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This report examines the Continuum between education, training and work from a bottom-up perspective. It is based on the presentation and analysis of five projects by members of the Swiss Network for Education and International Cooperation (RECI). The report starts with a brief introduction of the notion of Continuum, with a focus on the discontinuities that currently exist between its constituent entities: education, training and decent work. Existing discontinuities between these three fields appear to create and reinforce exclusion and inequality for marginalized segments of the population. We argue that treating the three fields as a continuum would allow for the re-integration of people who have been excluded from the 'standard' journey between education, training and decent jobs. It then introduces and analyses five projects and draws lessons from across the five case studies.

The five projects are as follows: (1) Social inclusion of Roma through education, employment and socio-economic support in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Caritas Switzerland); (2) Education, work and peace: promising opportunities for young adults in Soacha, Colombia (Vivamos Mejor); (3) Alternative education programme for young people in Niger (Enfants du Monde with Swisscontact); (4) Job orientation training in businesses and schools in Romania (Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH), Department of International Projects in Education); and (5) ON-D-GO: developing the employability skills of displaced persons in Switzerland and six other European countries [Austria, Cyprus, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy and Lithuania], (Swiss Federation for Adult Learning).

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The focus of this Special Issue by NORRAG [Network for international policies and cooperation in education and training], in collaboration with the ILO, is on the discontinuities that currently exist between education, training and decent work, arguing that existing discontinuities between these three fields create and reinforce exclusions and inequalities for already marginalised groups. It is proposed that treating the three fields as a continuum would improve the inclusion of people who continue to be excluded from the 'standard' journey between education, training and work. This collection of 28 contributions from 25 countries across 5 continents offers perspectives and solutions to enhance the socio-professional inclusion of disadvantaged youth and adults. Part 1 puts education-training-work continuums in historical perspective and Part 2 reviews continuum innovations in the 1980s and 1990s. Part 3 then focuses on remediation systems for 'uneducated' youth and related un- or under-employment. Part 4 describes practices of improving the education-training-work continuums from a vocational perspective, and the promise of education-training-work continuums as a way out of crisis is the focus of Part 5. Finally, Part 6 challenges current narratives about education, training and work to give a future-oriented perspective on continuum approach and practices.

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The contents are as follows: Part 1, 'Education-training-work continuums in historical perspective: from upgrading 'traditional' apprenticeship and community training towards e-learning', contains the following chapters: Informal apprenticeships for an emerging economy / Salim Akoojee, Patrick Werquin; The modernised apprenticeship model in Senegal: development of a new paradigm / Ousmane Adama Dia; Digital services transform learning in Africa / Cyr Davodoun; Blending modern technology and traditional apprenticeships to scale technical and vocational education and training (TVET) / Terry Neal, Robert Okinda, Ibraheem Abdul, Phillip Miyoba, Francis Wambua; The relevance of gender in the (re)production of education, training and work (dis) continuities / Alba Castellsague; From vertical to horizontal knowledge transmission through intergenerational learning in Mali / Tengande Francois Niada.

Part 2, 'Looking for solutions to education, training and work discontinuities: innovations and experiments in the 1990s', contains: 100 years of vocational education and training (VET) discourses / Kenneth King; Supporting education-training-work continuum: an activity theory analysis of national qualifications frameworks / Hannah Esther Manogaran; Complementing vocational training, secondary education and youth integration in Argentina / Claudia Jacinto; Hybrid governance and innovation in education-training-work continuums through public-private partnerships / Marc van der Meer, Siria Taurelli. Part 3, 'Youth (un)employment, NEETs and education-training-work continuums: building interactions between 'under-educated/-employed targets' and remediation systems', contains: NEETs in Africa: the role of core skills and active labour market programs / Clement Kouadio Kouakou, Tieregnimin Yaya Yeo; Breaking the continuum of socio-economic inequalities in Peru / Miguel Jaramillo, Maria Balarin; How young people combine education and work: an under-explored phenomenon / Erica Smith; How the second chance school helps prevent school dropouts from becoming NEETs / Brahim Toumi.

Part 4, 'Education-training-work continuums and professional experience: the proof of the pudding is in the eating', contains: Technological innovation and training: how to avoid discontinuities / Yves Chardonnens Cook; The paradox of planning and implementation of South Africa's 2030 Human Resources for Health Strategy / Laetitia Rispel, Eric Buch; The recognition of prior learning (RPL): success factors, proven benefits and system enablers / Deb Carr; The role of career services in tertiary students' transition to employment: voices from Africa / Samuel Asare, Pauline Essah, Francis A. Gatsi, William Ohene Annoh, Richard Cliff Ekumah, Akua Ampah, Jennifer N. Udeh. Part 5, 'Education-training-work continuums as a transitional way out of crisis', contains: Digital tech, migration and learning for work: the Janus effect in times of crisis / Tim Unwin, G. Hari Harindranath, Maria Rosa Lorini; Eco-ed: pathways to sustainability / Anne Ryan; Do development initiatives in Sierra Leone contribute to (dis)connections in the education-training-work continuum? / Jamelia Harris; The significance of the education-training-work idea for managing the global crisis of youth unemployment / Crain Soudien.

Part 6, 'Education-training-work continuums in a future-oriented perspective and challenging current narratives about changing education, training and work', contains: In defence of discontinuities: strengthening the barriers between education and work / Mike Douse, Philip Uys; The evolution of credentials: a call to action to rethink the education-training-work continuum / Borhene Chakroun, James Keevy; Governance infrastructure of education-training-work continuum: some missing dots / Raymond Saner, Lichia Yiu; The education-training-work continuum for socio-economic inclusion: the case of Singapore / Johnny Sung; Searching for quality in work training programmes in vulnerable sectors: digging into the basics / Enrique Pieck; Rethinking education, training and work: time for a great re-think? / Gideon Arulmani. Show less

Vocational training versus a traditional university education. This chapter seeks to answer the question of whether 'tertiary technical education' has contributed to increasing economic and social opportunity for young people in Latin America, using three case studies from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. It examines the extent to which tertiary technical education has contributed towards democratising access to education through institutional diversification, expanded enrolment and, at least theoretically, improved access to quality employment.

The analysis shows that tertiary technical education has contributed to widening of opportunities by offering an alternative form of education to new generations of young people. Tertiary technical education is more accessible, shorter in duration, has a vocational orientation, and tends to be cheaper than a university education. However, the case studies also reveal that while a tertiary technical education diploma is an asset for young people seeking employment, it nonetheless does not have the same perceived value as a traditional university education. Available data appear to indicate that graduates of tertiary technical education earn less on average than university graduates and face several challenges in the labour market. Furthermore, the studies reveal that despite the presence of highly regarded tertiary technical education institutions in all three countries, these carry less prestige and status than universities.

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