New directions in European vocational education and training policy and practice: Lessons for Australia

While Australia can be justifiably proud of its vocational education and training (VET) system, it is always worth considering what is going on internationally. Europe, in particular, has been modernising its education and training systems to make them more competitive and to help create additional and better jobs. This has involved reform across several areas, including competitiveness, social cohesion and the structure of qualifications frameworks. Many of these issues are very familiar to us.

This work has been informed by people reflecting on policy developments during a period of substantial change. Many commented on the impact and pace of reform, recognising that, while it would be nice to 'slow things down', there is a strong sense of reform having made positive impacts.

Key messages

• Developing common standards for quality and for qualifications frameworks is an important issue.
• Changes in the labour market are impacting on education. One tension lies in the challenge of balancing educational aims and labour market needs.
• The number of learners moving between VET and higher education in either direction is still relatively small. One of the significant challenges for Australia is to ensure seamless
  pathways between the sectors and to build a system of educational choice.
• Australia could pay more attention to the validation of learning through experience, where, in addition to the outcome, an emphasis is placed on the learner's ability to engage in the learning process. This would inform debate over the meaning of competence.
• The qualifications, professional development and wellbeing of VET teachers are central issues for European policy-makers, but have not been addressed in any substantial way in Australia. In addition, the centrality of teachers and trainers to reform in Europe is in sharp contrast to the experience of VET teachers and trainers in Australia.
  
  

  Tom Karmel
  Managing Director, NCVER

Context

The Lisbon European Council in 2000 declared that, by 2010, Europe was to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society in the world. A key plank in that agenda was the promotion of employability and social inclusion through investment in citizens' knowledge and competence at all stages of their lives. Education and training were singled out as 'a forceful policy lever' and member states were called on to 'modernise' their education and training systems.

Vocational education and training (VET) was to play a pivotal role in this Lisbon-inspired endeavour to keep Europe competitive, at the same time as improving social cohesion. It was seen as a key to the future. The importance of VET to the Lisbon goals subsequently became enshrined in the Copenhagen Declaration of 2002, when education ministers of 31 European countries, European social partners and the European Commission agreed on working towards enhanced cooperation in European vocational education and training.

Scope

The study was based on an analysis of relevant, available literature and a survey of a small number of selected informants on European VET. There is an enormous array of sources available on European developments, and so the review had to be restricted mainly to the European Union level and to sources in English. A number of academic papers published in journals were also consulted.

A limited number of questions were emailed to 30 informants in 18 European countries. The participation of one or other of the researchers in four international forums during 2007 enabled the compilation of the list of informants. Twenty-six of these contacts responded (87% response rate).

Key issues at a broad level

Several key issues dominate thinking and writing in the European Union. Five are briefly highlighted in this report, since they are in many ways reflective of similar concerns in Australia and, furthermore, they help to set in context the themes discussed later. These are:

• impact and pace of reform
• competitiveness and social cohesion
• capacity of VET to meet all its policy objectives
• assumptions inherent in qualification frameworks
• VET systems: whether they are converging or diverging.