02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper
The Civic Role of Swiss Higher Vocational Education and Training Institutions in an International Context
Jakob Kost1, Leping Mou2, Michael O'Shea3
1Bern University of Teacher Education, Switzerland; 2University of Glasgow, Scotland; 3University of Toronto, Canada
Presenting Author: Kost, Jakob
In an era of globalization, driven by the prevailing neoliberal trend colleges and other higher VET institutions have predominantly focused on measuring their success through criteria such as research excellence and their ability to adapt to the ever-evolving demands of the job market. This development can also be witnessed in Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS), which were established in the mid-1990s.
However, this myopic approach often neglects other vital dimensions of their mission (Marginson, 2023). These institutions play a pivotal role not only in equipping individuals with job-specific skills but also in cultivating responsible citizenship and nurturing the capacity for lifelong learning. It is imperative to recognize that the diversity of post-secondary institutions are not only providers of human capital (Marginson, 2019) with curriculum shaped by labor market needs; rather, they should be esteemed as institutions dedicated to human development, community anchors, the promotion of the public good (Marginson & Yang, 2022), democratic education (Molnar, 2010), the cultivation of civil society and global citizenship (Franco, 2002) – specifically in the field of vocational education and training.
Particularly in countries such as Switzerland, with its coordinated market economy (Hall & Soskice, 2001), educational institutions focus strongly on imparting specific specialist knowledge and awarding corresponding diplomas that are in demand on the labor market. Recent Swiss studies looked mainly on the impact of UAS in regional labor market innovation and development (Lehnert et al, 2020; Pfister et. al., 2021; Schlegel et al., 2022). However, there are no studies examining the civic role of Universities of Applied Sciences or their role in promoting civic education.
This case study is part of an international comparative study on the civic role of post-secondary educational institutions, which focuses on German-speaking countries, the USA and Canada as well as a sample of East Asian educational systems (Kost, Mou & O’Shea, in prep.). The study examines the civic and democracy-promoting role played by such institutions in Switzerland. This includes, in particular, questions about the specific levels at which this is expressed (legal foundations, service contracts, mission statements, curricula, specific events and activities). As a sub-study of an international comparative study, in addition to the presentation of the results for Switzerland, a positioning of the results within the international context is provided, thus offering a variety of points of reference for colleagues from different countries.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe method and theoretical framework for this paper primarily rely on an extensive review of selected literature pertaining to the mission, goals, aims, and roles of the post-secondary sector in general and UAS in specific. The approach involves an in-depth examination of existing scholarship to elucidate current trends, via mapping conceptions of postsecondary institutions’ civic roles.
Previous research has resulted in a broad corpus of data. This includes UAS laws and regulations, information on performance contracts between funding authorities and the institutions, university mission statements, mission statements of individual departments, study programs and descriptions of projects and engagements in their respective regions and communities.
Following the grounded theory methodology (Corbin & Strauss, 2015), we are currently coding the data corpus and developing theoretically grounded categories.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe project is part of a growing interest in the social role of colleges and TVET institutions. This has already been highlighted by symposia at ECER 2023 or by corresponding publication projects (Wheelahan, Moodie & Kost, in prep.).
Initial results show that the civic role of institutions manifests itself in different ways: On the one hand, in a specific characterization of learning that incorporates elements of civic responsibility (cf. the German concept of "Bildung") (Bauer, 2003). On the other hand, it is already clear that elements of a subsidiarity (Hega, 2000) that is also evident in other areas of the education system emerge in the institutional form of the civic role. This is expressed, among other things, in the fact that civic engagement is hardly evident at more abstract levels (e.g. in mission statements and laws) - but the more concrete the analysis of the everyday world and practice at the UAS becomes, the more its civic role becomes apparent. In the presentation, these, and additional results on the civic role of UAS will be further explained and situated in an international context.
ReferencesBauer, W. (2003). On the Relevance of Bildung for Democracy. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 35(2), 211-225
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2015). Basics of Qualitative Research, Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory (4th ed.). Sage
Franco, R. W. (2002). The civic role of community colleges: Preparing students for the work of democracy. The Journal of Public Affairs, 6(1), 119–136.
Hall, P. & Soskice, D. (2001). Vartieties of Capitalism. Insitutional The Foundations of Comparative Advantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Hega, G. (2000). Federalism, Subsidiarity and Education Policy in Switzerland, Regional & Federal Studies, 10:1, 1-35, DOI: 10.1080/13597560008421107
Kost, J., Mou, L. & O’Shea, M. (in preparation). Contextualizing the Civic Roles of Postsecondary Institutions with Insights from Different Traditions. To be submitted to the Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2023.
