At the heart of implementing quality management systems in post-compulsory vocational education: expertise and interdependencies in action

Abstract

This article examines the deployment of quality management systems in post-compulsory vocational education institutions, highlighting the introduction of quality standards and the expansion of auditing practices that reinforce interdependent relationships. It sheds light on the growing involvement of non-state actors, engaged as “third-party experts” in external evaluation or quality certification processes of establishments. We will pay attention to this phenomenon “in the making”, giving voice to hybrid actors operating in intermediation spaces, while analyzing the commercial aims underlying these dynamics.