The division of training labour in initial vocational education and training Systems: Social causes and educational consequences

Abstract

Since the period of industrial and political revolutions, numerous countries have built Vocational Education and Training (VET) Systems with strong national specificities. In this paper we analyse several institutional discourses delivered by major international organisations, which advocate for vocational curricula evolutions around common pedagogical principles. Several reforms have been done in each country in accordance with these recommendations. As we demonstrate further, theories about sociological differentiation show deeper social reasons, which can explain why countries change their VET systems towards an increasing division of the training labour in a lot of vocational courses. Finally, we discuss some important consequences, generated by these transformations, for the students’ learning paths.