Comparative analysis of VET curricula in Europe

Abstract

In the wake of the adoption of a European Qualification Framework and the implementation of a European Credit system in Vocational Education and Training (ECVET), member states of the European Union have been encouraged to reform their vocational education and training (VET) systems. By focusing on learning outcomes, which are expected to function as a ‘common language’ to facilitate the (international) mobility of learners and workers, these European instruments are calling for a new approach to qualification and curriculum development, assessment and VET delivery (Cedefop, 2008). Do we therefore witness a ‘shift to learning outcomes’ in the national VET systems across Europe? A research project sponsored by Cedefop was set 2009 to examine the use and understanding of learning outcomes in the VET curriculum of nine European countries, chosen to represent different models and cultures of VET: Germany, France, Spain, Scotland, Poland, Slovenia, Romania and the Netherlands. Based on the empirical research con-ducted within this project, a typology has been developed in order to compare curricula following three dimensions: their structure, the regulation mode and the pedagogical-didactical approach underpinning them.