Vocational Education and Training Reform


Book Description

This report examines the constraints countries face in implementing vocational education and training (VET) systems and related policies; analyzes how some countries have successfully implemented reforms; and evaluates VET reforms in central and eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and other countries in transition to a market economy, such as China. The Introduction summarizes the results of studies of 16 countries and 2 territories: Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, The Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Chile, Mexico, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Egypt, Jordan, and the West Bank and Gaza. Each of the 17 countries listed has an entire chapter devoted to its unique experience. The chapters analyze the labor market developments that determine the demand for VET, the supply response of the VET system, the problems that arise in matching demand and supply, and the major innovations in resolving these problems. Labor market analysis is restricted to labor regulations and indicators relevant to the demand for skilled and technical workers. VET supply responses were categorized into secondary and postsecondary vocational and technical education, pre-employment vocational training, and in-service or on-the-job-training. Included for discussion are the results of two special papers--on the lessons of Australia's comprehensive VET reforms and the applicability of Germany's dual system to low- and middle-income countries.




Skill Development in India


Book Description

This paper stresses that despite the fact that India is a fast developing economy difficulties have led the Government to conclude that far more needs to be done to engender more employment opportunities for the majority of Indians, to enable them to participate in the benefits of growth and to contribute to that growth. To do this they must have education and training that equips them for the labor market. One of the sources of the skilled workforce is the vocational education and training system. However, the government realizes that the system is not being able to appropriately respond to the needs of the labor market. A key issue, then, is what reforms/interventions are needed to improve the effectiveness of the system. Answering that question is far from easy and this paper attempts to provide some options for doing so. On the one hand India faces the future with its changing realities; on the other hand it must deal with the nature of its established traditions and structures. This paper has laid out some key reforms that must be undertaken in different areas to make the vocational education and vocational training systems more responsive to the needs of the labor market. The reform agenda is fairly comprehensive and all the reforms cannot be implemented immediately. Given this, the paper has laid out some of the critical reforms that need to be undertaken in the short-run (first phase) followed by others that can be undertaken over a period of 2-3 years. The first phase focuses on reforms aimed at improving the quality and labor market relevance of the existing system, while the medium-term agenda also includes moving forward on mobilizing additional resources for the system, especially once the quality has improved. However the background work needed to undertake reforms in the medium-term should also commence immediately. These reforms should be treated as a package. If only some are instituted, while others are not, it is unlikely that the objective of developing a truly demand-responsive system will be effectively met.







India: Preparation for the World of Work


Book Description

This book explores how the Indian education and training system prepares young people for the world of work and for the requirements of the employment market – because India is a leading industrialised nation with a very young population and a high demand for a skilled workforce. Indian experts write from a course-specific perspective, offering a comprehensive picture of educational policy, curriculum design and cultural characteristics. The virtual absence of a formalised system of vocational training in India underlines the importance of this research.




Vocational Education


Book Description




Demand-Driven Approaches in Vocational Education and Training


Book Description

Muthuveeran Ramasamy shows that the formal way of vocational education and training (VET) in rural areas often ignores the illiterate, the less educated, and the poor. The author demonstrates that VET programs need to be demand-driven and consider the socio-economic aspects of particular regions. Therefore, the significance of the study at grassroots level helps customize VET programs to respond to the demand of the individuals’ vocational training needs of rural people by keeping their endogenous needs at the centre of vocational skill development processes. The findings and lessons learnt from action research are also intensively discussed as guiding principles of demand-driven approaches from the learners’/societal perspectives.




The Wiley Handbook of Vocational Education and Training


Book Description

A collection of the theories, practices, and policies of vocational education and training written by international experts The Wiley Handbook of Vocational Education and Training offers an in-depth guide to the theories, practices, and policies of vocational education and training (VET). With contributions from a panel of leading international scholars, the Handbook contains 27 authoritative essays from a wide range of disciplines. The contributors present an integrated analysis of the complex and dynamic field of VET. Drawing on the most recent research, thinking, and practice in the field, the book explores the key debates about the role of VET in the education and training systems of various nations. The Handbook reveals how expertise is developed in an age of considerable transformation in work processes, work organization, and occupational identities. The authors also examine many of the challenges of vocational education and training such as the impact of digital technologies on employment, the demand for (re)training in the context of extended working lives, the emergence of learning regions and skill ecosystems, and the professional development of vocational teachers and trainers. This important text: Offers an original view of VET’s role in both the initial and continuing development of expertise Examines the theories and concepts that underpin international perspectives and explores the differences about the purposes of VET Presents various models of learning used in VET, including apprenticeship, and their relationship with general education Explores how VET is shaped in different ways by the political economy of different countries Reviews how developments in digital technologies are changing VET practice Discusses the challenges for universities offering higher vocational education programs Draws on both recent research as well as historical accounts Written for students, researchers, and scholars in the fields of educational studies, human resource development, social policy, political economy, labor market economics, industrial relations, sociology, The Wiley Handbook of Vocational Education and Training offers an international perspective on the topic of VET.




Vocational Education and Training in Times of Economic Crisis


Book Description

This book brings together a broad range of approaches and methodologies relevant to international comparative vocational education and training (VET). Revealing how youth in transition is affected by economic crises, it provides essential insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the various systems and prospects of VET in contexts ranging from North America to Europe, (e.g. Spain, Germany or the UK) to Asia (such as China, Thailand and India). Though each country examined in this volume is affected by the economic crisis in a different way, the effects are especially apparent for the young generation. In many countries the youth unemployment rate is still very high and the job perspectives for young people are often limited at best. The contributions in this volume demonstrate that VET alone cannot solve these problems, but can be used to support a smooth transition from school to work. If the quality of VET is high and the status and job expectations are good, VET can help to fill the skills gap, especially at the intermediate skill level. Furthermore, VET can also offer a realistic alternative to the university track for young people in many countries.