__________
WHAT IS VOCATIONAL TRAINING?
Searching for a definition of vocational
training
In general, when
we use the
term “training” together with the adjective “vocational”
in a conversation
or in a
text, we refer to a certain type of training whose
main objective
is preparing
people for work. Probably, this is the simplest and
most commonly
used definition
of vocational training.
But if we want
to go further
and understand what vocational training currently
means to those
who provide it
and those who receive it, to those who
manage it and
those who
perform it and, in general, to all those who might be
interested in
it, we should
answer questions such as:
- Are we talking
about
training for an employment, as it has been understood
for a significant
period of
time during the 20th
Century,
as a labour
activity
subject to a
contract, wages,
and clearly specified conditions, or do we refer
to training for
employment
interpreted in a broader sense, including not only
wage employment
but also
non-wage work, independent work, or self-employment?
- Does it refer
to a
specifically technical preparation that may be necessary to
perform one or
many tasks in a
job post or trade? Or does it refer to something
broader which
seeks to find a
better understanding of working environments
and other aspects
which are
related not only to people’s working
life but also
to issues
regarding their personal, cultural, and political development?
Regarding the
first question, training is in fact oriented to
provide qualifications
for wage employment
or
contract work and also to all sorts of work that can
be found in modern
societies.
With reference
to the second
issue, it is also possible to state that vocational
training should
not only train
people for all types of work and their modalities
but also for
community life in
order to understand social and working relations
and to act in
a transforming
way. Therefore, it could be said that vocational training
means both training
for work
and training for citizenship.
/ __________
________
In that sense,
a general and
internationally accepted definition states that
vocational
training is an activity directed to identifying and developing human
capabilities
for
a productive and satisfying working life. According to it, those who
take part in
vocational
training activities should be able to understand and, individually or
collectively,
to
influence working conditions and the social environment.1
Therefore, it
is possible to
say that vocational training is simultaneously:
• An educational
activity oriented to provide the necessary
knowledge and skills
to perform either
a particular
job post, an occupation, or a professional activity
in the labour
market. At the same
time, it acts as a supplementary form of
other types of
education by
training people not only as workers but also as
citizens.
• An activity
connected with the processes of technological transfer,
innovation and
development.
The transmission
of
knowledge and skills already implies a type
of technological
transfer to
workers, and through them, to enterprises. At
the same time,
since knowledge
is the fundamental basis for the processes of
technological
innovation and
development, vocational training is a strategic
tool that becomes
essential
for these processes to take place.
• A
labour fact and
a key issue within labour relations. Governments, entrepreneurs
and workers are
now
increasingly interested in it since they are becoming
aware of the
importance of its
contributions to the distribution of
employment opportunities
in
general, to the rise in productivity and the
improvement of
quality and
competitiveness, to the achievement of appropriate
and healthy working
conditions
as well as the possibility for social
dialogue at various
levels.
Vocational training
has a
pedagogic component, as well as other types of
education, but
with a stronger
emphasis on technical and technological aspects.
Compared to other
forms of
education, it shows both a deeper concern about the
links between
the contents and
methods of such training, and the changes that
take place within
the
production and labour world.
All in all, it
could be said
that vocational training:
- Is an educational
activity.
- Is oriented
to provide the
necessary knowledge and skills for an appropriate
professional
and labour
performance but also to fully exercise the right of
citizenship by
workers.
- Has both theoretical
and
practical components but with a greater influence
of the latter
compared to
other types of education.
- Has a very
strong
technological dimension based on the need to go along
with the changes
in the
productive processes of this field.
1 See Recommendation
150,
adopted by the International Labour Conference, 1975.
- Has a clear
labour aspect,
not only given by its technical contents but also
because it prepares
people to
get involved in certain labour relations.
The evolution of the concept of
vocational training in
international labour standards
The
concept of
vocational training is dynamic. Its meaning and scope has
varied
throughout
history and it still keeps changing.
