Curricular Reform and College-Based Innovation in Vocational Education and Training in England and Germany

Abstract

This article outlines a small-scale comparative research project which investigates the effects of the wide-ranging reforms in the vocational education and training (VET) sector of Germany and England on the work of colleges and teaching personnel. The article provides some background to the ongoing reform of college-based training in the two countries. From an institutional perspective, the article examines to what extent VET reforms lead to innovative teaching practice at vocational colleges ( Berufsschulen in Germany) and further education (FE) colleges (in England). It also looks at the degree to which administrative and leadership structures at colleges enable and prepare lecturers to embrace changes and to what extent these structures result in a reactive or proactive stance regarding educational innovation. From a personnel perspective, the lecturers' attitudes towards change are investigated. Their perceptions of current reforms are examined as well as the connection between reforms and their translation into innovative practice.