Vocation, Technology & Education

International mutual recognition of vocational education learning outcomes: Proposal and practice in China

2026-01-19T10:53:33+08:00

The accelerating globalization of the labor market and rapid technological transformation necessitate an internationally applicable framework for recognizing vocational education and training (VET) learning outcomes. While efforts like United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO's) World Reference Levels (WRL) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) have established foundational principles, they face challenges in global implementation and cross-border comparability. This paper introduces a pragmatic and systemic proposal, the International Mutual Recognition Scheme for Vocational Education Learning Outcomes (IMRVELO), often referred to as the Shenzhen Accord. The IMRVELO scheme is developed in the context of China's large-scale VET system and its strategic Going Global with Industries initiative. The core contribution of the scheme lies in its four-level International Vocational Education Levels (IVEL), a novel 3 x 8 x 24 Objectives Taxonomy (covering Foundational, Operational, and Developmental Competencies), and a flexible yet quality-assured Curriculum Framework based on substantive equivalence. This proposal aims to provide a functional and immediately implementable mechanism for credit accumulation and transfer, thereby enhancing the quality, adaptability, and equity of VET globally.

Structure and agency: Examining Shenzhen Polytechnic University's skill formation system reform through an institutional lens

2026-02-04T15:06:24+08:00

Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU) has developed a distinctive skill formation system centered on the principle of "developing first-class programs in collaboration with top-tier companies". A systematic analysis of the characteristics and developmental trajectory of SZPU's skill formation system helps encapsulate China's experience in skills development, offers a distinct Chinese perspective within the international skill formation literature, and provides an opportunity to evaluate Western theories on skill formation while sharing China's insights with the international academic community. This paper proposes an analytical framework for examining the skill formation system exemplified by SZPU. Research on skill formation systems differs from traditional pedagogical studies of vocational education by adopting a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach that integrates theories and methods from political science, economics, and sociology. The literature on skill formation considers multiple factors, including economic development, industrial structure, technological change, institutional environments at the macro and meso levels, national competitiveness, geopolitics, labor markets, the relationship between vocational and higher education models, and issues of social inequality. The paper first examines theoretically the relationship between the general and the specific in analyzing SZPU's system. It then explores common variables affecting skill formation systems across countries at the macro and meso levels and highlights SZPU's distinctive variations. Finally, at the micro-organizational level, it argues that SZPU's agency—its capacity to navigate structural constraints and actively forge joint governance structures with industry partners—constitutes the decisive factor behind its successful institutional innovation in China's skill formation system.

Integrating artificial intelligence into career and technical education: A scalable framework for innovation, curriculum design, and workforce alignment

2025-12-01T22:43:01+08:00

This article examines the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping effective, student-centered curricula for career and technical education (CTE) programs within the California State University (CSU) system. It argues that AI has the potential to sustain and enhance CTE offerings, preventing program closures such as the dissolution of the Professional Studies Department at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in 2009. Drawing on secondary data, institutional documents, published research, and the author's case-informed experience, the article develops a conceptual framework for AI-enabled curriculum design that aligns educational programs with labor market demands, supports personalized learning experiences, and strengthens enrollment by addressing the diverse needs of adult learners, particularly in fully online formats. Rather than reporting new statistical findings, this article uses conceptual analysis and illustrative diagrams to organize existing knowledge and propose practical directions for AI integration in CSU-based CTE programs.

Decolonizing skills formation and TVET in the Global South: A re-exploration of frameworks, governance, and digital futures

2025-10-24T18:26:30+08:00

This paper examines the past, present, and future of higher and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Global South within the context of the global organization of knowledge. It argues that global universities have not yet completely relinquished colonial paradigms, as evidenced by persistent neoliberal approaches and a hierarchical knowledge system favoring the Global North. These dynamics hinder the advancement of Southern universities. Grounded in decolonial and postcolonial theories, this study proposes a four-dimensional space framework—knowing, doing, being, and feeling—to reinterpret the nexus between knowledge, identity, and justice in education. A qualitative documentary analysis reveals how institutions in the Global South are reclaiming epistemic sovereignty, strengthening regional and South-South cooperation, and leveraging digital transformation to enhance access, equity, and societal relevance. The findings indicate that Southern universities and TVET institutions are emerging as important players in global knowledge production, cultural renewal, and social innovation, despite challenges such as massification, uneven funding, and digital divides. The Global South is thus no longer a passive recipient of imported frameworks but a key site of intellectual creativity, multiple ways of knowing, and transformative educational futures.

Economic transition and educational innovation: Shenzhen Polytechnic University's model of skill formation with Chinese characteristics

2026-02-02T15:07:33+08:00

The evolution of practice in vocational education is driven by the dynamic logic of economic transformation. In China, the remarkable progress of higher vocational education during the country's era of reform and opening up is exemplified by Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU) as a representative institution of the aforementioned sector. SZPU's developmental trajectory compellingly illustrates the dynamic interplay between vocational education and the nation's economic transformation and upgrading. Building on the framework of historical institutionalism, this research investigated SZPU as an exemplar through which to analyze the trajectory of China's higher vocational education. The analysis was directed toward three distinct phases of the institution's exploratory development, shaped by the dual forces of economic transformation and educational innovation. This study systematically examined the practical approaches employed by the university to address the challenges posed by industrial development and shifts in educational policy. It also uncovered the implementation strategies and underlying logic that drive SZPU's efforts to advance world-class vocational education. This paper ends with a forecast of future development trends, providing a foundational framework for understanding the rapid growth of higher vocational education in China.

