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Those responsible for the planning of vocational education and training (VET) institutions face some specific challenges: for example, maintaining and improving specialised equipment, or integrating the latest technology. The Governing Board of the Programme on Educational Building (PEB) discussed some of the issues at a special session in November 2008.
To give a brief picture of some of the differences between approaches to VET and the implications for facilities, the representatives at the meeting provided different examples. One showed how the geographical location of the VET school and its relationship to the workplace are closely connected. Training programmes in Turkey, for example, are situated in industrial zones and are rarely found in rural areas. This arrangement directly links schools to vocations which are financed by the companies. Similarly in Ireland, VET is physically located near industry and in economically disadvantaged areas to provide opportunities to students who are less academically inclined.
In another context, Mexico, there is no significant connection to workplaces; although these relationships are being created in certain industries.
The Campania Region of Italy has undertaken a new initiative that targets 18- to 24-year-olds who are not in formal education or do not hold certification. This programme will help 4 000 students access employment. However, one particular challenge is providing adequate facilities to accommodate the new programme, due to the region’s dense population.
Although these examples suggest specific issues raised by different country contexts, there are other more generally applicable challenges. Spatial and equipment needs vary depending on the country job market demands, curriculum requisites, and programme funding and organisation.
In institutions that provide for VET, whether they are specific colleges or part of a school or university, space design tends to be driven by the highly-specialised equipment, furnishings, machinery and tools needed to instruct students. For example, specialised learning spaces might include focused laboratories or workshops that require particular equipment serving specific functions.
The integration of technology is an essential component to augment training programmes, yet constant advances make this difficult to fund and preserve. For vocational studies, student exposure to modern and advanced technologies easily translates into marketable skills when entering the labour force. However, rapidly changing industry technologies render equipment and machines outdated relatively quickly and such systems are often expensive to replace. The need for hands-on experience with the latest technologies and equipment can be met by creating partnerships with local companies and businesses, which improves student access to and training with current industry technologies and consequently enhances educational outcomes. Companies can donate equipment or allow student access to their premises, but either of these may only answer part of the training need if the equipment is designed too specifically for one company.
Increasing reliance on technology and resulting improvements mean that spaces need to be flexible in their design to allow for new technological methods and devices.
As part of its work looking at the implications on facilities of VET, CELE has carried out a literature review that explores these issues further. See here for report.
For more information, contact Alastair.Blyth@oecd.org.
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