VET Institutions Research Articles

Benefits and Objectives of ECVET Implementation in Bulgaria: an Empirical Study

The comprehensive analysis presented in this article examines the potential positive effects of complete ECVET implementation in Bulgaria, aligning with the European guidelines established by CEDEFOP. By focusing on a diverse range of topics, the report offers valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to enhance the quality and relevance of VET in Bulgaria. Despite the potential benefits of ECVET, its implementation in Bulgarian vocational education has not yet been realized and lacks a comprehensive credit system for credit exchange within both secondary and higher vocational education. Consequently, the development of an effective ECVET implementation system, including a robust assessment framework, remains an ongoing challenge. ECVET is poised to support learners in Bulgaria across several key dimensions. Its ability to foster adaptability, practical skill acquisition, and alternative learning strategies equip learners with the competencies necessary to thrive in today’s dynamic job market. Moreover, ECVET promotes the development of organizational skills, facilitates informed career choices, and accelerates professional implementation. The successful implementation of ECVET necessitates a concerted effort from various stakeholders, including VET institutions, employers, and learners. By embracing ECVET, Bulgaria can significantly improve the quality and relevance of its VET systems, better prepare learners for the workforce, and stimulate economic growth. Ultimately, ECVET contributes to learners’ personal satisfaction, self-esteem, and shorter paths to the labor market. These benefits underscore the transformative potential of ECVET in enhancing the educational experience and career prospects of learners in Bulgaria.

The role of vocational training in ICT firms: the revelation

ABSTRACT The fourth industrial revolution has led to a tremendous increase in the demand for IT specialists. Until recently, this sector had traditionally recruited university graduates, but given the shortage of candidates, it has turned to individuals with vocational training, finding that they are capable of performing the same work with a similar level of efficiency. This article examines the role of IT technicians linked to VET, the objective being to obtain evidence that can help adapt the training system to the new economic model. This analysis is carried out as part of an action research process in Bilbao involving digital firms, VET institutions, policymakers, and the authors of the paper as researchers. Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers of digital firms to determine the role and related skills (technical, transversal, and work-related organisation) of IT technicians. The findings demonstrate that IT technicians play a critical role in digital firms’ business model and that their profile is currently on a par with those of university students. Also apparent is the necessity of establishing a shared language between firms, educational centres, and other agents in order to facilitate the adjustment of the training system in the fourth industrial revolution.

Participation and learning in Vocational education and training - a cross-national analysis of the perspectives of youth at risk for social exclusion

ABSTRACT The article explores the experiences of youth at risk for social exclusion and is part of cross-national research involving Norway, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. 79 young people aged 16–29 who are at risk of becoming economically and socially marginalised were interviewed about circumstances that may support or hinder their participation and learning in VET. The study draws on sociocultural theory, emphasising learning as participation in social practices. Thematic analyses indicate that negative experiences in the past affect current participation in VET. In all countries, VET offers opportunities for participation for students at risk of social exclusion. However, vulnerable youth do not navigate the paths of social engagement well on their own. In the case of VET-students at risk for social exclusion, the mere development of knowledge and skills relevant for employment in the labour market does not suffice. VET institutions will need to facilitate students’ participation in learning communities. Building social capital for youth at risk through developing relationships that generate motivation, trust, and confidence enhances students’ opportunities for participation and subsequent learning. VET teachers and workplace supervisors will need guidance on how to develop the pedagogical competencies necessary to nurture social capital for students at risk for social exclusion.

Motivation to Become a Vocational Teacher As a Second Career: A Mixed Method Study

AbstractWithin the school-based vocational education and training system, so-called hybrid teachers, i.e. who both work in a vocational school and a business, can add value to the quality of VET as well as can solve ageing and the threat of shortages among VET teachers. In this research, the motivation of becoming a VET teacher as a second career and its perception by participants were examined using a mixed-method explanatory sequential study design. In the first phase, 114 VET teachers from 33 VET institutions in Lithuania were surveyed using the Factors Influencing Teaching (FIT) Choice scale. In the second phase, five vocational teachers were interviewed. The qualitative results supported and complemented the results of quantitative research by emphasizing the importance of intrinsic motivation to teach and explained in-depth the components of antecedent socialisation and perceptions of teaching. The results were discussed considering similar studies on second-career teachers conducted in other countries.