Lehnert, P., Pfister, C., & Backes-Gellner, U. (2020). Employment of R&D personnel after an educational supply shock (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101883): Effects of the introduction of Universities of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. Labour Economics, 66.
Marginson, S. (2023). Is employability displacing higher education?. International Higher Education, 116, 3–5.
Marginson, S. (2019). Limitations of human capital theory. Studies in Higher Education, 44(2), 287–301.
Marginson, S., & Yang, L. (2022). Individual and collective outcomes of higher education: A comparison of Anglo-American and Chinese approaches. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 20(1), 1–31.
Molnar, C. J. (2010). Democratic Postsecondary Vocational Education. Fielding Graduate University.
Pfister, C., Koomen, M., Harhoff, D., & Backes-Gellner, U. (2021). Regional Innovation Effects of Applied Research Institutions (https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2021.104197). Research Policy. In press.
Schlegel, T., Pfister, C., & Backes-Gellner, U. (2022). Tertiary Education Expansion and Regional Firm Development (URL: https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2021.2010695). Regional Studies.
Wheelahan, L., Moodie, G. & Kost, J (Eds.) (in preparation). The Social Role of Colleges in International Perspectives. Special Issue of the Journal of Vocational Education and Training – to be published 2025
02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper
Federal Institutes – Brazil’s Chance for a Broader Variety of Vocational Education?
Silvia Annen, Sabrina Sailer-Frank, Claudia Schiedeck
University of Bamberg, Germany
Presenting Author: Annen, Silvia
VET has a rather heterogeneous reputation worldwide, which causes challenges for various countries. The negative reputation of VET is often associated with higher salaries of academic professions (Kopatz & Pilz, 2015) and social recognition (Bosch & Charest, 2009). This perception coincides with a growing shortage of skilled workers, especially on a mediate qualification level, which makes vocational training even more necessary. However, the challenges vary significantly between countries. This paper provides insights into the general reputation of the public Brazilian VET system and the perception of this system from the perspective of the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology (FIs). Public and private institutions can provide VET qualifications in the Brazilian Educational System. Whilst upper secondary VET combines general and vocational subjects (including access to tertiary education), apprenticeships focus on 14–24-year-olds on a secondary education level, combining practical and theoretical parts (OECD, 2015). Both approaches offer professionalization towards a specific occupation. Compared to other OECD countries, VET participation in Brazil is low, whilst the upper secondary VET drop-out rate with 11% is high (OECD, 2023). This study aims to identify possible levers to bring the Federal VET system in Brazil closer to young adolescents and to identify acute challenges that cause young adolescents to decide against an educational pathway in the Federal VET system. The available data suggest that VET in general has a rather low reputation in Brazil (OECD, 2023) although there is a huge demand. Therefore, this paper aims to answer the following research questions:
- What is the current reputation of the public VET system in Brazil and what are the reasons for this situation?
- What are students’ aspirations for choosing public VET in Brazil?
To gain a better understanding of the factors influencing the relation between educational opportunities, both rational choice theory (individual level) and the skill ecosystem approach (system level) form the theoretical basis of this paper.
On an individual level, sociological rational choice theory (e.g. Arrow, 1973) is suitable for explaining social phenomena at the aggregate level in a structural-individualistic approach. The basic assumptions of these approaches form a theoretical reference point for the statements of the educational representatives in the interviews conducted within the scope of this explorative study. Rational choice theory posits that young individuals are expected to exhibit rational behaviour when making decisions related to their education. Consequently, they operate in a way that maximizes their utility based on their personal preferences, where action is considered utility-maximizing when individuals select from a range of potential courses of action the one that most effectively advances their desired objectives while incurring minimal costs (Green & Shapiro, 1999). However, young people are limited in their rational behaviour due to the lack of advanced information regarding the anticipated advantages of their educational choices (Arrow, 1973; Garibaldi, 2006; Jovanovic, 1979).
Alligning with a a systemic approach, the skill ecosystem approach offers a holistic understanding. Defined by Finegold (1999) and Brown (2022), this approach perceives educational choices and professionalization being influenced by the present ecosystem, leading to different (area-based) educational and economical pathways, forming a bridge between labour-market-centred demands and policy driven supply. The aim is to offer a holistic, diverse and adaptable approach with a focus on creating solutions to skill-related challenges considering global and local contexts. This approach provides a basis for explaining (regional) differences in terms of educational choice and qualification. Within this study, the focus referring to the skill ecosystem approach are institutional and political framework conditions. This comprises aspects such as legal regulations, governance forms and structures and their public perception, regulations and the negotiation of ethnic standards (Ostendorf, 2019).
