Conventional apprenticeships and older methods of professional training are not providing enough skilled workers - governments, companies and colleges are now using open and distance learning to fill these gaps. Published in association with the Commonwealth of Learning, this unique review provides detailed analysis of worldwide experiences of vocational training and distance education. It looks at recent policy and practice at different levels - from transnational programmes and national policies to institutional and programme models. Offering guidance on how distance education and new technologies are being used to support vocational education and training, this book will help senior institutional managers and policy makers to understand and appreciate: * the role distance education can play in increasing skills levels in young people and the existing workforce * the challenges in using educational technologies, and distance education to deliver vocational education and training * how to devise effective policies to meet these challenges.

This text reviews the strategies adopted in a range of behaviourist approaches to the setting and realization of standards - identifying the background from which they emerged and ways in which they might be further developed.

This text reviews the strategies adopted in a range of behaviourist approaches to the setting and realization of standards - identifying the background from which they emerged and ways in which they might be further developed.

Today, gender inequality and diversity are at the forefront of discussion, as the issue has become an international concern for politicians, government agencies, social activists, and the general public. Consequently, the need to foster and sustain diversity and inclusiveness in the interactions among various groups of people is relevant today more than ever. Gender and Diversity: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications provides a critical look at gender and modern-day discrimination and solutions to creating sustainable diversity across numerous contexts and fields. Highlighting a range of topics such as anti-discrimination measures, workforce diversity, and gender inequality, this multi-volume book is designed for legislators and policy makers, practitioners, academicians, gender studies researchers, and graduate-level students interested in all aspects of gender and diversity studies.

This book introduces, rationalizes and describes some ways to circumvent the challenges of providing ‘hands-on’ learning when programmes with practice-based focuses have to be offered via distance learning. It presents a framework to help deconstruct the many aspects of ‘learning to become’ a professional or practitioner. Then, it demarcates the skills, knowledge and attributes towards ensuring learners are prepared for the exigencies of the future of work. The book details the types of pedagogical approaches, including project/inquiry/problem-based learning, which help assist learners to learn both the competencies and capabilities required. It introduces technology-enhanced learning (TEL) platforms and tools supporting ‘education 4.0’, and presents a series of contemporary research studies on the integration of TEL, which are augmented and updated to allow for the challenges of provisioning opportunities for ‘learning by doing’ through distance learning. Finally, the book proposes recommendations to help ensure that institutions are better prepared for the sustainable shift to distance learning.

Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training is a new academic journal in the field of Vocational Education and Training (VET). In recent years many countries have developed a new interest in creating or strengthening the vocational part of the educational system, both at the basic and higher education level. These developments ask for a sound scientific underpinning of policy decisions and have therefore created a new need for empirically oriented academic research in VET issues. The new journal will address VET-specific questions from different academic disciplines emphasizing empirical work that fulfils highest methodological and statistical standards of research. The journal Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training will follow developments throughout the world in vocational training institutions and companies. The journal welcomes comparative studies that allow to empirically compare the effectiveness, efficiency and equity in different VET systems at the school-, company and systemic level. The journal has the goal to cover a broad range of topics in the VET field from all relevant scientific disciplines. The journal has therefore an international pluridisciplinary editorial board and also an advisory board with leading international academics in the fields of pedagogy, psychology, sociology and economics. The targeted audience of the journal are academics and researchers in the field of VET. In addition the empirical orientation of the journal should make it and interesting source of information for policy-makers, policy planners and administrators, school-leaders and trainers in the field of VET. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training publishes empirical work in all fields of VET from basic VET to continuous or adult learning. All contributions are peer reviewed by at least 2 anonymous referees.