Industry certification and apprenticeship programs are vital in closing the labor shortage gap while improving graduation rates nationwide. New Mexico has trailed behind the rest of the nation in rebalancing the emphasis on skilled trades, particularly in rural schools. This phenomenological study interviewed ten Career and Technical Education…

When women enter occupations that have historically and traditionally been the realm of men, they face a multitude of barriers that make their experience difficult and that contribute to a gender-segregated workforce. Vocational Education and Training (VET) is the entryway to employment in the skilled trades, and VET providers have a role in…

The St Martin's Group commissioned Learning and Work Institute to explore the barriers apprenticeship employers face, what employers can do to help apprentices complete their programmes, and ultimately how 'best outcomes' of apprenticeships are defined by different parties across the system. More than 800 apprenticeship employers were surveyed to…

With a focus on the Western-Canadian province of Manitoba, this article aims to develop a conceptual and empirical exploration of how apprenticeship learning can be transformed to meet the needs of Indigenous apprentices. Conceptually, the article layers an articulation of decolonising education onto apprenticeship learning in such a way as to…

Competency-based training (CBT) is the key training approach used in the vocational education and training sector in Australia. Competency-based training is an approach to vocational education and training (VET) designed to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve competency. It focuses on an individual's mastery of skill, whereby an…

Apprenticeship is an enduring form of knowledge transfer that combines work-based learning with classroom instruction. The educational model allows participants to earn while they learn through on-the-job and formalized training that often leads to a college credential (Prebil, 2019). Mounting college debt, combined with more American businesses…

The quotation in the title from a college leader is a stark reflection of the experience of the Further Education (FE) Sector during the COVID pandemic (2020-21). Traditionally regarded as a poor relation of the English education system, evidence from Sector sources suggest that the five COVID harms identified through a scoping review of the…

People with disabilities in Australia face significant employment barriers. Research and policy initiatives over the past fifteen years have consistently emphasised the benefits of vocational education and training generally, and apprenticeship and traineeships specifically, as leading to positive vocational pathways and employment outcomes for…

With this paper we want to contribute to the debate on the usage of vocational training as a tool to promote the integration of disadvantaged groups. We focus in particular on programmes that target refugees and highlight the organisational and coordination challenges that must be addressed in order to develop such programmes. Relying on knowledge…

Vocational education and training (VET) in schools promises a seamless entry into apprenticeships, skilled work and further education options, with many best practice examples of this type of training delivered in schools identified around Australia. This synthesis identifies insights emerging from existing research on the delivery of VET to…

Brazil faces complex challenges regarding the need to pursue economic growth coupled with the inclusion of diverse segments of society, including people with disability. This paper seeks to highlight historical aspects about the insertion of people with disability in the Brazilian labour market, to secure the need for public policies to guarantee…

Context: Vocational education and training (VET) plays a crucial role in the social inclusion of refugees. The aim of this paper is to examine how the VET systems of Austria, Denmark and Germany responded to the arrival of young refugees since 2015. VET in these countries is categorised as system of collective skill formation, which offers…

Context: COVID-19 poses major challenges for vocational education and training (VET), as VET--in contrast to general education--is closely linked to the economic system and cannot escape the impact of current economic restrictions. Additionally, strict infection control regulations, as well as temporary school and company closures, inhibit the…

Apprenticeships are often considered the "gold standard" of workforce education. They are formal training programs during which successful applicants are paid while being trained on the job by experienced workers or mentors. Acquiring new skills in the workplace is accompanied by related training, typically provided by an educational…

In May 2016, Government funding of £80 million was awarded to establish five employer-led National Colleges in key growth sectors -- Creative and Cultural (NCCI), Digital Skills (Ada), Nuclear (NCfN), High Speed Rail (NCHSR) and Oil and Gas. This was alongside substantial investment from Local Authorities (LAs), Local Enterprise Partnerships…