IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS IN VET

The political and economic benefits of an international large-scale assessment of vocational education and training (VET) are obvious. Due to the increasing internationalization of economic exchange relationships in goods and in labor markets, as well as to economical, political, and social standardization in Europe – under the condition of increasing knowledge intensity in working processes – educational systems have changed. In particular, vocational educational systems have gained importance for providing competences relating to occupational mobility and independent lifestyle of young people, as well as international competitiveness and innovativeness of enterprises. The European Commission (2005, p. 9) has put forward the ambitious economic and social goal of becoming “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world.” Therefore, improved participation in education and the labor market is playing a crucial role in reaching these goals.

The practical implications of the problems of competence measurement are reflected in the ongoing progress toward the development of a standardized European Qualifications Framework (EQF). In Europe, the ministers for VET in thirty-two countries have accepted the Maastricht Communiqué, endorsed in December 2004, consisting of an agreement for the development of an overall EQF and a European Credit Transfer System for VET (ECVET). The aim of the EQF is to provide a common set of reference levels as an integration of an ECVET and the European Credit Transfer System in higher education (Commission of the European Communities, 2005).