Distinctive features of psychological well-being of heads of VET institutions with different types of attitudes towards the staff of the educational organization

Introduction. Psychological well-being of individuals in general and heads of VET institutions in particular is an internal resource of self-support and health-promoting potential that contributes to their self-realization. Therefore, psychological well-being of heads of VET institutions and its characteristics in the context of social relations, in particular, the type of attitude towards staff appears to be quite important today. Aim. To empirically investigate the psychological features of the psychological well-being of the heads of VET institutions with different types of attitudes towards the staff of the educational organization. Methods. Questionnaires and statistical-mathematical methods of data analysis. Results. A significant number of heads of VET institutions had low psychological well-being. There were differences in heads’ psychological well-being features in relation to the heads’ attitude towards the staff of educational organizations: the heads with the active-positive attitude towards their staff had the highest level of psychological well-being, while those with the neutral-indifferent and hidden-negative attitudes had lowest level of psychological well-being. Conclusion.The obtained results can be used in the psychological training of heads of vocational and technical education institutions as well as in providing psychological support for heads of vocational and technical education institutions.

STRATEGIC PLANNING OF HIGHER AND VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION SYSTEMS’ DEVELOPMENT IN DNIPRO REGION

Institutions of vocational (vocational and technical) and higher education are a basic component of the educational process of Ukraine, which in turn is a potential for the development of the national economy and a factor for ensuring food and environmental security, forming the socio-economic foundations of the development of the territories of the state, and improving the material well-being of the population. In the new socio-economic conditions, the modern education management system is gradually acquiring features of public self-government and the state-public model of management, which should ensure Ukraine's transition to a post-information society. At the same time, the modern management system of professional (vocational and technical) education should ensure anticipatory innovative development, as well as create conditions for reproduction of the socio-cultural environment for the development, self-affirmation and self-realization of the individual throughout life. The fundamental factor of effective activity and sustainable development of professional (vocational and technical) education institutions in the conditions of the introduction of digitalization in the country is the strategic planning of the VET system. Regarding vocational education, strategic planning is studied as the definition of strategic directions of transforming the content of vocational education, development of strategy for designing innovative educational process in vocational education, substantiation and disclosure of information and network transformation of vocational education, systematic justification of innovations in vocational education technical education as the main mechanism for implementation the strategic goals of sectoral development. Within the available scientific research, such important areas as generalization of the current state of public regulation of the vocational education system as a basis for strategic planning of its development, updating the system of evaluating the effectiveness of vocational education, optimizing the structure of the vocational education network in general and regional levels, mechanisms for financing the system of vocational education etc. Solving these problems is possible only through using of strategic planning to bring innovative changes in the public management of VET institutions in the region to address the external efficiency of this educational sector, based on the priority of achieving socio-economic results rather than sectoral goals. The strategic planning of the development of the VET system at the national and regional levels is both an object and a mechanism of public management, in addition, it is institutionalized in the system of public management based on the formation of a complex of regulatory support for such management activities. Within the framework of the institutional approach, strategic planning should be considered as a comprehensive mechanism of public management of the development of the regional VET system on the basis of ensuring consistency between the demand for workers of a market nature and the trends of socio-economic development, as well as the needs of individual and corporate consumers of educational services.

