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Colleges are important providers of vocational education and training and in some countries they are the major provider. Although the international literature on colleges has grown considerably in the past two decades, it still consists primarily of qualitative descriptions of college sectors in different countries. Quantitative studies of differences in the activity mix of colleges in different countries could improve knowledge of international variation in the roles of colleges and provide a stronger foundation for study of the sources and consequences of variation in college roles. After reviewing different methodological frameworks for comparative analysis of college activity, the research reported here employs one of these frameworks to analyse differences in the activity mix of colleges in five countries. In addition to finding some noteworthy differences among the five countries, the paper also identified several problems of comparability of college data from different countries. The paper concludes that the development of internationally comparable data on colleges would require leadership by international organisations and agencies and is an undertaking well worth pursuing both for the benefits that it could bring to those whom colleges serve and for its contribution to the advancement of comparative study of vocational education and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asserts that empirical evidence for the effectiveness of reflective teaching is scarce and characterized by conflicting definitions and paradigms. Describes problems inherent in reflective approaches and considers why they have been so widely adopted in teacher education. (Contains 47 references.) (SK)

A competency-based approach to medical education emphasizes training over education and limits development of broader perspectives. A more learner-centered approach and a return to dialogue with the discipline of medicine and with teacher-practitioners are advisable. (Contains 30 references.) (SK)

This paper revisits the philosophical trajectory and practices in fashion education. It examines to what extent participatory action research (PAR) can contribute to the advancement of vocational education by emancipating practice-based skills and knowledge co-created by students, faculty members, and market practitioners. While the fashion market is dynamically reshaping today's fashion pedagogy by imparting new skills and abilities to students, this investigation aims to highlight the limitations of the Bauhaus tradition as a top-down approach aimed at continually producing work-ready graduates for junior positions. Drawing upon the findings yielded by our experimental project fashionthnography.com, the analyses presented in this paper elucidate to what extent PAR can meet the intended goal of equipping the students with a higher level of working capabilities and creativity, as well as greater cultural appreciation. This study contributes to the expansion of vocational education and training, as its findings indicate that we need to embrace practice-based knowledge co-creation for long-term success in both industry and academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internship as part of work-integrated learning (WIL) is a critical curriculum component in higher education to better prepare for the future workforce. To assess WIL, educators typically select authentic assessments such as reflective journals and managerial reports to solve existing workplace problems. Despite the academic discourse supporting the use of internships, a paucity of studies has investigated the role of formal assessments embedded into internship subjects. In this paper, we evaluate the perceptions of hospitality and tourism undergraduates towards the effectiveness of assessments as part of their WIL internship programme. Focus group sessions were conducted with internship university students (n = 29) in Australia over a cross-sectional longitudinal period of 3 years. Our thematic analysis revealed three key themes: authenticity of assessment design, challenges with work-study-life balance, and the level of industry involvement in assessment. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in relation to how compulsory assessment tasks can be effectively integrated into WIL internships to positively influence the experiential learning outcomes of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including post-secondary education and training, social mobility, and inequality in education.

The first part of the paper outlines and discusses the nature of work-based learning (WBL) and WBL programmes, and the overall direction of government strategy towards WBL programmes in Higher Education (HE) in England, with particular reference to postgraduate programmes, policy documents, and the WBL literature. Drawing upon case study research, the paper then presents an overview of the postgraduate WBL programmes offered by three English universities. There follows a presentation and analysis of the views of teaching staff and managers with respect to the operation of these programmes. A number of benefits were identified, including flexibility, student career development, and student's enhanced influence over the learning process and content. A number of problems were also identified, including a lack of awareness of, interest in, and resistance to the programmes on the behalf of the wider university academic community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to common indicators such as the prestige of vocational education and training (VET), enrolment rates in initial VET (IVET) programmes, or the involvement of private partners, the Swiss VET system enjoys a high standing. In this paper, we took a different approach and examined the effects of educational resources (educational degree) and personal resources (core self-evaluations, CSE) on graduates' job resources (learning opportunities, job