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During the last decade, Career and Technical Education (CTE) has re-taken a prominent place in federal, state, and local education policies. The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) oversees one of the largest and most diverse CTE systems in the country. In collaboration with researchers from MDRC, Boston College, and the University of Connecticut, the Research Alliance has undertaken a multi-year study of CTE that is informing policy decisions in New York City and nationally. Findings from the study are particularly relevant to the work of the NYCDOE's Office of Student Pathways, which is overseeing a large expansion of 'career-connected learning opportunities' across New York City's high schools.

This report is one of several that will emerge from the ongoing study. It focuses on 37 CTE-Dedicated high schools, which are structured to ensure that all enrolled students participate in a CTE Program of Study from 9th through 12th grade. These programs are organized around an industry-aligned theme (e.g., construction, IT, health services, etc.) and offer a sequence of career-focused courses, work-based learning opportunities, and access to aligned college-level coursework. Our study uses an especially rigorous approach to compare the experiences and outcomes of nearly 19,000 NYC students who were assigned to a CTE-Dedicated high school between 2013 and 2016 with those of similar students who also applied to CTE programs but were assigned to another high school during the same period.

Among the key findings: (1) A majority of students assigned to CTE-Dedicated high schools completed the required number of CTE credits, and about one quarter participated in a work-based internship; (2) The CTE-Dedicated schools produced modest, but positive impacts on student engagement, including staying on track for a New York State Regents diploma. One concern about CTE generally has been the idea that requiring students to complete career-specific courses and internships might distract them from other academic requirements and impede their progress through high school. We found no evidence of this. While students in CTE-Dedicated high schools earned somewhat fewer credits in academic subjects, they earned substantially more CTE course credits - and more credits overall - than their non-CTE counterparts. Students in CTE-Dedicated high schools had higher attendance and were consistently more likely to be on track for a Regents diploma; (3) CTE students graduated from high school and enrolled in college at rates that were similar, on average, to their non-CTE counterparts; and (4) There was a great deal of variation in both programming conditions and impacts across the 37 CTE-Dedicated high schools. In general, we found that smaller, nonselective schools with a single or coherent set of career themes appear to have produced meaningful improvements in high school graduation and college enrollment rates - particularly in programs focused on occupations requiring a Bachelor's degree for entry-level jobs. In contrast, larger, more selective schools with a range of programs focused on occupations that often require limited post-secondary education had null or negative effects on graduation and college enrollment.

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Policymakers, higher education associations, blue-ribbon commissions, and researchers are calling for a greater focus on institutional accountability. Thus, the American Association of Community Colleges and the Association of Community College Trustees, in partnership with the College Board, have launched an effort to develop a Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA) for Community Colleges to ensure that the effectiveness and contributions of these colleges are properly measured. To facilitate the development of the VFA, the College Board commissioned the Community College Research Center (CCRC) to undertake a study that would identify the performance measures that states are already using for their community colleges, explore how well those measures articulate with the data demanded by [Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System] IPEDS and the regional accrediting associations, and shed light on the experiences of state higher education officials and local community college leaders with the collection and use of state performance data. CCRC researchers therefore conducted a survey of state higher education officials and local community college leaders in 10 states and also reviewed publications by state agencies and national higher education policy organizations. This report discusses the study's findings and implications.

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Previous studies have found a strong association between source-country female labour force participation rates and immigrant women's labour market activity in the host country. This association has been interpreted as the lasting influence of source-country gender role attitudes. These studies, however, do not measure gender-role attitudes directly and examine labour market activities only in terms of labour force participation in the host country. Employing data from the 2006-to-2012 Labour Force Survey and the 1994-2007 World Values Survey, this analysis includes both source-country female labour force participation rates and an explicit measure of source-country gender role attitudes to account for group differences in immigrant women's labour market outcomes in Canada across several measures. The results indicate that the effect of source-country gender role attitudes on immigrant women's labour market participation in Canada works through its relationship with source-country female labour force participation rates. Moreover, source-country female labour force participation rates are positively correlated with immigrant women's wages in Canada independent of source-country gender role attitudes. This is mostly accounted for by occupational and industry differences, as immigrant women from countries with high female labour force participation rates are more concentrated in higher-paying industries and occupations in Canada than immigrant women from countries with low levels of female labour force participation.

