The federal government in America defines vocational education training (VET) as any preparation that occurs below the baccalaureate level (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.296). The roots of vocational education in the US can be traced back to the 19th century, a time when the agrarian revolution was at its pick. Government funding for this programs however was started in the year 1916 (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.296).The aims of VET have been altered severally since its conception and they have included the training of people to fill job positions in the country’s rapidly growing economy as well as to ensure that citizens of all races are given an equal opportunity to gain skills and subsequent employment amongst others (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.296).
The VET system in Switzerland is incorporated into the education system and has a strong focus on the labor market. It’s the by far the most sought after form of basic education and training in the country accounting for more than two-thirds of young people joining the labor force. It’s also open for adults who may want to acquire vocational skills (OPET, 2011, P.5). The VET/PET (professional education and training) programs in Switzerland are jointly managed by three partners that is, the cantons, professional bodies and the confederation. The three partners shoulder various key roles aimed at ensuring that there are adequate numbers of apprenticeships as well as continuing education and training (CET) courses. They are also committed to the achievement and maintenance of the highest possible standards for the programs (OPET, 2011, P.5).
VET provides skilled workers for the employment system specifically the intermediary sector and hence is essential for the global economy. In light of the interrelated nature of the global economy, it is imperative that comparisons of the VET systems of different countries be made. The aim of this paper therefore is to compare the VET systems of two countries that is, America and Switzerland. In this light, it will compare the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems. Comparisons will be made on various aspects such as purpose of the VET system, sources of funding, curricula and qualification standards, education and training settings amongst others.
Body
The VET program in Switzerland aims at equipping young people with the information, knowledge and skills necessary for them to make a transition into the labor market. In so doing, the program aims at ensuring that there are adequate numbers of specialists as well as managers to fill job positions in the future (Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET), 2011, p.3). The VET education system in America was established to serve a similar purpose of ensuring that there is an adequate labor force to meet the needs of the rapidly growing American economy (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.297).
Funding for Vocational education training (VET) in America is provided by the Government and various Acts like the Carl D. Perkins 1998 and 2006 VET Acts have been passed to provide individual states with flexibility they need to fund vocational programs (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.296). Three quarter of funding for VET programs in Switzerland on the other hand is provided by the government via Cantons. Currently, public funding for the VET/PET (professional education and training) public program through cantons stands at 12% of the total public funding in Switzerland (OPET, 2011, p.18). These funds are utilized in the promotion of VET/PET development projects and other vocational activities that serve public interest. Further funding for VET programs in Switzerland is provided by professional organizations; all companies within a specific economic branch are required to contribute a certain amount to cater for costs arising from the participation of the professional body in VET/PET programs. Switzerland therefore invests more in its VET program than the US. It also stands to gain more from the resultant increased productivity by VET/PET trainees than America (OPET, 2011, p.18).
VET in the US is traditionally delivered at two levels; high school and post-secondary levels. At the high school level, VET normally consists of courses in general labor market preparation (GLMP), specific labor market preparation (SLMP) as well as in family and consumer sciences education (FCSE). SLMP courses include those in fields like agriculture, construction, trade and industry. GLMP courses on the other hand comprise of non-specific general preparation course work like typewriting skills and general work experience (NCES, 2000, P.3). The National Center for Education Statistics however makes changes to these classifications every now and then. High schools in America can offer a sequence of courses that concentrate on one line of an occupation like electricity 1 to electricity 3. Alternatively, some VET high school programs are designed in such a way that they also offer courses in related occupational areas. For example, students undertaking courses in electricity and carpentry are required to undertake customer relations as well as electric fundamentals in addition to their core coursework (NCES, 2000, P.3).
Similar to the American VET system, VET in Switzerland is offered at the upper secondary level and is part and parcel of the educational system. However, unlike the American VET system, the VET program in Switzerland offers a bridging course for students in the lower level of secondary school which comprises of practical training as well as pre-apprenticeships specifically designed to prepare the students for VET in the upper secondary level. This course is meant for those students who have not made up their minds on the specific career path they would like to pursue (OPET, 2011, p.4).
Individual high schools in the US attach specific courses to different programs. For example, blueprint reading can be classified under carpentry in one school and under electricity in another (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.296). These groupings present a dilemma when it comes to the classification of courses whereby courses can be easily misclassified. To address this, NCES introduced of a new system of classification for VET whereby related courses and programs are grouped together. The resulting new groupings offer ample samples for the conduct of reliable future research studies since it is normally difficult to obtain adequate samples when conducting studies in a single narrow area of occupation (NCES, 2000, P.4).
