« Understanding todays' Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems requires a comprehension of the rise and development, i.e. of the foundations of topical VET. This book is one of the first publications providing a comparative view of this development in Europe. Apart from older roots, the evolution of VET systems are one trigger of the modernization of economy, society and education itself. The 28 contributions, including countries like Austria, Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland of renowned authors and experts in this field are organized in three sections: Concepts which are discussing theoretical approaches towards this phenomenon. Cases which stress specific developments of VET in a certain country or region and Challenges which are contextualizing the historical perspective in a topical policy context. »--

Recoge: 1. What is European about vocational education and training in Europe?

Vocational Education in the Nordic Countries: Learning from Diversity is the second of two books that disseminates new and systematic knowledge on the strengths and weaknesses of the different models of vocational education and training (VET) in four Nordic countries. Vocational education in Europe has resisted standardisation to a higher degree than other fields of education, and during the last decade, there has been a growth in international, comparative VET research. While the Nordic countries provide an ideal case for comparative education studies, the literature in English on the Nordic VET systems is at present very limited. This book provides thorough examinations of VET in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Each section examines the current challenges for VET, compares how these challenges are managed, and explores recent reforms and institutional innovations. Contributors also analyse institutions and policies at the national level and include comparative studies of two occupations at the micro-level in the four countries. The book explores what can be learned from the diversity of the VET systems in the Nordic countries, which otherwise have many similarities and share a common heritage in education policy. This volume will help strengthen the knowledge base required for transnational policy learning, and for developing vocational education internationally for the future. As a result, the book will be of interest to researchers, academics and postgraduate students involved in the study of vocational education, educational studies and educational policy, as well as policy makers.

Recoge: 1. General political context - 2. Current political developments - 3. Institutional framework - 4. Initial vocational training - 5. Continuing vocational education and training - 6. Training of VET teachers and trainers - 7. Skills and competence development - 8. Validation of learning - 9. Guidance and counselling - 10. Financing vocational training - 11. European and international dimension.

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.

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.