Globalisation, the learner and post-compulsory education: Policy fictions

This article explores the policy context within which post-compulsory education is placed. It examines the relationship between the economics of globalisation, the construction of the learner and educational policy. It argues that there are a series of tensions in the discourses surrounding post-compulsory education and training, and in the material conditions facing the sector. These tensions need to be addressed, at a deeper level than the rhetorical, if post-compulsory education is to deliver critical and empowering learner experiences that are committed to the tenets of social justice.