Comparative study of VET systems: National systems across three regions under pressure of change - Review of research

The comparative study

This study attempts a broad comparison of national vocational education and training (VET) systems, through the examination of nine countries across three large geographical regions: Europe, East Asia and the Americas. Its purpose is to examine those variables that most define and influence the characteristics, behaviour and apparent success of VET systems and the impact of change upon these variables.

The field of comparative education studies is richest in the VET area. This is related to the considerable interest on the part of policy makers in international developments, the highly dynamic nature of VET, and the close links between VET, economic strength and the social issues associated with employment. The comparative study is also of interest because of the broad range of approaches at the international level to a range of characteristic variables. The most significant of these are financing, recognition, governance, education and labour market linkages. International interest in VET is also related to the impact of global economic and social change. The challenge of international economic competitiveness is increasingly being considered in conjunction with the questions of economic and social inclusion and exclusion. The role and processes of skills formation are being considered in both economic and social contexts.

Nine systems

The study of VET 'systems' is problematic, as systematisation has been a recent phenomenon in the sector. The study is based upon a review of the literature, supplemented with field work in the VET systems of most of the nine countries gained through other project activity. A description of each of the systems includes the relationship between VET and the overall education system, initial vocational training and continuing vocational training.

The nine systems have been chosen on the basis of their variety of economic, demographic, cultural and ideological contexts. All of the nine systems are under pressure for change and have been subject to policy intervention. Among them the nine systems provide a broad scope of policy and structural alternatives in the areas of finance, governance, recognition, integration, relationships with education systems, and labour market linkages.

Europe

The three largest West European economies of the 20th century, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, provide strong contrasts in their VET systems. Germany, along with Japan, has been most admired amongst nations for its processes of skills formation, mainly through the apprenticeship system, the Dual System. Frequently examined by other nations, the German VET system has faced significant pressures over the past decade. The main symptom has been a chronic shortage of training places in industry, but more fundamental questions are being asked about the foundations of vocational training in Germany. Questions have been asked about the flexibility of its skills formation system and the appropriateness of channelling up to 60% of young people into an occupational and craft-based vocational training pathway at a relatively early age.

The industry-based VET system of Germany contrasts with the centralised and statist traditions of education and training in France. These traditions have been manifest both in the regulation of vocational training and the labour market. After decades of policy intervention there has recently been growth in apprenticeship and alternance training. VET in France, however, faces significant problems of costs and financing, credentialism, and equity. The high degree of state intervention on the demand side has not necessarily led towards appropriate linkages with the supply side.

Vocational training in the UK has been subject to sustained internal criticism for over two decades. Over this period there has been numerous and frequent state intervention, but the 'system' continues to be based upon a principle of voluntarism. Recent improvements in the UK economy appear to have been accompanied by higher industry commitment to training. On the other hand questions remain about the overall approach to skills formation and the relationship between VET and the general education system.

East Asia

The economies of China, Japan and Singapore have been amongst the most aggressive in their growth and development over the past two decades. There are, however, major differences in the geography, population, traditions and political ideologies of the three nations. The processes of skills formation in Singapore and Japan have been amongst the most studied, and China has recently shown a considerable interest in VET.

The recent rapid economic growth in China has been accompanied by a considerable degree of industrial and social disruption. The former system of state-owned enterprises and company-based industry training is being dismantled and China is searching for new approaches to VET and its relationship to the mainstream education system. There are major challenges for the direction and funding of VET. In the context of an emerging market economy, the strengthening of the demand side is arguably the major challenge.

Japan's role as the benchmark international economy in the latter part of the 20th century diminished in the final years of the century. It has become apparent that this is not simply a cyclical phenomenon but has implications for the fundamentals of its industrial system. The luxury of concentrating upon general education because of low levels of youth unemployment, the strength of the industry-based training culture, high levels of industry-based initial and vocational training, and strong demand linkages with the general education system appears to be weakening. As with some other nations that have previously exhibited strong training cultures, questions are now being raised about the flexibility of the training system and its graduates.

Singapore has been characterised by a relatively authoritarian and paternalistic state. The high degree of state intervention in VET and the labour market has attracted a considerable amount of international interest. In the case of Japan, however, the emphasis upon regulated conformity is now being questioned as a basis for the development of a culture of risk taking and innovation.

The Americas

The Americas are effectively made up of two regions: the prosperous economies of the USA and Canada, and the diverse economies of Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite the heterogeneous nature of the regions there have been some distinctive features of VET in Latin America, the Latin American model, that are a rich source for the comparative study.

Chile is arguably the richest source with its radical innovations in education and training in the 1980s. More than any other nation it has attempted the most radical innovations including a high degree of privatisation and demand-side interventions such as the introduction of vouchers. Its radical market-oriented innovations now face the further question of the role of the state in the development of advanced skills formation.

Mexico provides a fine example of the tendency towards fragmentation in VET and of the confusion about its role vis-à-vis the general education system. Regular state interventions, frequently based upon imported models, have led to a confusing and disconnected system. Interventions typically have been designed to increase supply with little attention being given to the demand side. Expansion of demand, and the linking of supply to demand are amongst the major challenges.

The enormous strength of the US economy is in stark contrast to the overall performance of its education system, which has very high levels of educational failure and dropout associated with economic and social exclusions. The capacity of industry to generate the necessary levels of skills for a highly advanced economy has been impressive. More recently there has been an unusual degree of state intervention designed to strengthen education - industry links, but the role of VET within the US education system is both small and uncertain.

Conclusions

There are some discernible trends and issues in VET across this sample of nations that should be of interest to the Australian audience. Key issues include relating VET to the other education sectors, its relationship to the state and other elements of civil society, the demand-side issues, and its mutability in the face of the new challenges of this century.