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This book addresses what is, perhaps, the single most important issue for vocational education; its relatively low standing in an era of high aspiration. The work explores the nature, extent and consequences for an educational sector that whilst having an increasingly important role in contemporary societies is seen to be of low standing across both countries with developed and developing economies. Some of the standing is associated with the occupation it serves and this is highlighted in an era of high aspiration by young people and their parents. The consequences are far-reaching. This includes how governments and community view and support vocational education, parents and familiars advise about participation in it and young people's decision-making associated with their post-school pathways.

More than describing this problem, the focus of this collection is how this issue can be redressed through the actions of supra-government agencies, governments, schools in tertiary education institutions, industry and professional bodies and employers. It sets out the quality and extent of societal sentiments in shaping how vocational education and the occupation it serves are projected, across countries, continents and cultures, and offers a range of perspectives and contributions from scholars on how this issue might be redressed. These contributions are drawn together and synthesised into sets of propositions, practices and approaches directed towards governments, schooling and tertiary education institutions, educators, researchers, industry and professional bodies and employers.

Edited excerpt from publisher's website.

The contents are as follows: Part one, 'The standing of vocational education: perennial issues, emerging concerns and ways forward', contains the following chapters: The standing of vocational education: a global concern with diverse meanings and implications / Barbara E. Stalder, Sarojni Choy, Anh Hai Le; Enhancing the standing and status of vocational education / Stephen Billett, Steven Hodge, Vibe Aarkrog. Part two, 'Issues, sources and consequences of the standing and status of vocational education', contains: Understanding the purpose and standing of technical and vocational education and training / Susan James Relly; Improving the standing of [vocational education and training] VET: perspectives from countries with developing economies / Stephen Billett, Anh Hai Le; The standing of dual apprenticeships in Germany: institutional stability and current challenges / Thomas Deissinger; Shaping young people's decision-making about post-school pathways: institutional and personal factors / Stephen Billett, Darryl Dymock, Steven Hodge, Sarojni Choy, Anh Hai Le.

Part three, 'Country studies of the standing of vocational education and the occupations it serves', contains the following chapters: Alternance training as a way to improve the attractivity of vocational education programmes in France / Laurent Veillard; Promoting the standing of VET in Finland: balancing the different aims of VET / Heta Rintala, Petri Nokelainen; Attractiveness of vocational education and training in India: perspectives of different actors with a special focus on employers / Matthias Pilz, Muthuveeran Ramasamy; The quality and status of school-based Norwegian VET / Hilde Hiim; Perspectives on informing post-school pathways: a Vietnamese case study / Anh Hai Le; Enhancing the standing of VET in Switzerland / Barbara E. Stalder, Fabienne Luthi; The significance of learning environment and decision-making for enrolment in and completion of VET: a Danish case / Vibe Aarkrog; Elevating the standing of vocational education and training in Romania / Maria-Carmen Pantea.

Part four, 'Enhancing the standing and status of vocational education: an Australian study', contains the following chapters: Investigating enhancing the standing of vocational education and the occupation it serves: purposes, processes and phases / Stephen Billett, Sarojni Choy, Steven Hodge, Anh Hai Le; Influences on post-school decision-making: perspectives of school students, parents, teachers (phase 1); Steven Hodge, Stephen Billett, Sarojni Choy; Surveys of students, parents and teachers (phase 2) / Sarojni Choy, Anh Hai Le, Steven Hodge, Stephen Billett; Informing and advising the zones of influence shaping young people's decision-making about post-school pathways (phase 3) / Stephen Billett, Darryl Dymock, Sarojni Choy, Steven Hodge, Anh Hai Le.

Individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 148.657 to TD/TNC 148.674. Show less

There is a growing global concern about providing effective continuing education and training (CET) to support and sustain the employability of working-age populations. More than enhancing workplace viability and employability, CET also assists in achieving governments' economic and social goals. Educational institutions organise CET provisions based on intended goals, resources, capacities, and institutional imperatives. However, working-age adults' effective engagement and worthwhile outcomes are likely to be strongest when what is afforded them is aligned with their goals, needs and readiness to participate. Thus, what constitutes effective CET provisions can be best understood by appraising them through how they secure individuals' engagement and meet their needs.

Drawing on an investigation of CET provisions in Singapore, this paper seeks to illuminate and appraise what constitutes qualities of effective CET provisions in relation to addressing issues of relevance, accessibility and quality of engagement with educational experiences. Through analyses of interview and survey data, the motivations for informants' CET participation, their preferences and requirements for effective engagement in CET including desirable qualities of teachers were identified and delineated. Given that adults elect to participate in CET to achieve personal and professional outcomes, the findings provide bases for designing, enacting and evaluating effective CET programmes.

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Changing personal and societal sentiments about the status of vocational education and the occupations it serves requires information, education, action at societal and local levels and will, inevitably take time. With entrenched issues such as the standing of occupations and the education systems that they serve, it is more likely incremental and focused initiatives are required to bring about this change. It has been consistently identified that there are 'zones of influence' shaping young people's decision-making about postschool pathways. These zones comprise the aspirations and advice of parents, the intended and unintended press of schoolteachers, the views of peers and suggestions arising from within the community. Consequently, advising and shaping young people's decisions about postschool pathways, including an informed and impartial consideration of vocational education, are not restricted to those students alone. Instead, it is necessary that those comprising these zones of influence also need advice and information so that young people's decision-making can be supported by informed and impartial advice.

