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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

In spite of the negative impact of wars on Iraq, sanctions and the current security situation, national and international contributions to develop the basic tools for post-conflict Iraq's recovery and reconstruction are continuing. Education in general and [technical and vocational education and training] TVET in particular, top the agenda for action and three main contributors, UNESCO, UN-HABITAT and the German Government, in cooperation with the Iraqi Government, organised a forum to analyse the current situation and develop a vision of immediate and future action. The forum discussed selected TVET issues, the challenges facing the anticipated re-alignment of the TVET system in Iraq to reduce unemployment among Iraqi youth, a number of international and regional experiences in conflict/post-conflict economies in order to come to a shared vision and better understanding of the main issues related to TVET in Iraq, and a future look to address these issues.

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A complex set of relational factors shape adult students' transition to higher education. Through accounts provided by adult vocational education students, a set of related interdependencies between what the university and other forms of support (e.g. family, friends) afforded these students and their agency, capacities and engagement were identified as shaping their transition to higher education. Bases for these students' engagement in their studies were found in their intentions and previous experiences that together shaped how they construed what is afforded by the university and other sources of support. Consequently, beyond what universities provide to support these transitions, considerations for promoting successful student transition into higher education necessarily require accounting for students' experiences, access to different kinds of support outside the university and their previous experiences. Therefore, rather than proposing general prescriptions about what universities need to do to promote successful transitions, [these] complex factors likely [play] out in quite person-particular ways. All of this reinforces the view that successful transitions to higher education are quite individual processes, and not just wholly dependent upon what educational institutions provide, and those affordances need to be [informed] by and aligned with different kinds of student needs.

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The World Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Database is an online repository developed by UNESCO-UNEVOC. It aims to provide up-to-date information on TVET systems worldwide. This country profile for Vietnam contains: Statistics; TVET formal, non-formal and in-formal systems; TVET strategy and key policy documents; TVET teachers and trainers; Qualification system and quality assurance; Current reforms and policy discussion; References and further reading. Show less

This paper presents the education component of the Oil-for-Food Programme (OFFP), an attempt by international organisations to renew the education sector in Iraq right after the war in March and April 2003. It aims at describing and analysing its implementation and learning from its strengths and weaknesses. The paper's coverage, however, is limited to an assessment of the implementation of education projects in secondary and higher education. It does not cover the monitoring of the distribution of educational commodities in the centre/south of the country. 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

The text is written only in French. This document is the final report of a seminar for key personnel from francophone African countries held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 10-14 February 1997. It presents experience of co-operation between technical and vocational education and the world of work in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. It is valuable as a resource to guide people who are responsible for the promotion of such co-operation. Show less

This is the first biennial report issued by the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre on its various activities. The report does not cover the whole range of UNESCO activities in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for the changing world of work, but only those undertaken by the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre.

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The World Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Database is an online repository developed by UNESCO-UNEVOC. It aims to provide up-to-date information on TVET systems worldwide. This country profile for Afghanistan outlines the TVET mission, strategy and legislation and provides an overview of the TVET systems - formal, non-formal and informal, governance and financing, TVET teachers and trainers, the qualifications framework and current reforms and major projects. 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.

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