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Context: Unlike education policy for general education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) policy often focuses on societal needs, ignoring the attitudes and subsequent behaviors of learners. As a result, the impact of TVET policies is not what was expected and sometimes even counterproductive. Starting from this, we use macro-micro-macro-level analysis inspired by Coleman's boat theorem to reflect on three exemplary cases of German TVET policy. These TVET policies have in common that they aim to reduce skills shortages in certain occupations. Approach: Our paper illustrates the value of macro-micro-macro-level analysis when looking at TVET policies and programs. To this end, we look at three exemplary cases. All the cases represent TVET policies and programs aimed at reducing skills shortages, a common issue for most countries in the world. One way of addressing those shortages are TVET policies of which we present here: (1) Increasing the permeability between TVET and higher education, (2) attracting workers for post-qualification and (3) directed career counselling for refugees. Using Coleman's boat theorem, we analyze the cases in terms of whether the policy strategies address the skills shortage adequately. We then compare the cases with each other to draw general conclusions regarding the connection of macro- and micro-level within policy making in TVET. Findings: A common finding among all three case studies is that the investigated policies and programs do not consider possible deviant considerations of actors at the micro-level adequately. Consequently, the actor's behaviors on the micro-level can contradict the intention of the policy. Conclusion: We conclude that it is essential to take micro-level perspectives into account when developing political strategies for TVET. Therefore, TVET policies and programs should be developed from a more subject-oriented perspective and as a second step include societal needs. Furthermore, TVET policies and programs have to be accomplished by reforms changing work conditions for the better. Only then, there is a chance for convergence of micro-level decisions and macro-level outcomes.

Context: The research field at the boundary between learning and working is multidimensional, fuzzy, dynamic, and characterized by high growth. A study that comprehensively maps and aggregates this research field is missing. Approach: Using tools of bibliometric analysis (bibliographic coupling, co-citation analysis and co-occurrence analysis), we map the research at the boundary between learning and working in a scoping review study. Our study considers peer-reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2020 and recorded in Scopus. In total, 5,474 articles are included in our analysis. Findings: Focusing on the intellectual structure of the research field, we identified the most publishing and most cited countries, journals, and authors, as well as latent collaborative networks among countries, journals, and authors. Furthermore, we used references and keywords to identify the conceptual structure of the research field and distinguished four types of conceptual clusters: motor clusters, highly developed and isolated clusters, emerging or declining clusters, and basic and transversal clusters. Conclusions: Research at the boundary between learning and working is highly parcelled out internationally. This scientific parcelling represents a disadvantage for exchanging ideas and accumulating knowledge. In addition to forming a parcelled field, a dividing line runs between centre, periphery and excluded countries and scientists. Especially scientists from developing countries and nations, economies in transition and those from post-conflict situations are excluded from the international discourse. This situation is more than just a disadvantage for the exchange of ideas and the accumulation of knowledge. Instead, there is a systematic bias in the research landscape here.

The qualifications of students who undergo technical and vocational education and training play a significant role in terms of the impact on the economic and industrial development of a country. In this connection, studies aimed at training a qualified workforce in technical and vocational secondary education in North Cyprus are ongoing. To achieve success in vocational training in modern societies, students should be directed according to their abilities from the pre-school period until they graduate from high school. While students are oriented towards the fields they are interested in, there should be collaboration between the student, the family and the school. The education and training programs devised for “hairdressing” and “cosmetology” in the field of Beauty and Hair Care under North Cyprus MEYAP (Mesleki Teknik Eğitimi Yapılandırma Projesi-Project for Structuring Technical and Vocational Education and Training) are of significance in terms of providing employment, training a qualified workforce, employment of a workforce to meet the needs of the sector, acceptance of the work force into the relevant university departments and contribution of this much needed work force in the personal services sector. The inclusion of the field of Beauty and Hair Care within the scope of MEYAP and the design of programs in a modular way by taking into account the specific sectoral needs would introduce a new approach and standards to the vocational education and training system, which trains qualified personnel for this vital sector for the North Cyprus economy. The Framework Teaching Program pertaining to the field of Beauty and Hair Care is aimed at enabling students to acquire the basic knowledge and skills related to the field and its subspecialties as well as training individuals with the necessary professional qualifications who are creative, open to criticism and who can adapt to innovation and change, can communicate effectively with people around them, can establish goals and take the initiative to achieve those goals. This research, which is a descriptive study, analyzes the beauty and hair care education at vocational schools in North Cyprus. A questionnaire with 6 open-ended questions has been used for this study, in which the participants were vocational school teachers. The aim of these questions was to identify the personal characteristics of the teachers and students, the teaching–learning environment, the adequacy of such environments, how assessment and evaluation is performed and whether the education and training is conducted in an applied format or not. Document analysis has been employed to find answers to the first two research questions and face-to-face interviews were administered for the others.

PurposeThis paper aims to understand the ideas and material circumstances behind the policy objective to enhance the perceived value of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Chile through a communication campaign and how this campaign addresses this objective.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopted a qualitative approach, drawing on data collected through 26 semi-structured interviews, the revision of 4 policy documents and 15 promotional videos. The data were analysed thematically, adopting the cultural political economy framework as a lens to guide the analysis.FindingsFindings show that the problematisation of TVET’s perceived value is rooted in the system’s development history and cultural ideas. A communication campaign was one of the means to address this problem. Initial campaign messages appealed to the benefits prospective students could enjoy because of choosing TVET programs. However, later, the message gradually shifted to highlighting the collective benefits for the country, depicting TVET as a fulfilling and valuable education path.Originality/valueThis article is the first to critically analyse the reasons for and use of a communication campaign to enhance the TVET’s perceived value in a global south context.