control, social relations) and career success (career satisfaction, salary). The study included 1507 persons who were allocated to three groups: 1) IVET graduates without higher education degrees (N = 585), 2) IVET graduates with a higher education degree (N = 395), and 3) graduates from general education with a university degree (N = 527). We found that IVET graduates who did not pursue any higher education had fewer learning opportunities in their jobs and lower salaries than university graduates. The job resources and salary levels of IVET graduates with a higher education degree only differed a little from those of university graduates. Higher levels of CSE were related to more job resources, higher salaries and greater career satisfaction. The study underscores the importance of fostering employees' personal resources and providing learning opportunities to all workers independent of the level of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits the crucial period following the Arab oil boycott of 1973, when the welfare state in the UK finally collapsed along with the heavy industrial base upon which it rested. Unlike the post-war welfare-state 'settlement', the new post-welfare market state was imposed by Margaret Thatcher's governments. It was marked for vocational education and training by the 1988 Education Reform Act and the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act. This legislation was part of what has been called 'a succession of Acts of Parliament... [that] mark the most decisive break in British social policy since the period between 1944 and 1948'. The paper revises and refines previous accounts to suggest that this outcome was not inevitable, nor is it sustainable, and that it is best comprehended as a new type of state formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Academic Plans in Sociocultural Context as a framework, this study examined university personnel's perspectives of the Bachelor of Applied Science degrees. Through quantitative techniques, the findings from this study show university faculty and administrators associated with liberal arts education view Bachelor of Applied Science degrees differently than those associated with specialisation majors. It was also found that workforce demand was a strong predictor of university personnel's support in the offering of a Bachelor of Applied Science. In addition, results suggest university personnel background characteristics, such as academic position and the type of courses taught, were associated with their support of the offering of a Bachelor of Applied Science. The findings of this study are informative to academic leaders, faculty, administrations, and policymakers who are interested in the development or revision of Bachelor of Applied science degrees at 4-year institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College and university remain the dominant academic pathways for graduating Canadian high school students. However, apprenticeships can provide alternative education pathways for a significant proportion of the population. Despite the push to undergraduate programming, some students end up in fields that don't suit their interests. To pursue academic programming that better suits personal interests and academic aptitudes, students have the option of transferring schools. However, no study to-date has explored the transfer reasons and process of students moving between university and apprenticeships in Canada. To address this knowledge gap, we collected qualitative interview data from post-secondary administrators who work directly with transfer students. We also collected interview data from Ontario-based students who transferred to apprenticeships from university. Analysis of our interview data identifies mechanisms that influenced participants' education pathway choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring teacher effectiveness within higher education contexts continues to shape institutional policy discourse and practice. However, there is limited research exploring how assessment practices correspond with teachers' and students' perceptions of teacher effectiveness, particularly in vocational higher education settings. Acknowledging the complexities of assessing vocational competence and the dearth of literature exploring teacher and student views on vocational assessment practices, this study interrogates the perceptions of 13 teachers and 15 students from five Indonesian vocational higher education institutions to better understand what constitutes fair assessment as an aspect of effective teaching. This study examines how teachers and students are positioned within the assessment process and the existing opportunities to make decisions regarding assessment design and processes. It shows (i) discrepancies in teachers' and students' perceptions of student positionality within assessment processes; (ii) blurry lines between ideas of 'assessment contract' and 'assessment practice'; and (iii) contested views on student learning processes and attitudes as attributes of vocational competence. The study illuminates the tensions between students' and teachers' positionality within assessment practices, highlighting the need for increased student participation while maintaining teachers' desire to make assessment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uptake of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has been substantial and they continue to flourish as an educational delivery model. Much of the available literature regarding student retention and completions in MOOCs comes from university-designed courses. The Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector has lagged behind its university counterparts as VET pedagogy relies heavily on skills acquisition and does not lend itself as easily to MOOC delivery. This paper analysed the attributes of 366,099 enrolled learners and 132,867 learners that were designated as ‘starters’ from 263 Australian universities, 