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe results presented in this paper originate from an explorative qualitative study, which investigates the Brazilian society’s perception of the FIs, considering their capillarity in the country. This paper aims to elicit reasons for the attractiveness of the FIs. We developed a qualitative exploratory research design to analyse an under-researched area of the public VET system. We focus on the general perception of the Brazilian public VET system by the educational representatives at the FIs, who:
1. are influential advisers for young people regarding their educational choices and pathways and
2. are well informed about young peoples’ interests and attitudes as well as their educational aspirations, choices and pathways.
In a first step, we conducted a literature review on the current situation of VET in terms of relevant stakeholders, governance structures, participation and success rates. The results in combination with the theoretical basis were used to design the interview guideline. We collected qualitative data by conducting expert interviews with selected educational representatives at the FIs. Expert interviews were chosen in order to gain specialised knowledge and a deep understanding and thus to expand the previously sparse research results on the reputation of Brazil’s public VET system and the aspirations of young people choosing this pathway. The educational representatives in the institutional context represent a problem-orientated perspective. Their knowledge is strongly linked to their professional role and is based on privileged access to information (cf. Meuser & Nagel 2009, 467ff.). They especially qualify as a group of stakeholders with valuable expert knowledge, because their Institutes cover the full range of educational degrees available in the Brazilian educational system from secondary general education up to Master degrees and even the option for PhDs.
We carried out n = 23 semi-structured expert interviews in Portuguese with 4 rectors and 19 faculty members from different regions and backgrounds across Brazil. 10 interviewees were male and 13 female. All Brazilian regions were included in the sample, with the Southeast region being more significant in numbers (South n = 4; Southeast n = 7, Centre West n = 5, Northeast n = 4, North n = 3) due to the demographic representativeness and the number of FIs. We anonymized, transcribed and translated the interviews. The data was analysed via structured qualitative content analysis in alignment with Kuckartz (2022) by identifying both inductive and deductive categories. A communicative validation of the analysis results took place at various points in the evaluation process.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe presented results focus on students’ aspirations when choosing public VET. Our data indicate a rather positive reputation of FIs with difficulties deriving from the community’s overall perception as well as individual preferences.
The positive reputation of FIs aligns with rational choice theory’s emphasis on individuals’ decision to maximize their utility. In this context, our results show that parents' attitudes towards VET also influence young people's educational decisions (cf. Alavi, Sail & Awang, 2012). Furthermore, the availability of diverse educational programs within the same institution provides individuals with a range of (horizontal) choices to maximize their utility.
The organizational structure of FIs, allowing educational pathways from primary to higher education (verticalization), resonates with the assumptions of both rational choice theory and the skill ecosystem approach, as the availability of diverse educational levels within the same institution provides individuals with a vertical range of choices to maximize their utility. Moreover, this vertical integration aligns with the skill ecosystem approach by optimizing resources, including infrastructure and faculty expertise (e.g. Buchanan et al., 2017).
Our results show positive perceptions of the quality of education the FIs offer, mainly linked to comprehensive training and relevant knowledge for professional contexts. In general, there is recognition of the importance of faculty and student satisfaction, considering the institutions’ relevance within their local context, not only for technical qualification but also for helping people to form their principles and values. Nevertheless, the comprehensive and long-term improvement of the standing of FIs requires a multi-perspective approach in co-operation with the relevant political actors (Jambo & Pilz, 2018). This political discussion and the current changing situation within Brazil offer opportunities to intensify the ties between the FIs and the regional economy. This could lead to the establishment of a true skill ecosystem with FIs being one of its main contributors.
ReferencesAlavi, K., Md. Sail, R., & Awang, A. H. (2012). Work Esteem and Re-Branding of Technical Education and Vocational Training from The Perspective of Parents, Teachers and Apprentice. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 3(2).
Arrow, K. J. (1973). Higher Education as a Filter. Journal of Public Economics, 3, 193–216.
Bosch, G.; Charest, J. (2009). Vocational Training: International Perspectives, Routledge.
Brown, T. (2022). Skill ecosystems in the global South: Informality, inequality, and community setting, Geoforum, 132, 10-19.
