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Why the work matters
OECD countries need skilled workers in traditional trades like electricians, plumbers, bakers and butchers, in newer technical fields such as in health care and computing, and in jobs which are fast becoming more technical such as vehicle repair. The collective importance of these skills is high in all OECD economies, although the mix of skills and occupations in demand is changing fast. Typically initial vocational education and training systems play a large role in supplying these skills – a critical element in the fuel needs of a well-functioning modern economy. Any failures in this system can throw grit into the economic machine.
So the aim of this project is to help countries make sure that they are providing the right mix of high quality fuel for their economies, and that it is pumped at the right speed – to make sure that their systems of vocational education and training are effective in meeting fast-changing labour market needs.
The emerging issues
Vocational education and training takes diverse forms. For example in continental Europe, many young people enter a vocational programme in upper secondary education, sometimes linked to workplace training. In the United States, by contrast, Career and Technical Education (as VET is described in the US) is concentrated largely at tertiary level, particularly in the community colleges. Some countries have extensive formal apprenticeship systems, others practically none.
Despite its international diversity, some common issues and challenges remain in nearly all countries. For example:
- how to balance the needs of students and employers in the provision of training;
- the skills required by VET teachers and trainers;
- the extent to which the benefits of workplace training can be fully exploited;
- the most effective models for engaging employers and unions;
- how better measures of labour market outcomes can be developed, and compared across countries.
How the work is done
To tackle these and other questions, two strands of work have been pursued, leading to many publications.
- A programme of analytical work draws on evidence from all OECD countries. It includes an international questionnaire on VET systems, collation of data, and specially commissioned papers
- Policy reviews of vocational education and training are also being carried out in 14 countries, with short reports being prepared in two more. The policy reviews involve visits to the countries by OECD teams leading to published reports, with policy recommendations
Timetable
This body of different studies fed into the initial comparative report which was published on the OECD website in October 2009. The final comparative report, drawing together all the conclusions of the study will be published in Autumn 2010.
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Back to Home Page for Learning for Jobs – The OECD Policy Review of Vocational Education and Training
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