27 transnational universities and 73 VET MOOCs to compare the differences in learning environments and to build a VET MOOC learner profile. The findings indicated that higher levels of VET MOOC learners were retained when compared to university MOOCs. It also revealed eight course design factors that may contribute to increased learner retention and completions for VET MOOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, the delivery of vocational education and training is being challenged by increasing skills shortages in certain industries and/or rapidly changing skill requirements. To respond to this challenge, rigid and centralised state bureaucracies are increasingly adopting partnerships between schools and industry as a strategy to encourage school-to-work transition programmes to address the local labour market demand. Drawing on experiences in Australia, this paper reports on a case study of government-led partnerships between schools and industry. The Queensland Gateway to industry schools initiative currently involves over 120 schools. The study investigated how two commonly used partnership principles were understood by the Gateway to industry partners. Twelve school–industry partnerships from four industry sectors were analysed in terms of the principles of ‘efficiency’ and ‘effectiveness’ derived from the public–private partnership literature. The study found that some evidence of partnership activities associated with efficiency and effectiveness may be assigned to Gateway schools projects. However, little evidence was found that the above underlying principles were addressed systematically. Some of these partnerships were tenuously facilitated by individuals who had limited infrastructure or strategic support. Implications are that industry–school partnership stakeholders would benefit from applying partnership principles regarding implementation and management to ensure the sustainability of partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper is based on research undertaken on the supervised practice of an undergraduate programme of study which leads to both BA (Hons) degree and a professional qualification in youth work in a university in England. Youth work, for those unfamiliar with it, is a form of informal and experiential educational practice with young people often located in community settings. The purpose of youth work is to help young people learn about themselves, others and society through the use of educational activities which combine enjoyment, challenge and learning. Importantly, however, the findings of this paper we would argue are directly transferable to a variety of practice-based educational and vocational settings where students need to reflect on, analyse and either assess their own practice or have their practice assessed by others. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The intentions with which hands-on simulations are used in vocational education are not always clear. Also, pedagogical-didactic approaches in hands-on simulations are not well conceptualised from a learning theory perspective. This makes it difficult to pinpoint the added value that hands-on simulations can have in an innovative vocational curriculum that not only aims at developing technical and procedural skills, but also at developing competencies and professional identity. This paper introduces a more explicit conceptual discussion regarding the opportunities for using hands-on simulations in innovative curricula. A systematic literature review aimed at positioning hands-on simulations in relation to other work-related contexts, based on their learning environment characteristics and outcomes, shows that certain constructivist characteristics and outcomes are underexposed in empirical research about simulations. The results of an additional in-depth analysis of literature specifically focusing on two fundamental characteristics of constructive vocational learning (i.e. authenticity and increasing students’ ownership) propose ideas about how hands-on simulations can have added value to innovative curricula. This paper concludes with concrete strategies for designing and implementing hands-on simulations from the social constructive learning theory with the aim of stimulating not only technical and procedural skills, but also competencies and professional identity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Netherlands has a binary higher education system in which academic education and higher professional education at EQF levels 5–8 co-exist. There is also secondary vocational education at EQF levels 1 up to 4. In this paper, I analyse policy documents resulting from the Bologna Process and argue that under neo-liberal conditions, higher professional education brings opportunities for both students and employers, but also creates a socio-economic tension in terms of employability. The gap between higher professional education and secondary vocational education adds to the formation of a labour market in which higher professional education graduates are prepared to an international labour market but employability pressure is being put on lower skilled employees, creating unequal employability opportunities for vocational education graduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Just Transition (JT) can be understood as a combinational strategic concept (transition to net zero combined with climate justice) to support the transitioning to a more sustainable, socially just and peaceful world. While the JT is becoming increasingly prevalent in terms of policy development, both nationally and internationally, a major challenge is practical implementation at different levels of societal life. This article is intended as a conceptual think piece to explore the potential role of further and higher education (FHE) in England as a mediating force between national policy and the local and regional economic and skills terrains in support of the JT. The roles of learning and