One
possible way
of considering the evolution of the concept of vocational
training
is by
analysing the changes that have taken place in the international
standards
of the
field.
•
In 1939, the
International Labour Organisation, through its Recommendation
57,
established
that:
The expression vocational training means any
form of
training by means of
which technical or trade knowledge can be
acquired or
developed, whether the
training is given at school or at the place
of work.
•
An evolution of
the concept of vocational training is later confirmed: it is no
longer
considered
an end in itself; it becomes a means or tool not only oriented
to
employment but
also to the development of broader abilities and
aptitudes.
In
1962, the International Labour Organisation, in its Recommendation
117,
expressed
that:
Training is not an end in itself, but
a means of developing a person’s
occupational
capacities, due account being taken of
the employment opportunities,
and of enabling him to use his abilities
to the greatest advantage of
himself and
the community; it should be designed to
develop personality,
particularly where
young persons are concerned.
•
In 1975, the
International Labour Conference adopted Recommendation
150,
which conveys
an even more ambitious concept of vocational training.
While
it regards
vocational guidance and training as an integral group of actions,
it
links them
directly to other forms of education. In such sense, vocational training
is
not exclusively
oriented to the productive and labour aspect but to the
whole
social
environment:
Recommendation
150
dated 1975: For
the purpose of this Recommendation,
the qualification of the terms guidance
and training by the term
vocational
means that guidance and training are directed
to identifying and
developing
human capabilities for a productive and
satisfying working life and, in
conjunction with the different forms of
education, to improve the
ability of the
individual to understand and, individually
or collectively, to
influence working
conditions and the social environment.
•
Most recently, a
revision of vocational training international standards and
guidance
was
carried out at the International Labour Conference organised
by
the ILO. In its
Resolution on Human Resources Development dated June
2000,
among other
things, the following was expressed:
•
People and
enterprises benefit from training as well as the economy and
the
society in
general.
•
Training
highlights the fundamental values of society: equity, justice,
equality
of
treatment among men and women, non-discrimination, social
responsibility,
and participation.
•
Training
(together with education) is a component of an economic and
social
response to
globalisation.
•
Training (and
education) does not solve by itself the problem of employment
but
they
contribute to the improvement of employability of
people
in the
highly changing internal and external markets.
•
Vocational
training must be integrated and articulated with economic,
employment,
and
other policies.
•
Everyone has a
right to education and training.
•
Social partners
should strengthen social dialogue about training, share
responsibilities
when formulating training and education policies and
take
actions among
them or with governments so that they actually invest
in,
plan and
implement training.
A current view on vocational training
We
have already
discussed the most distinctive aspects of vocational training
and
the changes
that its conceptualisation has suffered throughout the evolution
of
international
labour standards. We will now analyse the main current
features
of
vocational training in the different countries of Latin
America and the
Caribbean.
Vocational training has
become a very
important factor with the advent of
new ways of organising
and managing
production and work.
This
is so because
knowledge has gained an unusual prominence with respect
to
other
productive factors such as land, capital goods or technology.
Vocational
training is an advantageous means to access such knowledge
and
spread it.
Vocational training is
no longer
directed to qualify people for their performance
at a specific job post,
it is rather
oriented to provide and promote
competencies which may
be applicable to
a range of labour situations and
occupational areas.
This
is also
caused by changes in the models of organising work and production
as
well as the new
labour market reality. It is very unlikely that
active
workers and
employees remain in the same position or performing
the
same tasks.
Most frequently, they are required to be capable of moving
along
the
different phases of the production process and acquiring higher
levels
of
responsibility, for which they need to put more and newer abilities
into
practice. The
labour market has become unstable and workers face
changing
labour
situations throughout their active life: they can be wage
employees,
unemployed, independent workers, contract workers and many
other
possible
combinations in terms of their labour journeys. In order to
successfully
“sail”
through these changing situations it is not enough to acquire
some
skills and
knowledge; rather, it is necessary to acquire broader
competencies
that
could be applied in different contexts and situations.