Moreover, high schools in the US have started to organize VET around specific industries or wider occupation clusters. To this end, some of these schools often referred to as theme or magnet schools have organized themselves around a broad occupational theme such as finance or aviation. On the other hand, others have established smaller schools with an occupational theme such as communications within their schools. The latter smaller schools within larger schools may be designed for all students, those at risk or for the academically brilliant students. Alternatively, some schools have opted to group occupational programs into majors or pathways (NCES, 2000, P.4). The aforementioned three groupings are aimed at giving the students broader occupational and academic preparation that will ultimately offer them a greater choice of when it comes to choosing a career or postsecondary path (NCES, 2000, P.4). In addition, this latter approach to VET equips the students with a myriad of skills that they can utilize in the working world.
In regard to the type of settings for VET high school education in the US; VET is offered in public high schools which are as classified comprehensive high schools, area vocational schools and full-time vocational high schools. Comprehensive high schools offer both academic and VET inclusive of GLMP, FCSE as well as SLMP courses. Some states also have area vocational schools in addition to the comprehensive schools. These area vocational schools offer a wide array of occupational programs (NCES, 2000, P.6). Students usually attend these schools for part of the day. Comprehensive schools tend to narrow their VET to FCSE and GLMP in states that have area vocational schools. Full time occupational schools on the other hand offer academic as well as a wide range of occupational programs. Students in full time occupational schools in the US are generally required to choose and complete an occupational program. These schools may be or may not be designed around an occupational or industry theme. However, in the other kind of schools that is comprehensive and area vocational schools, students are allowed to take different amounts of coursework in varied vocational programs (NCES, 2000, P.6).
In a striking similarity to the US VET system, VET students in Switzerland are also allowed to pursue the vocational choices of their choice and provision is also made for those who would like to change their course later in life (OPET, 2011, p.5).
However, the approach to vocational training in the two countries differs. While the VET/PET system in Switzerland majorly utilizes a dual-track approach to vocational training except for a few full time curricula VET programs (OPET, 2011, p.8), the American system does not. In the dual-track approach, students basically go for part-time study at a vocational school and at the same time do a part-time apprenticeship with a host company. Therefore, they learn theoretical principles at the vocational school whilst acquiring practical skills at the host company (OPET, 2011, p.3). In addition, the host companies may organize some courses for the students within the premises of the organization. The VET/PET system of Switzerland therefore is efficient in terms of integrating theory and practice.
In some states in the US, students must complete a small number of vocational courses to be eligible for graduation. A majority of high school students take 3-4 year long vocational courses or more than 1.0 Carnegie unit of occupational related course work before they graduate from high school (NCES, 2000, P.6). In addition, students are allowed to undertake a sequence of courses in closely related occupations or to restrain from taking any specific occupational course work. The bottom line therefore is that the US VET system lacks uniformity in terms of curricula and qualification standards (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.296).
In stark contrast to the US VET system, VET in Switzerland is based on a clearly defined national curricula and qualification procedures (OPET, 2011, p.4). This ensures uniformity in the training and education of all students and hence in the level of competency of the students following qualification from the VET training. The VET system in Switzerland outweighs its US counterpart it focuses on assessing the skill competency of the students (OPET, 2011, p.4) as opposed to the US system which only certifies that a student has completed a vocational program regardless of whether they have gained the necessary skills or not (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.296). The Switzerland VET system can therefore be said to produce a breed of workers with higher abilities than those who graduate from the American VET system.
Unlike the US VET system, the VET programs in Switzerland closely matches the needs of its labor markets in terms of the number of job positions available as well as the professional qualifications needed to fill these positions (OPET, 2011, p.3). This has been achieved via the involvement and incorporation of the needs of future employers in the VET programs. Consequently, VET graduates do not lack employment upon completion of their courses in Switzerland; the same cannot be said of America.
Although attempts have been made to incorporate the input of potential employers in the delivery of vocational education in the US (NCES, 2000, p.6), the efforts are still way below the level of what is practiced in Switzerland. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 is an example of efforts that have been designed so far to increase the competency of students about to join the workforce in the US by forging alliances between schools and employers (NCES, 2000, p.6). In Switzerland, the schools as well as the community of prospective employers offer guidance to students as they make the transition from school to work. In addition, they inform the students about job requirements. Moreover, they assist the students in finding employment (OPET, 2011, p.3).
