Introduction to Section 4

Abstract

Both the educational scientist and the economist are interested in the outcomes of the vocational and adult education system. Education theory centres on school effectiveness and seeks the factors which explain the effectiveness of schools. Effectiveness can be measured in terms of learning outcomes but also in terms of employment and earning capacity. This is where the economist comes into the picture: he or she is also interested in effects as seen in terms of returns from investment in education. Access to training is not the same for everyone. Some workers are offered more opportunities for investment in training than others. As investment in human capital (e.g. training) creates inequality between workers, these differences in training participation increase social inequality (wage inequality, employment opportunities, etc.). It seems that on-the-job training is becoming an increasingly more important source of human capital investment.