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This exploratory case study sought to determine the learning styles of Ontario college electrical engineering students using the Barsch Learning Style Inventory (VAK) and Kolb 3.1 learning style instruments. The findings are compared to previously conducted university studies. In addition to learning style, basic demographic data as well as Internet-based communication preferences in academic pursuits were obtained from six participants. The results indicate that this convenience sample of technical college electrical engineering students have kinesthetic and accommodator styles, which differ from their university counterparts who tend to have visual, assimilator, or converger preferences. These findings support the long standing instructional traditions found in electrical engineering community college programs where hands-on laboratory and project activities focus on application. These findings can aid college faculty in the development and delivery of engineering courses in online, blended, and distance education formats, as well as guide additional research on such programs.

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Currently, there is great interest across Ontario in the expansion of pathway programs between colleges and universities. Through strategic partnerships, two Ontario-based postsecondary institutions (a college and a university) have developed innovative and effective pathway programs that facilitate the transition of students between institutions for the completion of degrees, diplomas, and certificates. These programs support the training of highly qualified, market-ready graduates. This paper reports on a mixed-methods study of the successes and challenges of a particular Ontario college and university pathway program, with a focus on the Bachelor of Commerce Pathway program.

Preliminary results indicate that pathway students were more academically successful than their traditional university student counterparts but did experience a number of challenges in transitioning from college into university. Principal challenges included inefficient communication between program administrators, academic advisors, and students; lack of orientation activities for pathway students; lack of college student preparedness in communication and critical thinking skills; and difficulties experienced by college students integrating into the social-cultural life of the university.

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As part of the North Carolina Community College System's Code Green Super Curriculum Improvement Project (CIP), more than 200 faculty members from across the state were engaged in curriculum review and revision. As part of their work, the committee discussed the importance of teaching employability skills, identifying eight competencies as a priority for integration across the curriculum. They include: (1) Interpersonal Skills and Teamwork; (2) Communications; (3) Integrity and Professionalism; (4) Problem Solving and Decision Making; (5) Initiative and Dependability; (6) Information Processing; (7) Adaptability and Lifelong Learning; (8) Entrepreneurship.

To support instructors as they seek to enhance how their courses address the eight competencies, NC-NET developed a Resource Toolkit comprised of eight modules. Each module contains instructional materials including activities, student handouts, assessment rubrics, and annotated presentation slides.

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The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of the emerging skill requirements of the Australian labour force and the appropriate responses of education, training and other authorities to the changing nature of work. It looks at recent trends in the nature of work and in the skill composition of employment in light of the emerging knowledge economy. The focus is on Australia and the United States of America (USA), a country in which the changes are likely to be the most advanced. A range of OECD countries are also reviewed. The paper is structured as follows: the first section provides an overview of the paper; section two highlights some of the main changes becoming apparent in the nature of work and in the context in which work takes place focusing on changes in the composition of employment, in the relative position of men and women in the labour market, the fall in full-time employment, and the development of a core and periphery model in the labour market; section three looks at the complex patterns of skill change and provides a general review of patterns of similarity and difference in the OECD countries and a more detailed occupational analysis of Australia and the USA; and the final section explores the complex pattern of skill change by examining the changing structure of employment by earnings.

The monograph from which this paper is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.231; selected papers are indexed at TD/TNC 69.232 and TD/TNC 69.233. Show less

Qualifications frameworks are tools for describing qualifications of an education or training system by classifying them into levels. Each level provides a clear description of what the holder of a qualification knows, understands and is able to do. They are important tools for making qualifications transparent and comprehensible, within and across borders, and for promoting lifelong learning. This fifth edition of the Global Inventory of National and Regional Qualifications Frameworks consists of two volumes with up-to-date information on recent developments in this field destined for policy-makers, educators, researchers, and experts. The publication is the result of collaborative work between UNESCO, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and the European Training Foundation (ETF).

