TY - JOUR
T1 - The coherence of vocational education and training in Norway and Spain: national traditions and the reshaping of VET governance in hybrid VET systems
AU - Souto-Otero, Manuel
AU - Ure, Odd-Bjon
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Coherence of national education and training systems is increasingly tabled in European policy debates. Leaning on literature about the emergence and consolidation of national education systems, this article explores the rationale for VET reforms in Norway and Spain by scrutinising attempts to strengthen the coherence of their VET systems. Coherence has been sought through the unification of different strands of vocational education; initial, continuing and active labour market policies (what we call ‘horizontal coherence’) and the mainstreaming of VET curricular elements; plus the systematisation of VET practices across educational levels (‘vertical coherence’). While both countries looked for coherence, their motivations, how they operationalised the term and the emphasis of their actions differed substantially. Spain has experienced a move from the three largely unrelated strands into a more unified system; Norway from a fragile VET system to the availability of more VET courses and apprenticeship arrangements at all educational levels.
AB - Coherence of national education and training systems is increasingly tabled in European policy debates. Leaning on literature about the emergence and consolidation of national education systems, this article explores the rationale for VET reforms in Norway and Spain by scrutinising attempts to strengthen the coherence of their VET systems. Coherence has been sought through the unification of different strands of vocational education; initial, continuing and active labour market policies (what we call ‘horizontal coherence’) and the mainstreaming of VET curricular elements; plus the systematisation of VET practices across educational levels (‘vertical coherence’). While both countries looked for coherence, their motivations, how they operationalised the term and the emphasis of their actions differed substantially. Spain has experienced a move from the three largely unrelated strands into a more unified system; Norway from a fragile VET system to the availability of more VET courses and apprenticeship arrangements at all educational levels.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84860777872&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2011.628836
U2 - 10.1080/03057925.2011.628836
DO - 10.1080/03057925.2011.628836
M3 - Article
SN - 0305-7925
VL - 42
SP - 91
EP - 111
JO - Compare
JF - Compare
IS - 1
ER -