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) plays a critical role in developing essential labor market skills. In Saudi Arabia, participation in TVET has traditionally been stigmatized in favor of white-collar jobs. However, the importance of skilled labor has increased in Saudi Arabia’s private sector as the country’s Vision 2030 focuses on moving the economy from oil to investment. This quantitative study investigates the role of recent socio-economic transformations in changing attitudes toward TVET. Statistical analysis of a questionnaire distributed to 1007 TVET students identified a significant relationship between perceptions of TVET and gender, family income, and parental educational level.

Given the impact of unsustainable practices, work, and living patterns, it has become increasingly important to raise global citizens as stewards of the earth’s life support system. Thus, developing sustainability literacy has become very crucial. A sustainability-literate professional can make sound decisions and act in environmentally friendly, socially acceptable, and economically viable ways. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) arguably has the potential to educate workers, graduates, and citizens alike in developing sustainability literacy since it is regarded in many nations as the supplier of skilled labour. TVET teacher training programmes in Malaysia have been vastly proficient in developing vocationally competent teachers and workers. Still, there remains uncertainty regarding the extent to which these vocational teaching professionals have been trained to develop sustainability competencies and literacies. The implication is that, when technical and vocational teachers responsible for training workers do not possess the requisite competencies to engage in sustainability education, the potential for TVET to become a viable tool for ESD diminishes. Given this backdrop, this study was undertaken to propose a curriculum framework for sustainability literacy for technical and vocational teacher training programmes. Using a modified Delphi method (MDM) consisting of 15 expert participants from Asian-Pacific countries, four important curricular elements for sustainability literacy were identified and defined. These include the learning outcomes for sustainability literacy, teaching competencies for sustainability literacy, pedagogical approaches to foster effective teaching and learning for sustainability, as well as ESD integration strategies. The specific indicators within this curriculum framework were also defined. The paper concludes with vivid implications for practice within TVET teacher training programmes in realising Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Freire's vision of education as a practice of freedom inspires transformation. However, the structural, pedagogical, and socio-economic realities of South Africa's Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, compounded by discipline-driven academic biases, pose challenges to its practical application. This study employs a qualitative participatory action research approach to critically examine these challenges and explore the relevance of Freirean pedagogy in TVET. Fifteen National Certificate Vocational graduates from Gqeberha participated in learning cycle group meetings with a participatory visual research method (photographs), allowing for a rich engagement with their lived experiences. Thematic analysis, informed by Freirean critical pedagogy, was used to interpret data, centring on key themes such as critical consciousness, systemic oppression, and student agency. Findings highlight tensions between TVET's dual mandate-to equip students for immediate employability while addressing socio-political disparities-and the feasibility of Freirean praxis in a system driven by economic imperatives. Despite these challenges, student-led reflections demonstrated the potential for incremental transformation through dialogical learning. This article advocates for a rethinking of Freirean pedagogy in TVET, calling for curriculum, policy, and pedagogical reforms that balance socio-economic constraints with the goal of fostering critical and emancipatory education.

Critical thinking has been difficult to develop in technical and vocational education and training, where acquiring practical skills is often the priority. This study looks at whether tried-and-tested methods for developing critical thinking in higher education are also effective in this educational context. To test this, an intervention was carried out as part of a compulsory, semester-long “Basic Communication Skills” class for 149 first year engineering students. This involved linking the expected learning outcomes for the course to a series of sub-skills comprising an updated definition of critical thinking. Furthermore, a set of strategies promoting active participation among students was also implemented. The proposed methodology led to improved levels of critical thinking when compared to traditional teaching methods. It was found that lessons characterized as interactive, dynamic, and encouraging active student participation facilitate the teacher’s job in the classroom and improve the development of critical thinking in a specific technical and vocational education context.

PurposeThis study examines the perceptions of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) teachers about the factors that influence the reputation of TVET in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative and qualitative data were collected from 680 TVET teachers in Ghana using a survey instrument that included an open-ended section that required participants to provide written comments. The quantitative data gathered were analysed by way of the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), while the written narratives of participants were evaluated using thematic analysis. The quantitative and qualitative data analysed were subsequently integrated using a four-stage pillar integration process (PIP), which included listing, matching, checking and pillar building.FindingsThe findings show that TVET teachers’ perceptions regarding the factors influencing the reputation of TVET in Ghana include investment in infrastructure and learning resources; collaboration between TVET institutions and industries; public perceptions of TVET prospects; occupational standards; testing and certification; pedagogical approaches; students’ academic coping abilities; gender and equity considerations and labour market information requirements. Furthermore, state policies regarding student access, funding models, curriculum reform, investment in TVET teacher education and professional development as well as the remuneration, motivation and working conditions of TVET teachers, significantly influence the reputation of TVET in Ghana.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the scholarly discourse on the reputation of TVET and how the sector could be improved to attract more learners who can contribute meaningfully to the development of Ghana. The findings illustrate how human capital theory and the concept of reputation in its expansive form, which includes social factors, culture, time and space, are jointly linked to skills development, employability, and public acceptance of TVET. To address the issues concerning the reputation of TVET, this study recommends, among others, that issues concerning student access, gender and equity and collaborations between TVET institutions and industry should be improved.