ABSTRACT

Although vocational education and training (VET) can lead to lucrative and fulfilling careers and plays a vital role in skilling workers for contemporary workplaces, it continues to have a low status in schools, among parents and in the wider community. Many countries are now seeking to enhance the status of VET to increase its uptake by school-leavers. The study reported here investigated factors that shape students’ decisions about post-school options and their views about promoting VET as a viable post-school option. Interview and survey data from 176 students from 11 schools and three VET institutions located in metropolitan and regional communities are analysed and discussed. Their decision-making is influenced mainly by the information they received from familiars (parents, teachers and friends). They suggest more detailed information about the utility and status of VET and the occupations it serves may assist young people to consider it as a viable option.

摘要

尽管职业教育和培训 (VET) 可以带来丰厚和充实的职业，并在培养当代工作场所的技能工人方面发挥着至关重要的作用，但它在学校、家长和更广泛的社区中的地位仍然很低。许多国家现在都在寻求提高职业教育与培训的地位，以增加离校生的接受度。此处报告的研究调查了影响学生关于毕业后选择的决定的因素以及他们关于将职业教育与培训作为可行的毕业后选择的观点。分析和讨论了来自 11 所学校和位于大都市和区域社区的 3 个职业教育与培训机构的 176 名学生的访谈和调查数据。他们的决策主要受他们从熟悉的人（父母、老师和朋友）那里收到的信息的影响。