Synergetic Approach Model for Improving Vocational Education: Characteristics, Guidelines and Applications

Abstract

The main purpose of vocational education is to prepare students for their future professional development, including the acquisition of skills and competencies necessary for the labor market. The research aims to present a model that gains effectiveness of applying a synergetic approach for improving vocational education. The synergetic approach could be an innovative pedagogical concept in VET that creates an open educational environment utilizing the application of different approaches and teaching methods. Basically the model proposed combines the change in curricula, the use of learning resources for practical teaching and the change in the way of assessment as kernel guideines for achieving better student outcomes. The ensuing benefits of applying a synergetic approach in VET are related to the possibility that vocational education is required to meet the needs of the contemporary labor market, as well as it answers to the expectations of society to prepare young people for their successful employment in industry. Other benefits are related to the possibility of restructuring the learning content, using various teaching methods, formative assessment, acquisition of permanent knowledge, as well as acquisition of skills for critical evaluation of information and self-evaluation of the achieved results to increase motivation. In synergetic learning, the content of the learning materials differs significantly from those traditionally used in vocational training, and the teacher has the opportunity to adapt the learning content to the needs of the specific student.