Severe economic depression and the difficulty to acquire employment with adequate income have significant impact on a nation’s social welfare. The need to provide ample educational opportunities is more imperative than ever, particularly in emerging economies. Technical Education and Vocational Training in Developing Nations is a comprehensive reference source for the latest literature on optimizing the implementation of curriculum development and instructional design strategies for technical and vocational education. Featuring innovative coverage across a range of relevant topics, such as curriculum deficiency, teacher competencies, and accessible learning, this book is ideally designed for policy makers, academicians, researchers, advanced-level students, technology developers, and educators interested in the improvement of professional learning programs.

Rapid changes in the workplace, including progress in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, make the contribution of career and technical education more significant than ever. In the fifth edition of his foundational text, Dr. Gordon is joined by new coauthor Deanna Schultz. Continued focus on the history, philosophy, structure, and evolution of career and technical education highlights in-depth coverage on emerging trends relevant to all areas of the field. The pedagogical structure of the text presents abundant information in an accessible format. The authors’ introduction to the origins of and early leadership in CTE lays the groundwork for later discussions of representation of women and underrepresented minorities in the discipline, as well as the implications of a multigenerational workforce and global community on the way educational programs are designed for career readiness. In addition to comprehensive updates, this edition features a section exploring work-based learning, information on current legislation, and a new chapter on community and technical colleges.

Empowerment is the overarching idea used in this book. The term has a variety of meanings in different sociocultural and political contexts, including “self-strength, control, self-power, self-reliance, own choice, life of dignity in accordance with one’s values, capable of fighting for one’s rights, independence, own decision making, being free, awakening, and capability” (The World Bank, 2002, p. 10). However, the World Bank report observed that most definitions focus on issues of “gaining power and control over decisions and resources that determine the quality of one’s life” (p. 10). This interpretation of empowerment provides a useful starting point for the development of the series of interconnected arguments explored here. Establishment of the basis for understanding, identifying and developing strategies through education necessary for individuals to be able to make choices that inf- ence the quality of their lives is the main aim of this book. There are a number of assumptions and boundaries that frame this analysis. First, the book focuses on “agents”; however, empowerment is often conceptualised in terms of relationships between agency and structure (e. g. , Alsop, Bertelsen, & H- land, 2006). Agency could be defined as “an actor’s or group’s ability to make purposeful choices – that is, the actor is able to envisage and purposively choose options” (p. 11).

Textbook on principles of curriculum development in technical education and vocational education - discusses curriculum planning and content with respect to decision making, assessment of the current educational system, labour supply and labour demand, goal-setting, etc., and identifies methods of implementation regarding the selection of teaching and training materials, modular training and evaluation techniques. Bibliography after each chapter, diagrams, questionnaires and statistical tables.

Gordon is the first author to provide a relevant, up-to-date synthesis of the history, philosophy, legislation, and organizational/curricular structure of career and technical education. His text offers a detailed and well-documented road map of CTE, from its foundation all the way to its present status. Career and technical educators will find the comprehensive background and research they need on such topics as gender, ethnicity, and special-needs populations as well as the impact of the aging workforce. This well-researched new edition examines the current issues that shape the role of career and technical education in the global economy of the technology-driven twenty-first century. Among the timely topics examined in this well-researched, revised edition are: The roots of CTE in America and an overview of influential leaders in CTE curriculum development. The impact of land-grant institutions on the professional growth of CTE, important factors influencing CTE development, and the evolution and implications of federal CTE legislation. The latest research involving CTE teachers and instructional programs, career and technical student organizations, and the effectiveness of School-to-Work. A new chapter on twenty-first-century issues and trends impacting the future of CTE.