Evaluating and reframing vocational education and training for refugees: insights from five refugee groups across three cities of India

ABSTRACT Contrary to common assumptions, the vast majority of the world’s refugees reside in neighbouring countries in the Global South. This paper explores the complex interaction of global vocational education policies with the local realities of five communities within the under-researched yet highly relevant refugee context of India, across three major cities. It examines whether the stated policy purpose of VET addresses the practical requirements and aspirations of refugees. Drawing on interviews, focus groups, and participatory drawing with 66 respondents from Afghan, Rohingya, Somali, Chin, and Tibetan communities, and staff members from refugee organisations, this paper argues for a move away from the unidimensional goal of economic self-reliance for refugees. By bridging the capabilities approach with intersectionality, the paper calls attention to, and draws policy suggestions for, increment and diversification of VET opportunities to address multiple facets of refugees’ lives, and their inclusion in national VET institutions.

The Challenges and Barriers Students Face in their Learning Journeys: Perspectives of Teachers and Lecturers

This study, forming part of an EU-funded project led by The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), seeks to investigate the challenges and barriers students in Malta face in their learning journeys. Previous research exercises collected data from students at State Secondary Schools and at MCAST. Having gained knowledge of the challenges and barriers students face, this knowledge having been acquired directly from the students themselves, it was now felt that it was important to also collect the views, perceptions and thoughts about student challenges and barriers in learning from the teachers and lecturers working within those same contexts and environments. Data were collected through online questionnaires, one designed for State School teachers and another one designed for MCAST lecturers. Results indicate that through effective strategizing, VET institutions, such as MCAST, that seem to bear the brunt of high student dropout rates, can render the term student dropout a very fluid term by further penetrating the workforce and recapturing former students at their chosen place of work. This proposed strategy gains more weighting when seeing the similar results obtained in this study and in our previous research that indicated that work and financial reasons seemed to be the main factors leading students to drop out of their studies at MCAST. This study concludes with some thoughts on the term NEETS (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and how this category of former students still escapes the strategy outlined in this study and hence requires more research and intervention.

ДИНАМІКА ГАЛУЗЕВОЇ СТРУКТУРИ ЗАКЛАДІВ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ (ПРОФЕСІЙНО-ТЕХНІЧНОЇ) ОСВІТИ ЛЬВІВСЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТІ

This paper is devoted to the study of the problem of changing the sectoral structure of vocational education and training (hereinafter - VET) institutions in Ukraine. An analysis of the statistics of this category of students and official information from the state websites of education is presented. The strengths and weaknesses of vocational and technical education institutions in the Lviv region were analysed. The article provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the VET network as of today, namely 72 VET institutions of various types, including 5 higher vocational schools; 67 vocational and technical schools, which were gradually reorganized into 53 VET institutions. This confirms the need to provide the region with capable working junior specialists. Attention is focused on the problem that the level of Ukrainian VET institutions often does not correspond to the realities because there are gaps between them. With this in mind, education policy faces the challenge of reducing these gaps and developing the skills needed by entrepreneurs specialties are offered by institutions and those in need of business. Entrepreneurs note that they have long felt a shortage of workers, so they are ready to cooperate with the use of production facilities for student internships to stimulate the production of the necessary staff. This will reduce the outflow of personnel abroad, and work for the business that responded to the offer together to develop vocational education. The article also noted that business representatives should be more actively involved in the process of establishing Supervisory Boards at VET institutions. This will make it possible to introduce in institutions methods of improving practical training in which entrepreneurs are interested. Providing enterprises with workers, namely car repairmen, builders, truck drivers, electric welders, cooks, confectioners, waiters, carvers, hairdressers, stylists, manicurists, and IT specialists allows forming personnel of enterprises for the main types of economic activity of Lviv region (industry, trade, agriculture, construction, IT-sphere). In this regard, we recommend the practice of reorganization and creation of educational and practical centers in the Lviv region with the involvement of grants and employers for other regions of Ukraine.