Volume I [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 154.604] features a series of thematic chapters that identify emerging issues in qualifications systems, including the digitalization of qualifications systems, the validation of informal and non-formal learning and the increased use of microcredentials. Volume II comprises 79 national qualifications framework country chapters, from all continents, and four regional qualifications frameworks. A cross-country analysis of national case studies is presented, examining the objectives, functions and characteristics of national qualifications frameworks and their contributions to wider educational and training systems.

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This paper outlines different conceptions of economic development and indicates when vocational programs might have positive effects on employment, wages and productivity. It also investigates the possibilities and potential limits of customised training, one of the most popular recent forms of economic development. Show less

The 13th conference of the Journal of Vocational Education and Training (JVET) was held at Keble College, Oxford, 28th-30th June 2019. The keynote speakers were Professor Stephanie Matseleng Allais, Director of the Centre for Researching Education and Labour, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Professor Alison Wolf Baroness Wolf of Dulwich, Sir Roy Griffiths, Professor of Public Sector Management, King's College, London, UK. Papers presented at the conference are listed below.

Day 1: TVET in African countries: why is systematic reform so hard? / Stephanie Allais; 'The conduct of conduct' of vocational teachers: governmentality and teacher professionalism in VET / Hannes Hautz; Understanding English FE professionalism as a strategic action field / Norman Crowther and Diane Dalby; 'Anti-intellectualism' in the VET sector in Australia: manifestations and explanations / Erica Smith and Andy Smith; Can human capital be supplied as a club good?: an analysis of apprenticeship under-investment in advanced manufacturing, England / Elena-Carmen Nicoara; The 'truth' behind dual apprenticeship: looking at its cultural foundations / Thomas Deissinger and Philipp Gonon; Apprenticeship practice in England: new roles and professional formation / Bill Esmond; Researching characteristics of outstanding leadership and governance in vocational education using Q-method: findings from England, India and South Africa / Jaswinder Dhillon; Governing for quality and social justice: the processes and practices of governing in UK further education colleges / Ann-Marie Bathmaker and Jodie Pennacchia; Learning outcomes for credit transfer in VET and higher education: international policy considerations and conflictions / Christine Arnold, Mary Wilson, Jean Bridge and Mary Catharine Lennon; Learning to think alike: using Sociocultural Discourse Analysis to explore examiners' standardised professional discourse / Martin Johnson and Neil Mercer; Setting and maintaining standards in Applied General and Tech Level qualifications in England: what can we learn from empirical evidence? / Nadir Zanini and Tim Stratton; Embodied learning in vocational education and training / Terry Hyland; The story of distrust in Further Education: the role of narrative identity, positionality and metamorphosis in the construction of an authentic self / Christina Donovan; Digital poverty and vocational education / Cheryl Reynolds; Transition from lower secondary school to vocational education / Ann Karin Sandal; How do vocational qualifications fit into students' programmes of study following recent governmental reforms to 14–18 education? / Sylvia Vitello and Carmen Vidal Rodeiro; 'Jumping through hoops': UCAS, BTEC and barriers to university entry and success / Susan McGrath; Learning for work: a survey among engineering associate professionals in the construction industry / Marloes de Munnik; Training strategies of German companies in India, China and Mexico: a qualitative analysis involving 103 subsidiaries / Matthias Pilz; Task composition and vocational education and training: a firm level perspective / Anett Friedrich; Amateurs, apprenticeships and college education: the teaching and learning of classical guitar makers in post-war Britain / Joss Winn; Vocational teachers in Sweden and Finland: a comparative study on their educational pathways / Franz Kaiser; Development of an innovative programme: 'Master of Education for Vocational Education and Training' / Maria Gruber, Alfred Riedl and Katharina Kronsfoth; Video-based competence assessment in the vocational teacher training course in metal technology / Andrea Faath-Becker and Felix Walker; The impact of digital innovation on education, training and skills: some initial thoughts / Ewart Keep; The Fourth Industrial Revolution: implications for VET / James Avis; How digitization affects professions: a closer look at two different occupations / Stephanie Conein and Markus Bretschneider; Assembling apprenticeship in Aotearoa / Annelies Kamp; Understanding apprenticeships in Europe: a new conceptual framework for the changing notion of apprenticeship / Jorg Markowitsch and Wolfgang Wittig; The social status of apprenticeships: retail and bricklaying apprentices' construction of valuable occupational identities / Kerstin Duemmler, Isabelle Caprani and Alexandra Felder; The social status of apprenticeships: retail and bricklaying apprentices' construction of valuable occupational identities / Kerstin Duemmler, Isabelle Caprani and Alexandra Felder; The effects of neoliberalism on the agency of vocational students in China / Lesley Doyle and Geng Wang; VET, democracy and philanthropy: exercising ministerial responsibility / Don Zoellner; Sustaining the neoliberal ideology: modes of regulation, control and evaluation in FE inspection policy / Zahid Naz; Typical education histories and career paths: competition and complementarity between vocationally and academically qualified employees / Hannelore Mottweiler and Anita Milolaza; Agency versus structure: TVET college students talking about their career choices / Lucky Maluleke and Lesley Powell; How rational is occupational choice? - or: Do market conditions contribute to expectancy beliefs? / Verena Eberhard and Joachim Gerd Ulrich; Shifting perspectives: a realistic approach to integrate work-based learning and college-based learning / Adeline Yuen Sze Goh; Developing technical/disciplinary knowledge: the case of project-based learning in engineering / Ann Lahiff, Janet Broad, Emanuela Tilley, Kate Roach and Andrea Detmer; Teacher team development in the VET sector: towards team-oriented HRM in VET institutions / Piety Runhaar and Marianne van Woerkom; A socio-technical approach to dealing with heterogeneity in the vocational classroom: the Teachers' Diagnostic Support System (TDSS) / Tobias Karner, Julia Warwas and Stephan Schumann; Developing competencies in VET teachers in Vietnam / Huyen Tran, Shelley Gillis and Cuc Nguyen; Vocational education and training (VET) policy in four European countries / Jane Pither; Differences in getting access to the field as an expression of different VET cultures in England and Germany: results from an ethnographic comparative study / Erika Gericke; Pedagogical convergence across borders: an analysis of the impact of international standardisation and regulation on aircraft apprenticeships in England and Germany / Junmin Li, Ann Lahiff, Matthias Pilz and Lorna Unwin.