At the post-secondary level, vocational education comprises of associate degrees as well as subbaccalaureate certificate programs in the US (NCES, 2000, p.6). The latter are offered at institutions which also offer 4 year and as well as less than 4 year courses. VET at this level in Switzerland is referred to as Professional Education and Training (PET) (OPET, 2011, p.3). VET at this level unlike the secondary level is offered in both public and private institutions in the two countries under review. Public institutions offering vocational courses in the US include community colleges, vocational technical institutes and 4 year institutions. Similarly, the private institutions include the non-profit 2 year and 4 year institutions as well as the private for profit institutions.
PET on the other hand is offered in PET colleges as either 3-year part-time or 2-year full-time courses following which the students are awarded diplomas, advanced diplomas or college degrees (OPET, 2011, p.6). Similar to Vet, PET is based on a national curricula and standardized training. PET colleges are run and managed by public education institutions, professional organizations or alternatively, by businesses in the private sector (OPET, 2011, p.6). A major contrast in the VET systems in the two countries therefore is the involvement of professional bodies in the provision of high level of VET in Switzerland which is not the case in America. The main goal of PET is to impact the students with specific qualifications as well as prepare them for managerial and specialized positions (OPET, 2011, p.6).
Whilst some institutions in America identify their subbaccalaureate courses as explicitly vocational or educational, others do not make this distinction. At the postsecondary level in the same country, students enroll and choose the academic and vocational courses they would like to pursue on their own. However, students have to apply for the vocational programs and await acceptance especially for the short term certificate courses that have a set course of study as well as those in high demand like associate nursing programs (NCES, 2000, P.6). Alternatively, they have to go through a formal selection process (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.297). For those students who intend to pursue their vocational course up to the degree level, it is recommended that they follow the course set out in the catalogues of the various institutions. Vocational courses at this level similar to the high school level are also offered to students who simply aim to increase their skills without necessarily majoring in any occupation (NCES, 2000, P.6).
Data from research studies have indicated that the traditional approach to VET in the US is no longer working and is perceived to be to restrict the student’s chances in choosing a career (Rauner & Maclean, 2008, p.296). These findings have prompted the recent efforts aimed at combining academic and vocational course work with the ultimate goal of equipping students with academic and vocational skills that will give them a competitive edge when seeking for jobs both locally and internationally. Work-based learning, tech rep and performance measures are other reforms which have been advocated for as means of improving vocational education (NCES, 2000, P.6).
The VET/PET program in Switzerland on the other hand is already designed in a manner that not only recognizes but also addresses these shortcomings by incorporating academic content into the vocational study programs (OPET, 2011, p.11). In essence therefore, students at VET institutions in this country cover both academic and vocational contents.
Conclusion
From the comparison, it has been established that both the US and Switzerland VET programs were established to meet similar objectives, that is, equipping young people with the skills and knowledge they need to join the labor force. Similarities between the two VET systems other than having the same objectives are minimal and include the aspects of VET courses being offered both in secondary schools and tertiary institutions in both countries. In addition, students in both countries are allowed to pursue vocational courses of their choice.
A major difference between the two countries is that whilst funding for both VET programs is provided by the federal government, the Switzerland VET program gets additional funding from professional bodies. Moreover, whilst Switzerland has a uniform national curricula and qualification standards for its VET program, America’s lacks a uniform curriculum as well as qualification standards for her VET programs; they vary from state to state.
Another striking contrast is that while the Switzerland’s VET courses are geared towards meeting the available employment opportunities, the American VET system is not. Moreover, while Switzerland utilizes a dual-track approach in the delivery of her VET courses, America does not. Meanwhile, whilst Switzerland has been able to successfully integrate professional bodies in the planning and subsequent delivery of VET programs, America is yet to achieve the same level of success on this aspect as Switzerland.
References
National Center for Education Statistics (2000). Vocational Education in the United States:
Towards the year 2000.Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
OPET (2011). Vocational and professional education and training in Switzerland. Burgdoff:
Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology.
Rauner, F. & Maclean, R. (2008). Handbook of Technical and Vocational Education and
Training Research. Bonn: Springer science Inc.
