Recognizing and Developing Vocational Excellence Through Skills Competitions

Abstract

Vocational excellence is not easy to define, not least because of differing country contexts, expectations, and norms. Yet, excellence in vocational education and training abounds. One such example is skills competitions. These provide both a benchmark for high performance and an objective way to assess vocational excellence, and where they are international, they also allow cross-country assessments against commonly agreed standards. International skills competitions, specifically WorldSkills Competitions, are the focus of this chapter with the aim of illuminating what vocational excellence is. Drawing on research on WorldSkills Competitions allows an opportunity to understand better the factors that contribute to the development of vocational skills to a high standard, while focusing on understanding the knowledge and skills development of the competitors, and the people involved in this development, allows us to begin to understand better how vocational excellence can be achieved and recognized.