Much of VET policy internationally draws on a toolkit that has been seriously questioned for its logic, international relevance and effectiveness by considerable amounts of academic research. Reflecting primarily on our experiences of leading a complex, multi-country policy study, we develop an account that seeks to explore ways in which the…

Policymakers and educators around the nation are wrestling with an important challenge--how to raise expectations for high school achievement, while increasing relevance and engagement in learning to keep students in school. Career and technical education (CTE) is receiving renewed attention as a strategy for increasing school engagement and rigor…

Trends in vocational education and training (VET) reform in Italy, Spain, and Portugal are examined in the context of European Community developments. The paper describes common problems (such as a low average qualification level), each country's current VET system, and specific strategies for structural change and program development. (DB)

The current status of the Lebanese vocational and technical education (VTE) system is assessed and the strategic issues and challenges facing it are identified. In addition to the economic and social challenges that are common to many developing countries, the Lebanese system suffers from idiosyncratic problems, which may require innovative and…

Sweeping political, economic and social reforms in the USSR have affected educational policy making. Of the many important steps taken within the last 5 years to recast educational matters, at least three merit serious consideration, and these are described and analyzed in this paper. The first, the adoption of Fundamental Directions of General…

This report documents the findings from 13 workshops designed to help teachers and librarians work together to identify library services required to support the delivery of competency-training curricula. Two hundred and twenty-eight staff attended the workshops, which were held in Queensland (Australia) between March and July 1992. About 80…

Six papers prepared within the Office of Career Education during the period 1975-76 are contained in this monograph. The papers are presented in their order of preparation, each intended to make some contribution to refinement of the career education concept. "Career Education: A Crusade for Change" discusses the need for, nature of, and…

This bulletin describes the changing nature of work and summarizes research that has sought to identify the skills that all high school graduates and adult learners should have. It challenges several common assumptions about what preparation is needed for the workplace and how effectively schools are delivering the necessary skills. It cites the…

Discussion of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean looks at its role in human resource development, industrial advancement, and sustainable development. Circumstances in individual countries are sketched in the areas of higher education system diversification, characteristics of different national system types, governance,…

The Education Working Paper Series is produced by the Education Unit at the World Bank (HDNED). It provides an avenue for World Bank staff to publish and disseminate preliminary education findings to encourage discussion and exchange ideas within the World Bank and among the broader development community. Many factors have contributed to Finland's…

The five papers included in this monograph represent an attempt on the part of the Office of Career Education to clarify differences between career education and vocational education. The first paper, "Everyone's Favorite Solution Can't Be All Bad--A Reply to James O'Toole," rebuts O'Toole's seven charges against vocational education. The second…

As the sun, moon, and stars helped sea captains to navigate, policy (defined as a formalized idea to encourage change) indicates general direction and speed but does not establish a specific approach to achieve implementation. Formal and informal policies have advantages and disadvantages. These are steps in navigating policy formation: identify…

The issue of rural development has been surrounded by a number of debates regarding its nature, types, and scale. Included among the sources of controversy relating to rural development are the following areas: (1) the relation between rural development and rural industrialization, (2) the distribution of benefits and costs associated with…

The structural problems present in vocational education in France and reform efforts under way to solve them were studied. Eighteen experts from government, science, and industry were interviewed, and statistics and other relevant publications were analyzed. The development of the French initial training system was outlined, and trends in…

In the coming decade, three major developments will become important factors for change in vocational education. These are changes in the demographic profile and retirement practices, regional shifts in economic activity and in employment, and renewal of the industrial sector as a key ingredient in economic growth. Because of inflation, greater…