Vocational training is no longer regarded
as a short stage prior to
active
life; on the contrary it is part of a
life-long process of training
together with
other forms of education.
The
latest
requirements in terms of occupational mobility within productive
and
services
organisations, as well as in the labour market, are added to
the
rapid
technological changes. This not only results in the fact that workers
have
to be
continuously trained in order to face changing labour situations
but
also that this
permanent updating becomes an unavoidable requirement
if
they wish to relate
to technological environments that tend to
vary
so often.
Nowadays, the responsibility of
vocational training is shared among many
actors and is assumed as a challenge for
the whole society.
Throughout
the
history of vocational training, we have found stages in which
it
was understood
as a State responsibility, other stages in which it was only
considered
to be a
concern for enterprises and other stages in which the
main
responsibility laid on each worker. All these views implied a bias in
the
objectives of
vocational training, problems with the efficient use of the
available
resources and difficulties in the coordination and articulation of
the
actions
developed. Nowadays, any enterprise wishing to remain competitive
has
to invest
systematically in the training of its staff; workers always
have
to pursue
this training and claim it; the States must provide funds
so
that the access
to training is possible for all workers and all enterprises.
As a consequence, vocational training
is considered an issue of the labour
relations systems and, therefore,
an
object of bargaining.
Vocational
training has several interests in itself since it is a crucial factor
among
competitiveness and productivity strategies of enterprises; a requirement
demanded
from
workers but also their right to improve their opportunities
to
find a job and
keep it; an element that has to be fostered and
facilitated
by
States in order to increase the chances of a successful insertion
of
the national
economy in the international context. Such interests should
be
represented in
those instances where decisions are made about how, where
and
how much is to
be invested in training.
Can vocational training be
useful as a
tool for organising workers?
As
we have seen,
vocational training is an instrument that serves simultaneously
to
multiple
objectives. Some of them are framed within the employer’s
interests
while
others are more related to the interests of workers. In fact, through
the
attainment of
objectives such as the increase in productivity and the improvement
of
enterprises
competitiveness, it may favour scenarios of employment assurance
and
possibly of
wage or extra wage increase.
From
the point of
view of the individual worker, it is clear that the access to
higher
levels of
qualification improve their opportunities to keep their jobs and
improve
their
working conditions in many aspects. Therefore, workers will always
be
interested in
improving their qualifications.
The
mere
consideration of these reasons leads to the conclusion that it is
important
for
trade unions to get interested in vocational training: it can improve
working
conditions
and defend workers’ employment and, at the same time, it
echoes
a demand
made by those who integrate the union and those represented
by
it.
The
greatest
challenge consists in the fact that vocational training should not
be
arranged within
the enterprise according to a system exclusively articulated
based
on the relationship
between vocational training and each worker. In such
framework,
training is likely to be designed and provided by only taking into
account
the
employer’s interests since there is no collective organisation that may
exert
pressure on
and negotiate in favour of workers, thus resulting in workers
competing
against
each other.
The
role of trade
unions lies precisely in establishing and defending a concept
and
policy of
vocational training which does not only serve the purposes of
the
enterprise but
also the interests and needs of all workers: thus ensuring equal
opportunity
in the
access to training and negotiating the way in which workers
will
benefit from
the improvements and profits that enterprises will obtain at the
expense
of
training.
In
spite of the
previous considerations, vocational training is a tool to be
used
by workers’
organisations at least in the following aspects:
-
It fosters
further participation of workers in trade unions since these
organisations
have
started to take notice of certain needs particularly felt by
workers:
the
access to opportunities to increase their own qualifications and
the
improvement of
working conditions.
-
Vocational
training does not only involve the transfer of technical knowledge
but
also other
aspects concerning the education on values and labour
relations.