The Strategic Directions of Labor Potential Development in Accordance with the Employers’ Requirements in the Conditions of Dnipropetrovsk Region Economic Recovery

The article analyzes the state of labor potential and offers recommendations for changing the strategic directions of its development in accordance with the employers’ needs. The paper also investigated the needs of Dnipropetrovsk region employers in the workforce and the possibility of training them by VET institutions. The study identifies the main issues of the region labor market development. To ensure the evolution of labor potential, it is necessary to make changes in the strategy of territories growth, which would help key stakeholders to clearly formulate tools and directions of capacity development and guarantee the support of effective dialogue. Keywords labor potential, development of the region’s economy, effective dialogue, investment attractiveness, strategies of development.

VET TEACHERS IN SLOVAKIA AND CHALLENGES FOR THEIR COMPETENCES IMPROVEMENT

The common problem of the many countries that´s identified by many policy makers, educators, economists and other professionals is the problem of high level of youth unemployment rate. Properly prepared workforce for the European economy are current challenges for the teacher and training community. The need to update vocational education teaching (further VET) - teachers’ qualifications and competences is very urgent in the all countries of EU. This study deals with teacher preparation in Slovakia and concisely describes selected results of questionnaire survey on vocational education teacher competences. The study provides an introduction to the theme of teacher competence improvement through small survey conducted at Slovak university of Agriculture in Nitra and suggests some challenges for solution in VET teachers preparation. There is a need of innovative practical approach to stimulating and develop key competences among students in VET institutions. This need is also connected with the quality of VET teachers and the professional teacher competences development in teachers’ preparation and in their further education.

Digitálisan aláírt tanúsítványok és digitális kitűzők a szakképzésben és felsőoktatásban

The Digitally Signed Credentials and Open Badges in VET and HE project aims to come up with a data structure of course and content typology based on current European and national standards and new research. The resulting grid of extra metadata enables a better mapping and manageability of their badges for VET, HE and CPD institutions. Based on the grid, an open source displayer will be developed, accompanied by a 30 hours course on open badges and digitally signed credentials targeted to the issuers and validators to support the implementation of the displayer platform in their institutions.The article gives an overview about the results of the research conducted at the beginning of 2021 about the state-of-the art of the use and the approach of the open badges and digitally signed credentials in Europe and the partner countries, highlighting the results from Hungary.

Implementation of Hospitality Programme to Facilitate Skills Acquisition among Trainees in Arusha Region, Tanzania

Tourism and hospitality as a labour-intensive industry is forecasted to continue growing despite various turbulent in different parts of the world. As the sector continue to evolve, the need for skilled human resources increases. However, industry professionals are complaining about the quality of human resources. While some authors have addressed the issue in relation to graduates’ skills possession and the nature of services they render, the researcher could not find a study that has addressed the issue in relation to how this programme is implemented to facilitate skills acquisition among college trainees. This study was set to answer the main research question: how is VET hospitality programme implemented to contribute to skills development among the trainees in Arusha region? The study employed convergent design whereby qualitative and quantitative data sets were collected concurrently. The target population involved trainers for Food and Beverages Sales and Services, Front Office Operations, trainees, heads of department, hotel managers, supervisors and graduates. Random sampling of training institutions and purposive sampling of hotels were used to determine the study sample. Data were collected through questionnaire for trainees, graduates and supervisors, classroom observation schedule, interview guide with the hotel managers and heads of department, scheduled interview with the trainers and content analysis of programme document. The findings for this study indicated that VET programme for Food and Beverages Service and Sales and Front Office Operations are not sufficiently implemented to facilitate skills acquisition among the trainees. The study recommended that VETA as the authorizing body for all VET institutions to conduct regular monitoring and evaluation in these institutions so as to ascertain whether the requirements for training provision are adhered to.

