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This chapter discusses the changing and emerging characteristics of work, work practice and work requirements, and their consequences for vocational education. Changing patterns in work and working life are proposed as comprising: (1) the kind of work available; (ii) how individuals participate in work; (iii) what constitutes competence within that work; and (iv) those participating in work. The consequences for vocational education are systemic in terms of the kinds of occupations that need to be developed, variations in and complexity of work requirements, shifts in employer/employee relations, and the demographic shifts in those who will need to be supported by vocational education. The chapter examines these patterns of change to work and working life, and discusses policy and curriculum practice associated with each. Overall, it argues that the changes to work make it more demanding, and the frequency of change in work and how work is carried out demands careful, comprehensive and targeted preparation and on-going development. Moreover, with broader participation in the work force and longer working lives, the arrangement for this preparation and on-going development will need to be targeted, differentiated and sustained.

Published introduction.

The book from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 100.51. Individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 100.52 to TD/TNC 100.244. Show less

The knowledge, skills and competences Europe needs to compete successfully in a global labour market is a major question on the European Union policy agenda. It is a question directly relevant to European citizens who want to know which knowledge, skills and competences will help them find or keep a job. Acknowledging the challenge, the 2007 Council Resolution 'New skills for new jobs' stressed the need to anticipate the skill needs - and skill gaps - emerging in the European labour market. In the short term, information on emerging skills needs is crucial, especially as several sectors already face skill shortages. The 2008 Spring European Council called for a comprehensive assessment of skill requirements in Europe up to the year 2020. This request has also been taken up in the June 2008 Council conclusions 'Anticipating and matching labour market needs, with special emphasis on youth - a jobs and skills initiative'. Information on skill needs at national level is no longer enough. A European labour market requires European-level information. Through its analysis of skills needs at European level, Cedefop took the initiative to help fill this knowledge gap. Cedefop's analysis, carried out in 2007, provides a consistent and comprehensive medium-term forecast of employment and skill needs across Europe and has made a major contribution to identifying labour market trends. To complement the information, in 2009, Cedefop will publish a skill supply forecast analysing possible future labour market imbalances. Cedefop intends to produce demand and supply forecasts regularly to help make skill needs in Europe more transparent. Cedefop's original analysis covered 2006-15. This booklet extends its forecast on skill needs in Europe to 2020. The forecast covers 25 EU Member States plus Norway and Switzerland. It analyses skill needs by broad sectors, occupational groups and broad qualifications levels and discusses possible policy implications. It is hoped this text will support not only policy-makers and researchers working on skill needs, but also social-partners and practitioners.

Published foreword reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

This paper discusses theorising and empirical work which proposes that the dispositions underpinning cognitive activity need to become more central to deliberations about how individuals think about and engage in skilful vocational practice. Such activity has consequences for how and what is learnt, as well as individuals’ ongoing development. Having reviewed ideas about the dispositional underpinnings of skilful knowledge, the paper reports a study examining how individuals construct knowledge associated with their vocational practice. This study provides tentative findings about the source of dispositions and their role in vocational activity. The paper concludes by advancing some implications for instruction. Show less

There are growing expectations that tertiary education graduates will be ready for working life, that is, possessing the capacities to participate effectively in an occupational practice in a specific work situation. Yet, graduates are often unprepared to fulfil this expectation. In response, tertiary education increasingly includes workplace experiences (i.e., practicums, internships, and work placements). It is necessary to understand these experiences' efficacy and their optimisation to promote work-life readiness. Drawing on students' experiences of internships, this paper discusses what constitutes the value of internships in post-secondary diploma courses in Singapore.

A quantitative analysis of interview data identified the contributions afforded through these experiences in workplaces - students' intentional engagement, and their readiness for working life. Central here is how these contributions promote the development of the adaptability required for effective participation in contemporary working life. The analysis identifies challenges including students' adapting to new work environments, navigating workplace practices, and developing occupational capacities. Workplace supervisors' and host educational institutions' support suggests interns' adaptability can be enhanced by promoting the relations between the support they received, on the one hand, and their engagement with challenges during internships, on the other. These findings offer an understanding about the experiences and outcomes of interns' learning through workplaces and offer implications for supporting and augmenting transitions into working life.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The European Union (EU) hopes to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economic area in the world by 2010 and making lifelong learning a reality for all citizens is the guiding principle for meeting this goal. This booklet contains the initial highlights of the Eurobarometer survey, which directly asks citizens their opinion of lifelong learning, and includes a brief country profile of Greece, the EU Presidency country at the time of publication. Findings of the survey include: nine in 10 European citizens think lifelong learning is important, at least to some extent; the majority of citizens think they learn best in informal settings; and social and personal reasons for learning outweigh work-related motives. Policy implications of these findings are also discussed. The contents are: Creating one world of lifelong learning - an integrated approach for an inclusive society; Skills for a Europe of knowledge; Lifewide learning and the diversity of learning; Incentives, motivations and intentions; Citizens’ views on lifelong learning in Greece. Show less

