Changing Roles and Competences of VET Teachers and Trainers

Objectives

VET teachers and trainers play a key role in the development and quality of vocational education and training systems. Thus, how teachers and trainers are being prepared and supported is crucial, particularly in light of the fast-changing requirements for this target group against the framework of the European agenda for lifelong learning. This means that changes are not only caused by new developments in the field of VET – such as developments on the labour market, newly emerging occupations and changing occupational requirements – but also by a shift in teaching and learning paradigms throughout Europe. The aim of the study commissioned by Cedefop was to identify and assess how the roles and competences of VET teachers and trainers are changing against fast developing training markets and new paradigms of learning and training. The outcomes of the study shall inform the policy and institutional debate in this field and improve the preparation of and support for VET practitioners.

Methods

The study involved comparative and qualitative methods covering nine European countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Lithuania, Spain, and the UK. It applied i) a desk research and literature review; ii) a qualitative empirical investigation with VET practitioners and experts; and iii) the contextualisation and validation of research findings. The desk review was undertaken from two different perspectives, considering country-level information for the nine countries the study covered as well as findings from other European studies that have been conducted with a focus on VET teachers and trainers. The qualitative empirical investigation involved semi-structured interviews on the basis of interview guidelines and related evaluation criteria. Depending on the situational appropriateness interviews are either individual, in-depth interviews or focus group discussions with two to four VET practitioners. The overall database consisted of over 120 summarised interviews with about 200 participants. Interview results were interpreted and integrated by key issues and topics and validated against findings from other related European studies. An international advisory committee supported the evaluation of the study outcomes.

Key findings

The role of VET practitioners is increasingly shifting towards that of a learning counsellor, coach and facilitator of learning processes in which students and trainees expect to have more autonomy and freedom of choice and, in many contexts, even tailor-made training provisions instead of standard forms of training and classical teaching. Against those expectations the traditional role of VET teaching and training is much more taking the direction of providing support, guidance and mentoring rather then domain-specific instructions. Major trends and challenges both VET trainers and teachers are confronted with include:

The diversification of the target groups of vocational education and training programmes, which is a key factor broadening and redefining the roles and competence requirements of VET practitioners. Reasons why target groups are becoming more diversified include: youth cohorts are becoming more diverse in terms of age, level of education, socio-demographic background and personal characteristics; the increase in numbers of adult students; the threshold of the educational background has been dropping, resulting in participants in VET programmes often lacking a basic educational foundation, which needs to be compensated by the VET programmes; the vocational route being the less prominent route taking up high numbers of underachievers and socially disadvantaged youth.

VET practitioners increasingly assume the role of a ‘social worker’, taking on a whole range of not just pedagogical tasks and responsibilities. At the moment this situation leads to some degree of role uncertainty, which requires better support mechanisms.

A broad variety of education and training offers are becoming institutionally integrated due to demographic shifts in European societies on the one hand, and integration of VET programmes into broader and comprehensive lifelong learning concepts on the other hand. As a result, adult learners are a growing target group of VET provision and lifelong learning. As different learning and training provisions are offered within one institutional framework, VET practitioners working in such institutions are confronted with diversifying responsibilities as well as clients’ needs and interests.

New learning paradigms have redirected teaching and training practice and the functions and roles of VET practitioners, whereby effects on curricula reforms particularly impact upon the work and roles of VET teachers. New learning paradigms have the greatest impact upon i) the content of training programmes; ii) the amount of practical components in vocational training which are being strengthened across Europe; and iii) the promotion of integrated, tasks-oriented learning instead of subjects (i.e. ‘Lernfeldorientierung’ in Germany).

Integration of new information and communication technologies (ICT) into teaching and training practice. While the impact of ICT in the area of VET varies considerably between contexts and environments, it is less used as a tool in the learning process than it is supporting the administrative duties VET practitioners increasingly have to perform.

New training and teaching methods based on group work and project-based work increasingly substitute for traditional classroom instruction. Innovative methods could further involve a whole range of different approaches such as project-based work, problem-solving, case analysis, supervision, reflection, portfolio building, art and drama therapy and simulations, among others. Overall, the learning environments are diversifying and demand the more active participation of students thereby connecting to the idea of students taking responsibility for their own learning. This, however, is not unproblematic as not all students have be capacities to learn effectively in a self-directed way.

Fast changing and competitive training markets impact upon teaching and training practice and the role of VET practitioners. The market as a key driver for training provision results in the economization of the provision of training and higher competition between training institutions. This makes the tasks, demands and responsibilities of VET teachers and trainers more complex and challenging.

New competence facets VET practitioners are expected to dispose of include social-pedagogical competences, requiring particular expertise to work effectively with socially disadvantaged groups; networking and communication; flexibility to be able to respond to changing role expectations and be able to think and work across contexts; entrepreneurship; and psychological competences to be able to provide mentoring that can meet individualized needs.

Further information

The study results will be published in 2010 under Cedefop’s publication series.