Abstract
Initial vocational education and training (VET) has been intensely reformed in Romania. Elevating its status has been a recent concern, in the context of strong pressure from industry. However, it requires more than an ‘image makeover’ and the persuading of parents and young people. This analysis is based on a qualitative study, involving over 250 young people, and 100 teachers, employers and policymakers. The first part looks at the reforms since the fall of Communism. The second part highlights the work done to reshape the image of VET, based on the efforts of schools to fill the growing number of places, and attempts by companies to reframe perceptions of blue-collar jobs. The last part challenges the idea that the problem of VET is (mainly) one of image. The chapter discusses the mixed quality of education in VET, and questions the ambivalent role played by a range of short-term training programs. It also suggests that the dual system, despite strong policy endorsement, creates a small niche, but is not a structural remedy, as it does not commit towards social inclusion goals. The limitations of the campaigns that promote VET are also considered: the gendered nature of the ‘success stories’ and the failure to highlight the precarious nature of many employment options.
This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-PCE2021-0366.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
‘Meister’ is the highest non-degree qualification in the area of vocational education and training and it entails 1–3 years of post-secondary education. The ‘meister’ role is a level 3 qualification (EQF level 5, ISCED level 4).
- 2.
The first (and still the only) independent dual school was established in 2012. It was a rather isolated initiative, strongly endorsed by the German business community from a highly industrialized city.
- 3.
ISCED-P 352.
- 4.
ISCED-P 354.
- 5.
Upon completing the 3-year VET program, graduates can enroll in the third year of a technological high school (EQF level 4 technological program).
- 6.
‘Meisters’ are specialised technicians with previous experience in industry, who teach in VET. Increasingly, they are being replaced by engineers (or are required to gain an engineering degree).
- 7.
During Communism, the very low number of places allocated to higher education was a political project. Now, Romania still has one of the lowest percentages of its population with tertiary degrees. Although as little as 20% of each young generation graduates from university, the educational system is built in a way that channels its energy towards higher education as a goal (Federatia Coalitia pentru Educatie, 2018).
- 8.
A World Bank (2018) concept for describing a multi-faceted global phenomenon.
References
AGERPRES. (2021). Doar 70 de elevi absolvenţi ai clasei a VIII-a au optat pentru învăţământul profesional şi dual. https://www.agerpres.ro/educatie-stiinta/2021/06/22/bihor-doar70-de-absolventi-de-clasa-a-viii-a-au-optat-pentru-invatamantul-profesional-si-dual%2D%2D734889
Atkins, L. (2010). Opportunity and aspiration, or the great deception? The case of 14–19 vocational education. Power and Education, 2(3), 253–265.
Balasoiu, F. (2021). Elevii care au picat BAC-ul vor să muncească în Germania, în fabrici, ori să fie curieri. Sunt recrutați imediat după școală. PRO TV. 20.08.2021.
Bathmaker, A.-M. (2001). ‘it’s the perfect education’: Lifelong learning and the experience of foundation-level GNVQ students. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 53(1), 81–100.
Billett, S. (2011). Vocational education. Purposes, traditions and prospects. Springer.
Billett, S. (2020). Perspectives on enhancing the standing of vocational education and the occupations it serves. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 72(2), 161–169.
Billett S. et al. (2021) Remaking and Transforming Cultural Practices: Exploring the Co-occurrence of Work, Learning, Innovation: Creativity and Learning. In S. Lemmetty S, K. Collin, V. P. Glăveanu, & P. Forsman (Eds.), Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture. Palgrave
Billett, S., Dymock, D., Hodge, S., Choy, S., & Le, A. H. (2022). Chapter 6: Shaping young people’s decision-making about post-school pathways: Institutional and personal factors. In S. Billett, B. E. Stalder, A. Vibe, S. Choy, S. Hodge, & A. H. Le (Eds.), The standing of vocational education and the occupations it serves: Current concerns and strategies for enhancing that standing. Springer.
Brown, J. (2017). In their words: Student choice in training markets – Victorian examples. NCVER.
CNDIPT. (2020). Peste 96.600 locuri disponibile în învăţământul profesional şi tehnic pentru anul şcolar 2020–2021. https://www.alegetidrumul.ro/noutati/peste-96600-locuri-disponibile-in-invatamantul-profesional-si-tehnic-pentru-anul-scolar-2020-2021
Collins, R. (2002). Credential Inflation and the future of Universities. In S. Brint (Ed.), The future of the city of intellect: The changing American University (pp. 23–46). Stanford University Press.
Dewey, J. (1916/1966). Democracy and education. The Free Press.
Eichhorst, W., Rodríguez-Planas, N., Schmidl, R., & Zimmermann, K. F. (2015). A road map to vocational education and training in industrialized countries. ILR Review, 68(2), 314–337.
Euler, D. (2013). Germany’s dual vocational training system: A model for other countries? Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Euler, D., & Wieland, C. (2015). The German VET system: Exportable blueprint or food for thought? Bertelsmann Stiftung.
