| Research Abstract |
This research investigated the structure and functioning of the educational system in general and vocational training and education in particular from a comparative, sociological perspective.
Periods of discontinuous change invevitably raise basic questions about skills, training, and the fundamental link between education and the economy. The paradox occasioned by such change is that educational goals are inherently durable and educational systems are slow to change or impossible to replace. On the other hand, social imagery -perceptions about the adequacy of a workforce and the viability of educational systems- are quick to transform. The conflict between durable institutions and mutable social perceptions often accounts for the disconnection that can emerege regarding educational and economic institutions. It is particularly true for institutions of vocational training and education (VTE).
Increasingly, the questions raised have become international ones, as forces such as technologic
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al innovation and economic globalization continue to reshape economic systems around the globe. Within their own borders, employers, educators and policymakers are beginning to re-examine the ability of educational systems to meet rising and changing skill requirements. This research focused on the role that VTE does and can play in a changing socio-economic context in four different countries Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States of America-r-each of which is undergoing a different version of discontinuous change. To address the role that VTE plays in meeting skill demands, an international team of researchers from these four countries convened the VTE Project to map its importance, functioning and problems to be coped will across national contexts. The outcome of this research is published as a report entitled "Different Paths, Similar Pursuits : The Economic and Personal Potential of Vocational Training and Education in an International Context" co-authored by C. Metzger, H. Fujita, S.-S. Law, R. Zemsky, J.-E. Berset and M. lannozzi (Studies and Reports 12, Institute for the Teaching of Economics, University of St. Galen, 2001).
In addition to this English report, Fujita is now preparing the Japanese report that examines the structure and functioning of VTE, the workforce management and job training in companies and the larticulation between VTE institutions and work place. It will be published in Fall, 2002. Less
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