From craftsmanship and novices to 3D printing and an ageing workforce – Is vocational education and training (VET) research keeping pace with change as well as continuity in work?

Abstract

Changes in work technologies, the way work is organized, and the nature, distribution and utilization of occupational skills and knowledge have always had an impact on VET practice and policy. VET research is concerned with exploring continuity as well as change. This chapter offers a reflection on how the interplay of change and continuity might require a more substantive and relational approach across the VET landscape. It questions whether VET researchers are sufficiently concerned with the life and practices of contemporary workplaces. The chapter tentatively suggests that it is time for some recalibration of the way VET research is conceived and organized in order to have a broader influence on policy and practice at both a national and international level. A focus on work might also offer a way to overcome some of the difficulties involved in comparative VET research.