Promoting democratic participation in Vocational Education and Training
Authors: Per-Åke Rosvall, SALTO Participation & Information
Year of production: 2025
Image by: Kelly Sikkema
Vocational Education and Training (VET), including apprentice training, is organised in different ways in different European countries. Some have a more school-based education while others have a more workplace-based education. As a result, the facilities and locations for this form of learning are very different and it is difficult to have a single set of guidelines. Whatever the context, it is important to promote and introduce VET learners to democratic participation at the workplace and in civil society.
Promoting democratic participation in VET
Promoting democratic participation in VET can be done through direct involvement in democratic processes such as workplace meetings, or by learning about and experiencing democratic participation. In order to prepare the VET learner to partake in democratic processes it is important to learn about specific organisations, unions and enterprises involved in their specific trade.
VET education curricula usually include less preparation for participation in democratic processes than Higher Education preparatory education curricula. That is, less content to understand the ideology underlying democratic processes, less source criticism, and less training in argumentation. However, if we think of all learners as partakers of social change, it is important to also expose VET learners to this content in order for them to participate in democratic processes on equal terms.
Addressing workplace inequalities
Discussing inequalities at the workplace can be a starting point to promote interest in democratic participation in the workplace and in civic life. A workplace is often a reflection of society, and harassment or discrimination by gender, sexuality, ethnicity, ability, or in any other way at the workplace has its roots in the norms of society. Therefore, discussing inequalities at the workplace enhances the chances of VET learners to engage in inequalities in society at large.
Democratic processes in a work context can be dynamic, but they can also be rigid, reflecting historical traditions for a specific trade. It can therefore be useful to visit the same trade in another country, to learn about how democracy is exercised there. This is something that can be achieved through the Erasmus+ programme. This can be argued to be especially important in times where many trades are being globally influenced by, for example, technical developments.
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Article produced in the framework of the project “Understanding democratic participation across sectors”
Expert group: Anni Karttunen, Charlie Moreno-Romero, Per-Åke Rosvall, Spyros Papadatos, Tomaž Deželan
Coordination: Joana Freitas (SALTO Participation & Information)
Copyedit: Nik Paddington
Project dates: February 2024 to May 2025
Further exploration
Websites
Organisations
https://apprenticesnetwork.eu/
https://etuc.org/en
Reports on VET
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/projects/future-vet/publications
Research
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02680939.2017.1318455#abstract
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540253.2020.1815659
VET Erasmus+
https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/organisations/learning-mobility-of-individuals/vocational-education-training
Authors