Day 2 morning: Praxis and phronesis in further education: uncovering the scholarship of further education lecturers / Samantha Jones and Catherine Lloyd; Conditions for instructor professional learning in vocational and professional education in Western Canada / Annemarieke Hoekstra; Is the whole more than the sum of its parts?: interrogating the reductionist approach to find new ways of conceptualising 'good' VET teaching / Teressa Schmidt; Inclusion in Germany's dual system of VET / Gabriela Hohns; Increasing female participation in IT apprenticeships in Ireland / Justin Rami and Siobhan Keating; Apprentice to artisan: trials and tribulations of apprentices in a dual system apprenticeship programme in South Africa / Darryn von Maltitz; Exploring internal assessment in national technical and vocational qualifications / Charlotte Lockyer and Stuart Cadwallader; Empirical comparability study of paper and computer vocational examinations / Zeeshan Rahman; Work-based assessment for catalysing continuous professional learning of aspiring freelance adult educators / Poi Shan Lai; Policy waves in mathematics for vocational education and training / Diane Dalby and Andrew Noyes; Educating for dynamic vocations: designing responsive VET / Loek Fm Nieuwenhuis, Haske Van Vlokhoven and Aimee Hoeve; Identifying the vocational curriculum via knowledgeable practice / Jim Hordern; Bridge for those who were left behind: success and limitations of a Hungarian VET program / Balazs Benkei-Kovacs; Networks and support in low-threshold Swiss VET programs' premature interruptions / Isabelle Bosset, Barbara Duc and Nadia Lamamra; Responsibility, initiative and trust: VET in the Swiss telecommunication industry / Antje Barabasch; Vocational education and training: diversion or safety net?: a comparative study of four vocational education systems in central Europe / Sabine Hoidn and Vit Stastny; Great expectations: the effect of future returns and opportunity costs on separations in dual VET in Germany / Caroline Neuber-Pohl; Is there a need for a 'third route' in post-16 education in England? / Hayley Dalton; Neo-corporatism in a voluntaristic system: vocational education and training and the Swiss organisations of the world of work / Alexandra Strebel, Patrick Emmenegger and Lukas Graf; The expansion of apprenticeship systems in the G20 countries: what is happening and will it be successful? / Erica Smith and Jacqueline Tuck; Bringing the apprentice voice into debates on policy and practice: a recent doctoral research project using qualitative methods / Tanya Lawes; The contribution of vocational skills development to inclusive industrial growth and transformation: an analysis of the South African clothing, textile footwear and leather industry / Nduvho Ramulongo; Examining the contribution of vocational programmes to inclusive industrial growth and transformation: a case study of automotive sector in South Africa / Anthony Tolika Sibiya; Vocational education and training and African development: towards VET Africa 4.0 / Simon McGrath, Presha Ramsarup, Jacques Zeelen, Stephanie Allais, Heila Lotz-Sisitka, Emphraim Nuwagaba, George Openjuru, Jo-Anna Russon and Volker Wedekind; VET in an age of mass higher education / Alison Wolf.

