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This paper identifies and outlines, briefly, a number of major contemporary issues in vocational education and training (VET), suggests goals that might be set in addressing the issues and discusses approaches that might be taken in achieving the goals. Some of the contemporary issues appear to be long-standing ones, while others appear to have a number of origins including such seemingly rival sources as macro- and micro-economic changes and global, cultural and environmental challenges. The nature of the issues is discussed. In fashioning possible responses to such issues and challenges, such possible goals as the following are examined: relating education to economic change, achieving humanist ideals through education and achieving a better society through socially critical goals. The paper argues for a convergence amongst such goals and the imperatives that underlie them. An approach to achieving such convergence is suggested as a basis for fashioning more desirable directions for VET. This approach is compared with that of John Dewey.