A series of workshops with teachers and administrators, and presentations to policy and practitioner groups were used to evaluate the findings from focus groups and interviews, and a national survey that are elements of an Australian study. Those events were directed to identify how key institutions of government, schooling, vocational education institutions and industry could work to shape these zones of influence in ways that promoted broader and more informed considerations about post-school pathways, including vocational education. This led to strategies that could be used to reshape and enhance the standing of vocational education as a worthwhile post-school pathway across these zones of influence. These strategies were proposed as being directed broadly to inform that decision-making, and that includes perspectives, aspirations and interests of school students, parents, teachers, other familiars and members of the community, who in different ways shaped those perspectives.

This chapter sets out some initiatives that might be enacted by government, schools, employers, and teachers to offer experiences and informed and impartial advice about potential post-school pathways through engaging with the zones of influence.

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The decisions that young people make about post-school pathways are becoming increasingly important because of implications for: (i) personal educational and employment trajectories and goals, (ii) allocation of educational resources, and (iii) meeting a range of community needs associated with the development of occupational capacities. Indeed, there is a growing and global concern that young people are disproportionately participating in higher education which comes at a cost to the level of participation in vocational education and the occupations it serves. This trend indicates a shift in young people's aspirations and their preference for post-school pathways. However, there are implications and outcomes arising from this decision-making, leading to calls in many countries to redress this shift in post-school preferences. There are distinct implications both for young people who have identified a preferred occupation and those who remain undecided about them and the consequences for post-school pathways. Yet, without an elaboration of the societal factors and personal practices shaping and influencing that decision-making, it is difficult to know how to redress that situation.

This review examines recent literature addressing the factors and practices shaping young people's decision-making about those pathways. It identifies a complex intertwining of societal (i.e., institutional) and personal factors shaping this decision-making. Although societal factors (e.g., [socioeconomic status] SES, location, gender) play important roles in this decision-making, it appears that the practices of parents, teachers and familiars are salient in this decision-making and, therefore, efforts to redress this issue. These findings suggest such practices need to be mediated by enhancing what is suggested by societal institutions (e.g., schools, government), familiars (teachers, parents) and more fully informing young people's decision-making.

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Investigating issues associated with and strategies for enhancing the standing of vocational education necessarily involves engaging with a range of perspectives, insights and suggestions. This includes those who organise and implement educational experiences, those who enact them, and also those who directly influence the decision-making of young people, as well as those young people themselves. Of course, such a venture means capturing and comparing, contrasting and evaluating those perspectives. As insights and perspectives need to be captured in some detail, qualitative approaches to data gathering and analysis are essential. On the other, quantitative analysis is required to identify patterns across cohorts of informants and analyse their weightings and rankings. Accordingly, this chapter sets out the rationale for and approaches adopted in an investigation about enhancing the status of vocational education and the occupations it serves in Queensland, Australia.

The investigation comprised an initial round of focus groups and interviews with school-age students, teachers and parents, students in vocational education institutions and their teachers (Phase 1). A careful analysis of focus group data, interview transcripts and surveys gathered through these interviews were then used to develop a survey that was administered nationally (Phase 2). That survey extended the scope of the study and the range of informants and provided a platform for quantitative analysis and comparisons of perspectives and suggestions of distinct cohorts of informants. Then, in Phase 3, suggestions about enhancing the status of vocational education were identified through a series of focus groups with school administrators and teachers. Weighting to sets of suggestions about what government, industry, schools, and teachers might do to offer well informed and impartial advice and engage with information about potential postschool pathways were analysed.

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Parents, teachers and other familiars each play a significant role in the process of young people's decision-making about occupations and educational pathways, albeit sometimes inadvertently and unintentionally. Other factors such as societal sentiments about occupations also shape the decision-making, while students, parents and teachers may be understood as selectively mediating these broader influences.

This chapter reports and discusses the findings of a project conducted in Queensland, Australia, that sought to elaborate processes of decision-making, the various actors' influence on it, and how students mediate these suggestions. It also describes and discusses a qualitative phase of the research which sought perspectives of students, parents and teachers about vocational education and decision-making regarding school age children's post-school study and work options. The analysis revealed a complex of factors and negotiations that shape this decision making.

Analyses of student interview data revealed wide variation in level of certainty about post-school options among students and parents. The degree to which students and their parents were informed about options, including the nature of occupations, and what educational pathways lead to particular occupations, were all factors in level of certainty in decision-making. These data also pointed to a tendency to favour higher education pathways when level of uncertainty was higher. At the same time, limited or distorted information about pathways and occupations facilitate influence of societal sentiments on decision-making. Teachers interviewed were informed about pathways that reflected their own experiences. They often articulated an awareness of the constraints on student decision-making arising from government, education system or school policy that favoured higher education pathways and/or undermined the image or efficacy of vocational education as a viable option for young people. Students, parents and teachers also provided suggestions about how to enhance the standing of vocational education and the occupations it serves. Through analyses of these findings, a more nuanced understanding of the processes of educational and occupational decision making is possible, in turn allowing more informed responses to shape decision-making about post-school pathways, and how vocational education can be viewed in a more constructive and impartial way.

