Abstract
As demands for meaningful work experience are becoming more critical, particularly in the light of recent policy initiatives, the ability to provide an integrated system of work-based VET in England is becoming increasingly problematic The paper highlights the problems associated with provision, including the assimilation of vocational education to training in a narrow sense and the lack of an integration of the different elements of work-based VET, above all apprenticeships. The work-based VET route in England is shown to have particular weaknesses due to: the generally low status of VET; its governance and especially the lack of representation of employee interests; and the growing difficulties of obtaining employer engagement. Whilst the latter aspect is part of a European-wide phenomenon, in other respects the English system remains distinct. Drawing on secondary material and on evidence from our current research related to qualifications and skills in England, Germany, France and the Netherlands, the paper shows that the English VET system has much to learn from continental systems in overcoming its weaknesses.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank their project partners Anneke Westerhuis (CINOP, Netherlands), Georg Hanf (Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, Germany), and Philippe Méhaut (University of Marseille) for their invaluable comments on earlier drafts of this chapter.
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Brockmann, M., Clarke, L., Winch, C. (2010). The Distinct Nature of Work-Based VET in England: A Reflection of Employer Interests?. In: Smith, E., Rauner, F. (eds) Rediscovering Apprenticeship. Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3116-7_8
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