The Europeanisation of Vocational Education and Training (eBook)

Dr. Christine Ante works on labour markets, education systems and European policies. Currently, she is a desk officer in the unit for European social and employment policies in the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Christine Ante holds a Master`s degree in Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, where she also completed her PhD in Governance. She has focused on participation procedures and project management in a consultancy and served as deputy director of operations at a local Employment Agency in Germany.

Acknowledgements 6
Contents 8
Abbreviations 10
List of Figures 14
List of Tables 16
Chapter 1: Introduction 17
1.1 The Political Economy of Skills and Europeanisation 21
1.1.1 Varieties of Capitalism and Skills 21
Training in CMEs and LMEs 22
Skill Types 25
Firms and Training 27
VoC and Its Critique: Change, the Role of the State, and Typologies 29
1.1.2 The Influence of Europe on National Systems 32
The Political Economy Literature 33
The Europeanisation Literature 36
1.1.3 The Europeanisation of Vocational Education and Training 39
1.2 Research Framework and Methodology 41
1.3 Structure 49
Chapter 2: The Copenhagen Process: A Political Economy Perspective 50
2.1 A Brief History of European Vocational Education and Training Policies 50
2.2 The Copenhagen Process 56
2.3 The Political Economy of the Copenhagen Process 70
2.4 Conclusion 82
Chapter 3: The Impact of the Copenhagen Process on the German Training Regime 84
3.1 The German VET System 84
3.2 Implementation of the Copenhagen Process in Germany 93
3.2.1 Early Discussions on the European Qualifications Framework and the European Credit System for Vocational Education and T... 94
Reform Proposals and Initiatives 96
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 97
Brief Evaluation 103
3.2.2 Learning Outcomes 104
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 105
Brief Evaluation 106
3.2.3 The German Qualifications Framework (DQR) 107
Open Questions and Further Implementation 111
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 114
Brief Evaluation 115
3.2.4 The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training 116
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 119
Brief Evaluation 121
3.2.5 Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning 122
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 125
Brief Evaluation 126
3.2.6 Quality Assurance 127
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 128
Brief Evaluation 130
3.3 Conclusions 131
Chapter 4: The Impact of the Copenhagen Process on the Dutch Training Regime 137
4.1 The Dutch Vocational Education and Training System 137
4.2 Implementation of the Copenhagen Process in the Netherlands 148
4.2.1 Learning Outcomes 148
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 150
Brief Evaluation 150
4.2.2 The Dutch National Qualifications Framework (NLQF) 151
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 158
Brief Evaluation 160
4.2.3 The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training 161
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 163
Brief Evaluation 165
4.2.4 Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning 166
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 168
Brief Evaluation 169
4.2.5 Quality Assurance 170
Politics of Reform and Actors´ Positions 173
Brief Evaluation 173
4.3 Conclusions 174
Chapter 5: The Impact of the Copenhagen Process on the English Training Regime 177
5.1 The English Vocational Education and Training System 177
5.2 Implementation of the Copenhagen Process in the United Kingdom 190
5.2.1 Learning Outcomes 190
Brief Evaluation 191
5.2.2 Qualifications and Credit Frameworks 191
Referencing Process and Implementation of the EQF 194
5.2.3 The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training 197
5.2.4 Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning 199
5.2.5 Quality Assurance 200
5.3 Conclusions 202
Chapter 6: Comparison and Conclusion 206
6.1 Comparison of the Impact of the Copenhagen Process on Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (England) 212
6.2 Theoretical Implications 222
6.2.1 Is Europe Liberalising National Institutions? 222
Explaining the Depth and Direction of Change in the Light of VoC 223
Explaining European Integration in the Light of VoC 225
My Findings in Comparison to Previous Political Science Studies 227
Europe as a Liberalisation Machine? 229
6.2.2 Varieties of Capitalism and the Study of Europeanisation 230
6.2.3 Further Contributions to the Political Economy Literature 232
6.2.4 Implications for Further Research 234
6.3 Implications for Policy Discussions 236
Appendix 243
Annex I: The European Qualifications Framework 243
Annex II: The European Quality Assurance Reference Framework 246
Annex III: Youth Unemployment Rates in European Countries 250
Bibliography 252