Across the globe, vocational education and training is characterised by a number of over-arching trends, including the increasing use of technology, the growing importance of information and communications systems, and changes to national demographics. At the interface between the education and training system and the world of work, VET faces the challenge of tackling these changes, of making a constructive contribution to solving the problems posed by the transition from education to employment, and of ensuring that the next generation has the skills it – and the economy – needs. This volume comprises thirty individual contributions that together add up to a comprehensive overview of the current situation in vocational education and training, its strengths and weaknesses, and its prospects. VET experts from Canada, the USA, India, China, Japan and Korea, as well as from a number of European countries, focus on their national context and how it fits in to the bigger picture. The contributions combine theoretical discussions from various strands of VET research with evidence from country case studies and examples from current practice.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) has been the focus of change for some years. Many nations have developed VET systems with long-term strategies that benefit their economies, including co-ordinating economic, industrial and VET policies and achieving consensus among major stakeholders in the system. Changing Vocational Education and Training focuses on how the principles of stakeholding, consensus, participation and democracy can be applied to policy formulation and implementation. Case studies, presented and discussed by experts from eight nations, provide sound examples of practical strategies which have been successfully implemented. Changing Vocational Education and Training is a timely collection of the latest theory, research and practice in VET policy. It is essential reading for policy-makers, practitioners and academics.

This handbook brings together and promotes research on the area of vocational education and training (VET). It analyzes current and future economic and labor market trends and relates these to likely implications for vocational education and training. It questions how VET engages with the growing power of human development approaches and with the sustainable development agenda. Equity and inclusion are discussed in a range of ways by the authors and the consideration of the construction of these terms is an important element of the handbook. It further addresses both the overall notion of system reform, at different scales, and what is known about particular technologies of systems reform across a variety of settings. Vocational learning and VET teacher/trainer education are discussed from a comparative perspective. National and comparative experiences are also shared on questions of equity and efficiency in funding in terms of those that fund and are funded, and for a range of funding methodologies. As well as reviewing existing gaps, this handbook is looking forward in identifying promising new directions in research and environment. Areas covered: The Changing World of Work | Editors: Margarita Pavlova and Salim Akoojee Skills for Sustainable Human Development | Editor: Lesley Powell Planning and Reforming Skills Systems | Editor: Robert Palmer Private Training Markets | Editors: Michael Gessler, Larissa Freund and Susanne Peters Vocational Learning | Editors: Karen Evans and Natasha Kersh Competence and Excellence | Editor: Kirby Barrick Measuring Learning and Instructional Performance | Editor: Esther Winther Supporting Learners | Editor: Joy Papier VET Teacher/Trainer Education | Editor: Volker Wedekind

This six-volume handbook covers the latest practice in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). It presents TVET models from all over the world, reflections on the best and most innovative practice, and dozens of telling case studies. The handbook presents the work of established as well as the most promising young researchers and features unrivalled coverage of developments in research, policy and practice in TVET.

This edited book addresses a range of aspects of internationalization in vocational education and training (VET) in different countries. It considers the impact of internationalization and student mobility on VET at the sectoral, institutional and individual levels as the sector emerges as a key tool for social and structural change in developing nations and as a flexible and entrepreneurial means of growth in developed nations. The book explores not only the effects of the neo-liberal market principle underpinning VET practices and reforms, but importantly considers internationalization as a powerful force for change in vocational education and training. As the first volume in the world that examines internationalization practices in VET, the book provides VET and international education policymakers, practitioners, researchers and educators with both conceptual knowledge and practical insights into the implementation of internationalization in VET.

This book analyses systemic innovation in education by looking at the ways in which educational systems encourage innovation, the knowledge base and processes used, and the procedures and criteria used to assess progress and evaluate outcomes.

The increasing digitalization of work is associated with accelerated structural changes. This book focuses on the diverse demands placed on teachers, learners, and educational institutions in vocational education and training and provides up-to-date results on learning in the digital age.