“Competence” and occupational standards: observations from six European countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Lester ◽  
Jolanta Religa
Keyword(s):  
Common Ground ◽  
Mutual Recognition ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Individual Country ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Occupational Standards ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Training

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the use of “competence” as a concept and through the use of occupational competence standards in six European countries. Design/methodology/approach Partners in an Erasmus+ project in each of the six countries prepared a review of the use of “competence” in their countries using a common template. The authors of this paper reviewed additional literature, summarised the individual country reviews and provided an analysis and commentary. Findings “Competence” is becoming a widely used concept across Europe, but its interpretation and application both vary. Between them, the countries in the study illustrate the use of separate occupational standards, both as a national strategy and developed by self-governing professions; as well as competence embedded directly in qualification and training specifications. The use of separate standards as a mandatory component in national vocational education and training systems is questioned, while the use of appropriate standards for licensing and qualified status is largely endorsed. Research limitations/implications The country reviews were conducted principally from the perspective of informing the developments taking place in the project, so were not comprehensive and also differed in emphasis between countries. Practical implications The study points to the need to avoid promoting any particular model of occupational competence at a European level, as opposed to seeking common ground that will aid mutual recognition of qualifications. It also cautions against the uncritical transfer of models and policies from one national system to another. Originality/value The paper provides additional evidence against “policy borrowing” without careful consideration of context, and contrasts the use of competence standards as part of a system-wide strategy with their tailored application for specific purposes.

Workplace learning for pre – service teachers’ practice and quality teaching and learning in technical vocational education and training: key to professional development

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Chinyere Ogbuanya ◽  
Taiwo Olabanji Shodipe
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Quality Teaching ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technical Vocational Education ◽  
And Training

Purpose With critical reviews of previous studies in workplace learning, this paper aims to investigate workplace learning for pre-service teachers’ practice and quality teaching and learning in technical vocational education and training: key to professional development. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted multistage sampling technique to select sample for the study. Empirical analysis was adopted to analyse the data collected from technical vocational education and training pre-service teachers. Findings The result of the study revealed that the constructs of social learning theory had a stronger linkage with the constructive teaching than traditional management. Originality/value This study emphasizes the need to adequately train pre-service teachers on instructional delivery processes, building strong relationship with learners and build the ability to organize and execute necessary actions required to successfully carry out a specific educational task in a particular context.

scholarly journals Women in Blue: Structural and Individual Determinants of Sex Segregation in Blue-Collar Occupations

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Torre
Keyword(s):  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Blue Collar ◽  
Gender Composition ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Parental Background ◽  
Individual Determinants ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Training

The number of women occupying male-dominated blue-collar jobs continues to be very low. This study examines segregation in the blue-collar trades, taking into consideration both structural and individual factors. Using nationally representative data for 25 countries, the study shows that segregation in the blue-collar sector does not vary with the strength of vocational education and training programs. At the individual level, findings reveal higher degrees of social reproduction among working-class families, but parental background alone does not fully account for the gender composition of the sector in which children end up working. Overall, the findings point to the existence of a socializing mechanism that entrenches horizontal segregation in the blue-collar sector. The study indicates that to reduce segregation in the blue-collar fields, policies must address this prior mechanism, both at the structural and individual level.

scholarly journals Development of pedagogical competencies of the vocational teachers in Italy and Lithuania: implications of competence-based VET curriculum reforms

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Tacconi ◽  
Vidmantas Tūtlys ◽  
Marco Perini ◽  
Genute Gedvilienė
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Teachers ◽  
European Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Curriculum Reforms ◽  
Pedagogical Growth ◽  
And Training

Purpose The present study aims to reveal common and diverging trends in the development of pedagogical competences of vocational education and training (VET) teachers and trainers in Italy and Lithuania. Design/methodology/approach A structured survey was administered to Italian and Lithuanian teachers. The collected data were analysed and compared. Findings Results show that there are many common challenges and problems in the development of pedagogical competencies of the VET teachers in both countries; e.g.: the marginalisation of the VET teacher's work and working conditions, especially the dissatisfying wages and poor career opportunities, and the absent or weak institutionalisation of the VET teacher's qualifications and training. Originality/value The emerged results can be useful for directors of VET-centres and VET-schools to manage training and pedagogical growth of teachers both in Italy and in Lithuania. Moreover, the outputs can be considered as a set of suggestions also by the policymakers both at national and European level.