Current status of interaction between vet institutions and enterprises

Introduction. The implementation of work-based learning in the process of joint vocational instruction by enterprises and VET (vocational education and training) institutions is the most important focus of the educational policy in developed countries. In the Russian Federation, over the past decade, such kind of partnership has been developing both through spontaneous self-organisation and purposefully in the form of several government projects. VET education policy was focused mainly on implementing the World Skills championship movement in the domestic field. As a result, no fundamental changes in institutional and economic structure were implemented to make apprenticeship training compelling for enterprises. Nevertheless, no full-fledged accumulation of information on the dynamics of the development of various forms of work-based learning was carried out to prevent the decent assessment of the current state of apprenticeship training in the Russian Federation and to conduct a comparative international analysis.The present article aimsto determine the current status of interaction between enterprises and VET institutions, fulfil the lack of quantitative information on the topic, and test the hypothesis that under the current institutional conditions the interaction frequency and intensity between enterprises and VET institutions in the Russian Federation lag behind similar international indicators.Methodology and research methods. In the course of the research, the methods of socio-historical analysis, the instruments of theoretical and methodological analysis, hypothesis building, assessment and generalisation methods were applied. The empirical part of the present research was formed by the methods of secondary analysis of the Russian and foreign studies on the development of the VET and its interaction with the labour market. In addition, the method of comparative and retrospective analysis of statistical data from Russian and international studies was employed. Finally, the method of questionnaire survey and the method of content analysis of websites of educational institutions and enterprises were used. The study involved 603 VET institutions from 29 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.Results and scientific novelty. One of the most significant research findings is a systemic description of the current status of the partnership between VET institutions and enterprises in the Russian Federation. Main directions and forms of interaction between VET institutions and enterprises in Russia at the end of the second decade of the XXI century were outlined (curricula development, internship for students, and participation in education results assessment). The prospects for the development of partnership between VET institutions and enterprises and the influencing factors (economic and institutional) were determined. The particular Russian characteristics of the interaction between the VET system and the labour market were identified and described as an inharmonious partnership with the employer’s active articulation of a request for a high-quality human resource without proportionate participation in its instruction. The quantitative assessment of current interaction between enterprises and VET institutions in Russia allowed comparative analysis with the indicators of foreign countries to be conducted. In our country, the authors revealed a lower level of enterprises investments (especially financial ones) in the students’ human capital development.Practical significance. The sociological toolkit and schemes of dynamic and comparative analysis developed in the course of the research can be used in further research on the education system and on the related issues. The research findings can be applied while planning and implementing educational policy measures.

Vocational Teacher’s Career as a Second Profession and Factors Determining Its Choice

There is an increasing focus on the so-called hybrid teacher, at the European level. This teacher can alternatively work in a vocational school and a business. It is highly believed that this would help to solve both the aging of VET teachers and the quality of VET. The factors determining the choice of a VET teacher as a second career as well as perceptions of the participants’ former occupation were examined in this research using respectively the FIT-Choice and the PPO scales. The survey involved 114 VET teachers from 33 VET institutions of the country. The results revealed the determinants of VET teachers’ career choice, the most important of which are the high requirements of the teaching profession, the willingness to work with young people, and the influence of former teachers. The analysis of the relations between the perception of prior occupations and these determinants showed that social significance of prior occupation, strong interest in the subject and teaching, as well as workplace training self-efficacy facilitates the transition from business to vocational training. The results are discussed taking to similar studies conducted in other countries using the same measuring instruments.

How Student Characteristics Affect Economy Students’ Digital Competences: A latent profile study

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) profoundly impacts in- dustry and work. It therefore is important for vocational education and training to em- phasize on the development of digital competences. However, we still know very little about how these skills are distributed among students in vocational education and train- ing (VET) in general, and the so-called ‘cooperative study programmes’ (CSP) in parti- cular. CSPs combine vocational education components with university coursework lead- ing up to a journeymen certificate and an academic degree simultaneously. This study analyses the digital competences of first-year students in a business-focussed CSP at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) in Germany, using a Ger- man version (the D21-Index) of the European framework for digital competences (DigComp) to assess students’ competence levels. A latent profile analysis revealed four competence profiles (reserved digitised, reserved appreciative, constructive digitised, and reflective digitised). Interestingly, our subsequent analysis showed that none of the student characteristics we assessed turned out to be distinctive for any of the four pro- files. Considerations of relevant inset points for VET institutions nationally and interna- tionally to develop tailored support of digital competence development of their students are integrated in the conclusions.

