{"title":"Adaptation to the market? Status differences between target occupations in the application process and realized training occupation of German adolescents","authors":"Brigitte Schels, M. Abraham","doi":"10.1080/13636820.2021.1955403","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2021.1955403","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Adolescents’ occupational expectations are relevant for occupational status attainment. In strong vocational education and training (VET) systems, such as in Germany, school leavers face the challenge of forming occupational expectations that correspond to the competitive VET market. This study investigates students’ target occupations in the application process and its relation to their first training occupation. Do applicants for VET positions apply for occupations of different socioeconomic status over time? Does the status of the target occupations increasingly fit to the finally achieved training occupation? Are there differences by familial socioeconomic background? Analysis are based on longitudinal data on the application process collected from German students in lower secondary and intermediate secondary schools in one urban area. Overall, the status level of the target occupations at the beginning of the application process differs significantly according to school track, but additionally to school grades or family background. At the end of the application process, the application behaviour becomes diversified: applicants with poor school grades and of low status continue to apply for target occupations at a similar status level but at the same time apply for occupations of relative lower status. This lower level does not, however, translate into training occupations.","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72562534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Knowledge formation practices in the context of the VET curriculum reform in Lithuania","authors":"Vidmantas Tūtlys, Lina Vaitkutė","doi":"10.1080/13636820.2021.1956998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2021.1956998","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In 2015, Lithuania entered a new stage of the vocational education and training (VET) curriculum reform with the introduction of the national competence-based qualifications standards and the modularisation of the VET curriculum on the basis of these standards. Competence in Lithuania is understood holistically as a ‘totality’ of knowledge, skills and attitudes. The statements of competencies in the standards mainly reflect work processes and it is the role of curriculum designers and vocational education and training teachers (VET teachers) to ‘uncover’ all domains of competency in learning outcomes, learning assignments and assessment criteria. In the Lithuanian context, the modularisation of VET programmes challenges integration of theory and practice within and between different modules and calls for more intensive cooperation of teachers in planning and implementing instruction. This paper aims to explore how knowledge representation has changed in the Lithuanian national and school VET curricula, how changes brought by the curriculum reform reflect in everyday work of VET teachers and, consequently, what challenges vocational teachers face in learners’ knowledge formation. The paper is based on content analysis of the national and school level curriculum documents and semi-structured interviews with VET teachers and administrative staff.","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81015443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unit standards to occupational qualifications: South African vocational policy reform stuck in reverse","authors":"Naomi Sumangala Alphonsus","doi":"10.1080/13636820.2021.1955404","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2021.1955404","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper argues that the recent policy reform of occupational qualifications in South Africa is not substantially different from previous qualifications composed of unit standards and learning outcomes. The transition to democracy in the 1990s saw the introduction of a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for post-school education. The framework adopted a model similar to competency-based training (CBT), where qualifications used unit standards and learning outcomes as a design template. Many problems ensued; amongst other concerns, researchers demonstrated that unit standards fragment learning by focusing on task performance at the expense of knowledge. Substantial changes were made in 2009, including the introduction of the Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework of the revised NQF. Occupational qualifications are designed using a template to standardise the format of occupational standards and knowledge, practical skills, and work experience modules for the curriculum framework. For policymakers, occupational standards represent broad notions of competence based on occupational practice. The development of an occupational qualification is guided by a template for the process of deriving the curriculum framework from occupational standards. However, my research suggests that occupational qualifications based on occupational standards are further elaborated work tasks that are then used to develop curriculum framework contents, which further entrenches CBT approaches and their associated problems.","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82546367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A capability approach to understanding the role of informal apprenticeship in the human development of informal apprentices","authors":"Joyceline Alla-Mensah, S. McGrath","doi":"10.1080/13636820.2021.1951332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2021.1951332","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Skills training in the informal economy, known as informal apprenticeship, caters to the skills needs of millions of young people in the Global South. While it predates the development of formal Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems, it was not until the ‘discovery’ of the informal economy in the 1970s that attention was drawn to this important system of training. Despite the importance of informal apprenticeship, it is striking that there has been a paucity of academic research on education and training and the informal economy this millennium. Whilst there have continued to be papers written by staff of international development agencies, academic accounts are now rare. This paper explores the role of informal apprenticeship in the human development of informal apprentices. It presents new data on informal apprenticeship and engages with earlier academic and international policy papers on informal apprenticeship, in an attempt to open new ways of theorising and understanding informal apprenticeship.","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81896747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Labour Market Success of Initial Vocational Education and Training Graduates: A Comparative Study of Three Education Systems in Central Europe","authors":"S. Hoidn, Vít Šťastný","doi":"10.1080/13636820.2021.1931946","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2021.1931946","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper compares within-country programmes of initial vocational education and training (IVET) in Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany and their outcomes. Specifically, it aims to analyse and compare the labour market success of graduates of different tracks at the ISCED 3 level in both early and later stages of their careers. The comparison is based on