Integration through vocational training. Promoting refugees’ access to apprenticeships in a collective skill formation system

In this article we discuss vocational education in Sweden against the backdrop of the changing nature of industrial relations in the period from ca 1910 to 1975. Drawing upon evidence from official inquiries and case studies of two industries (forest industry and shipbuilding), we show that Sweden in the 1940s and 1950s can be described as a collective skill formation system in the making, where firms, intermediary associations, and the state cooperated around vocational education and training. However, Sweden developed in a very different direction than similar countries. We argue that this remarkable change of trajectory cannot be understood without considering the simultaneous disintegration of the model of industrial relations, along with general changes in the system of education.

Download Full-text

The political and institutional basis of Korea’s skill formation system

Journal of Education and Work ◽

10.1080/13639080.2012.742179 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 291-308 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sang-Young Park

Keyword(s):

The Political ◽

Skill Formation ◽

Formation System

Download Full-text

Positioning construction workers' vocational training of Guangdong in the global political-economic spectrum of skill formation

Engineering Construction & Architectural Management ◽

10.1108/ecam-11-2019-0641 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Wei Pan ◽

Le Chen ◽

Wenting Zhan

Keyword(s):

Vocational Training ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

The State ◽

Construction Workers ◽

Economic Environment ◽

The Political ◽

Skill Formation ◽

Content Type ◽

Political Economic

PurposeThis paper explores the vocational training of construction workers in Guangdong Province of China and identifies its position in the global political-economic spectrum of skill formation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews construction vocational education and training (VET) of major political economies to develop a theoretical framework that guides an in-depth case study of Guangdong. Document analysis, field trip observations, meetings and semi-structured interviews were combined to explore the political-economic environment, political stakeholders and quality assurance mechanisms of industrial training in Guangdong's construction sector. The findings were compared with construction VET of other economies reported in the literature.FindingsConstruction training in Guangdong is deeply rooted in the local history and culture, under strong dominance of the state, while continually evolves to respond to the fluid market and therefore can be conceptualised as “market-in-state”. The political stakeholders are embedded within the state to ensure that skills policies are implemented in-line with industry policies. The differences between the training of Guangdong and its foreign counterparts are attributed to their divergent political-economic models.Research limitations/implicationsAs the case study was undertaken only with Guangdong, the generalisability of its findings can be improved through future research within a broader context of multiple provinces of China through both qualitative and quantitative research approaches.Practical implicationsPlausible foreign VET approaches are likely adaptable to the Chinese context only when conducive political-economic environment could be enabled. The findings are useful for developing countries to learn from the VET experience of industrialised economies. Construction workers' training in Guangdong can be improved by strengthening labour regulation at lower subcontracting levels and ensuring the presence of industrial associations and unions for collective training supervision.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the field of construction engineering and management with a theoretical framework that guides empirical studies on the influence of the political-economic environment upon the ways political stakeholders develop and participate in construction VET. The exploration based on this framework revealed the position of the vocational training of construction workers in Guangdong in the global political-economic spectrum of skill formation.

Download Full-text

Supra-company apprenticeship training in Austria: a synopsis of empirical findings on a possibly early phase of a new pillar within VET

Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training ◽

10.1186/s40461-020-00102-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Peter Schlögl ◽

Martin Mayerl ◽

Roland Löffler ◽

Alexander Schmölz

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

School System ◽

Vocational Training ◽

Vocational School ◽

Full Time ◽

Skill Formation ◽

Vocational Qualification ◽

Apprenticeship Training ◽

Vocational Qualifications ◽

Cognitive Dimensions

AbstractSince 2008, the Austrian Vocational Training Act has given young people the opportunity to obtain vocational qualifications in supra-company training workshops. In addition to the traditional full-time vocational school system and company-based apprenticeship training, a third vocational qualification path has thus been established. This article presents empirical findings on this innovation in skill formation and examines the question of whether conditions for the sustainable establishment of a third pillar for acquiring vocational qualifications are given with regard to regulatory, normative, and cultural cognitive dimensions.

Download Full-text