In the context of renewed global interest in the development of vocational skills, policy makers in many countries as well as representatives of technical organisations often hope to reform existing training systems by borrowing models and policies that seem to work elsewhere. One of these prominent models is that of ‘National Qualifications Framework’, the use of which now spans the entire globe. On a much smaller scale, the ‘Dual Model’ of vocational training – a systematic combination o...

Understanding today’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems requires a comprehension of the rise and development, i.e. of the foundations of topical VET. This book provides a comparative view of its development in Europe. The contributions of renowned authors give insight into conceptual questions, cases and challenges in this field.

Global trends, such as an ever-rising service economy, rapid technological change and digitalization, challenge skill formation systems. Focussing on European countries, this edited volume examines the variety of European VET governance and VET governance research. In particular, it provides insights into regional, local and decentralized governance at meso (e.g. professional associations) as well as micro level (e.g. learning arrangements). As such, the edited volume sheds light on the hi...

Vocational education has been opened up and extends to various directions: Higher education tends to take on vocational education models. Vice versa, vocational education development partially follows the structures of higher education. In addition, informal learning and recognition of competences widen the perspectives on vocational education. This book highlights a variety of developments and analyses from countries like Australia, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, South Africa, India, Ukrain...

This e-book contains high-resolution graphics and tables that can only be read on e-readers capable of enlarging images. This book assesses the extent to which ideas and structures of the Swiss vocational and professional education and training (VPET) system could also be applied to vocational qualifications in other countries. It offers a look at the different forms of VPET in Switzerland and introduces the development and structure of the system as well as its governance and legal founda...

This volume looks at the recontextualization that results from the international transfer of dual modes of vocational education and training (VET), typically focused on apprenticeships, in their countries’ new nation-specific and local context, highlighting the absorptive capacities and the different modes of duality in VET.Combining perspectives and data from a truly international set of contributors, the book identifies diverse translations and enactments of dual modes of vocatio...

Recognising the regular adoption, by countries across the globe, of the vocational education and training (VET) model already so prevalent in German-speaking countries such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland, this book spotlights dual modes of VET, depicting its global emergence and subsequent cross-national attraction.Globally, the practice of combining schools and workplace practice and learning is seen as a gold-standard for cross-national attraction: the comparison between, an...

How has New Public Management influenced social policy reform in different developed welfare states? New managerialism is conceptualized as a paradigm, which not only shapes the decision-making process in bureaucratic organizations but also affects the practice of individuals (citizens).Public administrations have been expected to transform from traditional bureaucratic organizations into modern managerial service providers by adopting a business model that requires the efficient a...

This volume analyses adult education and lifelong learning as international phenomena, which have a strong influence on professionals working in this field. Based on the 2016 Würzburg Winter School, the book identifies influences on policy at local, national and international levels. It examines the internationalization of adult education and emphasizes the emergence of different dimensions of professionalism in adult education.

Governing Compact Cities investigates how governments and other critical actors organise to enable compact urban growth, combining higher urban densities, mixed use and urban design quality with more walkable and public transport-oriented urban development. Philipp Rode draws on empirical evidence from London and Berlin to examine how urban policymakers, professionals and stakeholders have worked across disciplinary silos, geographic scales and different time horizons since the ea...

Distance education and training provision has expanded dramatically over the past few years. This best-selling introduction to the field has helped many to understand the origins and background of distance education, and has been used by students and professionals as a guide to policy and practice. It has now been updated in the light of the developments in recent years in Eastern Europe and the enormous advances in the use of new technologies. A new case study of distance education in Chi...

Across many countries, national, federal and district level governments are increasingly pursuing approaches to school improvement that seek to achieve so-called ‘bottom-up’ change. That is, improvements to teaching and learning that are generated by teachers, and subsequently shared horizontally and vertically within educational systems. Often such change relies on educators engaging in ‘evidence-informed practice’: improvements to teaching in learning that are grounded in data and resear...