This thesis is an applied study of the response of a selected group of large construction companies in the Sydney Basin to the National Training Reform Agenda (NTRA). The thesis emanates from an interest in the modern view of public policy that suggests public sector intervention should 'augment rather than impede market forces' (Dollery, 1994:225). This view argues that too much public intervention has the potential to culminate in government failure because governments can be self-interested bureaucracies that are divorced from the interests and constraints of the market. To avoid such an outcome, this policy position advocates that governments should develop and implement public policy that encourages community, industry and individual participation in the policy agenda. This minimalist approach to public sector intervention, and the values it espouses, was investigated through research into the NTRA and the construction industry. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

In Australia, the combination of a changing workforce profile, the changing nature of work and industrial agreements and the changing role of education and training gave rise to the National Training Reform Agenda (NTRA). The main aim of the NTRA is to increase the competitiveness and productivity of Australian industry through industry responsive reform of the vocational education and training system. The development of a National Framework for the Recognition of Training (NFROT) and nationally endorsed industry competency standards, along with The Training Guarantee Act (1990), were intended to ensure that the Government’s major reform program for education and training for Australian industry took effect.