Therefore, it can also be organised together with trade union training
as
it enables to
spread the trade union’s point of view and proposals at
the
same time that
it teaches workers how to get organised.
Finally,
collective bargaining on vocational training, led in an appropriate
way,
may
facilitate the negotiation of other labour issues from a new perspective.
Wages,
employment,
labour career, productivity, and working conditions, among
other
things, can
be approached by taking into consideration the global elements
which
are related
to the management of productive and services organisations,
starting
by the
negotiation of some training aspects.
To sum up:
- The concept of vocational training and its practical
application
has changed
throughout
history
and keeps doing so.
-
If we compare it
to regular or general education, and in spite of the already
mentioned
changes,
vocational training still maintains a close link with the
labour
world.
-
As the labour
market, technology and the ways of organising work and production
change,
vocational
training tends to be updated in theory and in
practice.
-
Thus, vocational
training is not oriented nowadays to training for the performance
of
a specific job
post; on the contrary, it tries to provide broader abilities
that
may allow
workers to act in a wide range of working situations:
occupations,
occupational clusters and the labour market in general.
-
In the past,
vocational training consisted of a limited period usually prior to
the
active
learning life. Nowadays, it has become a continuous process
throughout
people’s
life. Besides, this strengthens the links between other
forms
of
education, both formal and informal.
-
The role of
vocational training within productive processes has become more
significant
than
ever. Its contribution to the improvement of productivity
and
competitiveness is now unquestionable.
-
Vocational
training is no longer an expert´s belonging. Its potential contribution
to
different goals
makes it interesting from various points of view.
Nowadays,
vocational training is an object of bargaining and, as such, it is
one
of the main
issues within labour relations.
-
Vocational
training can become a tool to be used by workers’ organisations,Ngo/Trust
not
only due to
its own importance but also because it is a way of fostering
negotiation and participation opportunities in other
labour issues
BY NEW INDIRA TECHNICAL INSTITUTE__________
WHAT IS VOCATIONAL TRAINING?
Searching for a definition of vocational
training
In general, when
we use the
term “training” together with the adjective “vocational”
in a conversation
or in a
text, we refer to a certain type of training whose
main objective
is preparing
people for work. Probably, this is the simplest and
most commonly
used definition
of vocational training.
But if we want
to go further
and understand what vocational training currently
means to those
who provide it
and those who receive it, to those who
manage it and
those who
perform it and, in general, to all those who might be
interested in
it, we should
answer questions such as:
- Are we talking
about
training for an employment, as it has been understood
for a significant
period of
time during the 20th
Century,
as a labour
activity
subject to a
contract, wages,
and clearly specified conditions, or do we refer
to training for
employment
interpreted in a broader sense, including not only
wage employment
but also
non-wage work, independent work, or self-employment?
- Does it refer
to a
specifically technical preparation that may be necessary to
perform one or
many tasks in a
job post or trade? Or does it refer to something
broader which
seeks to find a
better understanding of working environments
and other aspects
which are
related not only to people’s working
life but also
to issues
regarding their personal, cultural, and political development?
Regarding the
first question, training is in fact oriented to
provide qualifications
for wage employment
or
contract work and also to all sorts of work that can
be found in modern
societies.
With reference
to the second
issue, it is also possible to state that vocational
training should
not only train
people for all types of work and their modalities
but also for
community life in
order to understand social and working relations
and to act in
a transforming
way. Therefore, it could be said that vocational training
means both training
for work
and training for citizenship.
/ __________
________
In that sense,
a general and
internationally accepted definition states that
vocational
training is an activity directed to identifying and developing human
capabilities
for
a productive and satisfying working life. According to it, those who
take part in
vocational
training activities should be able to understand and, individually or
collectively,
to
influence working conditions and the social environment.1
Therefore, it
is possible to
say that vocational training is simultaneously:
• An educational
activity oriented to provide the necessary
knowledge and skills
to perform either
a particular
job post, an occupation, or a professional activity
in the labour
market. At the same
time, it acts as a supplementary form of
other types of
education by
training people not only as workers but also as
citizens.