skills actors are explored via a three-stage methodology involving the synthesis of several groups of literatures. The first concerns a brief discussion of the JT, its definitions and its differing versions used by a range of social partners. The second focuses on the building of a theoretical framework – a 'Just Transition Social Ecosystem' - with particular emphasis on its intermediary levels. The third step sees the multi-level JT social ecosystem framework applied to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and FHE to explore the different dimensions of sectoral and institutional mediation between individuals, communities and national systems in support of the JT. The final part of the article problematises the role of the vertically organised governmental state in the development of the JT Social Ecosystem Model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a concern to re-negotiate the relationships been individual professionals working with the same people. So, for example, healthcare staff are expected to coordinate their activities and ‘work together’. The end point is a collaborating together as a team of professionals often located in the same place. This demand for inter-professional working (IPW) has seen the rise of higher education programmes of study in IPW, now deemed an essential part of undergraduate education for these professional groups. The rationale is laudable, IPW ought to enhance the experience of the client and ultimately improve their outcomes. The two questions I want to raise in this paper are as follows: is inter-professional education (IPE) possible in the sense of an education that seeks to enable IPW, and if it is what form should it take. In pursuing these questions, I seek parallels with MacIntyre’s (1987) ‘idea of an educated public’. In doing so, I argue for an account of IPE and working premised on the development of a limited ‘educated public’ of healthcare professionals. I conclude with a limited specification of what this means in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Drawing upon a case-study of the students and teaching staff of an Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education (AVCE) in Travel and Tourism, this paper examines the effects of the institutional habitus of a Further and Higher Education (FHE) college upon the higher education choices of a group of ethnically-mixed, working-class young people. The study focuses upon two of the three aspects of the institutional habitus: the expressive order (teacher-student relations) and educational status (curriculum offerings and reputation). Evidence indicated that both aspects exerted a distinct 'college-effect' upon the students' decision-making. Among staff, however, there was a strong degree of ambivalence regarding the effects of supportive teacher-student relations on the students' educational development and choice-making. This ambivalence relates, in turn, to staff perceptions of distinct FE and H.E teaching and learning cultures within the College - or, in effect, a belief that there is not one institutional habitus but two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the current assumptions behind vocational training for graduate teaching assistants at a large, urban, research-led UK university. Through qualitative evaluation it reflects on the perceptions of participants on a graduate teaching assistant 'learning and teaching module' in terms of an interpretation of their views on pedagogic practice. These reflections suggest that three of the assumptions upon which GTA training has been, and still is, predicated view the process in a relatively simplistic manner. The paper suggests that the pedagogic socialization process has been inaccurately homogenized as a postgraduate issue, ignoring the possibility that relatively sophisticated perceptions of good teaching practice are already firmly in place when a graduate enters a doctoral programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crucial quarter century is from 1945 to the designation of the polytechnics at the end of the 1960s. Technology after the Second World War was 'in the news', and recommendations for higher technological education in and outside the universities came from individuals, organisations, governments and reports in the 1950s. A White Paper on technical education in 1956 further promoted 'advanced work' in technical colleges, and the Colleges of Advanced Technology (CATs) and a National Council for Technological Awards (NCTA) were created. A major feature of these developments (and later of the polytechnics) was the expansion of sandwich courses. The CATs became universities following the Robbins Report of 1963 and the NCTA was replaced by the Council for National Academic Awards. This paper addresses these and other developments and traditions and the controversies surrounding them. It underlines the relative absence of research on higher technological curricula in universities and other higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A striking number of young people in Germany with the Abitur – the qualification required for entry to higher education – do not, in fact, go on to university immediately after leaving school but opt first to do an apprenticeship. This phenomenon, where general and vocational curricula are taught independently and separately, is known as the ‘additive double qualification pathway’ and represents an extreme type of hybrid qualification. This paper considers a range of individual influences in an attempt to obtain a holistic view of the possible motives of those who opt for this pathway. The study focuses on apprentices with the Abitur who were surveyed as they were about to complete their vocational training and were on the point of moving on to a university or university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule). The research investigates four very different training occupations with relatively high proportions of Abitur holders: industrial clerk; bank clerk; optician; and motor vehicle mechatronics technician. It is a large-scale quantitative research study (n = 1234). The range of possible motives is hypothesised, systematically operationalised and finally tested empirically. