This qualitative study examined how a selected sample of 15 to 16 year-old Norwegian pupils experience Bildung (all-around development) and education in their schooling, and how those experiences are in coherence with the intended curriculum policy goals as stated in the latest Norwegian curriculum reform. Wolfgang Klafki's operationalisation of…

This article analyses the development and implementation of policies that aim at improving the 'recognition of prior learning' (RPL) in the vocational education and training (VET) systems of Sweden and Switzerland. It argues that the evolution of RPL policies and schemes needs to be analysed in relation to educational expansion, which creates…

In 2018, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority amended its regulatory framework in order to formally recognise micro-credentials. The rules provide a definition, credit value limits, and permission to publish on the NZQA website. The rules apply to Tertiary Education Organisations, leaving universities to establish their own micro-credential…

There have been repeated attempts to establish mathematics qualifications for lower attaining students aged 16 years and over on vocational pathways in England. In 2004, the Tomlinson Report proposed Functional Mathematics and this paper examines the trajectory of this qualification (later Functional Skills mathematics) through analysis of policy…

This article considers the concept of Competence as applied to educational theory and policy, and illuminates the possibility of significant variations in meaning. Referring to Wittgenstein's distinctions between transitive and intransitive uses of notions and Holland's description of mastery, the article argues in favour of two senses in which…

This article contributes to a better theoretical understanding of the social processes underlying the development and implementation of schemes to improve the recognition of prior learning (RPL) in vocational education and training (VET). It traces the global diffusion of RPL, and then analyses the formulation of RPL policies and design and…

Several concurrent trends are increasing the likelihood that short courses, microcredentials, and flexible learning pathways will become a regular and even dominant feature of education and training globally. This policy paper reflects on these trends with special reference to the post-secondary education sector, and explores ways to organize…

Established in 2009, Swedish Higher Vocational Education (HVE) gives employers an opportunity to initiate state-funded but locally conceptualised and managed training programmes. This article investigates the system, the ideas used in policy to mandate this arrangement of vocational education and training (VET) and the institutional relations of…

To deal with the dynamic nature of global and socioeconomic conditions, it is critical to rethink the interplay between the efficiency of the higher education system and the employability outcomes of graduates. The purpose of this study was to investigate trends in undergraduate enrolment, graduation, and employment in Ethiopia. It looked at data…

In this article we explore Australian policymaker perspectives on the quality assurance of career development (CD) programmes in schools. We found that Australian policymakers are concerned about the quality of CD provision in schools and have a wide range of approaches that they deploy to ensure and assure quality at the school level. Quality…

Country profiles are compiled from a variety of national and international sources and have been informed and validated by UNEVOC Centres in the country or other Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) national authorities. This profile discusses Lao P.D.R.'s: (1) TVET systems; (2) TVET strategy and key policy documents; (3) governance…

Country profiles are compiled from a variety of national and international sources and have been informed and validated by UNEVOC Centres in the country or other Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) national authorities. This profile discusses Mongolia's: (1) TVET system; (2) TVET strategy and key policy documents; (3) governance and…

Country profiles are compiled from a variety of national and international sources and have been informed and validated by UNEVOC Centres in the country or other Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) national authorities. This profile discusses Qatar's: (1) TVET system; (2) TVET strategy and key policy documents; (3) governance and…

Country profiles are compiled from a variety of national and international sources and have been informed and validated by UNEVOC Centres in the country or other Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) national authorities. This profile discusses Timor Leste's: (1) TVET systems; (2) TVET strategy and key policy documents; (3) governance…

A recent government move to increase numbers of students taking post-16 (post-compulsory) mathematics in England saw 2930 students being awarded the first Core Maths (CM) qualifications in 2016, the number rising to 9027 in 2019. This paper uses qualitative data, from a study investigating the successes and challenges of these new qualifications…