Cross-boundary recognition mediates global standards and local practices for children's physical activity and health accompanists

2025-11-21T14:06:04+08:00

Against the backdrop of globalization, this study addresses the core tension between international standardization and local specificity in the recognition of vocational education learning outcomes. It adopts a qualitative case study design, empirically examining the development of the International Occupational Standard for children's physical activity and health accompanists. The research draws on analysis of policy documents, draft and revised occupational standards, and project process archives, which are complemented by data from expert workshops and related consultations. We conceptualize "cross-boundary recognition" as a core mediating construct that links globally standardized rules with locally situated practices through two interlocking mechanisms: "Contextual adaptation" involves translating and recalibrating international competence frameworks to fit local children's healthcare context—the Chinese context, in this study—while "rule validation" refers to the iterative testing of local practices against international standards to distill transferable and measurable indicators. Integrating these mechanisms into an essence-mechanism-value framework, the study offers a practical pathway for reconciling global legitimacy with local relevance in the international recognition of learning outcomes in vocational education. It thereby provides actionable guidance for cross-border certification and the localization of emerging health promotion occupations.

Degree apprenticeships in England and the recognition of prior learning from work

2025-03-31T10:37:49+08:00

This paper focuses on Degree Apprenticeships in England. These programs provide development opportunities to learners in work. They uniquely integrate the development of knowledge, skills and behaviors required by a Standard for Occupational Competence across work and an undergraduate/postgraduate program. All degree apprenticeships have a core requirement for the recognition of prior learning (RPL) including learning gained through experience in the workplace, to shorten programs and fast track experienced apprentices. The accreditation of prior experience, also known in England as accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL) has long been a marginal activity in Higher Education. This paper reports on a research study into the learners' experience of APEL resulting in the development of the RPL translation and transfer (RPLTT) model. It illustrates how this has been successfully applied in the case of a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship.

Higher education tripartite practitioners as an emerging role in UK higher education

2025-03-31T14:45:55+08:00

This paper explores the emerging role of higher education tripartite practitioners (HETPs) in English business schools, who are crucial in bridging academia, regulation, and industry within higher and degree apprenticeships. In the absence of historical models, diverse approaches to this role are evolving. Using a mixed-methods study, we highlight HETPs as boundary-spanners between institutions and workplace learning. Although they are vital to successful higher and degree apprenticeships (HDAs), HETP role structures and caseloads vary significantly. Nevertheless, common responsibilities emerge, alongside recurring tensions between compliance-driven tasks and developmental support. Further research would help to formalize HETP roles to promote professionalization, recognition, and vocational education outcomes.

The road less travelled: The passage towards a market-based apprenticeship system in England

2025-03-31T15:15:41+08:00

This paper reviews the path England has taken to create a market-based, demand-led apprenticeship system. This paper documents 30 years of policy reforms to the English apprenticeship system assesses the impact of reforms on the composition and quantity of apprenticeships and the content of training curricula.

What's the story with apprenticeship in Ireland? Higher education institutions' experiences in implementing a new model 2016-2023

2025-03-31T14:16:24+08:00

This paper reports on experiences of implementation of a new "consortium-led" model of apprenticeship in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ireland. The findings show differences in understandings and interpretations of how the new model of apprenticeship is intended to work, both within and between HEIs. These differences are not clearly linked to any type of HEI, but they are reflected in different ways of operationalization, which has implications in terms of the ways in which apprenticeships are experienced and of activity and impact in inter alia the higher education and apprenticeship systems. The findings also show that the ways in which new apprenticeship is experienced as different compared with HEIs' existing provision include those related to teaching and learning, assessment of learning, and greater complexity and resource intensity. The research provides a contribution to knowledge in an area that has been explored little in the literature.

Degree apprenticeships in England: What can we learn from the experiences of apprentices, employers, and education and training providers?

2025-03-31T14:20:55+08:00

This paper discusses Degree Apprenticeships (DAs) as a new work-based learning program in England that leads to obtaining a degree. This study explores stakeholders' perceptions of DAs, their reasons for engagement, and the challenges and opportunities they face. Apprentices' motivation for pursuing a DA included their preference for practically oriented learning and non-academic settings, earning while learning and for some DAs offered an opportunity to engage in education that was not available to them previously. Employers engaged with DAs to secure long-term, sustainable employees while simultaneously addressing skill gaps within their industries, to utilize the levy fund. Training providers decided to offer DAs for reasons, such as to widen participation and engage with employers. Evidence suggest that DAs were perceived positively, however, clear suggestions for improvement emerging from the findings.