Strategies to Improve Young People's Access To, and Their Progression Within, Initial Vocational Training

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Strategies to Improve Young People's Access To, and Their Progression Within, Initial Vocational Training DOCUMENT RESUME ED 418 269 CE 076 194 AUTHOR Banks, John TITLE Strategies To Improve Young People's Access to, and Their Progression within, Initial Vocational Training. INSTITUTION Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education, Training, and Youth. ISBN ISBN-92-827-5654-8 PUB DATE 1996-00-00 NOTE 172p. AVAILABLE FROM Bernan Associates, 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391; 800-274-4447; e-mail: [email protected]; http://www.bernan.com (catalogue number C2-93-95-297-EN-C). PUB TYPE Reports Research (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Access to Education; Articulation (Education); Change Strategies; Compulsory Education; *Disadvantaged Youth; Dropout Prevention; *Educational Attainment; Educational Change; Educational Cooperation; *Educational Improvement; Educational Needs; Educational Practices; Educational Strategies; Foreign Countries; General Education; National Surveys; Postsecondary Education; Prevocational Education; School Holding Power; Secondary Education; Teacher Education; Teacher Improvement; *Vocational Education IDENTIFIERS *European Union ABSTRACT Strategies to improve disadvantaged young people's access to and progression within initial vocational training (VT) were identified through a study of relevant experiences within the European Union's member states. The study, which was based on national reports from each country, focused on the following topics: identifying the challenges and problems in compulsory schools and initial VT; improving compulsory education (the need to tackle failure at its roots; curriculum variation; vocational guidance through the curriculum; area-based interventions; Denmark's successful synthesis of guidance and vocational education); increasing readiness for VT (preparatory measures, youth guarantees and outreach measures, alternative institutions as "stepping stones" to training); improving initial VT; implications of training and/or retraining teachers and trainers; and improving cooperation between training providers. Fifteen themes for future cooperation were identified. (Appended are the following: target group definitions; the Netherlands' 1993 plan for reducing early school leaving; "individual programs" in upper secondary school in Sweden; external and internal school "units" in Norway; the "Mission Nouvelles Qualifications" in France; a study of "hard core" disadvantaged young people; discussion of the United Kingdom's "Youth Training" as a model for training of disadvantaged young people in a market system; and labor market measures.) (MN) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** cr. EDUCATION 00 YOUTHTRAINING Strategies to improve 1 young people's access to, and their progression within, initial vocational training U. EPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Offi of Educational Research and E Improvement CATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has beenreproduced as received from the personor organization originating it. Minor changes have beenmade to improve reproductionquality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarilyrepresent 1CN official OERI positionor policy. ti BEST COPY AVAILABLE EUROPEAN COMMISSION This document has been prepared for use within the Commission. It does not necessarily represent the Commission's official position. Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg : Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1996 ISBN 92-827-5654-8 © ECSC-EC-EAEC, BrusselsLuxembourg, 1996 Reproduction is authorized, except for commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged Printed in Luxembourg STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE YOUNG PEOPLES ACCESS TO, AND THEIR PROGRESSION WITHIN, INITIAL VOCATIONAL TRAINING A study prepared at the request of the European Commission by John Banks November 1994 Extract from the Employment Promotion Law, 1990 Germany "1. Disadvantaged young persons and young adults may not be discriminated against in their job- and life- opportunities by means of different and inferior qualification goals. They may not be further stigmatised by way of separate training comes, but rather integrated into the standard system. This means that there must be varying and differentiated paths to the same vocational training goals." HI Strategies to improve young people's access to, and their progression within, initial vocational training CONTENTS Introduction 1 Summary of the Report 4 Questions arising 8 Chapter 1The target groups 11 Introduction 11 1 THE COMPULSORY SCHOOL: SUCCESS, AND FAILURE 12 2 NON- COMPLETION/FAILURE IN POST-COMPULSORY EDUCATION AND TRAINING 