This bulletin summarises the findings of a research project on how to improve the status of vocational education and training (VET) so that it can be viewed a more worthwhile and viable post-school option by both young people and those who influence their decision-making about post-school pathways. The relatively low status of VET and the occupations it serves is a significant impediment for realising VET's economic and employment goals. This status influences young people and parents' decision-making about post-school pathways, and government, community and employer support. In an era of high aspiration, VET is often seen as an option only for those unable to secure university entry. This perception can lead to mismatches amongst the kinds of skills young people are learning and employment opportunities, with what employers seek in employees, and potentially lengthy and sometimes unproductive tertiary education experiences.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

This article reports on a recent study which examined skilled workers’ perceptions about the characteristics of their work, and how they acquired and developed skills. Modes of acquiring vocational skills are varied. Some learners initially acquire their skills in formal learning settings, such as TAFE colleges, others acquire their skills in the workplace, whilst still others enjoy the integration of formal and workplace learning experiences.

In this article a view of learning that values the construction of knowledge through socio-cultural mediation is used to evaluate three common modes of skill acquisition. The significance of the authenticity of learning experiences and engaging learners in a culture of practice is emphasised within this study.

It is suggested that formal pre-employment modes of learning provide substitute experiences which may develop conceptual, procedural and dispositional knowledge that are not readily transferable to vocational practice. It is argued that access to authentic learning experiences be included within formal learning provisions. The on-the-job mode of situated learning which engages the learner in a culture of practice, is highly valued. However, not all work settings or situations are able to provide access to the conditions which maximise this approach to learning. Show less

Recent studies of learning through work have included how professional identities are formed through participation in work. However, we need a more elaborated understanding of how professional identities are negotiated at times of rapid change in working practices. This chapter examines the personal strategies that vocational teachers adopt, and the professional identity negotiations that occur, in response to requirements to change professional practices. [The authors] report on a study in which open-ended narrative interviews were conducted with sixteen Finnish vocational teachers. From the teachers' accounts, [the authors] identified distinct personal strategies that were adopted to engage with change. The strategies were labelled as follows: (i) professional development, (ii) passive accommodation, (iii) active participation, (iv) a balancing act, and (v) withdrawal. The strategies were aligned to the teachers' individual concerns, and were bound up with the personal resources available in negotiating with the changing character of the work. An account of these strategies offers a new way of understanding how identities are negotiated through an active, personally-shaped process. The study also illuminates how to promote individuals' management of the self and of learning at work.

Published abstract. Show less

This second edition (the first edition is indexed at TD/INT 58.387) updates the description of initial and continuing vocational education and training (VET) in Belgium. The report begins with a presentation of the administrative, demographic and economic background in which the training system operates. A brief historical outline of the development of the VET system is followed by a detailed description of arrangements for initial and continuing vocational training and the supportive legislative and financial framework. Qualitative aspects including qualifications and certification, the training of teachers and trainers, and the availability of educational and vocational counselling, are also outlined. The final section discusses a number of present trends and developments relating to employment, the relationship between education and the business community, and the resulting challenges for policy makers. Show less

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) was established in 1975 and provides information on vocational education and training (VET), promotes and interprets research and identifies innovation, supports the specific needs of Cedefop's partners and provides forums for debate and links between policy makers, social partners, researchers and practitioners. The work program for 2001 provides a coherent approach to VET within its medium-term priorities for 2000-2003. In 2001 Cedefop will undertake an external assessment of its performance and impact and take into account the outcomes. Cedefop's activities in 2001 will continue within the four themes of: (i) promoting competences and lifelong learning; (ii) facilitating new ways of learning for a changing society; (iii) supporting employment and competitiveness; and (iv) improving European understanding and transparency. Show less