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An apprenticeship in media production in England is at the centre of this case study exploration. The context is exemplified by the organisation of the process of production around project teams and the development of project-based working cultures. Given these developments, the working conditions and learning opportunities presented to apprentices can be characterised as de-centred and distributed. This contrasts with the characterisation of apprentices’ learning as novices who develop expertise in stable, well-bounded vocational communities. Through an analysis of young apprentices’ journeys, we argue that despite the challenges presented, the case study exemplifies the extent to which the apprenticeship is capable of innovation in project working as opposed to full employment conditions. Through its focus on media apprentices’ journeys, this paper makes visible the specific experience of learning in project working, distributed and de-centred working conditions. We conclude by referring to an ideal typical conception of the model of learning underpinning the apprenticeship which may be useful as an heuristic tool for others involved in designing and/or researching apprenticeships in project working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many advanced market democracies pursue social justice by bundling together a range of programmes represented as active social policy. Northern European exemplars sanction employment as an economic and social citizen’s civic obligation, promote lifelong learning and place welfare payments as a last resort. In the United States, market-based post-school education financed by guaranteed student loans was developed as a policy alternative. Australian politicians have embraced elements of both, resulting in a massive reduction in public delivery of vocational education and training in favour of multimillion dollar, stock exchange-listed private providers. The resultant amalgam of active labour market policy and free market principles positions standard setting as a regulatory mechanism and in support of cross-jurisdictional market operations. This paper explores the interaction between active policy and demands of the market while speaking to wider issues that arise when a government first creates and then intervenes in markets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Successive governments have pledged to enhance the quality of apprenticeship in Britain so as to achieve ‘parity of esteem’ with academic study. Yet, at the same time, the discourse of the academic-vocational divide has dominated the academic, policy-maker and practitioner debates. This paper draws on two recent studies designed to explore the learner identities of apprentices on different apprenticeship programmes: motor vehicle maintenance (level 2) and engineering (level 3). Through this work, we are able to explore the role of the academic–vocational divide in identity construction and to challenge assumptions about vocational learners. It will be argued, that, far from being ‘naturally practical’, the young people draw on normative discursive categories in their construction of continuous identities. The findings raise important questions about the UK apprenticeship system as currently conceived, while at the same time drawing attention to the possibility for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, social background has a strong influence on school performance in the general educational system. Children from lower social classes have fewer opportunities to gain higher school leaving certificates. In this paper, we ask the question if social selectivity is also present in the German system of vocational education and training. Based on the data-set of the German Transition Study of the Federal Institute of Vocational Education and Training, we analyse the transition from school to vocational education and training, including also the transition to higher education. We show that the successful placement in full vocational qualification programmes leading to a recognised occupation depends strongly on the general school-leaving certificate. As regards the direct influence of social background, there is some evidence for fewer chances for young people from lower social classes but only for non-holders of a higher education entrance qualification (HEEQ). Young people from lower social classes holding a HEEQ more often choose initial vocational training instead of a higher education degree. Our results show that the strong social selectivity of the German general educational system is perpetuated in the German system of vocational education and training and determines long-run career perspectives. Therefore, a policy for reduction of social selectivity in Germany has to target the teaching in the schools of general education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As a consequence of the large-scale assessment studies (TIMMS; PISA) in compulsory schooling, attention is now being given to the modelling and measurement of competencies in initial vocational education and training. This new output-led perspective of teaching/training and learning/working processes demands new approaches to research. Using the concept of the curriculum–instruction–assessment triad this paper argues that competencies in the fields of business and commerce education can be determined and compared internationally via a large-scale assessment. Empirical results are presented that demonstrate the possibilities of running such an international study in VET. