Vocational education and training (VET) at the upper-secondary level remains the heart of VET systems around the world, representing the bulk of VET enrolments in most countries. It comprises programmes that are predominantly school-based, as well as programmes with a substantial element of work-based learning. Upper-secondary VET offers lower-secondary graduates the opportunity to develop labour market relevant skills, alongside more general and transversal skills. It also typically enables learners to access higher levels of education and training. Upper-secondary VET serves young people in initial education, as well as adults who are looking for opportunities to upskill or reskill in response to evolving skills needs.
While upper-secondary VET is a well-established component of most education systems, its design and implementation differs across countries. This report describes upper-secondary VET systems across seven dimensions in nine countries, providing an up-to-date and detailed evidence base on similarities and differences between upper-secondary VET systems around the world. The dimensions analysed are: 1) VET’s place in the education system and pathways into and after VET; 2) curriculum and assessment; 3) work-based learning in school-based programmes; 4) provider types; 5) VET teachers and trainers’ qualifications and professional development; 6) governance; and 7) funding. This report describes these elements of upper-secondary VET systems in: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland. As VET commences in post-secondary education in Singapore, ISCED 4 level VET is the focus of the Singapore chapter.
This report was drafted by Ben Game and Abigail Sageev from the OECD Centre for Skills, under the supervision of Marieke Vandeweyer (manager of the VET team) and El Iza Mohamedou (Head of the Centre for Skills). The report has benefited from comments provided by Mark Pearson (Deputy Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs), Malgorzata Kuczera and colleagues from the OECD Centre for Skills, as well as the Group of National Experts (GNE) on VET. Administrative and editorial assistance was provided by Jennifer Cannon, along with Kris Virsilas and Alexandra Kolb, from the OECD Centre for Skills.
The OECD is grateful for the financial support of the Gatsby Charitable Foundation for this project, and for the guidance and feedback provided by Natasha Watkinson and Jenifer Burden. The OECD is grateful to colleagues in the countries covered in this report who provided feedback on the chapters.