Overcoming vocational prejudice: how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in the UK?
Raising the attractiveness of vocational education and training (VET) has been on the UK as well as the European agenda for some time, primarily for economic and social development reasons. However, little is known about the role of skills competitions in improving the attractiveness of VET. This st...
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| Format: | Journal article |
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Wiley
2015
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| _version_ | 1797088419896098816 |
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| author | Chankseliani, M James Relly, S Laczik, A |
| author_facet | Chankseliani, M James Relly, S Laczik, A |
| author_sort | Chankseliani, M |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Raising the attractiveness of vocational education and training (VET) has been on the UK as well as the European agenda for some time, primarily for economic and social development reasons. However, little is known about the role of skills competitions in improving the attractiveness of VET. This study uses data from 110 interviews with WorldSkills competitors and their associates to examine the potential contributions of skills competitions to revitalise VET in the UK. Adopting the enhancement strategy we propose that the experiences of young people who have been internationally recognised for excellence in their respective vocations are inspiring for others. Such experiences have the potential to refocus the attention from a deficit model of VET to the level of excellence that can be achieved through competitions. However, the enhancement strategy in and of itself is not enough to raise the attractiveness of VET. To do so requires consistent policy efforts oriented on spreading excellence throughout the entire VET sector. The ultimate disruption of the policy cycle that perpetuates the existing vocational/academic divide may be achieved through a systemic approach that builds upon the examples of vocational excellence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T02:49:49Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:ad4b0883-d37d-4585-999c-d69e597c9381 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T02:49:49Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:ad4b0883-d37d-4585-999c-d69e597c93812022-03-27T03:34:41ZOvercoming vocational prejudice: how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in the UK?Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:ad4b0883-d37d-4585-999c-d69e597c9381Symplectic Elements at OxfordWiley2015Chankseliani, MJames Relly, SLaczik, ARaising the attractiveness of vocational education and training (VET) has been on the UK as well as the European agenda for some time, primarily for economic and social development reasons. However, little is known about the role of skills competitions in improving the attractiveness of VET. This study uses data from 110 interviews with WorldSkills competitors and their associates to examine the potential contributions of skills competitions to revitalise VET in the UK. Adopting the enhancement strategy we propose that the experiences of young people who have been internationally recognised for excellence in their respective vocations are inspiring for others. Such experiences have the potential to refocus the attention from a deficit model of VET to the level of excellence that can be achieved through competitions. However, the enhancement strategy in and of itself is not enough to raise the attractiveness of VET. To do so requires consistent policy efforts oriented on spreading excellence throughout the entire VET sector. The ultimate disruption of the policy cycle that perpetuates the existing vocational/academic divide may be achieved through a systemic approach that builds upon the examples of vocational excellence. |
| spellingShingle | Chankseliani, M James Relly, S Laczik, A Overcoming vocational prejudice: how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in the UK? |
| title | Overcoming vocational prejudice: how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in the UK? |
| title_full | Overcoming vocational prejudice: how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in the UK? |
| title_fullStr | Overcoming vocational prejudice: how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in the UK? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Overcoming vocational prejudice: how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in the UK? |
| title_short | Overcoming vocational prejudice: how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in the UK? |
| title_sort | overcoming vocational prejudice how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in the uk |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chankselianim overcomingvocationalprejudicehowcanskillscompetitionsimprovetheattractivenessofvocationaleducationandtrainingintheuk AT jamesrellys overcomingvocationalprejudicehowcanskillscompetitionsimprovetheattractivenessofvocationaleducationandtrainingintheuk AT laczika overcomingvocationalprejudicehowcanskillscompetitionsimprovetheattractivenessofvocationaleducationandtrainingintheuk |