scholarly journals COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING SYSTEMS IN THE LIGHT OF EU GUIDELINES

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (30 (1)) ◽  
pp. 397-405
Author(s):  
Ágnes Stomp ◽  
Marianna Móré
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Member States ◽  
Training Systems ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
And Training

Continuous development of education and training programmes in the European Union is a key factor in enhancing cooperation at European level. Today, economic and social changes are taking place in the world, which is why vocational training is seen as a tool to prepare people for a changing world of work, improving employability and competitiveness. Vocational education and training must adapt to changes affecting the economy, society and the labour market. Vocational education and training (VET) policy has been a national, autonomous area of the Member States for decades, but the issue of VET has increasingly been given priority in the process of European economic unification. At the Lisbon Summit, the European Council recognised the important role of education as an integral part of economic and social policies, which is an important tool for increasing the European Union’s competitiveness. European cooperation in VET has been promoted by the three common European instruments created as a result of Copenhagen process: the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET) and the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET), which are progressively integrated in their VET systems by the Member States. The aim of these instruments is to support recognition between European VET systems, to promote lifelong learning and mobility and to improve learning experiences. The aim of our study is to explore with a comparative study, to what extent and manner the V4 Member States (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) have integrated EQF, EQAVET and ECVET transparency instruments into their national vocational training systems and to what extent the transformations are in line with EU objectives.

scholarly journals Rituals of Vocational Socialisation: Faith-Building in Higher Vocational Education for Weak-Form Occupational Pathways

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Ye
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Weak Form ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Higher Vocational Education ◽  
Collective Identification ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
And Training

AbstractThis paper addresses the question of how higher vocational education and training programmes socialise participants for future work, where the occupational pathways they are to embark on are weakly defined. The analysis focuses on organisational rituals as a means to understand individual and collective transformative processes taking place at a particular intersection of education and labour markets. Building on organisational and sociological theories of rituals, as well as drawing empirically from a longitudinal qualitative interview study of a cohort of students in Swedish higher vocational education for work in digital data strategy, I explore how rituals are enacted in a vocational education and training setting and what these rituals mean to the aspirants who partake in them. The findings illustrate how rituals initiate, convert, and locate the participants in a team. These repeated encounters with rituals socialise, cultivate and build vocational faith amongst participants, despite the nascency and unstable nature of their education-to-work pathways. However, while rituals can serve as a catalyst to ignite processes of collective identification and vocational socialisation, they are not always successful. The paper discusses implications of faith-building in weak-form occupational pathways when the labour market is strong and conversely, when the economy is in recession. The text concludes by advocating the need for examining the power of educational institutions in shaping transitional experiences of participants in vocational education.

Using E-Book for Learning

2011 ◽  
pp. 1120-1125
Author(s):  
K. C. Chu ◽  
Queendy Lam
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Technical Education ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
And Training

The vocational education system in Hong Kong is seen as changing in step with the development in industry (O & Chu, 2003). At the beginning of the ’50s until the late ’60s, Hong Kong was an entrepôt trade economy. However, skills and technology transferred from Shanghai, a steady immigration came from Guangdong, and increasing amounts of local investment had promoted Hong Kong‘s industrial foundation. By the early ’50s, the Education Department of Hong Kong began to recognize “the increasing importance of Hong Kong as a manufacturing and industrial center,” and time and effort were being devoted to the development of technical education. During this period of time, we witnessed the building of a vocational school (1953) and technical college (1957); they had aimed at providing vocational education and training for post-Form 3 and -Form 5 leavers. Successful textile manufacturing, followed by new international investments in other infant industries including electronics through the 1960s and 1970s contributed to the socialization of the workforce. By the early 1960s, there was a widely recognized link between industry and technical education. By the mid-1970s, education discourse and documents professed the need to increase the proportion of the curriculum devoted to “practical education” in general secondary schools (White Paper: Secondary Education in Hong Kong over the Next Decade, 1974). Government land sales, efficient infrastructure planning, and the setting up of the economic zones in China all had contributed to a growth rate averaging 10% each year throughout the 1980s and the early 1990s; these achievements had further improved the investment climate. During this period of time, Hong Kong further expanded technical education at the tertiary level. The link between vocational education and training, and the newer infrastructure and high-technology-related forms of industrialization were clearly outlined in the Report of the Advisory Committee on Diversification of the Economy in 1979. All these changes in the economic environment had been well served by the corresponding changes in the vocational education system as evidenced by the rapid and high economic growth in the ’70s, ’80s, and the early ’90s. The VTC (Vocational Training Council) was established in 1982 under the Vocational Training Council Ordinance to provide and promote a cost-effective and comprehensive system of vocational education and training to meet the needs of the economy. Under VTC, preemployment and in-service education and training are provided by the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), VTC School of Business and Information Systems (SBI) and its training and development centers. The mission of VTC is to provide cost-effective alternative routes and flexible pathways for school leavers and adult learners to acquire skills and knowledge for lifelong learning and enhanced employability (VTC, 2004). Since the late ’90s, the volatile employment market, declining industry, and desire to become a knowledge-based society have triggered yet another education reform. Two important documents have been published by the Hong Kong government to paint out the education reform and the blueprint for the education system in Hong Kong for the 21st century: Reform Proposals for the Education System in Hong Kong by the Education Commission (2000), and the Report on Higher Education in Hong Kong by Chairman Lord S. R. Sutherland (2002) of the University Grant Committee. In response to the Sutherland report (2002), the Vocational Training Council formulated a strategic plan for the change. The plan is to increase e-learning within the VTC to • promote an e-learning culture and to identify teaching staff who make effective use of the Web for teaching, • encourage staffs to build a learning community on their Web sites, • encourage staffs to provide students with an active Web site, and • encourage staffs to conduct virtual (online) tutorials and virtual help desks.