16 3 DEFINING THE TARGET GROUPS 19 Chapter 2The problems and challenges 21 Introduction 21 1 CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS IN THE COMPULSORY SCHOOL 21 Three problem areas 21 1 Demotivation and failure 21 2Curriculum inflexibility and irrelevance 23 3 Inadequate guidance 24 2 CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS IN INITIAL TRAINING 28 Preparing for life-time learning 28 The image of technical-vocational training 29 A clear, progressive and fair qualification system 31 Shortage of training places 32 A structural gap 33 Family matters 34 Reasons for dropping-out 35 Women and men 38 V Strategies to improve young people's access to, and their progression within, initial vocational training Chapter 3Improving compulsory education 41 Introduction 41 1 TACKLING FAILURE AT ITS ROOTS 42 General reforms of compulsory school 42 Action Plans and Targets 44 Reducing repeating 45 Steering by goals and results 45 Decentralisation 45 The needs of immigrant pupils 46 Avoiding de-motivation 46 2 CURRICULUM VARIATION 47 2a MORE-VOCATIONAL CURRICULA 47 More-vocational courses for lower attainers 47 "Pick 'n' Mix" 48 More gradual transition 50 2b "ADAPTED" AND "ALTERNATIVE" 50 "Adapted education" 50 Alternative schools 51 "Extended education" 52 "Alternative school units" 52 3 GUIDANCE AND VOCATIONAL ORIENTATION 55 3a VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE THROUGH THE CURRICULUM 55 Structural change 56 "Arbeitslehre" 56 Links with industry 58 Promoting technical-vocational education and careers 59 Financial incentives 60 "Bridge-building" 61 3b BETTER GUIDANCE SERVICES 61 Assisting transfer to the next stage 63 4 AREA-BASED INTERVENTIONS 64 ZEPs: primary and secondary level 64 Inter-departmental cooperation 65 National and regional 65 At primary school level 65 5 A SUCCESSFUL SYNTHESIS IN DENMARK 65 The form-teacher system 65 The guidance system 66 The Continuation Schools 66 vi 6 Strategies to improve young people's access to, and their progression within, initial vocational training Chapter 4Increasing readiness for vocational training 69 Preface to chapters 4, 5, and 6 69 Introduction 70 1 "PREPARATORY MEASURES" 71 la SCHOOL-BASED MEASURES 71 Part-time Schooling Centres 72 A bridging year in school 72 Pre-apprenticeship stage 72 lb NON-SCHOOL PREPARATORY MEASURES 72 lc OTHER SUPPORTING MEASURES 74 2 YOUTH GUARANTEES AND OUTREACH MEASURES 75 "Youth Guarantees" 75 A right to training 77 "Following-up" 77 The Missions Locales 80 3 ALTERNATIVE INSTITUTIONS AS "STEPPING STONES" TO TRAINING 81 The Production Schools 82 "Alternative school units" 82 "Entreprises &Insertion" 84 Youth Initiative Projects 85 Chapter 5Improving initial vocational training 87 Introduction 87 1 GENERAL REFORMS 88 The Nordic countries 88 Other school-based systems 92 2 SUPPLEMENTARY HELP FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS 95 "Training Secondary Assistance" (TSA) 95 "Non-plant Initial Vocational Training" 96 Linking training and employment 97 Additional help for immigrant students 99 Two-stage qualification 99 3 EFFORTS TO IMPROVE ALTERNANCE 99 Finding more in-firm training placements 100 15% altemance 101 "Nouvelles Qualifications" 101 4 RAISING THE STATUS OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING 102 VII Strategies to improve young people's access to, and their progression within, initial vocational training Chapter 6Implications for the training/retraining of teachers /trainers 105 Introduction 105 1 THE BACKGROUND: PRE-SERVICE TRAINING 105 2 TEACHERS' IN-SERVICE TRAINING: STRATEGY 108 3 THE CONTENT OF TEACHER TRAINING 111 3a General 111 3b Targeted I 1 1 4 TRAINING FOR VOCATIONAL SUBJECT TEACHERS, TRAINERS, AND INSTRUCTORS 115 5 RESULTS AND PROBLEMS 116 Chapter 7Improving cooperation between provide/3 of training 119 Introduction 119 1 NATIONAL STRATEGY 120 2 CLOSING THE GAP 123 3 POST-SCHOOL FOLLOW-UP 124 4 LOCAL ACTION 125 The Missions Locales 125 Other applications of "partnership" 126 Chapter 8Themes for future cooperation 127 Introduction 127 Theme1 Counteracting disadvantage before transfer to secondary school 129 Theme2Inclusiveness through "extended education" in compulsory schooling 129 Theme3 Developing appropriate general education for all pupils 130 Theme4Strengthening young people's commitment to education and training 131 Theme5 Improving professional skills for teaching in secondary education 131 Theme6Greater diversity of transition pathways 132 Theme7Partial credits for partial courses 133 Theme8 Alternative - but equal - provision 133 Theme9Following-up early school leavers 134 Theme10 Increasing the attractiveness of technical and vocational education and training 135 Theme 11Preventing drop-out during initial training 136 Theme 12Strengthening alternance models of training 137 Theme 13Raising the quality of teaching and training
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