Day 2 afternoon: Learning to mediate: the role of the employer in shaping the development of recently qualified in-service teachers in English VET / Rachel Terry; The second apprenticeship: learning and identity in the transition from tradesperson to teacher / Barbara Gustafson; A role for colleges in higher level vocational?: the impact of different policy contexts in England and Scotland / Jim Gallacher and Fiona Reeve; Using the capabilities approach to think about public vocational education institutions / Leesa Wheelahan, Gavin Moodie and Eric Lavigne; A role for colleges in restructuring occupational knowledge / Gavin Moodie; An innovative approach in higher education: Preparation for employment at the National Software Academy, Wales / Katherine Emms and Andrea Laczik; The value of sub-bachelor degree qualifications in vocational institutions in the UK and Australia / Kate Lavender and Lizzie Knight; Higher vocational education: what does it mean for vocational education? / Sue Webb, Elizabeth Knight, Steven Hodge and Shaun Rawolle; Investigating goals, achievements, resources, and challenges of TVET in Australia, England, and Taiwan: a quantitative analysis / Leping Mou, Ashley Rostamian, Gavin Moodie and Leesa Wheelahan; Ten years of training markets in Australia: what has been the impact on young peoples' opportunities? / Justin Brown; Aligning vocational curriculum with current industry practices: how this differs for regulated, accredited and unregulated programs in Ontario, Canada / Sharon Scollard; Should the market coordinate the supply and demand of skills?: a realist evaluation of the market model of skill formation in Chile / Oscar Valiente, Adrian Zancajo and Judith Jacovkis; 'El baile de los que sobran': Chilean vocational education and the reproduction of neoliberal identities / Cristian Martin Lincovil Belmar; Critical analysis of vocational education policy in Israel / Avihu Shoshana; VET, expertise and work: from a retrospective to prospective perspective / David Guile and Lorna Unwin; 'Signs of the times': reviewing a decade of postgraduate TVET research in South Africa / Joy Papier; Reimagining the institutionalization of technical and vocational education in Australia / John Pardy; Missing the target?: predicting NEET status and the risks of early intervention for vulnerable young people / Ronald Thompson and Lisa Russell; Digital technology and the development of professional identity by VET teachers in training / Roy Halpin; How to professionalize teachers and trainers in the context of 'Vocational Education and Training for Sustainable Development (VET-ESD)'? / Wilko Reichwein and Soeren Schuett-Sayed; Subject-specialist pedagogy and the failure of policy in English Further Education / Kevin Orr, Pam Hanley and Ronald Thompson; The role of 'tacit pedagogy' in practice-based learning and innovation in one FE college workplace: the importance of informal interactions within and beyond specialist teaching teams / Jay Derrick; The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area's integrated development of vocational education?: challenges and opportunities / Chen Wei, He Dong, Li Yaling and Leesa Wheelahan; The Brazilian Federal VET network: building the first steps towards internationalization / Claudia Schiedeck; Developing competencies in VET teachers of Vietnam / Huyen Tran; A political economy of TVET professionalisation: a case study of chefs at a Canadian polytechnic / Tim Loblaw; Using cultural-historical activity theory to study the professionalisation of policing: towards a framework for professional practice / Janice Mokanski; How can VET close the gender gap and address other inequalities? / Randa Hilal; Indigenous education and reconciliation in Canada / Lena Balata; Inclusive vocational education and situation definition / Jens Reissland, Tim Thonagel, Patrick Schaar and Matthias Vonken; Spatial stories of im/possibility: undergraduate experiences of college-based higher education / Holly Henderson; Female participation in vocational and higher education programs for software engineering: much room for improvement / Juliette Sweeney; Insights, risks and limitations: using an ideographic data collection technique to understand non-normative, vocational career routes in education / Jane Wormald; Occupational qualifications for trades in South Africa: the elusive quest to connect education and work / Naomi Alphonsus; Recontextualizing fields in vocational and professional education / Mike Klassen; Exploring the complexities of workplace knowledge: the case of RPL (APEL) / Colette Tennison; The effects of praise for intelligence on students at risk in vocational education / Jaap Glerum, Sofie Loyens and Remy Rikers; Understanding the experience of international community-college graduates seeking employment and residency in Canada: a Bourdieusian approach / Oleg Legusov; 'Achieving skills'?: discourses of employability and exclusion on an employability programme for pre-vocational learners / Carlene Cornish; The role of education and training in the development of technical elites / Bill Esmond and Liz Atkins; 'You just do what you want to do': archives of experience and selecting higher vocational education in Australia / Stephen Parker, Elizabeth Knight, Trevor Gale and Susan Webb.

