Research Question. How effective is distance learning in meeting the occupational and vocational training requirements of practitioners in public sector professions? This paper reports on more than ten years of accumulated research into the structure and effectiveness of distance learning programmes in meeting the ongoing vocational training objectives of public sector professionals in such fields as education, health care provision, child development, social work and civil administration. Distance learning provisions in UK universities are analysed via the concept of Practitioner Based Enquiry. This is defined as an active intellectual process in which academic credits are granted for systematic enquiries into, and organized reflection on, the actual and daily professional activities of a wide range of practitioners. The electronic tutor marked assignment - eTMA - of the Open University in the UK, is used as a case study indicator of wider applications of on-line learning and the individualization of teaching and learning courses for the professions. Firsthand experiences of students undertaking such programmes are reported.By comparison, the more macro professional goals of student-sponsoring organisations such as departments of education are considered from the standpoint of national policies and preferences for vocation training and lifelong learning.

Content analysis of course training documents.Verbatim interview transcript material and evaluation proforma data from students. Course reports. Statistical analysis of Overall Continuous Assessment Scores (OCAS) and Examination Component Scores (ECS) for six years of student assessments.

Distance learning courses provide a convenient means for students to undertake and succeed at professional development. Flexibility of provision and individualization of learning, largely via structured IT, print and audio visual resources, assist the mixed ability student to meet personal learning and training goals. At the organisational level, structured courses not requiring the physical attendance of students on university campuses, or time off work, prove attractive to employers and facilitate meeting staff training objectives at relatively low cost in resource terms to the sponsoring organisation.