Vocational Education and Training for a Global Economy

Book excerpt: Vocational Education and Training for a Global Economy investigates the greatly varying ways in which four countries--Singapore, Switzerland, China, and the United States--prepare young people for the twenty-first-century workplace. The book looks first at the highly successful vocational education and training (VET) systems in Singapore and Switzerland, describing them in revealing detail and accounting for the assumptions and social arrangements that account for their unique features. It then turns to the two largest--and arguably the most dynamic--nations in the world, China and the United States, and examines the differing conditions, goals, and arrangements that have affected their respective programs for preparing their citizens for present and future work. At a time when a highly competitive global economy is prompting profound changes in the workplace and in the skills required for professional success, all countries feel a heightened sense of urgency in finding ways to guide and prepare young people for work. As this book makes clear, however, the resulting preparatory systems within these four countries differ dramatically--and for a wide range of economic, cultural, and political reasons. A detailed and incisive look at VET systems in the United States and abroad, Vocational Education and Training for a Global Economy will be indispensable reading for all who are concerned with preparing youth for today's competitive and demanding modern workplace.