Since being elected in 1997 the Labour Governmentin the UK has worked towards the establishment of what is described as "demand led " education in the Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) setor in Britain. The "demand" which is to lead this sector is officially seen as being the demand of commerce and business for labour. The role of PCET in the envisaged new work order is to provide trained labour. For those working in PCET the sector is seen as having a vital role in offering adults the chance to develop their learning in an environment which allows them to follow liberal and "developmental" goals. There is a clear tension between government policy and the identity of those who work in the sector. Teacher training in PCET is often the irst contact would be teachers have with Higher Education. For many trainee teachers it marks the beginning of a higher education career. This has meant that traditionally teacher educators from universities have valued the work that they do as having an important role in taking the "academy" to people who would otherwise never go to university. In line with the "demand led" system officially and semi official bodies have developed a new curriculum which imposes a new neo-liberal approach to education and teacher training within PCET. This is manifested in many ways but most obviously appears to teachers and teacher educators in PCET it appears as an extraordinary expansion of bureaucracy seeking to enforce compliance with the new order through form filling etc. This paper seeks to explore the wayin which these new developments have impacted upon the "communities of practice" which straddle the worlds of teacher education, PCET, and university nd the problems this poses for those who wish to preserve existing identities and outlooks. The paper will also seek to show how it is that government policy is adapted and resisted in the ordinary practices of those working in teacher education. It is hoped that this paper will be of interest to people who wish to understand something of PCET in the EU and what might be awaiting them in their own countries if they too are confronted with "demand led" training. The research underpinning this paper is based around interviews with teacher educators and teachers working in Universities and Further Education Colleges and examines how they negotiate over the new terrain.

The paper seeks to point out the nature of the change in PCET teacher training through a review of official policy documents and current academic critiques of ploicy. The work of teacher trainers and teachers in Universities and FE colleges understood as taking place within and constituting a "community of practice" The paper also draws heavily on interview material from discussions with a number of teacher educators who are working in the areas described above.

It is hard to draw conclusions as the process continues to evolve. Several tentative "predicitons" will be made as to the future of "demand led" education THe first finding which appears to be emrging is that the "demand led" approach to PCET is hamstrung from the outset by a lack of employer involvement. The second finding is that the teacher trainers and teachers in FE respond to the demand led system in an extremely complex and constantly shifting way. "Making sense" of the new approach to FE happens at many different levels and the sense which is made contains very strong contradictory elements.