scholarly journals Cooperation Between Learning Venues and its Limits: The Hotel Industry in Cancún (Mexico)

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 67-89
Author(s):  
Beke Vogelsang ◽  
Natascha Röhrer ◽  
Martina Fuchs ◽  
Matthias Pilz
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Training System ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Cooperation Partners ◽  
And Training

Purpose: Recently, high-quality vocational education and training has attracted much attention in Mexico. In this context, more practically applied skills are taught “on a dual basis”, combining classroom-based training with practical, on the job, training within the company. Dual practices are expected to modernize the skills formation system, and simultaneously support companies, while ensuring provision of skilled workers. For this reason, the vocational training system has been reformed in recent years. Hence, it is necessary that schools and universities, as well as companies, closely interact and coordinate their activities. It is also important that there is successful cooperation between vocational training organizations and companies, to contribute to the modernization of vocational training. The aim of this paper is to examine the cooperation between learning venues of vocational education in the hotel industry in Cancún (Quintana Roo, Mexico), one of the most important tourism destinations in Latin America. Research in vocational education and training, reveals a particular focus on the principles that are necessary for successful cooperation between learning venues. This study examines whether the setting of common goals, communication between companies and training organizations and governance are equally important. Methods: In an exploratory approach, based on a qualitative framework, ten face-to-face expert interviews were conducted in Cancún. The interviews were then fully transcribed and evaluated using qualitative methods. The survey is complemented by further document analysis. Findings: The results show that for successful cooperation between learning venues, the coordination of a common goal (to secure the availability of skilled workers) between different actors, and communication between companies and vocational training organizations, are particularly important for successful cooperation. Furthermore, it seems that companies are taking on a more dominant role, so that vocational training organizations must be more in line with the wishes of the hotels. The results indicate that partnership-based action is not very obvious. Accordingly, the aspect of governance plays a subordinate role. Conclusion: The study shows that cooperation between learning venues in other regions and industries, requires certain principles to be successful. In this respect, the duration of the relationship as well as the specificity of a region or sector can influence the required principles. Therefore, the cooperation partners should agree on the principles in advance.

scholarly journals Questions for Vocational Training in Hospitality and Tourism in Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Anthony G. Shannon ◽  
Farzan Contractor
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism ◽  
Boyer Model ◽  
And Training

This paper outlines some of the dilemmas of turning graduates from vocational education and training courses into industry-ready employees.  It raises a number of questions that are ripe for action research with the context of the Boyer model of scholarship.

scholarly journals Female Students Participation in Technical Vocational Education and Training in West Pokot County, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-69
Author(s):  
Nelly Andiema ◽  
Echaune Manasi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
West Pokot ◽  
Technical Vocational Education ◽  
And Training

Quality and affordable technical vocational education and training are one of the United Nations Sustainable Development agenda items for ensuring equal access to education for all women and men by the year 2030. This means that all women in the country need to have relevant skills for employment, job creation and entrepreneurship. Data from West Pokot County, Kenya department of technical and vocational education show the number of female students being admitted in vocational training centres for the past five years has remained low. Whereas the government of Kenya has viewed TVET as a critical element of attaining Sustainable Development Goal and Kenya’s Vision 2030 goals, the number of female students graduating from vocational training and being absorbed in the job market remains low. This study looks at enrolment trends for female students in vocational training centres and further examines factors discouraging female students from joining vocational training institutions (VTCs). To collect data, interviews and documentary evidence were used. The respondents for the study involve managers of selected VTCs in West Pokot County. Analysis of data was done through qualitative and quantitative methods. The study found out that the distribution of students in all public VTCs in West Pokot County favoured the male gender over female students. For women enrolled in various programmes, only 45.0% fully completed their programme. It was found out that courses offered in VTCs tend to attract more male students compared to female ones. The distribution of the teaching workforce in VTCs was found to be male-dominated and therefore, female students did not have role models to look up to. The research also found out that majority of girls who were unable to proceed to secondary and tertiary education were not aware of the opportunities available in VTCs in the county. The paper concludes that social-cultural factors, lack of role models and poverty were some of the barriers affecting female students’ participation in vocational education and training. The paper suggests more work needs to be done by all stakeholders to ensure that courses offered in VTCs are attractive to female students, remove social, cultural and physical barriers which prevent female students from enrolling and completing vocational training in West Pokot County, Kenya.

The Effectiveness of Vocational Training and Access to Finance in Alleviating Poverty among Women in Rural South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-197
Author(s):  
M.D. Phala ◽  
◽  
R.M. Mukonza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Access To Finance ◽  
Rural South ◽  
And Training ◽  
Rural South Africa

Globally, there is a growing belief that through women’s empowerment, the socio-economic well-being of many societies will be transformed. This article sought to investigate the effectiveness of these women’s empowerment programmes in fostering poverty alleviation in rural South Africa, using Diphagane village in Limpopo Province as a point of reference. The study employed the qualitative research approach. To facilitate an in-depth understanding of the specific area of focus, the study was premised on the exploratory research design. The findings indicate that women believe they are central to the family unit and empowering them through vocational education and training indeed alleviates poverty. The consensus is that women empowerment through vocational education and training is a key parameter to ensure women’s competitiveness, and as such improves their chances of building a better life and improving their livelihoods. This in turn leads to an improvement in the quality of life for families and the rural community. The responses obtained suggest that poverty reduction is possible through the financial empowerment of women. It is therefore recommended that the South African government intensifies provision of vocational training and access to finance as part of the broader strategy to alleviate poverty in rural areas.

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