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The credential landscape of vocational and higher education in the UK has expanded in recent years, alongside a rise in the number of students undertaking qualifications and a steady increase in tuition fees. The transition from an apprenticeship to higher education is one example of the progression from vocational to higher education. However, the ways in which this pathway is navigated according to the students who have followed this route have received little attention. This paper focuses on the examples of four students in England who each progressed to higher education with different qualifications. Drawing on Archer’s concept of reflexivity, the analysis revealed three important factors for negotiating transition. These were firstly the credential landscape itself, secondly how their employer perceived higher education qualifications and thirdly how higher education institutions perceived vocational qualifications. The findings illustrate how students confronted and overcame the various constraints and barriers in order to pursue higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper investigates early employment influences on postsecondary expectations and enrolment for working men and women who have recently completed high school in the United States. We find that young workers still have very high expectations for postsecondary education, but that women are more likely to enrol. However, this difference is primarily due to high rates of female enrolment in less-than-four-year institutions. Job training from one’s employer predicts higher odds of future postsecondary enrolment, but this relationship appears only for men. Recommendations are given for assisting young workers in realising postsecondary expectations and advancing social mobility, as well as how gender must be considered in these efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Student internships are widely seen as a valuable part of education provision and there is a growing body of research into internship programmes from student, employer and educator perspectives. This paper explores the experiences of a group of information technology interns employed in a small organisation involved in health care business intelligence. Taking an ethnographic approach and drawing from a range of data sources including participant observation and qualitative interviewing, this study explores the legitimate peripheral participation of a small group of interns working in a single organisation. The internship programme is shown to be of benefit to the organisation, the occupation and the interns themselves. The participating students clearly benefited from being able to learn from and with experienced practitioners, including their supervisors, colleagues and each other in an authentic workplace setting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is assumed in the current policy environment that higher education should lead to graduate employability, although understandings of employability are generally limited. In this paper, we discuss issues relating to graduate employability with reference to a case study of an information technology (IT) student progressing to a graduate role in the IT industry. Our analysis uses Bourdieu’s ‘thinking tools’, habitus, field and capital, to discuss the importance to graduate employability of individual positions and dispositions, workplace culture and organisation, and the social contacts developed as part of undergraduate life. We argue that employability needs to be understood in relational terms. In particular, the value of skills and knowledge depends on the work and workplace to which a graduate progresses. Similarly, employable graduates need a ‘feel for the game’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Shifts in UK social and economic policy have focused on education and care in the Early Years as key to improving social inclusion, skills acquisition and longer term social and economic prosperity. The implications for practitioners in the sector have been significant as roles, functions and foci have been renegotiated through the processes of professionalising the workforce. Drawing on the outcomes of a qualitative study of the career trajectories and aspirations of Early Years educators working in the private, voluntary and independent sector, this paper explores the processes of professionalisation as they collide with the lived experiences of practitioners at the chalk face. The project, funded by the Lifelong Learning Network, aimed to achieve understanding of the influence on career development decision making, particularly in relation to progression to higher education. Our findings suggest that many practitioners fall into the category of ‘non-traditional learners’ and that socio-cultural issues may be key factors in determining decision-making about career development. By bearing witness to the lived experience of practitioners we argue that the processes of workforce development must place greater emphasis on the contestable nature of professionalism and the plurality of professional identity and that Universities are key to achieving this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dearing Report advocated that the traditionally separate post-compulsory education sectors of English higher education (HE) and further education (FE) should bring together the academic and vocational in a working partnership. This has led to significant changes in the working practices of colleges, lecturers and support staff. Drawing on the experiences of a sample of HE lecturers in colleges in south west England and a synthesis of relevant literature, this paper begins to examine the practice styles of HE lecturers working in FE institutions and the opportunities they are presented to engage with scholarship. The research acknowledges the issues involved in positioning HE in FE by considering the traditional roles of FE and HE lecturers, the competing demands of HE and FE and the necessary re-conceptualisation of the HE in FE lecturer as a teacher, a researcher and a scholar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the