Teacher’s perspectives about the improving and strengthening of vocational education and training

Abstract

Vocational education is a formative stage that due to its connection with the work setting environment, has undergone numerous reforms. Specifically, in the last decade, the most significant changes have claimed to link vocational education with employment policies. The construction of the new Spanish framework for vocational education and training is circumscribed in the European educational policy. It is aimed to configure the transparency, harmonization, trans-national recognition and professional qualifications in Europe to build up the way for the rebuilding of the single European market. This has meant an enhancement of this formative stage that has historically been considered in our country as "second class" education. However, vocational education teachers still think that there are issues that need to be changed to improve and promote it. This article analyses the teacher’s narrative about the deficiencies and challenges of vocational education as well as the future challenges to which vocational education will have to overcome. This study focuses on the analysis of fifty qualitative interviews carried out in Andalucía with vocational education teachers’.