This is an open access book. Covering both theories and practices in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) teacher development, this book provides up-to-date discussions and ...recommendations on issues relating to TVET teacher development in the digital age. It caters for the needs of in-service teachers and trainers, as well as TVET leaders who want to upscale their professional learning and development in terms of vision, knowledge, expertise, and industry skills needed in the transition to the digital era. What is particularly useful to TVET teachers/trainers are the proposed competency development framework, competency indicators, and the assessment instrument. Drawing on extensive research regarding TVET teachers’ competency development and today’s industry needs, the proposed framework and indicators can be readily used to inform the self-assessment of one’s professional competency level, so as to plan one’s career trajectory accordingly. Teachers and trainers may also find the exemplary cases of teachers’ professional development from various countries inspiring and motivating. The book also serves as a useful reference for TVET leaders, administrators and teacher trainers. The book's competency framework, indicators, and strategies are an adaptable reference for planning professional development policies, evaluation mechanisms, and programs for teachers.
Collaboration between schools and enterprises in vocational education and training (VET) is a challenge in many countries, Norway included. There is a tendency to organise VET in separate theoretical ...and practical learning arenas that lack mutual coherence. This article presents the findings of a four-year action research study in which 30 vocational teachers, who were taking an in-service master’s degree programme in vocational pedagogy, completed systematic research-based projects on developing partnerships between schools and enterprises in the school-based part of Norwegian VET. The goal was to strengthen the relevance of vocational education by creating stronger links between the content of the education and the content of the vocation. The study was based on a pragmatic, holistic perspective on vocational competence and education where essential, authentic vocational tasks to which theory is related are regarded as the core educational content, both in the enterprises and in schools. The findings are based on an analysis of 30 master’s degree theses documenting each of the teachers’ development projects.
The results show examples of and principles for how collaboration between schools and enterprises can be organised around vocational tasks. Core principles include formal agreements on collaboration between schools and enterprises, regular dialogues between vocational teachers, instructors and students about educational tasks and content, joint planning and follow-up of students’ placements in enterprises, and exchanges of experience and competence between teachers and instructors. The results show that, according to students, instructors and vocational teachers, the application of such principles contributed to vocational relevance and students’ motivation and learning outcomes.
With the 2020 reform of the vocational education and training system, the availability of sectoral training has become crucial, as it allows for more flexibility in the choice of occupation. The ...functioning of economic organisations naturally depends on the quantity and quality of the material, physical, infrastructural and human resources available. Our research explores two directions. We describe the territorial location of vocational training institutions and the diversity of their maintenance. The second focuses on the operation of vocational training centres and agricultural training centres and their cooperation with the business sector. We consider it important that sectoral training should be available in regions where the economy is prospering. Our aim is to showcase the availability of these sectors in the region and link them to successful sectors in the area. In our research we use statistical analysis and in-depth interviews to answer these questions.
•VET graduates are more likely to have literacy skill disadvantages compared to general education graduates.•VET graduates are more likely to have short-term employment premium compared to general ...education graduates.•However, short-term employment premium of VET graduates decrease with ages.•Compared to general education-oriented countries, employment premium of VET graduates from WVET-oriented countries narrows faster over time.
Vocational education and training has played a central role in promoting the school-to-work transition of young people. Despite this role, the return to Vocational Education and Training (VET) has been neglected in previous studies. This paper aims to examine individual returns to VET over a lifespan and to assess the effects of national VET systems, including school-based and work-based VET systems, on economic outcomes. We use the OECD’s Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) dataset for conducting our analyses. The results of this study indicate that vocational track graduates are more likely to have literacy skill disadvantages, short-term employment advantages, and long-term employment disadvantages compared to general track graduates. The most significant finding is that there are substantial differences between work-based and school-based VET systems with regard to their literacy and employment effects. Compared to VET graduates from general education-oriented countries, VET graduates from work-based VET-oriented countries are initially more likely to be employed, but that employment premium narrows faster over time. Therefore, a lifespan overview and the characteristics of national VET systems should enter into policy debates on national educational systems.