• An activity
connected with the processes of technological transfer,
innovation and
development.
The transmission
of
knowledge and skills already implies a type
of technological
transfer to
workers, and through them, to enterprises. At
the same time,
since knowledge
is the fundamental basis for the processes of
technological
innovation and
development, vocational training is a strategic
tool that becomes
essential
for these processes to take place.
• A
labour fact and
a key issue within labour relations. Governments, entrepreneurs
and workers are
now
increasingly interested in it since they are becoming
aware of the
importance of its
contributions to the distribution of
employment opportunities
in
general, to the rise in productivity and the
improvement of
quality and
competitiveness, to the achievement of appropriate
and healthy working
conditions
as well as the possibility for social
dialogue at various
levels.
Vocational training
has a
pedagogic component, as well as other types of
education, but
with a stronger
emphasis on technical and technological aspects.
Compared to other
forms of
education, it shows both a deeper concern about the
links between
the contents and
methods of such training, and the changes that
take place within
the
production and labour world.
All in all, it
could be said
that vocational training:
- Is an educational
activity.
- Is oriented
to provide the
necessary knowledge and skills for an appropriate
professional
and labour
performance but also to fully exercise the right of
citizenship by
workers.
- Has both theoretical
and
practical components but with a greater influence
of the latter
compared to
other types of education.
- Has a very
strong
technological dimension based on the need to go along
with the changes
in the
productive processes of this field.
1 See Recommendation
150,
adopted by the International Labour Conference, 1975.
- Has a clear
labour aspect,
not only given by its technical contents but also
because it prepares
people to
get involved in certain labour relations.
The evolution of the concept of
vocational training in
international labour standards
The
concept of
vocational training is dynamic. Its meaning and scope has
varied
throughout
history and it still keeps changing.
One
possible way
of considering the evolution of the concept of vocational
training
is by
analysing the changes that have taken place in the international
standards
of the
field.
•
In 1939, the
International Labour Organisation, through its Recommendation
57,
established
that:
The expression vocational training means any
form of
training by means of
which technical or trade knowledge can be
acquired or
developed, whether the
training is given at school or at the place
of work.
•
An evolution of
the concept of vocational training is later confirmed: it is no
longer
considered
an end in itself; it becomes a means or tool not only oriented
to
employment but
also to the development of broader abilities and
aptitudes.
In
1962, the International Labour Organisation, in its Recommendation
117,
expressed
that:
Training is not an end in itself, but
a means of developing a person’s
occupational
capacities, due account being taken of
the employment opportunities,
and of enabling him to use his abilities
to the greatest advantage of
himself and
the community; it should be designed to
develop personality,
particularly where
young persons are concerned.
•
In 1975, the
International Labour Conference adopted Recommendation
150,
which conveys
an even more ambitious concept of vocational training.
While
it regards
vocational guidance and training as an integral group of actions,
it
links them
directly to other forms of education. In such sense, vocational training
is
not exclusively
oriented to the productive and labour aspect but to the
whole
social
environment:
Recommendation
150
dated 1975: For
the purpose of this Recommendation,
the qualification of the terms guidance
and training by the term
vocational
means that guidance and training are directed
to identifying and
developing
human capabilities for a productive and
satisfying working life and, in
conjunction with the different forms of
education, to improve the
ability of the
individual to understand and, individually
or collectively, to
influence working
conditions and the social environment.
•
Most recently, a
revision of vocational training international standards and
guidance
was
carried out at the International Labour Conference organised
by
the ILO. In its
Resolution on Human Resources Development dated June
2000,
among other
things, the following was expressed:
•
People and
enterprises benefit from training as well as the economy and
the
society in
general.