the analysis of PIAAC 2013 OECD study data. A composite multidimensional indicator was constructed to measure labour market success and subsequently used as a dependent variable in regression models. The results indicate that in the systems with dual IVET at the ISCED 3 level (Germany and Austria), graduates are indeed more successful at the labour market than their counterparts with other ISCED 3 tracks. However, their advantage diminishes in later stages of the career. Additionally, in Austria, the success of dual education young graduates is mediated by individual characteristics. In the system with only school-based IVET (the Czech Republic), this track does not guarantee substantively higher labour market success for young graduates compared to other ISCED 3 tracks and also to those with lower education. Czech apprentices in the later stages of career succeed even less than those with below ISCED 3 education.","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78975783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the efficacy of post-secondary career and technical education industry advisory partnerships","authors":"T. Gauthier","doi":"10.1080/13636820.2021.1931944","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2021.1931944","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose To understand the experience of community college career and technical education (CTE) industry advisory committee members. Methodology Using the qualitative research tradition phenomenology, participants included advisory committee chairs and institutional programme department chairs to help create a composite description of their lived experience. Findings Themes inlcuded, effectiveness is not about complacent governance, board members are not given adequate time to review material before a meeting, board recommendations are not being implemented, and members feel that they are not truly integrated into the academic culture. Research Implications Community colleges could use the data to revise their advisory committee policies and meeting governance. Another implication of the research is that appropriate and effective industry advisory partnerships strengthen the institution’s position in the community and career and technical programming. Practical Implications not intergrating meaninful industry partnerships into developing abd facilitating CTE programming will result in outdated curriculum and graduates who hold competencies and skills that do not align with industry needs. Originality and Value This paper contributes to the literature about the value of community college CTE programmes in society and the importance of industry – institutional partnerships regarding technical curriculum development.","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74947309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tackling regional skill shortages: from single employer strategies to local partnerships","authors":"F. Suleman, P. Videira, Emília Rodrigues Araújo","doi":"10.1080/13636820.2021.1931945","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2021.1931945","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This research examines regional skill problems and the strategies adopted to reduce skill shortages by a set of employers (n = 16). The data collected in 2019 in a northern region in Portugal indicate considerable and persistent shortages of engineering and IT graduates and non-graduates for operational jobs. The employers implement anticipative strategies interacting with the education system, and the city council has developed a multi-stakeholder partnership. However, the most widespread strategy is remedial and consists of employer-provided training. Employers believe that the partnership has been a fruitful way of expanding economic activities, but further efforts are required to alleviate skill shortages.","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85950742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Vocational teachers` professional development in assessment for learning","authors":"Ann Karin Sandal","doi":"10.1080/13636820.2021.1934721","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2021.1934721","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Formative assessment, including vocational education and training (VET), has been included in the assessment regulations in Norway since 2006. This study examines how a continuing education course entitled Assessment for learning in vocational education (15 credits) might contribute to vocational teachers’ professional development related to assessment for learning. Qualitative data was collected in two stages from vocational teachers participating on the course. The findings reveal that perceptions of assessment for learning and vocational formative assessment practice are developed through the lens of the general study programmes and are dominated by academic subjects in upper secondary schools. However, assessment for learning is embedded in vocational learning and teaching and needs to be voiced in the educational discourse in schools related to formative assessment. Vocational teachers’ professional development in assessment for learning should be based on the characteristics and attributes of vocational learning.","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74067244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examining the First Job Acquisition Period and Identifying the Effects of Factors on University Graduates","authors":"Hyeonjeong Jeon, Lee Jeongmin, Seunghui Baek","doi":"10.22251/JLCCI.2021.21.8.411","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22251/JLCCI.2021.21.8.411","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90356444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring university student engagement and sense of belonging during work-integrated learning","authors":"Anna-Kaye C Rowe, Denise A Jackson, J. Fleming","doi":"10.1080/13636820.2021.1914134","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2021.1914134","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Work-integrated learning (WIL) is recognised as a valuable pedagogical strategy for developing graduate employability, increasing employment prospects and contributing to a range of other learning outcomes. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the degree to which WIL students in higher education, felt they fully engaged in workplace activities and experienced a sense of belonging to their workplace environment. Further aims were to identify factors that facilitated and inhibited their engagement and belonging. Data were collected using an online survey of 151 students undertaking WIL as part of a university degree, in the contexts of business, sociology and sport, in one New Zealand and two Australian universities. Students generally felt they engaged effectively in the WIL placement environment and experienced a sense of belonging by their workplace colleagues. Qualitative responses provided insights into what facilitated and enabled engagement, with confidence identified as a key facilitator and inhibitor. Belonging was associated more with relationships and the workplace environment. When preparing university students and workplace supervisors for WIL, it is important to be aware of (and address) factors, such as confidence, that facilitate engagement and belonging in order to create opportunities that fully immerse students in the workplace community.","PeriodicalId":46718,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vocational Education and Training","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2021-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84267092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}