Vocational Learning: Fresh Perspectives

Abstract

Fresh perspectives on vocational learning require new vantage points – vantage points from which we can view enduring questions and challenges from a different direction or in a changing light. Fresh perspectives can reveal hidden aspects or address long-standing issues in ways that question currently dominant assumptions. They make the case for developing educated attributes throughout the life course; for establishing polyvalent or permeable institutional pathways for vocational learning and achievement, in sustainable ways; for developing knowledgeable and creative practitioners; and for recognizing, opening up, and connecting learning-conducive working spaces. The perspectives on vocational learning explored in this chapter are exemplified in contributions to the 2018 Handbook of Vocational Education and Training: Developments in the Changing World of Work (McGrath et al. 2018); and all have been supported to some degree by research inquiries involving new empirical encounters. The discussion does not make claims for comprehensive coverage but rather aims to stimulate extended dialogue connecting fresh ideas and new evidence from diverse cultures, new policy directions, and changing practice environments.