Methods and Instruments for the Evaluation and Monitoring of Vocational Education and Training Systems: A Basis for Evidence-Based Policy Making?

Abstract

There is an increasing demand for methods and instruments that assist vocational education and training (VET) experts in taking stock of the state of VET systems. In international advisory services VET experts are asked to recommend appropriate measures to policy makers. The increased demand results from the call for more ‘evidence-based’ decision-making in policy that can be heard across all domains in which public policies intervene (see Young & Mendizabal, 2009). Under the regime of new public management and an increased attention of stakeholders to efficient public spending, the quality of policy decisions and their foundations are under permanent scrutiny (Slavin, 2002). The notion of an ‘evidence-based policy making’ has also found its way into the discourse on international cooperation and advisory services in VET. In this introduction we want to ask how far the call for more evidence in this sphere is mirrored by the existing inventory of methods and tools and how far the demand for more evidence is appropriate to the topic. At first glance existing methods and instruments can be applied in order to obtain a systems overview, to recognise strengths and weaknesses and also to identify possible areas for system development and improvement. However, up to now no overview of such instruments exists. Therefore, with the title ‘Research meets Advisory Service’ an international expert workshop was conducted in December 2009 in Konigswinter by BIBB (Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Germany), bringing together experts from international and national organisations that develop or use such tools. Papers for the workshop were selected through a blind review process according to their scientific quality and their contribution to the following questions: • How do we know what is needed for the further development of a VET system? • Which measures are in place for VET system analysis? • What kinds of indicators and benchmarks are in use in controlling the ‘status quo’ or development towards certain targets? • What mechanisms are in place for peer review and peer learning? • Why is one approach chosen instead of another? • Which results are to be expected and how can we monitor them?