Vocational Education Commons^™

Focus Highlight In Vpet: Curriculum And Pedagogy, Stephen Billett

VPET International Conference

As the nature of occupations and requirements for work are constantly transforming, student needs and aspirations undergo corresponding changes, making it important to consider and potentially reform Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET) curriculum, pedagogy and practices. This includes a reconsideration of the aims of VPET provision, the type, importance and range of experiences being afforded students (i.e., curriculum practices) and how these experiences can be enriched to optimise learning (i.e., pedagogic practices). One clear point of departure is that the learning experiences of VPET students cannot be restricted to activities within vocational education institutions or those delivered through …

Guided Tour Of Worldskills Hong Kong Competition And Carnival, - -

VPET International Conference

No abstract provided.

Focus Highlight In Vpet: Stem And Their Relevance For Vet In Germany, Birgit Thomann

VPET International Conference

The presentation gives an overview of the present situation and future development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in vocational education and training (VET) in Germany. To the German economy and its successful performance, qualifications and competences in the field of STEM are of utmost importance. Its USP is based to a great extent on high-tech applications in the manufacturing industry. For companies belonging to this sector, STEM qualifications are essential to remain successful competitors. Given this understanding, STEM is not merely an additional topic for VET; rather it is immanent to the German VET system and key to …

Keynote Speech: Creating Stem Power, Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya

VPET International Conference

In his presentation Lord Bhattacharyya will draw on his personal experience as a graduate apprentice and founder of Warwick Manufacturing Group, where for almost 40 years he has bought together academic rigour with industrial relevance.Lord Bhattacharyya will argue that despite the huge variety of challenges different countries and sectors face, the need for vocational STEM skills is near universal. From his experience and knowledge Lord Bhattacharyya will suggest that at the heart of any successful response to this challenge lies a simple principle - that vocational STEM education needs to put real work experience, opportunity and knowledge first. Such a …

Keynote Speech: Partnership And Collaboration Among Vpet Institutions In Asia Pacific Region, Shyamal Majumdar

VPET International Conference

Our time is an era of transitions. This is also a time of turbulence as well as time of challenges. The challenges which threaten the economy, society and the environment are numerous, complex and interconnected. In spite of significant economic and social progress till date, high youth unemployment, social disparities and environmental degradations create challenges for all countries. These challenges threaten human security, dignity and social cohesion. Peace is fragile. Large number of people in this world still suffers from poverty, hunger and inequalities. Addressing such challenges needs integrated global developmental goals. Global goals require universal solidarity, international dialogue and …

Conclusion Of Day 1, Margarita Pavlova

VPET International Conference

No abstract provided.

Focus Highlight In Vpet: Governance And Performance, Peter Noonan

VPET International Conference

This presentation will consider various evolving models for vocational education and training (VET) system governance and their relationship to VET system performance. Governance is defined broadly to include how power is exercised, who exercises the power and governance models relevant to VET, including co-governance with industry, governance in federal systems such as Australia and Germany, and devolved governance (such as the various levels of autonomy of training providers and institutions). The differences in planned versus market-based systems and the intersection between governance in VET and other systems (schools and higher education) will also be considered. System performance will then be …

Focus Highlight In Vpet: Dual Vet: A Success Factor For The Swiss Economy, Cornelia Oertle

VPET International Conference

Switzerland has topped the Global Competitiveness Index for the seventh consecutive year and, according to the Global Innovation Index, has the most innovative economy. Various factors contribute to these scores. Education is certainly one. An education system that produces an appropriate mix of skills and grades is crucial to maintaining a low youth unemployment rate and to enhancing a country's economic competitiveness. This means offering a wide range of high-quality education and training programmes at the secondary and tertiary levels, and improving the fit between the competencies of graduates and the needs of the labour market. Switzerland boasts an excellent …

Focus Highlight In Vpet: Skill Development And Economic Growth, Sandra Mcnally

VPET International Conference

There is good evidence of a strong positive relationship between skills and economic growth. It is a stronger relationship than that between educational qualifications and growth. Furthermore, skills shortages persist in countries such as the UK, even though there has been a large increase in the number of people with tertiary-level qualifications. This must be addressed at all levels of education policy. It is also important to consider economic changes, such as technological developments, when considering what skills are needed for economic growth. For example, much of the economic literature shows the importance of skill-biased technological change and its consequences …

Keynote Speech: Skills Agenda In Major Economies, Andreas Schleicher

VPET International Conference

No abstract provided.

Welcome Speech, C.Y. Leung

VPET International Conference

No abstract provided.