Buchanan, J., Anderson, P., & Power, G. (2017). Skill ecosystems. In C. Warhurst, K. Mayhew, D. Finegold, & J. Buchanan (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Skills and Training (pp. 444-465). Oxford University Press.
Finegold, D. (1999). Creating self-sustaining, high-skill ecosystems. Oxford Review of Economic Policy 15(1), 60–81.
Garibaldi, P. (2006). Personnel economics in imperfect labour markets. Oxford.
Green, D. P. & Shapiro, I. (1999). Rational Choice: Eine Kritik Am Beispiel von Anwendungen in der Politischen Wissenschaft. München.
Jambo, S. & Pilz, M. (2018). Perceptions of teachers in Industrial Training Institutes: an exploratory study of the attractiveness of vocational education in India. International Journal of Training Research. 16(1). 4-18.
Jovanovic, B. (1979). Job Matching and the Theory of Turnover. Journal of Political Economy, 87(5), 972–990. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1833078
Kopatz, S. & Pilz, M. (2015). The academic takes it all? A comparison of returns to investment inceducation between graduates and apprentices in Canada. International journal for research in vocational education and training, 2(4), 308-325.
Kuckartz, Udo & Rädiker, Stefan (2022). Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse. Methoden, Praxis, Computerunterstützung. Beltz Juventa
Meuser, M., Nagel, U. (2009). Das Experteninterview — konzeptionelle Grundlagen und methodische Anlage. In: Pickel, S., Pickel, G., Lauth, HJ., Jahn, D. (eds.) Methoden der vergleichenden Politik- und Sozialwissenschaft. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-91826-6_23
OECD (2015), Education Policy Outlook: Brazil. available at: https://www.oecd.org/education/Brazil-country-profile.pdf (accessed 26.09.2023)
OECD (2023), Education at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing. Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/e13bef63-en (accessed 29.09.2023)
Ostendorf, A. (2019): Die Skill Ecosystem Perspektive als Denkrahmen zur Weiterentwicklung von Berufsbildungsstrukturen – eine Diskussion im Hinblick auf die digitale Transformation Titel des Beitrags. In: bwp@ Spezial AT-2: Beiträge zum 13. Österreichischen Wirtschaftspädagogik-Kongress, 1-14. Online: http://www.bwpat.de/wipaed-at2/ostendorf_wipaed-at_2019.pdf (22.09.2019).
02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper
Policy Transfer In VET. A Review Of Research Topics And Research Outlook
Antje Barabasch1, Sandra Bohlinger2, Stefan Wolf3
1Eidgenössische Hochschule für Berufsbildung EHB, Switzerland; 2TU Dresden, Germany; 3TU Berlin, Germany
Presenting Author: Barabasch, Antje;
Bohlinger, Sandra
International policy transfer in education per se and in Vocational Education and Training in particular has been a topic of interest across the world and across several disciplines (Phillips, 2008; Phillips & Ochs, 2004; Portnoi, 2016; Scott, Terano, Slee, Husbands & Wilkins, 2016; Steiner-Khamsi & Waldow, 2012). The term refers to the process of exchanging and adopting policy measures, reforms, strategies and ideas from one context to another (Dolowitz and Marsh, 2000; Li and Pilz, 2021), either with or without adaption to the new context. With respect to vocational education and training, the apprenticeship training in German-speaking countries has been a role model for many countries all over the world for decades and there were countless attempts to transfer at least elements of it to other regions and countries (e.g. Euler, 2013; Oeben and Klumpp, 2021). In the field of (labour-market related) adult education, policy transfer is less obvious though it was particularly international organizations which “borrowed” concepts of lifelong learning and learnt from one another as regards learning over the lifespan (e.g. Jarvis, 2014). Other examples of policy transfer in education refer to higher education and the Bologna, the learning outcomes orientation, qualifications frameworks or New Public Management tools (in terms of e.g. the use of monitoring or benchmarks in education).
However, there are few compendia that unite different international perspectives about the topic. Literature has tackled TVET in selected countries (Ertl, 2006), the transfer of the dual apprenticeship system to other countries (Gessler, Fuchs & Pilz, 2019; Pilz, 2017) or policy transfer in the field of skills development and skills regimes. There is a significant number of scientific publications that either address policy transfer (or policy learning or policy diffusion) in general or in fields different from education. Those that do address policy transfer in VET do hardy focus on international perspectives on VET development or they are not available in English.
