Showing papers in "European journal of vocational training in 2005"

The French Vocational "Baccalaureat" Diploma: Space of a Plural Transition for the Youth.

Abstract: Until the vocational baccalauréat diploma was created, the French hierarchical educational system rested on strong structuring dualisms: on one hand, the opposition between general and technological education, and vocational education; and on the other hand, the opposition between short and long studies. At the secondary level of education, the general baccalauréat, considered prestigious, welcomed students who were to focus on higher education. At the opposite extreme, the vocational Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnelle (CAP) and the Brevet d’Études Professionnelles (BEP) were considered as the route of relegation and exclusion, reinforcing negative characteristics in students encountering learning difficulties. But since the creation of the vocational baccalauréat, this structure has been modified (see appendix). This vocational baccalauréat must offer students who failed in general education a path for continuing their studies or catching up through options that are socially more prestigious. As a result, this programme could play an important, if not determining, role in schooling for young people excluded in the battle against academic failure. But do young people excluded from the élite track find in this option, as Alice lost in Wonderland, a chance to create their own pathway? Some 20 years after its creation (1985) we could question whether this diploma has fulfilled its objectives. This paper will not attempt to answer this question but will focus on an additional important aspect: has the vocational baccalauréat programme contributed to innovation and opinion changes in French initial secondary education? More precisely, has the social perception of vocational education changed since this baccalauréat was created? A Leonardo da Vinci project entitled Analysis and comparison of social representations of VET in different European countries (VET-Cultures) suggested that for students, this vocational education programme seems to be a space, time and period for a plural transition: from failure to success, from weak self-esteem to self-confidence, from dependence to autonomy, from childhood to adulthood, from school to work. In this paper, we analyse some of those transitions, occurring mainly during the student period, via case-studies examining the dynamic of social representation of VET.

Does Vocational Training Matter for Young Adults in the Labour Market

Abstract: Following the implementation of a compulsory nine-year comprehensive school in Sweden during the 1950s and 1960s, upper secondary education was reformed in the early 1970s. Two-year continuation schools and vocational schools were merged with the traditional gymnasium to form the new comprehensive upper secondary school. Vocational training programmes were re-organised as two-year upper secondary courses which also included some general education. Upper secondary school gradually encompassed ever larger groups of young people. In the 1980s, the educational goal of creating “one upper secondary school for all” was adopted, which aimed at ensuring that all young people moved on to upper secondary school. This continues to be an objective of Swedish educational policy. Almost all educational policy documents regard a completed upper secondary education as an essential requirement for a person to be able to compete in the labour market, and the most recent official report on the current state of upper secondary education in Sweden (Åtta vägar till kunskap, 2002) is no exception. In this respect, Sweden has followed a general trend prevalent throughout the European Union where enrolment in post-compulsory education has become increasingly common (Murray and Steedman, 2001). During the 1990s a new reform of upper secondary education was carried out. In this context, the two-year vocational courses were extended and developed into three-year programmes. Moreover, the standards of the academic subjects were raised. Also in other countries of the European Union, vocational training programmes have been reformed so as to become less oriented towards specific occupations (Lasonen, 1996). The political objective of creating one upper secondary school for all has by no means escaped criticism. Which particular feature is it that makes this educational pathway so indispensable? Is it the actual vocational knowledge acquired or rather the knowledge acquired in the general subjects that is essential? These, according to Hill (1998), are questions that are rarely asked when young people’s education and training is discussed.

Teaching competencies efficiently through the internet : a practical example

Abstract: Universities increasingly adopt innovative teaching models, which focus on the development of skills instead of the reproduction of knowledge. These new teaching models emphasise the importance of knowledge application and the development of competencies. Yet, using these teaching methods usually implies a high assessment burden for lecturers. Educational institutions are on the look-out for ways of offering competency-oriented teaching materials to students and keeping the assessment burden for lecturers down at the same time. This article gives a practical illustration of a marketing course developed by the Faculty of Management Sciences of the Open University of The Netherlands. This course shows a successful way in which both aims can be achieved simultaneously.

Widening Participation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Experiences from Romania.

Abstract: The discussion about participation and partnership to ensure the quality of TVET is not new, but the capacity of the educational actors to establish effective and sustainable cooperation with the stakeholders, especially in transition economies characterised by instability and unpredictability, is still a challenge. We have tried to present here a participatory planning model for TVET which started to be used in Romania, and which, accompanied by appropriate support measures, should lead to bridging the TVET schools, the community and the social partners. The model is based on a regional approach and is supported by measures focused on cultural changes in TVET school management (a new vision on partnership, quality assurance, social accountability, etc.), changes at the level of teaching and learning practices (integration of work and learning, studentcentred methodologies, inclusion of students with special needs, etc.) and creation of an institutional network to pilot this integrated approach (the so-called resource centres). Widening participation in technical and vocational education and training: experiences from Romania

VET Reform Challenges for the Teaching Profession: A Lifelong Learning Perspective.

Abstract: 21 The article addresses key challenges for the teaching profession, and corresponding institutions, to secure a prominent role in a VET reform, which is devoted to a lifelong learning perspective. These challenges may apply to EU countries but draw on the author’s work in transition countries. The article clarifies the difficulties for vocational education and training to incorporate lifelong learning as a guiding theme. It then refers to fragmented teacher education approaches to new teacher tasks, which are no longer limited to classroom work, but comprise school development activities and cooperation with regional stakeholders. It discusses the new role of the vocational institution within the frame of lifelong learning. The article ends with the discussion of the complex interaction between policy and practice of vocational education and training reform. VET reform challenges for the teaching profession: a lifelong learning perspective

Expansive Learning: Benefits and Limitations of Subject-Scientific Learning Theory.

Abstract: 15 One critical learning theory that has survived is once again being acclaimed. Subject-scientific theory requires learners to be taken seriously. Their reasons and resistance need to be brought into the open. This requirement was too radical for schools since it does not allow a fixed syllabus. It has borne fruit, however, in continuing education. Some of the core concepts are outlined, namely expansive and defensive learning, together with the underlying discourse. Well-known criticism is then reviewed, such as the use of Foucault’s analysis of power and the complete absence of informal learning. Links with constructivism, habitus theory and gouvernementalité, which have been discussed at conferences, are used to examine the scope of the theory. Critical psychology was long ignored. During the Cold War it had adopted too radical a position to be accepted by that generation. A second generation of educational researchers is today using the insights offered by its concepts in empirical studies, while adopting a discriminating approach to the theory. It is increasingly being applied in practice, although translation for use abroad is still in its infancy. Anke Grotlüschen Junior Professsor of lifelong learning at the Institute of Adult Education at the Univerisity of Bremen Expansive learning: benefits and limitations of subjectscientific learning theory