•
Training
highlights the fundamental values of society: equity, justice,
equality
of
treatment among men and women, non-discrimination, social
responsibility,
and participation.
•
Training
(together with education) is a component of an economic and
social
response to
globalisation.
•
Training (and
education) does not solve by itself the problem of employment
but
they
contribute to the improvement of employability of
people
in the
highly changing internal and external markets.
•
Vocational
training must be integrated and articulated with economic,
employment,
and
other policies.
•
Everyone has a
right to education and training.
•
Social partners
should strengthen social dialogue about training, share
responsibilities
when formulating training and education policies and
take
actions among
them or with governments so that they actually invest
in,
plan and
implement training.
A current view on vocational training
We
have already
discussed the most distinctive aspects of vocational training
and
the changes
that its conceptualisation has suffered throughout the evolution
of
international
labour standards. We will now analyse the main current
features
of
vocational training in the different countries of Latin
America and the
Caribbean.
Vocational training has
become a very
important factor with the advent of
new ways of organising
and managing
production and work.
This
is so because
knowledge has gained an unusual prominence with respect
to
other
productive factors such as land, capital goods or technology.
Vocational
training is an advantageous means to access such knowledge
and
spread it.
Vocational training is
no longer
directed to qualify people for their performance
at a specific job post,
it is rather
oriented to provide and promote
competencies which may
be applicable to
a range of labour situations and
occupational areas.
This
is also
caused by changes in the models of organising work and production
as
well as the new
labour market reality. It is very unlikely that
active
workers and
employees remain in the same position or performing
the
same tasks.
Most frequently, they are required to be capable of moving
along
the
different phases of the production process and acquiring higher
levels
of
responsibility, for which they need to put more and newer abilities
into
practice. The
labour market has become unstable and workers face
changing
labour
situations throughout their active life: they can be wage
employees,
unemployed, independent workers, contract workers and many
other
possible
combinations in terms of their labour journeys. In order to
successfully
“sail”
through these changing situations it is not enough to acquire
some
skills and
knowledge; rather, it is necessary to acquire broader
competencies
that
could be applied in different contexts and situations.
Vocational training is no longer regarded
as a short stage prior to
active
life; on the contrary it is part of a
life-long process of training
together with
other forms of education.
The
latest
requirements in terms of occupational mobility within productive
and
services
organisations, as well as in the labour market, are added to
the
rapid
technological changes. This not only results in the fact that workers
have
to be
continuously trained in order to face changing labour situations
but
also that this
permanent updating becomes an unavoidable requirement
if
they wish to relate
to technological environments that tend to
vary
so often.
Nowadays, the responsibility of
vocational training is shared among many
actors and is assumed as a challenge for
the whole society.
Throughout
the
history of vocational training, we have found stages in which
it
was understood
as a State responsibility, other stages in which it was only
considered
to be a
concern for enterprises and other stages in which the
main
responsibility laid on each worker. All these views implied a bias in
the
objectives of
vocational training, problems with the efficient use of the
available
resources and difficulties in the coordination and articulation of
the
actions
developed. Nowadays, any enterprise wishing to remain competitive
has
to invest
systematically in the training of its staff; workers always
have
to pursue
this training and claim it; the States must provide funds
so
that the access
to training is possible for all workers and all enterprises.
As a consequence, vocational training
is considered an issue of the labour
relations systems and, therefore,
an
object of bargaining.
Vocational
training has several interests in itself since it is a crucial factor
among
competitiveness and productivity strategies of enterprises; a requirement
demanded
from
workers but also their right to improve their opportunities
to
find a job and
keep it; an element that has to be fostered and
facilitated
by
States in order to increase the chances of a successful insertion
of
the national
economy in the international context. Such interests should
be
represented in
those instances where decisions are made about how, where
and
how much is to
be invested in training.
Can vocational training be
useful as a
tool for organising workers?
