What are quality vocational teachers? This article analyzes the different factors exerting an influence on the professional knowledge, practices and performance of teaching staff involved in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). The international variety of vocational teacher education patterns, profiles and recruitment practices is presented. Any assessment of the quality of teachers' work, be it in theory or practice, needs to be considered against the background of the institutional environment in which they practise. Hence, some common trends of institutional change within vocational education are introduced. Most particularly here, the author focuses on the professional reality of vocational teachers as made manifest in the conjoined elements of the knowledge of teachers and professional cultures. In doing so, the author draws on some empirical exemplars. The author shows how closely teacher education and the institutional contexts are entwined in the minds of teachers as well as in professional cultures. Finally, some conclusions are drawn as to what this implies for high-quality vocational teacher education and recruitment.

Purpose -The paper's aim is to present a critical review of the current European process of co-operation in VET with a special view to the European Qualification Framework and its competence orientation. Design/methodology/approach -The approach reviews the official documentation and the consultation process and a contrastive analysis of the state of the art of research and developments in VET. Findings -In order to make European VET a direct contribution to the revised Lisbon agenda, a more concise shared vision with regard to the processes and structures of vocational education might be needed. Research limitations/implications -It does not seem possible logically and pragmatically to fully abstract from the processes in which competence is acquired and in which it is going to be used. Practical implications -Research and development activities in the European Union should be integrated towards an agenda that covers structures, conditions and processes of learning for the world of work. Originality/value -Apart from a few other contributions, critical accounts of current policies and its implications for research and practice are scarce.

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to show that the quality of learning in German apprenticeships can be increased without raising costs under certain conditions. It starts with a contextual description of apprenticeship in the dual system, showing that this insight is of central importance, since employers in Germany are increasingly withdrawing from apprenticeship provision. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is a case study-methodology and shows one selected case out of 24 presented. The selected case is then related to the findings of the other cases explored. Findings -The findings in the paper imply that quality of apprenticeships can be improved without an increase in costs, challenge the classical economics of apprenticeship. "Grounded" indicators of quality in apprenticeship are formulated: learning in productive work processes is a core characteristic of apprenticeships; the productive work apprentices engage in needs to follow a well thought through sequential logic; learning is based on a high degree of autonomy; learning is embedded into the business process; client satisfaction provides an important quality benchmark; commitment to occupation and the company can provide a source of responsibility and quality; and professional competence is the ultimate goal of learning.Research limitations/implications -The results in the paper were further processed into a self-evaluation tool assisting companies in their cost-benefit calculation. The developed standardised instrument was not tested in an international context. Both instruments presented could be further validated by taking up the view of multiple stakeholders and comparing results with alternative methodologies of assessing the learning quality. Practical implications -The paper suggests an intensified integration of apprenticeship training into productive work processes. In order to turn this into quality learning the complexity of tasks needs to be increased over the course of apprenticeship. Originality/value -The paper proposes a new look at the costs of apprenticeships. Therefore, it is of interest to researchers and managers with an interest in apprenticeship training.