Provides state-of-art materials relating to the management and organization of public vocational education and training (VET) systems and suggests a framework for developing the management competence of senior VET administrators encouraging them to review critically their administrative practices in order to move towards professional excellence. Covers management, organizational structure, target setting, planning, financing, and training administration.

An OECD study of vocational education and training designed to help countries make their systems more responsive to labour market needs. It expands the evidence base, identifies a set of policy options and develops tools to appraise VET policy initiatives.

The EUROTECNET program was implemented to develop and improve vocational training policies and systems to meet the challenges of change in the economic and social situation through the development of innovative responses and actions. Each Member State of the European Community was asked to identify one issue of strategic and critical importance to the vocational training system that would benefit from a focused examination and debate at a national and European level. As a result, a series of conferences was launched in all 12 Member States. Each dealt with a different theme of critical importance for vocational training systems that was likely to benefit from innovative solutions. The discussions focused on the following topics: the learning organization and reinforcement of quality assurance; role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); identification of individual competencies; a continuum of lifelong learning; involvement of social partners in the strategy for vocational education; and radical change in companies' in-house training. The following conclusions were reached: training was a part of a comprehensive approach to change; the greatest challenge was unemployment; change was posing new challenges for companies; innovation was needed; a new focus on the individual was crucial; employees should have core competencies; SMEs must invest in training; and the concept of partnership between industry and the vocational education and training systems must be applied more broadly. The biggest challenge was the acquisition of the new competencies for general workers. (YLB)