practice of professional development within the vocational education and training (VET) arena. The study objective was to explore appropriate education qualifications for Australian VET practitioners in the tourism and hospitality sector required for effective teaching practice. The study was conducted utilising qualitative research techniques. The investigation concentrated on a case-study context of VET practitioners currently working within a department of tourism and hospitality at a number of Australian VET registered training organisations. Interviews were conducted with 10 front-line teaching practitioners and four management heads of department. Results of the study indicated that a career VET practitioner should demonstrate a commitment to professionalism by completing a higher education qualification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the features of foundation degrees (FDs) is the incorporation of work-based learning (WBL) into the curriculum. WBL is seen as an important part of vocational programmes and is described by Foundation Degrees Forward (FDF) as a potentially radical approach to connecting work with learning. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), in its benchmark for FDs, stated that WBL is an integral part of FDs that enables learners to take appropriate roles in the workplace in order to learn and apply skills they have learned on the programme. This paper presents findings of a large evaluation study of the development and delivery of FDs at Kingston University in south-west London, UK. As part of this evaluation data were sought from FD course directors and from students about WBL in their particular programmes. Findings from the evaluation showed variation in course directors' and students' understanding of WBL with emphasis on 'work-based' and little emphasis on 'learning'. As a result, a variety of diverse models of WBL are being used. The findings from this evaluative study are compared with the literature on models and definitions of WBL, as well as the literature on how students on vocational programmes learn. Conclusions are drawn about the use of WBL in vocationally-orientated programmes, the consequences of mixed understandings and interpretations of WBL, and a pedagogy of WBL is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of learning transfer within the paradigm of cognitive psychology suggest that transfer of learning from one task to another occurs rarely. Within a situated learning paradigm the idea of learning transfer can become even more problematic. Courses of initial teacher education comprise school‐based and higher education institution (HEI)‐based components. Within a situated learning paradigm it is not clear how easily learning that takes place in the HEI transfers to enhance performance in the school setting. Given the problems of learning transfer and the strengths of situated learning approaches, does the HEI‐based component play any role in developing performance in the school? This paper considers the role of the HEI‐based component of Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) courses in developing the classroom practice of students, the conditions that assist in the transfer of situated learning and some of the implications of these for the design and practices of PGCE courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how a virtual case that prepares students for practical scenario training affects police students' performance in a practical scenario training. This study included 69 Swedish police students at the Basic Training Programme for Police Officers – 35 assigned to a virtual police case (VCASE) and 34 assigned to a conventional teacher-led (CON) lesson. A questionnaire captured how students experience training conditions and a blind assessment by police officers evaluated the students' performance in the practical scenario training. The results show that both the VCASE and CON participants thought that the training they received before the practical training was meaningful and motivating. However, to a significantly higher degree than the CON students, the VCASE students thought that their preparation helped them during the practical training. The expert assessment of one practical scenario (stopping a suspected stolen car) showed that the VCASE participants performed better than the CON participants in three out of five criteria. In conclusion, the VCASE and the CON training had different effects on the students' performance in the practical scenario: compared to the CON training, the VCASE training seemed to more effectively help the police students solve the situations presented in the practical scenario training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores school-to-work transitions in Germany, aiming to achieve a richer understanding of the complexity of labour market entry trajectories while focusing on transition measures. The term transition measures refers to additional training courses that complement the regular vocational education and training system of firm-based or school-based qualification routes. The contribution of supplementary training measures to the school-to-work transitions of young adults is a controversial issue. While programmes aim to ease the transitions of low-skilled youth in the training and labour market, critics point to the risks of long-term subsidised careers or fragmented employment trajectories in subsequent years. By applying sequence analysis to administrative data of the Federal Employment Agency, individual trajectories of a cohort of school leavers with an at-most intermediate school-leaving certificate are analysed for the period 2008 to 2014. The results show a complex picture of ten distinct school-to-work transition patterns. Youth passing through transition measures tend to experience a less continuous but still purposeful transition pathway. We also identify a small number of youth experiencing at-risk trajectories