................... 132
Chapter 5: Methodology .................................................................................. 134
5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 134
5.2 Ontological and epistemological approach ............................................ 135
5.3 The research sample ............................................................................. 137
5.4 Principal data collection method ............................................................ 144
5.4.1 Oral history ...................................................................................... 144
5.4.2 Single-issue testimony ..................................................................... 152
5.4.3 Insider research ............................................................................... 153
5.5 Interview structure and analysis of data ................................................. 161
5.6 Ethical considerations ............................................................................ 167
Chapter 6: Getting a trade: first steps ............................................................. 170
6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 170
6.2 Becoming an apprentice ........................................................................ 171
6.2.1 Securing an apprenticeship ............................................................. 172
6.2.2 Family social capital ........................................................................ 176
6.2.3 Significant others as role models ..................................................... 183
6.3 School to work transitions in the period 1959 to 1989 ........................... 188
6.3.1 Complex or simple ‘one step’ transitions? ....................................... 189
6.3.2 Extended transitions ........................................................................ 193
6.4 Summary ............................................................................................... 200
Chapter 7: Entry to multiple communities of practice ...................................... 203
7.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 203
7.2 Becoming an ‘old-timer’ ......................................................................... 205
7.2.1 Apprenticeships, work and nostalgia ............................................... 206
7.2.2 Achieving occupational social closure through material symbols .... 209
7.2.3 Early days ........................................................................................ 213
7.2.4 He’s only the apprentice… .............................................................. 222
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7.3 Transitions, and entry to multiple adult communities of practice ............ 227
7.3.1 Joining multiple communities of practice ......................................... 230
7.3.2 Finance, Freedom, Obligations and Responsibilities ....................... 238
7.3.3 Alcohol and the Apprentice .............................................................. 242
7.3.4 Social interaction with women at work ............................................. 247
7.4 Summary ............................................................................................... 249
Chapter 8: A ‘life apprenticeship’-a new conceptual framework ...................... 251
8.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 251
8.2 Social capital and apprenticeship choice ............................................... 253
8.2.1 The influence of social capital on choice of apprenticeship ............. 254
8.2.2 The inequality of social capital within the research sample ............. 259
8.3 A Life Apprenticeship: transitions to adulthood in London, 1959-1989 .. 266
8.3.1 Bonding social capital’s influence on the journey to adulthood ........ 267
8.3.2 ‘Bridging’ social capital and entry to multiple communities of practice
................................................................................................................. 270
8.3.3 The ‘cushioning effect’ of apprenticeship ......................................... 279
8.4 A new conceptual framework ................................................................. 282
8.5 Summary ............................................................................................... 284
Chapter 9: Conclusions and recommendations .............................................. 286
9.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 286
9.2 Revisiting the research question ............................................................ 287
9.3 Key contributions ................................................................................... 291
9.3.1 Recording the apprentice ‘voice’ ..................................................... 292
9.3.2 Using intimate insider research ....................................................... 293
9.3.3 Work and identity as social constructs ............................................. 294
9.3.4 Constructing an adult identity in a constellation of practice ............. 295
9.3.5 Social capital and identity ................................................................ 297
9.3.6 Apprenticeship as an integrative vehicle into the adult social order 298
9.4 Implications and future research ............................................................ 299
9.5 Evaluation: my journey as a researcher ................................................. 300
Bibliography .................................................................................................... 304
Appendices ..................................................................................................... 327
Appendix 1 ................................................................................................... 328
Research information sheet given to participants ........................................ 328
Appendix 2 ................................................................................................... 330
Electronic biographical details questionnaire ............................................ 330
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Appendix 3 ................................................................................................... 333
Consent form ............................................................................................ 333
Appendix 4 ................................................................................................... 334
Invitation to narrative and aide-memoir used in the interviews ................. 334
Appendix 5 ................................................................................................... 335
Examples of apprenticeship documents ................................................... 335
Appendix 6 ................................................................................................... 339
NFBTE Awards Programme 1977 ............................................................ 339

Figures, Tables and Pictures
Figure 1 Work, by Ford Madox Brown 1852-65……….………………………..108
Figure 2 An Iron Forge, by Joseph Wright of Derby 1772…….……………….108
Table 1 Participants’ biographical details…………………………….……….....142
Picture 1 The National Federation of Building Trades Employers
London Region Medal………..………..………..…………………………...........213
Picture 2 A GPO handcart of the 1960s………………………………………….222
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Perhaps as I tell you my story, which, with variations, is the story of
hundreds of thousands of my East End neighbours and of millions of
my brothers all over the country, you will begin to understand (My Life’s
Battles, Will Thorne, 1927: 13).
1.1 Introduction
This quotation from the introduction to the eminent trade unionist and political
activist Will Thorne’s autobiography, My Life’s Battles, succinctly sums up the
dual purposes of this research. It is to record as social history, the stories of the
early working life experiences in mid to late 20th century London of a small
group of ordinary working men and, in so doing, create a better understanding
of apprenticeship’s purpose in society of the time.
Apprenticeships have for many years, featured as an important model of skills
training in the United Kingdom (inter alia, Aldrich, 1999; Fuller and Unwin,
2009). Currently, they form a cornerstone of government training policy, with
significant amounts of public money promised for investment to improve their
quality and quantity. They are considered by the government to be an essential
method of developing skills and for boosting productivity, to meet the country’s
future economic needs. To this end, the present Conservative government
ambitiously promised after the last election to create three million
apprenticeship places by 2020 (HM Government, 2015). Apprenticeships
therefore, remain a germane topic for research.
Up to now, research on apprenticeship of the mid to late 20th century has
generally tended to focus on its value as a training method for the acquisition of
occupational skills (inter alia, Fuller and Unwin, 2003b; Brockmann, Clarke, and
Winch, 2010). In an attempt to expand our knowledge of apprenticeship’s
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