Employer Perspectives On Eal Employee Writing Problems, Jim Hu, Alana Hoare

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

In academic disciplines, content rather than writing accuracy is usually emphasized (Hyland, 2013), leaving many English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) students unmotivated to improve writing accuracy. However, the workplace may demand accurate and clear writing. Thus, Ferris (2002, 2011) calls for research into employers’ perspectives on inaccurate and unclear writing of EAL employees to help raise academic faculty and EAL student consciousness. To respond to Ferris' call, this study investigated: 1) employers’ expectations regarding writing accuracy of EAL employees, 2) EAL employees’ language problems in work-related writing, and 3) the impact of writing problems on EAL employees’ employment and career opportunities. The study …

The Effects Of Career And Technical Education On High School Graduation Rates In New Jersey, Cassandra Hart

Theses and Dissertations

Trying to move away from the stigma of its purpose, Career and Technical Education (CTE) has been changing from the beginning of its implementation into the secondary school system. In its early years, CTE was for individuals entering the workforce directly after secondary school but recent research has shown the benefits that these programs are providing for students continuing their education post-secondary. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects that CTE has on high school graduation rates. This study was specifically exploring the effect of CTE programs in New Jersey high schools by comparing strictly CTE schools' …

Open Source Micro Diplomas: New Credentials For New Learning, Jack F. Powers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The standard model for college in America—a four-year bachelor’s degree that teaches critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and written communication skills—is unaffordable and unattainable for most Americans. Only about a third of citizens aged 25 and over have achieved a baccalaureate degree or better. Two-thirds are left behind in precarious jobs that pay substantially less and that are losing ground. Everyone from politicians to parents repeats the mantra of “college for all”, but the reality is more like “college for the socio-economically gifted.”

At the same time, the modern world of work is evolving into a more complex, technical, and computerized …

"Tagged" An Agricultural Education Immersion Program, Angelica A. Aldana

Agricultural Education and Communication

According to the 2014 National Association of Agricultural Educator’s (NAAE) National Teach Ag Campaign Report, a total of 96 agricultural teaching positions went unfilled across the nation. California is located in the region with the highest number of unfilled positions. 739 teachers left the profession nation-wide, testifying to the growing issue of retention in the field of Agricultural Education. In order to help further recruitment efforts for students to consider agricultural education as a profession, the findings of this research will support the need for an Agricultural Education Immersion Program.

This project outlines a plan for an Agricultural Education Immersion …

Languaging At Work: The Language Socialization Of Support Staff In The Healthcare Workforce, Kristen E. Schlapp

Graduate Masters Theses

This thesis presents findings from an ethnographic study of adult English Language Learners (ELLs) who are support staff employees in a large metropolitan hospital and are taking integrated English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at their work site. This research is rooted in a theoretical framework that intersects studies on discourse (Fairclough, 1995; Gee, 2008), language socialization (Burdelski & Cook, 2012; Flowerdew, 2013; Vickers, 2007), and agency and identity development (Norton, 1997, 2006, 2010; van Lier, 2008) to discuss the experience of adult ELLs who enter an English-dominant healthcare workplace. The teacher-researcher used ethnographic methods to examine: (a) the …

The Impacts Of On-The-Job Training On Labor Market Outcomes Dual Training System In The Philippines, Futoshi Yamauchi, Marites M. Tiongco, Taejong Kim, Kye Woo Lee

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

This paper estimates the impacts of the Philippine Dual Training System (DTS) on labor market outcomes using a recent survey that tracked graduates from DTS and non-DTS programs provided by vocational training institutes. DTS programs partner with local employers to combine on-the-job training (OJT) with the conventional school- or center-based instructions, while non-DTS programs consist solely of the latter. The estimation results in Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Design show a significantly positive impact on the most-recent monthly earnings. Quantitatively, the impact on the most-recent monthly earnings attributable to DTS is large, that is, more than 75% increase relative to the average …

A Qualitative Study On The Influence Of Quality Systems In Meeting Performance Funding Criteria In Wisconsin Technical College System Institutions, Kinga N. Jacobson

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

This case study investigated the influence of quality systems on meeting performance funding criteria in Wisconsin Technical College System institutions. Using qualitative text-analysis methodology, the case study identified the common processes, systems, values, and culture of three Wisconsin Forward Award-recognized technical colleges, looking for ways these characteristics were used for attaining performance-based funding goals. Sources analyzed included the colleges’ Wisconsin Forward Award application documents and evaluator feedback reports, and the transcripts of six interviews conducted with professionals with expertise in organizational effectiveness and performance funding at these institutions. Findings indicated that the entities shared quality, benchmarking, feedback, strategic planning, and …

Bridging Technical Skills Gaps Between High School Students And Local Employers, Edward C. Fletcher Jr., Will Tyson

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The purpose of this study was to explore how technical skills taught and learned in Florida engineering and engineering technology-themed career academies fit technical skills desired by local employers in technology and manufacturing. The analysis utilized the narratives of 70 students and four teachers from career academies at four high schools and 27 industry leaders from the same geographical region of Florida. Data interpretation led to understanding that employers expressed an urgent need for technical skills using appropriate equipment and technologies, teachers were teaching students technical skills by simulating the real-world work environment, and students valued their abilities to transform …

Iowa Agricultural Educators’ Current And Perceived Grading Practices, Jenny Ann Lichty, Michael S. Retallick

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Literature on grading reveals that grading practices have not changed much since they were first introduced. However, with alternative approaches, such as standards-based grading, being introduced, it is important to look at how agricultural educators are using grades to evaluate student learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the grading practices of Iowa high school agricultural educators. The accessible population consisted of 236 high school agricultural educators. Findings were based on responses of 157 (69.8%) educators who responded to the study via an online questionnaire. These agricultural educators used a variety of learning approaches, and their beliefs aligned …