Day 3: VET-teachers' professional development in assessment for learning / Ann Karin Sandal; Reflection of teachers and in-company trainers in vocational education and training / Baerbel Fuerstenau, Mandy Hommel and Regina Mulder; Lived livelihoods: vocational education advancing entrepreneurial livelihoods / Lesley Powell; Viewing pathways through bifocals: the link between educational and occupational levels in selected fields in Canada / Gavin Moodie, Eric Lavigne and Leesa Wheelahan; Careers Colleges and the strategy of vocational enhancement: emergent curriculum models / Lynne Rogers, Hilary McQueen and Ken Spours; Factors influencing life and career skills development among young people studying vocational education and training (VET) at school / Shelley Gillis, Anne Suryani and John Polesel; Paths in education: choices made between vocational and academic courses among 16-19 year olds / Zoe Lewis; Learning from life: VET student 'voices' towards a humanising vocational pedagogy / Kathija Yassim; General Studies in Technical Colleges (Ministry of Education: 1962) / Bill Bailey; The experiences of teachers of Liberal Studies and General Studies in English technical and further education colleges / Colin Waugh; A strong structurational approach to understanding the marginalisation of informal apprentices in Ghana's VET system / Joyceline Alla-Mensah; Pride and prospects: promoting more sustainable and socially just transitions through vocational education for low-attaining young people / Liz Atkins and Louise Misselke; Through the aspirations window: a capabilities-social justice lens for framing TVET learners' aspirations / Rebecca Suart; The impact of the apprenticeship levy / Peter Dickinson; Why is the employment outcome of vocationally training youths so poor in Punjab and Haryana, India? / Satinder Singh, Jajati Keshari Parida and Shiba Shankar Pattayat; Framing a sustainability lens on VET: an absence and emergence laminated system analysis / Presha Ramsarup, Heila Lotz-Sisitka and Volker Wedekind; Former YTS trainees' historical experiences of the Youth Training Scheme / Robin Simmons; Policies, values and Offa's Dyke: a relational approach to FE and skills in Wales / David James.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website. Show less