European Commission. (2019a). Education and training monitor 2019. Romania. Publications Office of the European Union.
European Commission. (2019b). SBA fact sheet Romania.
Federatia Coalitia pentru Educatie. (2018). Conferința Națională în Domeniul Educației, ediția a IV-a. http://coalitiaedu.ro/pozitii-publice/momentul-critic-alinvatamantuluiprofesional-din-romania/
Foster, P. (1965). The vocational school fallacy in development planning. In A. A. Anderson & M. J. Bowman (Eds.), Education and economic development. Aldine.
Kalleberg, A. L. (2013). Good jobs, bad jobs. The rise of polarized and precarious employment systems in the United States, 1970s to 2000s. Russell Sage Foundation.
Keep, E. (2009). Internal and external incentives to engage in education and training: A framework for analyzing the forces acting on individuals? (SKOPE Monograph 12). ESRC Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organizational Performance.
Lehmann, W., & Taylor, A. (2015). On the role of habitus and field in apprenticeships. Work, Employment and Society, 29(4), 607–623.
Marcu, S. (2014). Mobility and identity in a wider European Union: Experiences of Romanian migrants in Spain. European Societies, 16(1), 136–156.
Marcu, S. (2018). Mobility as a support strategy: Linked lives through the life course among Eastern Europeans in Spain. Geoforum, 97, 335–342.
Masdonati, J. (2010). The transition from school to vocational education and training: A theoretical model and transition support program. Journal of Employment Counseling, 47(1), 20–29.
McGrath, S. (2012). Vocational education and training for development: A policy in need of a theory? International Journal of Educational Development, 32(5), 623–631.
Ministry of Education. (2018). Raport privind starea învățământului preuniversitar din România 2017 2018. https://www.edu.ro/sites/default/files/Raport%20privind%20starea%20învățământului%20preuniversitar%20din%20România_2017-2018_0.pdf
Musset, P. (2013). OECD reviews of vocational education and training a skills beyond school commentary on Romania.
OECD. (2014). PISA 2012 Results: What Students Know and Can Do – Student Performance in Mathematics, Reading and Science, 1. Paris: PISA, OECD Publishing.
Pantea, M. C. (2019a). Perceived reasons for pursuing vocational education and training among young people in Romania. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 72(1), 136–156.
Pantea, M. C. (2019b). Precarity and vocational education and training. Craftsmanship and employability in Romania. Palgrave.
Powell, L. (2012). Reimagining the purpose of VET – Expanding the capability to aspire in South African Further Education and Training students. International Journal of Educational Development, 32(5), 643–653.
Sikora, J. (2018). Aimless or flexible? Does uncertainty in adolescent occupational expectations matter in young adulthood? Australian Journal of Education, 62(2), 154–168.
Stuart M. et al. (2013) Reflections on work and employment into the 21st century: between equal rights, force decides. Work, Employment and Society. 2013, 27(3), 379–395.
Thompson, J. F. (1973). Foundations of vocational education: Social and philosophical concepts. Prentice-Hall.
Tomlinson, M. (2010). Investing in the self: Structure, agency and identity in graduates’ employability. Education, Knowledge and Economy, 4(2), 73–88.
UN. (2016). International migration report 2015 highlights. http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/publications/migrationreport/docs/MigrationReport2015_Highlights.pdf
Velikonja, M. (2009). Nostalgia for socialism in post-socialist countries. East European Politics and Societies, 23(4), 535–551.
Vlase, I., & Croitoru, A. (2019). Nesting self-employment in education, work and family trajectories of Romanian migrant returnees. Current Sociology, 67(5), 778–797.
Wallenborn, M., & Heyneman, S. P. (2009). Should vocational education be part of secondary education? Journal of Educational Change, 10, 405–413.
Warren, T. (2016). Work and social theory. In S. Edgell, H. Gottfried, & E. Granter (Eds.), The Sage handbook of the sociology of work and employment (pp. 34–51). Sage.
Webb, S., Black, R., Morton, R., Plowright, S., & Roy, R. (2015). Geographical and place dimensions of post-school participation in education and work. NCVER.
Wieland, C. (2015). Germany’s dual vocational training system: Possibilities for and limitations to transferability. Local Economy, 30(5), 577–583.
Wiemann, J. (2017). Export of German-style vocational education: A case study in the automotive industry in Puebla, Mexico. International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 17(2), 208–222.
Wolf, A. (2002). Does education matter? Penguin Books Limited.
World Bank. (2018). World development report 2018: Learning to realize education’s promise. World Bank.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pantea, MC. (2022). Elevating the Standing of Vocational Education and Training in Romania. In: Billett, S., Stalder, B.E., Aarkrog, V., Choy, S., Hodge, S., Le, A.H. (eds) The Standing of Vocational Education and the Occupations It Serves. Professional and Practice-based Learning, vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96237-1_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96237-1_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-96236-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-96237-1
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)