As
we have seen,
vocational training is an instrument that serves simultaneously
to
multiple
objectives. Some of them are framed within the employer’s
interests
while
others are more related to the interests of workers. In fact, through
the
attainment of
objectives such as the increase in productivity and the improvement
of
enterprises
competitiveness, it may favour scenarios of employment assurance
and
possibly of
wage or extra wage increase.
From
the point of
view of the individual worker, it is clear that the access to
higher
levels of
qualification improve their opportunities to keep their jobs and
improve
their
working conditions in many aspects. Therefore, workers will always
be
interested in
improving their qualifications.
The
mere
consideration of these reasons leads to the conclusion that it is
important
for
trade unions to get interested in vocational training: it can improve
working
conditions
and defend workers’ employment and, at the same time, it
echoes
a demand
made by those who integrate the union and those represented
by
it.
The
greatest
challenge consists in the fact that vocational training should not
be
arranged within
the enterprise according to a system exclusively articulated
based
on the relationship
between vocational training and each worker. In such
framework,
training is likely to be designed and provided by only taking into
account
the
employer’s interests since there is no collective organisation that may
exert
pressure on
and negotiate in favour of workers, thus resulting in workers
competing
against
each other.
The
role of trade
unions lies precisely in establishing and defending a concept
and
policy of
vocational training which does not only serve the purposes of
the
enterprise but
also the interests and needs of all workers: thus ensuring equal
opportunity
in the
access to training and negotiating the way in which workers
will
benefit from
the improvements and profits that enterprises will obtain at the
expense
of
training.
In
spite of the
previous considerations, vocational training is a tool to be
used
by workers’
organisations at least in the following aspects:
-
It fosters
further participation of workers in trade unions since these
organisations
have
started to take notice of certain needs particularly felt by
workers:
the
access to opportunities to increase their own qualifications and
the
improvement of
working conditions.
-
Vocational
training does not only involve the transfer of technical knowledge
but
also other
aspects concerning the education on values and labour
relations.
Therefore, it can also be organised together with trade union training
as
it enables to
spread the trade union’s point of view and proposals at
the
same time that
it teaches workers how to get organised.
Finally,
collective bargaining on vocational training, led in an appropriate
way,
may
facilitate the negotiation of other labour issues from a new perspective.
Wages,
employment,
labour career, productivity, and working conditions, among
other
things, can
be approached by taking into consideration the global elements
which
are related
to the management of productive and services organisations,
starting
by the
negotiation of some training aspects.
To sum up:
- The concept of vocational training and its practical
application
has changed
throughout
history
and keeps doing so.
-
If we compare it
to regular or general education, and in spite of the already
mentioned
changes,
vocational training still maintains a close link with the
labour
world.
-
As the labour
market, technology and the ways of organising work and production
change,
vocational
training tends to be updated in theory and in
practice.
-
Thus, vocational
training is not oriented nowadays to training for the performance
of
a specific job
post; on the contrary, it tries to provide broader abilities
that
may allow
workers to act in a wide range of working situations:
occupations,
occupational clusters and the labour market in general.
-
In the past,
vocational training consisted of a limited period usually prior to
the
active
learning life. Nowadays, it has become a continuous process
throughout
people’s
life. Besides, this strengthens the links between other
forms
of
education, both formal and informal.
-
The role of
vocational training within productive processes has become more
significant
than
ever. Its contribution to the improvement of productivity
and
competitiveness is now unquestionable.
-
Vocational
training is no longer an expert´s belonging. Its potential contribution
to
different goals
makes it interesting from various points of view.
Nowadays,
vocational training is an object of bargaining and, as such, it is
one
of the main
issues within labour relations.
-
Vocational
training can become a tool to be used by workers’ organisations,Ngo/Trust
not
only due to
its own importance but also because it is a way of fostering
negotiation and participation opportunities in other
labour issues
BY NEW INDIRA TECHNICAL INSTITUTE