From Vocational to Higher Education - An International Perspective (Electronic book text)

This book discusses current issues in vocational and higher education and the relations between them. The book concentrates on the well developed English-speaking countries - the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - but discusses important features of continental Europe. The book considers the implications of the Bologna process in higher education, the Copenhagen declaration on enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training, and the development of a European qualifications framework. The book argues that while there are of course important differences between vocational and higher education, and between tertiary education systems in each country, many of the important new developments will emerge and be influenced by interactions between sectors and countries.The book relates differences between educational systems to their country's economic system. The tracked education systems of the Germanic countries and northern continental Europe are suitable for what Hall & Soskice (2001) call the co-ordinated market economies where the social partners - employers, unions and government - co-ordinate education and employment. In the liberal market economies of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand students need more general education to respond quickly to changes in economic conditions and employment opportunities. The extent of any convergence between educational sectors and national education systems therefore depends on the convergence of the economic systems that support them.