Against this background, this contribution is based on an upcoming handbook on policy transfer in TVET and beyond seen from an international perspective. Approx. 60 scholars from all continents provided insights into policy transfer from a wide spectrum of international perspectives. They explore policy transfer in respect to learning, be it voluntary and purposeful, incidental and accidental or purposeful (Phillips and Schweisfurth, 2011). Also, the book addresses theoretical foundations of policy transfer, methodological approaches to policy transfer studies, skills development in light of the political economy, the impact of international policies, the influence on the politics of international organizations on policy learning across nations, historical reflections, cultural and anthropological perspectives, policy transfer from the global North to the global South as well as new trends in policy transfer. Geographically, the chapters span a wide range of countries including e.g. Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, the USA, the United Arab Emirates or Vietnam.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe aim of this contribution is not to present the book. Instead, the contribution aims at identifying the core topics, theoretical approaches and discourses discussed in the contributions as well as to systematize and contrast them. As the handbook also covers numerous methods by which the issues of policy learning and policy transfer are addressed (e.g. comparative studies, case studies or design-based research), this contribution also covers a systematic analysis of these methods and identify gaps for further research. In order to provide such an analysis we use the following guiding criteria to systematize the contributions: Geographical scope, core assumptions about and understanding of VET/TVET, theoretical approaches, key stakeholders, (current) discourses, key questions and topics in terms of VET/TVET, disciplinary perspectives on VET/TVET and political reforms. Moreover, the contributions brings together the mains findings resulting from the contributions and derives questions and research desiderata for future research.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe handbook spans a wide range of regional and national examples across all continents which indicate that and how policy transfer in VET at the crossroads to higher education and adult education has to be contextualized and embedded in regional and cultural contexts. It presents success stories of learning and transferring VET policies for the improvement in other countries, but also explains conflicting educational imaginaries that underpinned resistance against certain educational reforms.
It addresses theoretical foundations and the roots of policy transfer in education, provides new perspectives on policy transfer and questions the sustainability of TVET reforms deriving from “other” contexts. The contribution will draw an account of existing theoretical perspectives in the field, methodologies with which it has been researched, draws attention to the role of culture in determining the field and shows how different actors (donor’s, receivers, international organizations) understand policy transfer from different perspectives. By using some of the country examples we will reconstruct the theoretical lenses that have been applied to understand and explain them. In focusing the presentation on the role of policy transfer as an approach to learn from each other about past approaches, current developments and future perspectives pays tribute to the overall conference theme. The contribution will bring together the manifold perspectives and experiences and may spark innovation in international cooperation and development.
ReferencesErtl, H. (2006). Cross-national Attraction in Education: accounts from England and Germany. Oxford, UK: Symposium Books
Euler D (2013) Germany’s dual vocational training system: A model for other countries? Gütersloh. https://www.eunec.eu/sites/www.eunec.eu/files/attachment/files/2013_study_german_vet_system.pdf
Gessler, M., Fuchs, M. & Pilz, M. (2019). Konzepte und Wirkungen des Transfers dualer Berufsausbildung. Cham: Springer International.
Jarvis P (2014) From adult education to lifelong learning and beyond. Comparative Education 50(1): 45–57.
Maurer, M. & Gonon, P. (2014). The Challenges of Policy Transfer in Vocational Skills Development. National Qualifications Frameworks and the Dual Model of Vocational Training in International Cooperation. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Oeben M, Klumpp M (2021) Transfer of the German vocational education and training system—Success factors and hindrances with the example of Tunisia. Education Science 11(247): 1–25.
Phillips, D. (Ed.). (2008). Comparative inquiry and educational policy making. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.
Phillips, D. & Ochs, K. (2004). Educational Policy Borrowing: historical perspectives. Oxford Studies in Comparative Education. Providence, RI: Symposium Books.
Phillips D, Schweisfurth M (2011) Comparative and International Education. An Introduction to Theory, Method and Practice. London, New York: Continuum.
Pilz, M. (2017). Vocational Education and Training in Times of Economic Crisis: Lessons from Around the World. Cham: Springer International.
Portnoi, L. M. (2016). Policy Borrowing and Reform in Education: Globalized Processes and Local Contexts. Cham: Springer International.
Scott, D., Terano, M., Slee, R., Husbands, C., & Wilkins, R. (2016). Policy transfer and educational change. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Steiner-Khamsi, G. & Waldow, F. (2012). Policy Borrowing and Lending in Education. Routledge: London and New York.
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