characterised by a highly discontinuous transition process, which points to sustained detachment from the training and labour markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boundaries between vocational and academic post compulsory education have been blurred by students combining vocational and academic studies and by students transferring increasingly between the two types of education. Institutions are also blurring the boundaries between the sectors by increasingly offering programs from two and sometimes three sectors. In contrast, teachers seem more entrenched than ever in their own sector. This article reports a project on the preparation of Australian teachers of vocational education. It examines the prospect of integrating the preparation of teachers in post compulsory education to teach in schools, vocational education institutions and higher education institutions. It argues that greater differentiation between different types of vocational teachers and vocational teacher preparation can support the development of a continuum along which it would be possible to establish points of commonality with the preparation of school and higher education teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review focuses on the relationship between theoretical knowledge and professional practice within pharmacy education. The discussion takes two different approaches to examine the selected literature. The first approach is concerned with how curriculum changes may potentially contribute to the improvement of professional practice. This includes a consideration of curriculum issues such as placement based learning, problem based learning and interprofessional education. The second approach investigates how an awareness and knowledge of pharmacy 'culture' can potentially impact on pharmacy education. This area of the discussion considers the use of a Habermasian philosophical framework, the relationship between knowledge and professionalism and the school of pharmacy as a community of practice. The review implies that there needs to be the development of a closer interest in the underlying issues that shape our philosophy of pharmacy education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canada ranks first by a substantial margin among OECD member countries in the proportion of the adult population whose highest level of educational attainment is the completion of a programme of short-cycle tertiary education. Short-cycle tertiary education (SCTE) refers to the types of programmes typically offered by community colleges and similar educational institutions, of at least two years duration, and predominantly vocationally oriented. This article argues that Canada's outlier status in SCTE attainment is largely due to its heavy reliance on community colleges rather than secondary schools, industry-based VET, or universities of applied sciences for workforce preparation. The article provides some data on the relative extent of use of these different vehicles for workplace preparation in Canada and some other countries, and it explores some of the implications of Canada's reliance on community colleges for vocational education and training. Although the focus the article is on Canada, it raises general questions about international differences in workforce preparation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the transition from vocational worker to vocational teacher in a Norwegian higher institution. Specifically, the vocational worker identity is examined to obtain a deeper knowledge of how trainee teachers describe the transition from vocational worker to vocational teacher. Previous research has highlighted the challenges of this transition and pointed out the struggle to align the vocational work-based identity with the teacher identity. Relatively little attention, however, has been paid to the aspect of detachment in the process of transition from a vocational worker role to the role of teacher of a vocational subject. Through the analysis of focus group interviews with Norwegian trainee teachers, feelings of loss and 'letting something go' expressed by the trainee teachers reveal an important dimension in characterising the aspect of detachment in a transition. This analysis highlights the importance of exploring the vocational identity and the influence of the prior vocation in the transition to vocational teacher and the important role of teacher education in assisting trainee teachers of vocational subjects to successfully navigate this transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, the relatively low standing of vocational education and the occupations it serves is of growing concern. This standing is held to contribute to an increased number of young people preferring to engage in higher education and to look past vocational education as a potential post-school pathway. Consequently, there are skill shortages in some occupations, as young people who might be suited to them are now completing university degrees instead, including those with no clear alignment with occupations or employment outcomes. To redress this imbalance, it is necessary to identify factors shaping young people's decision-making about post-school pathways and preferred occupations. The findings of a project investigating these factors and how they might be addressed are presented and discussed here. Central are interactions with familiars, including parents, teachers and peers. However, the degree by which interactions are informed, engaged and influential differed. Teachers may need to be impartial and students' deliberations about post-school pathways more widely informed. Strategies to achieve these outcomes were evaluated by informants, leading to suggestions for policy initiatives. These included government's role in championing vocational education and how schools might more effectively inform and support students' decision-making about post-school pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]