ПЕДАГОГІЧНА ТЕХНОЛОГІЯ ФОРМУВАННЯ В УЧНІВ ЗАКЛАДІВ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ (ПРОФЕСІЙНО-ТЕХНІЧНОЇ) ОСВІТИ ІНТЕРЕСУ ДО ПІДПРИЄМНИЦЬКОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ

Актуальність. Розвиток професійного інтересу до підприємницької діяльності є одним із ключових принципів побудови сучасної ринкової економіки в Україні, орієнтованої на західні цінності та Європейську інтеграцію. Застосування інноваційних педагогічних технологій у процесі формування підприємницької компетентності майбутніх фахівців, сприяє розвитку людського капіталу, зростанню інтересу учнів закладів професійної (професійно-технічної) освіти до підприємницької діяльності, підвищенню їх ділової активності, формуванню рис та якостей, важливих для формування сучасного покоління підприємців України. Мета: охарактеризувати педагогічну технологію формування в учнів закладів професійної (професійно-технічної) освіти інтересу до підприємницької діяльності. Методи: аналізу й синтезу – з метою визначення стану й рівня розробленості окресленої проблеми; порівняння – для вивчення особливостей функціонування досліджуваного феномену в Україні та в державах зі значною часткою малого бізнесу в структурі формування ВВП, узагальнення – для формування висновків щодо можливості застосування відповідних технологій у закладах ЗП(ПТ)О. Результати: на основі аналізу наукових джерел, з’ясовано, що для формування в учнівської молоді інтересу до підприємницької діяльності бракує інноваційних технологій, розроблених чи адаптованих для учнів ЗП(ПТ)О; на прикладі Японії, як країни з великою часткою малого бізнесу в структурі ВВП, показано, як за фінансової та адміністративної підтримки закладів освіти інноваційні педагогічні технології сприяють формуванню інтересу учнів до підприємницької діяльності, формуванню високої культури бізнес-діяльності та соціальної відповідальності; охарактеризовано педагогічну технологію формування інтересу до підприємницької діяльності в учнів вітчизняних закладів професійної (професійно-технічної) освіти на прикладі створення бізнес-плану майбутнього бізнесу (кав’ярня); обґрунтовано етапи роботи над упровадженням даної технології та зміст кожного етапу проведення заходу. Висновки: застосування інноваційних педагогічних технологій формування в учнів закладів професійної (професійно-технічної) освіти інтересу до підприємницької діяльності сприятиме активізації підприємницької активності здобувачів освіти, підвищенню їхнього соціального статусу та забезпечуватиме досягнення соціального ефекту – створенню через зростання самозайнятості нових робочих місць, зростанню обсягів податків, підвищенню якості товарів і послуг.

Dual education as a tool for assurance the education of sustainable development

The article substantiates the necessity of introducing the dual education elements into professional training of future specialists. They are listed. As a result of the SWOT analysis for the following process it was defined its strengths (VET regulation by principles of a market economy, increased demand in the labour market for dual education graduates, VET quality corresponded to employers’ requirements; close cooperation between government and business-sector for VET issues; mutually beneficial VET for the state, enterprises and VET institutions; increasing students’ motivation to learning; increasing the prestige of VET) and weak (lack of legal support for dual form of education; imperfection and obsolescence of the material and technical base of P(V)E institutions; insufficient readiness of teachers to introduce dual form of education; the difficulty of finding appropriate enterprises and setting agreements with employers; employers’ reluctance to enter into agreements with students at the beginning of their training; significant time and financial costs for updating the technological park of P(V)E institution ; the need for special psychological and pedagogical training of mentors, instructors – production workers; imperfection of mechanisms for implementing multichannel financing of VET). The questions concerning the dual education system in Ukraine were studied by scientists: N. Abashkina, V. Anischenko, I. Boychevska, T. Kozak, N. Nychkalo, V. Radkevych and others. It is shown that the dual form of education can be a tool for providing education for the sustainable development of society. The features of the dual form of education in Ukraine are analyzed: strengthening the practical component of VET; intellectualization and individualization of VET; the implementation of VET in a real production environment; development of social partnership in VET institution; conformity of VET in VET institution with the regional infrastructure; mentor system introduction; creating innovative educational and production environment for VET. The organizational basis for VET education introduction in P(V)E institutions is given to ensure sustainable the development of society.