Australian Government failure and the VET FEE-HELP loan programme

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-281
Author(s):  
Caillan John Fellows ◽  
Brian Dollery
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Government Failure ◽  
Policy Success ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Training Quality ◽  
And Training ◽  
Shed Light

PurposeIn an effort to boost participation in vocational education and training (VET), in 2009, the Australian Government launched its VET FEE-HELP income-contingent loan programme for VET students. The programme was terminated in 2016 following numerous failed attempts to arrest its escalating costs and improve its performance. In an effort to shed light on the failure of the VET FEE-HELP programme, in this paper, the authors offer estimates of the aggregate costs involved and the quantum of graduates.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors examined the VET FEE-HELP programme through the analytical lens offered by Marsh and McConnell’s (2010) framework, which offered a broad, “big-picture” view covering three dimensions of policy success or failure.FindingsBy identifying the causes of the failure, the authors concluded that the features of the scheme designed to improve accessibility of VET also allowed for exploitative behaviour on the part of VET providers, causing deterioration in training quality and leading to a substantial amount of wasteful public expenditure.Originality/valueThe authors seek to illuminate the demise of the hitherto neglected programme to contribute towards the literature on Australian Government failure.

scholarly journals “Libraries motors of change” and the social role of (digital) libraries for their communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 142-145
Author(s):  
Mario Coffa
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Role ◽  
International Federation ◽  
Individual Country ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Uniform Manner ◽  
The Individual

Purpose Based on a comparison with different realities, analysis of the situation of libraries in line with International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) policies and directives. Design/methodology/approach The method used for the following paper is that of a remote interview. Findings The expected results will emerge from the debate that can be raised from this paper. Research limitations/implications The IFLA guidelines have international value but are implemented according to the context of the individual country, not always in a uniform manner. Originality/value The interview reveals the formality of the contents through the informality of the method.

Learning from errors in dual vocational education: video-enhanced instructional strategies

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 357-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto A.P. Cattaneo ◽  
Elena Boldrini
Keyword(s):  
Error Analysis ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Procedural Knowledge ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Procedural Learning ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Learning From Errors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Training

Purpose Starting from the identification of some theoretically driven instructional principles, this paper presents a set of empirical cases based on strategies to learn from errors. The purpose of this paper is to provide first evidence about the feasibility and the effectiveness for learning of video-enhanced error-based strategies in vocational education and training. Design/methodology/approach Four different cases are presented. All of them share the same design-based research perspective, in which teachers and researchers co-designed an (iterative) intervention in the field. Two cases are preliminary investigations, while the other two profit from a quasi-experimental design with at least one experimental condition based on error treatment and a control group. Findings The four cases show the effectiveness of learning from error (and from error analysis). More specifically, they show the validity and flexible adoption of the specific instructional principles derived from the literature review: the use of inductive strategies and in particular, of worked-out examples; the reference to a concrete, possibly personal, experience for the analysis task; the use of prompted writing to elicit self-explanations and reflection; and the use of video for recording and annotating the situation to be analysed. Research limitations/implications The four cases constitute only a starting point for further research into the use of errors for procedural learning. Moreover, the cases presented are focused on learning in the domain of procedural knowledge and not in that of declarative knowledge. Further studies in the vocational education and training sector might serve this research area. Practical implications The paper provides concrete indications and directions to implement effective instructional strategies for procedural learning from errors, especially within vocational education. Social implications Errors are often identified with and attributed to (individual) failures. In both learning institutions and the workplace, this can engender an intolerant and closed climate towards mistakes, preventing real professional development and personal growth. Interventions on learning from errors in schools and workplaces can play a role in changing such a culture and in creating a tolerant and positive attitude towards them. Originality/value The majority of studies about learning from errors are focused on disciplinary learning in academic contexts. The present set of cases contributed to filling in the gap related to initial vocational education, because they deal with learning from errors in dual vocational training in the field of procedural knowledge development. Moreover, a specific contribution of the presented cases relies on the use of video annotation as a support that specifically enhances error analysis within working procedures.

scholarly journals How to measure the efficacy of VET workplace learning: the FET-WL model

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 602-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Pineda-Herrero ◽  
Carla Quesada-Pallarès ◽  
Berta Espona-Barcons ◽  
Óscar Mas-Torelló
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organization And Management ◽  
Quantitative Design ◽  
Probabilistic Sample ◽  
And Training

