Vocational education and training in secondary schools: challenging teachers' work and identity

Abstract

Thirteen teachers and coordinators of vocational education and training in schools (VETiS) programs in eight Australian secondary schools were interviewed to determine the extent to which their involvement in school-based vocational education and training (VET) was grounded in their contact with contemporary workplaces, to identify the nature of barriers secondary teachers may face in forming and maintaining such contact, and to assess the issues that impact on the development of secondary teachers' sense of identity in relation to vocational education and training. VET studies are becoming an increasingly popular option for secondary students; however, this research indicates that these changes have had only limited impact on the role of secondary teachers. VET in schools, in spite of increasing student enrolments, has remained a marginal operation in many secondary schools, all but ignored by the majority of teachers, while making considerable demands and offering minimal support to those involved.