Vocational education in practice: a study of work-based learning in a construction programme at a Swedish upper secondary school

Abstract

Background: In many OECD countries an apparent connection is shown between education, the local economy and the local labor market. This connection seems to be stronger and more radical in Sweden, than in other similar countries. The construction program is thereby also a part of this market. Given the needs of the building industry for competent workers and the requirements from specific course syllabuses this paper explores how project-based vocational education contributes to the student's vocational competences. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse students' perceptions of vocational competence gained from a PBVE environment and identify how this competence is constituted. From this broad aim, the following research questions were asked: (1) What kinds of competence are the students able to develop in a PBLE? (2) In what ways do the developed competence and vocational skills relate to the specific course syllabuses? (3) How is the students' vocational competence constituted?

Project-based vocational education and training: opportunities for teacher guidance in a Swedish upper secondary school

“…The possibilities of working within a strict hierarchic structure can, however, provide a limited freedom of action (Johansson 1999). On the other hand, Fjellström (2014) points to the possibility that higher flexibility in the performance of a task can move vocational learning in a PBVET towards a higher level of learning. Lower learning can be seen as reproductive learning, while higher learning can be seen as creative learning (see Table 1).…”

“…As it is common in Swedish construction programmes to perform VET by using projects as the educational content, it is important to shine some light on how a live project can affect the possibilities for teacher guidance. The overall study is focusing on affordances for learning in a PBVET comprising students in the construction programme (Fjellström 2014), and vocational teachers in a Swedish upper secondary school. This study is highlighting the vocational teachers' perceptions of their opportunities to educate students in a PBVET.…”

“…Project-based vocational education and training (PBVET) is a way to conduct vocational education in construction programmes in Swedish upper secondary schools (Fjellström 2014). PBVET is based on the performance of one or several 'live' projects as the educational content in VET programmes.…”

Vocational learning in a Swedish post-secondary apprenticeship

“…The apprentices addressed in this article had all completed a VET programme in order to become a woodworker in the construction industry. They were selected on the basis of having participated in the first part of this research project (Fjellström 2014(Fjellström , 2015. Based on the overall aim and purpose of this study, former students who did not proceed to apprenticeship were excluded, which reduced the number of participating apprentices from 15 to 11.…”

“…This structure has long traditions (Berglund and Henning Loeb 2013), and, by participating in two work-based contexts, such as VET in school (cf. Fjellström 2014) and VET in the workplace as a subsequent apprenticeship, a jointly constructed objective for learning can be developed.…”