Gender Segregation in Estonian Vocational Education and Training Through the Eyes of Stakeholders

In this paper we aim to understand how the discourse of [vocational education and training] VET stakeholders (educational administrators, school leaders and vocational teachers) reproduces and/or contests gender-typical occupational practices in VET. Drawing from interviews with VET stakeholders in Estonia, we found that, as a rule, teachers and heads of schools have noticed gender segregation both in society and in the context of their own school. However, it was typically not seen as problematic. While generally holding supportive views on gender balance in occupational fields and challenging gender stereotypes in society, the respondents' narratives tended to reproduce gender stereotypes via three different strategies: 1) attributing different abilities, dispositions and interests to male and female students and teachers; 2) emphasizing that female students were physically weaker; and 3) evoking the notion of the 'breadwinner' to explain and justify why fields occupied by male students and teachers were more paid more. We argue that VET stakeholders in Estonia do not fully acknowledge the gendered nature of VET institutions or their own role in shaping gender ideologies and practices in this context. In this paper we aim to understand how the discourse of VET stakeholders (educational administrators, school leaders and vocational teachers) reproduces and/or contests gender-typical occupational practices in VET. Drawing from interviews with VET stakeholders in Estonia, we found that, as a rule, teachers and heads of schools have noticed gender segregation both in society and in the context of their own school. However, it was typically not seen as problematic. While generally holding supportive views on gender balance in occupational fields and challenging gender stereotypes in society, the respondents' narratives tended to reproduce gender stereotypes via three different strategies: 1) attributing different abilities, dispositions and interests to male and female students and teachers; 2) emphasizing that female students were physically weaker; and 3) evoking the notion of the 'breadwinner' to explain and justify why fields occupied by male students and teachers were more paid more. We argue that VET stakeholders in Estonia do not fully acknowledge the gendered nature of VET institutions or their own role in shaping gender ideologies and practices in this context.

IMPLEMENTATION OF RESULT-BASED MANAGEMENT IN THE PROCESS OF OPERATION OF VET INSTITUTIONS

Relevance of the topic: the need to improve the efficiency of the management of vocational (vocational-technical) education institutions, the introduction of innovative approaches to management in order to ensure the sustainable development of the institution in the conditions of increasing competition in the educational services market.
 Objective: to analyze the results of implementation of the conception of results-based management in the process of operation of VET institutions (on the example of Donetsk and Luhansk regions) and to develop recommendations for the effective implementation of such an approach.
 Methods: theoretical analysis, synthesis, induction, extrapolation, questioning, self-evaluation, statistical processing of results obtained.
 Results: it is found that current political, economic, socio-demographic factors significantly limit the development of VET sphere in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which exacerbates the need to find new impulses for such development. It is determined that the priorities for interventions should, among other things, be the development of managerial capacity of the managers (principals) of VET institutions. It has been found out that results-based management should be an appropriate concept of effective management of VET institutions. Theoretical analysis of the essence of the concept of “result-oriented management” was carried out, its essential features were clarified. The specifics of the program of development of managerial competence of principals of VET institutions and ...
 Conclusions. There is an urgent need to increase the managerial capacity of heads of VET institutions; it is advisable to implement a program of such development using blended learning technology; conceptual basis for content design should be result-based management; the content of the program must meet the criteria of practical orientation and adaptability. In order to avoid problems of low motivation to further utilization of competences acquired during training, it is advisable to maintain further interact Institutions who have demonstrated high personal motivation during the training period.