|Establishing Partnership in Technical and Vocational Education - Co-operation between Educational Institutions and Enterprises in Technical and Vocational Education - A Seminar for Key Personnel from Africa and Asia - Berlin, Germany, 02-12 May 1995 (UNEVOC, 1995, 168 p.)|
|Guidelines for Case Studies|
UNEVOC is an international project dedicated to developing and improving technical and vocational education in UNESCO's Member States. As one means of doing this it focuses on information exchange.
An important means of disseminating information about countries that are exploring and trying out new ideas is the means of case studies. These can contain information from many sources concerning innovations in technical and vocational education which may be of wide international interest. A clear and well constructed case study can give inspiration to others who are seeking innovations and, when appropriately adapted, contribute significantly to the development of technical and vocational education within a region or country.
Important elements of different case studies will later be synthesised. This enables the case studies to be compared so that commonalties and differences can be noted. There will be different types of case studies according to the area of technical and vocational education that is the particular issue being described.
Basic requirements to be met by case studies
A good case study in technical and vocational education will present clear and practical information backed up with theory and research data as necessary. In general, it will present a concise analysis of the socio-economic context of the country, the relevant policies, the political situation and the educational structure. It will give some basic information on the population, the Gross National Product, and its economic structure. Obviously, it is very difficult to get value from a case study that is not thoroughly placed in these contexts.
An important part of this context is the place and role of technical and vocational education in the education and training system of the country as a whole. This will include an analysis of the linkages with general education and higher education, giving a thorough overview of the technical and vocational education system existing in the country.
Another aspect of the context which is vital to the effective working of technical and vocational education in a country is its relationship with industry and the interrelationship between technical and vocational institutions and industrial firms and enterprises.
Finally, the place of the government and its policies and an in-depth analysis of these and the present policy situation within the country is important.
Having established the particular aspects of technical and vocational education that are being described, it is important that the case study highlights the issues that are significantly operating in technical and vocational education and in the enterprises that are the focus of the study. Not all of the following issues will be relevant to every study, but they each need to be considered for its relevance.
The issues that should be the focus of the study and will be the descriptors of the case study itself are the following:
· The agents that are actively involved in the country's system of technical and vocational education, and, more particularly, in establishing links between technical and vocational education and the enterprises at the policy, legislation and training level.
· The entities that are involved in implementing the various aspects of the links between the technical vocational institutions and the enterprises.
· The barriers that may work against the links, and frustrate some of their intended outcomes.
· The incentives that will assist the working of various factors that encourage the achieving of the outcomes.
· The advantages that are expected to be achieved from the linkages between technical and vocational institutions and enterprises.
· The outcomes that may be expected from the approaches that are described within the study.