Designing vocational training policies in an outermost European region

Highlights from a participatory process

Bibliographic Data

ID21725916
AuthorsLeonor Bettencourt (0000-0003-0882-9078, University Institute of Lisbon (Iscte-IUL), Lisbon, Portugal, corresponding author), Francisco Simões (0000-0002-5290-9086, University Institute of Lisbon (Iscte-IUL), Lisbon, Portugal), Bernardo Mançano Fernandes (0000-0001-6521-8949, Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa), Bernardo Fernandes (University Institute of Lisbon (Iscte-IUL), Lisbon, Portugal), Joana Fonseca (University Institute of Lisbon (Iscte-IUL), Lisbon, Portugal), Joana P C Fonseca (Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)
Year2024
Volume23
Issue4
Pages524-543
Publication date2024-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Journal of Educational Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1474-9041 • E-ISSN: 2165-8714
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14749041231157445
OpenAlexW4322773011
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited22

This paper presents a systematic framework of the most needed Vocational Education and Training (VET) reforms in The Azores, a Portuguese outermost region. Our report is based on a participatory research approach involving the perspectives of five different groups of stakeholders. Our data was collected in 18 virtual world-café sessions ( n = 164 participants—58 trainees; 21 trainers; 42 institutional representatives; 21 unemployed people registered at local public employment agencies; and 22 businesspersons; M age = 45.20; 60.37 women). Based on content analysis, we identified three main priorities to restructure vocational training policies: (a) VET perception and valorization, comprising strategies to disseminate a more positive social representation of VET in the region; (b) horizontal coordination between stakeholders, including effective ways of coordinating and sharing information; and (c) vertical coordination in terms of VET improvements of curricula, funding models, and investments in the sector’s human capital. Our correspondence analysis did not show significant differences regarding the prevalence of the three priorities across the five groups of stakeholders. We interpret and contextualize our results according to relevant publicly available data about the region, and an integrated governance lens to inform policy design in outermost territories

Business · Citizen journalism · Corporate governance · Curriculum · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Restructuring · Sociology · Vocational education · Innovation, Technology, and Society · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

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