Abstract
This chapter seeks to capture the rich variety of approaches to VET through a whole series of different lenses as well as through the author’s writings on VET over 50 years. The historical periodisation of VET, right back into the colonial period, is a crucial first lens. The notion that VET was particularly appropriate for specific groups of people was evident in different colonial regimes. Thereafter, development cooperation agencies pursued many different policies on VET, and these changed markedly over time. Because of VET’s close linkage with work and employment, there have been many priorities for VET that have reflected political concerns with VET’s possible role in dealing with the threat of educated unemployment. These would include the connection between VET and the informal sector of the economy. Somewhat in parallel, there was widespread policy interest in the link between non-formal education and VET. The awareness of the relevance of skills beyond formal education and training led to the adoption in many quarters of the wider term, skills development. The actual terminology for varieties of VET or skills development has proved hugely important to the way that these fields were captured in the major international agreements about support to education world-wide. Equally, it has been vital to tease out VET’s connections with science and technology, enterprise development and educational planning. Despite these crucial connections to the labour market, both formal and informal, VET remains a poor relation in many major series on educational planning and on comparative education.
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Callaway, A. (1964). Nigeria’s indigenous education: The apprentice system. Journal of African studies series. Ibadan: Oxford University Press.
Hallak, J., & Caillods, F. (1981). Education, training and the traditional sector. Fundamentals in educational planning, 31, Paris: IIEP.
(ILO) International Labour Organisation. (1972). Employment, incomes and equality: A strategy for increasing productive employment in Kenya. Geneva: Author.
Jones, T. J. (1922). Education in Africa: A study of West, South and Equatorial Africa by the African Education Commission, under the auspices of the Phelps-Stokes Fund and the Foreign Mission Societies of North America and Europe. New York: Phelps-Stokes Fund.
Jones, T. J. (1925). Education in East Africa: A study of East, Central and South Africa by the second African Education Commission, under the auspices of the Phelps-Stokes Fund, in cooperation with the International Education Board. New York: Phelps-Stokes Fund.
King, K. J. (1971). Pan-Africanism and education: A study of race, philanthropy and education in the United States of America and Africa. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
King, K. (1976). Work, Learning and Leisure in the United Kingdom. Paris: OECD.
King, K. (1977). The African artisan: Education and the informal sector. London: Heinemann.
King, K. (1980). Planning education for self-employment: A contemporary creed. In IIEP (Ed.), Education, work and employment II (pp. 221–240). Paris: IIEP.
King, K. (1984). Science, technology and education in the development of indigenous technological capability. In M. Fransman and K. King (Eds.), Technological capability in the third world (pp. 31–63). London: Macmillan Press.
King, K. (1991a). Sierra Leone’s “an to mot biznes” [hand to mouth] in wider perspective. Training opportunities in the informal sector of Freetown. Sierra Leone, Supplement to Adult Education and Development, 37(1), pp. 144–152.
King, K. (1991b). Aid and education in the developing world: The role of the donor agencies in educational analysis. Harlow: Longman.
King, K. (1996). Jua kali Kenya: Change and development in an informal economy 1970–1995. London: James Currey.
King, K. (2001). Africa’s informal economies: 30 years on. SAIS Review, 21(1), pp. 97–108.
King, K. (2003). The international steering of education systems: The example of the World Bank. In J. Oelkers (Ed.), Futures of Education II: Work, education and occupation (pp. 107–121). Zürich: Peter Lang.
King, K. (2011). Towards a new global world of skills development? TVET’s turn to make its mark. NORRAG news 46. Retrieved from Norrag website: https://www.norrag.org/fileadmin/Full%20Versions/NN46.pdf. Accessed: 28 August 2019.
King, K. (2012a). The geopolitics and meanings of India’s massive skills ambitions. International Journal of Educational Development, 32(5), pp. 665–673.
King, K. (2012b). The year of global reports on TVET, skills & jobs consensus or diversity? NORRAG news 46. Retrieved from Norrag website: https://www.norrag.org/fileadmin/Full%20Versions/NN48.pdf. Accessed: 28 August 2019
King, K. (2014). Youth, skills development, and work in the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2012: Learning from Asia or for Asia? Prospects-UNESCO, 44(2), pp. 141–158.
King, K. (2016a). The global targeting of education and skill: Policy history and comparative perspectives. Compare, 46(6), pp. 952–975.
King, K. J. (2016b). Pan-Africanism and education: A study of race, philanthropy and education in the United States of America and Africa. New York: Diasporic Press.
King, K. (2017). Lost in translation? The challenge of translating the global education goal and targets into global indicators, Compare, 47(6), pp. 801–817.
King, K. (2019). Education, skills and international cooperation: Comparative and historical perspectives. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, University of Hong Kong.
King, K., & McGrath, S. (1999). Learning to grow. The importance of education and training for small enterprise development. In K. King & S. McGrath (Eds.), Enterprise in Africa: Between poverty and growth (pp. 211–222). London: Intermediate Technology Publications.
King, K., & McGrath, S. (2002). Globalisation, enterprise and knowledge. Oxford: Symposium Books.
King, K., & Martin, C. (2002). The vocational school fallacy revisited: Education, aspiration and work in Ghana 1959–2000. International Journal of Educational Development, 22(1), pp. 5–26.
King, K, & Palmer, R. (2010). Planning of technical and vocational skills development. Fundamental in educational planning series, 94, Paris: IIEP.
Lauglo, J. (1985). Practical subjects in Kenyan academic secondary schools: General report. (Education Division Document No. 20). Stockholm: SIDA.
Lauglo, J., & Lillis, K. (1988). Vocationalising education: An international perspective. Oxford: Pergamon.
Palmer, R., Wedgwood, R., Hayman, R., King, K., & Thin, N. (2007). Educating out of poverty? A synthesis report on Ghana, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa. London: DFID Researching the Issues.
United Nations (UN). (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. New York: UN.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). (1990).
World declaration and framework for action. World conference on education for all. Paris: UNESCO. World declaration and framework for action. World conference on education for all. Paris: UNESCO.
UNESCO (2000). World education forum: Education for all: Meeting our collective commitments. The Dakar framework for action. Paris: UNESCO.
World Bank (1974). Education sector working paper. Washington: World Bank.
World Bank (1980). Education sector policy paper. Washington: World Bank.
World Bank (1991). Vocational and technical education and training: A World Bank policy paper. Washington: World Bank.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
King, K. (2020). Comparison of VET approaches through history, with a particular focus on Africa. In: Pilz, M., Li, J. (eds) Comparative Vocational Education Research. Internationale Berufsbildungsforschung. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-29924-8_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-29924-8_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer VS, Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-658-29923-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-658-29924-8
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)