Focus highlight in VPET. Governance and performance

Abstract

This presentation will consider various evolving models for vocational education and training (VET) system governance and their relationship to VET system performance. Governance is defined broadly to include how power is exercised, who exercises the power and governance models relevant to VET, including co-governance with industry, governance in federal systems such as Australia and Germany, and devolved governance (such as the various levels of autonomy of training providers and institutions). The differences in planned versus market-based systems and the intersection between governance in VET and other systems (schools and higher education) will also be considered. System performance will then be considered in terms of the purposes of VET systems, using a case study of Australia, which has a long history of VET system performance assessment and performance measures. The presentation will also highlight the limitations of system-level performance measures and argue for a greater emphasis on provider or institutional performance, particularly in countries that have adopted market-based approaches to VET, such as Australia, where information on provider performance is essential to the effective functioning of VET markets. The presentation will conclude by considering the benefits and feasibility of international benchmarking of VET system performance, such as system benchmarking projects currently underway in the higher education sector.