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The low standing of vocational education and training (VET) generates reluctance amongst young people and their parents to consider VET as a viable post-school option. A survey was developed and administered to verify and elaborate the findings from an earlier round of interviews. In all, 168 school-aged students, 148 schoolteachers, 296 vocational educators and 230 parents completed the online survey. They ranked (i) important factors in decision-making about post-school pathways; (ii) the influence of familiars on school students' decision-making about study pathways and preferred occupations; (iii) important messages to promote the standing of vocational education; and (iv) effective presentations of informed and positive messages.

The findings indicate differences in perspectives between the school-aged students and their adult counterparts (i.e., parents, teachers or other familiars). These findings highlighted information about utility, authenticity and status of VET as being effective when communicating about VET to make informed decisions. They also draw attention to the importance of providing accurate details and model examples about VET and the occupations it serves. More tailored strategies to reach individual goals were sought by students and parents (see Billett et al., Chap. 18) [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 148.674].

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This chapter draws on the contributions of the reviews and country-based studies in this volume to identify the bases for and ways in which the standing of vocational education (VET) and the occupations it serves can be enhanced so it is positioned as a more worthwhile, viable and legitimate post-school pathway. Acknowledging that the likely responses will be shaped by the educational systems in nation states and regions, where and how VET is positioned within them and the kinds and range of influences shaping young people and their parent and familiars' decision-making about VET. Across these countries, both with developed and developing economic bases, it would seem that high aspirations and, increasingly, expectations of young people and their parents and other familiars is quite consistently positioning VET as being an inferior post-school option to participation in higher education (HE) and one that is seen as being posterior to it in terms of status, attractiveness and educational outcomes.

Addressing and rebutting such strong societal sentiments about the forms of work and an educational provision that are seen as undesirable will likely require addressing these circumstances locally and regionally. As VET is strongly aligned with occupations, making it more interesting, engaging and attractive to young people is also closely linked with the standing of occupations. So, there is a need to find ways to redress the concerns within the community and address the factors which limit the ability of VET to deliver its full potential to students, communities and nations. So, in sum, this chapter sets out this case drawing upon the collective contributions in this volume and a wider range of literature that addresses these challenges.

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Both government reports and academic literature concur in claiming that the low standing of vocational education and training (VET) and the occupations it serves in the community is a major problem for increasing the engagement in this educational sector in an era of high aspiration. An initial analysis from a project capturing school students, school teachers and parents' perspectives of what informs young people's post-school choices found parents and teachers were key. Yet they often lacked informed and impartial exposure to or advice about VET and the occupations it serves.

To identify whether this lack of familiarity was a key basis for shaping decision-making away from VET, a further analysis was undertaken drawing on the perspectives of vocational educators. That analysis showed, however, that exposure to VET and the occupations it serves does not, of itself, mean that the person providing advice is any more informed about or inherently encouraging of young people to engage in VET. Instead, vocational educators' perspectives were more aligned with those of school teachers and parents of school-aged children than those of school students. The key finding here is that rather than relying upon the contributions that arise to engagement with familiars (i.e. parents and teachers), a process approach is required to provide impartial and comprehensive advice about and experiences with diverse post-school pathways and occupations to young people and to have mechanisms that allow their capacities, interests, and aspirations to be engaged with this advice.

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The standing of vocational education and training (VET) is often quite low in many countries. This includes those with developing economies as well those with advanced industrial economies. The outcomes of this low standing include a reluctance of young people and their parents to consider VET as a viable educational option, viewing it as a second option, at best. In addition, this standing can lead to reduced government, industry and enterprise sponsorship and support of VET, thereby adding to its lack of attractiveness for young people. Yet, there is often a mismatch between the worth and benefits of VET and decision-making about it. Consequently, it is necessary to identify factors shaping the standing of VET and initiatives to be enacted for this important educational sector to be considered on its own merits, and supported more by the community, government and employers. Hence, it is more likely to achieve its educational goals for young people, their communities, workplaces and nations.

This chapter presents sets of proposals and strategies to enhance the standing of VET that were advanced in a virtual conference organised by UNESCO-UNEVOC. Entitled 'Improving the standing of VET', the conference was held between the 16 to 24 July 2018 [report available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 135.960]. It had 346 delegates from 82 countries, most of whom have developing economies. Delegates shared their perspectives about the standing of VET and offered suggestions on how to make VET more attractive to young people in their countries, and elsewhere. The challenges to be overcome often have entrenched historical, cultural and institutional sources. Constructive contributions were posted by delegates from a wide range of countries, mainly from those with developing economies. The discussions in the chapter progress under five headings: (i) the standing of VET and its consequences, (ii) factors shaping the standing of VET, (iii) perspectives of young people, their parents and familiars, (iv) policies and practices that might enhance the standing of VET, and (v) evaluating the impact of those policies and practices.

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