Purpose – Workplace learning (WL) is a key part of vocational education and training (VET) because it allows students to develop their skills in a work environment, and provides important information about how well VET studies prepare skilled workers. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate WL efficacy in VET. Design/methodology/approach – The research presented in this paper was based on a quantitative design, after having identified factors that influence training efficacy. The factors to evaluate transfer in WL (FET-WL) questionnaire was formed of 57 items (five-point Likert scale) and applied to a stratified probabilistic sample of 1,026 VET students in the Barcelona area (Spain). Findings – After conducting an exploratory factor analysis, the model explained 48.42 per cent of the variance and six factors merged: coherence of the training of the school with the WL, school tutor’s sole, host company tutor’s role, the possibilities of developing the WL, integration into the company and student’s motivation. Originality/value – Results show that the FET-WL may be a useful tool for the various agents involved in WL since it may improve the organization and management of VET and thereby increase its efficacy.

Competence-based vocational education and training (VET)

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Bohne ◽  
Friedhelm Eicker ◽  
Gesine Haseloff
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Learning Networks ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Projects ◽  
And Training

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a vocational scientific constructivist concept meant for shaping competence-based and networked teaching and learning in vocational education and training (VET). Design/methodology/approach VET must enable learners to shape work within the context of conceptions based on the development of society. Refresher trainings cannot realise this. Concepts need a shaping competence-based and networked approach. Teaching and learning networks, learning projects and digital media are the keys to this approach. Findings The focus of the planned concept lies on shaping competence-based teaching and learning. This can be realised with innovative teaching and learning networks. Digital media can support this. The planned concept will be justified. The systematic planning of an exemplary learning project will be discussed. Practical implications This paper lays the ground to evaluate the relevance and range of shaping competence-based and networked teaching and learning. Originality/value The concept was (co-)developed by the University of Rostock. It was tested in first learning projects. These experiences are taken into account. The aim is to emphasise that the intended approach is a justified educational strategy in colleges, companies and other places of learning dealing with VET.

Sequential schooling or lifelong learning? International frameworks through the lens of English higher professional and vocational education

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Lester
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Standard Classification ◽  
And Training ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review three international frameworks, including the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), in relation to one country’s higher professional and vocational education system. Design/methodology/approach The frameworks were examined in the context of English higher work-related education, and areas of mismatch identified. These were investigated to identify the extent to which they were due to weaknesses in the national system or to limiting assumptions contained in the frameworks. Findings Assumptions based on stages of education are problematic in the context of lifelong higher and professional education, while more open, lifelong-learning oriented assumptions can be too skeletal to aid comparisons between systems of initial vocational education and training. Particular problems are identified with assumptions contained in the ISCED that do not reflect the reality of professional education. Practical implications International frameworks need to take account of patterns of learning that take place outside of formal institutions and throughout life, but which lead to equivalent outcomes. Nevertheless, it is not adequate to substitute assumptions based only on the level of achievement. Social implications The assumptions underpinning the ISCED in particular mean that equivalent achievements in different systems can be classified differently, leading to under-reporting of individual achievements, a lack of comparability in international statistics, and potential for policy distortion. Originality/value The paper builds on the work of Hippach-Schneider et al. by providing additional evidence, from a different national context, for issues relating to the ISCED in the context of higher professional and vocational education, and extends this analysis to the two major European frameworks.

Perception gaps on employable skills between technical and vocational education and training (TVET) teachers and students: the case of the garment sector in Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoko Yamada ◽  
Christian S. Otchia
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Oriented Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Technical And Vocational Education ◽  
And Training

PurposeThis article focuses on the perception gaps between teachers and students of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) related to garment production and the reasons behind such gaps. Garment production is the priority sector for the Ethiopian government, which plans to make it the driver of export-oriented growth. At the same time, it is among the programs that demonstrate the lowest employment rates.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was developed by the authors. It was completed by 162 students and 53 teachers in garment-related programs of seven TVET colleges in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.FindingsThe findings show that while teachers tend to highlight the importance of practical skills, students desire broader coverage of practical and managerial skills and entrepreneurship. The expectations differ not only based on the person's recognition of labor market conditions but also by the conviction of the efficacy of the education and training system itself. Teachers tend to be persistent on conventional approaches of teaching, while the advanced training on new approaches based on the competency-based training (CBT) significantly impacts on their attitude. Meanwhile, students' perceptions are largely based on their job aspirations and motivations for schooling.Practical implicationsThe authors’ findings may serve to improve the relevance of the Ethiopian Occupation Standards.Originality/valueThe unique feature of this study is that the authors measure skills from multiple dimensions. While the authors examine participants' perceptions of occupation-specific skills, they also analyze the relationships of these perceptions with attitudinal and cognitive skills.

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