Vocational Education

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. Vocational Education: A Field and Sector of Education

   • Stephen Billett

   Pages 1-20

3. Positioning Vocational Education

   • Stephen Billett

   Pages 21-57

4. Vocations

   • Stephen Billett

   Pages 59-82

5. Occupations

   • Stephen Billett

   Pages 83-109

6. Development of Vocational Education Systems and Fields

   • Stephen Billett

   Pages 111-134

7. Purposes of Vocational Education

   • Stephen Billett

   Pages 135-175

8. Curriculum and Vocational Education

   • Stephen Billett

   Pages 177-196

9. The Provision of Vocational Education

   • Stephen Billett

   Pages 197-228

10. Vocational Education in Prospect

    • Stephen Billett

    Pages 229-249

11. Back Matter

    Pages 251-266

    PDF

This book discusses what constitutes vocational education as well as its key purposes, objects, formation and practices. In short, it seeks to outline and elaborate the nature of the project of vocational education. It addresses a significant gap in the available literature by providing a single text that elaborates the scope and diversity of the sector, its key objectives (i.e. vocations and occupations), its formation and development as an education sector, and the scope of its purposes and considerations in the curriculum. The volume achieves these objectives by discussing and defining the concept of vocational education as being that form of education that seeks to advise individuals about, prepare them for, and further develop their capacities to perform the kinds of occupations that societies require and individuals need to participate in—and through which they often come to define themselves. In particular, it discusses the distinctions between occupations as a largely social fact and vocations as being a socially shaped outcome assented to by individuals. As people identify closely with the kinds of occupations they engage in, the standing of, and the effectiveness of vocational education is central to individuals’ well-being, competence and progress. Ultimately, this book argues that the provision of vocational education needs to realise important personal and social goals.

• Stephen Billett
• defining vocations
• educational purposes
• vocational education
• vocational education curriculum
• vocational education systems
• vocations

• Griffith University, Nathan, Australia

  Stephen Billett

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