Concept of vocational education and training

These goals function as reference points for the definition of competencies, which must be developed in vocational education and training:

• The first goal, individual vocational adjustment, denotes the ability of individuals to develop relationships with their environment and to create their educational pathways and life in society in a responsible and self-directed way. Individual vocational adjustment refers to cross-occupational competencies, such as self-management skills, problem-solving skills, communication skills, or meta-cognitive skills.
• The second goal, safeguarding of human resources, subsumes every aspect of educational systems that facilitate individual abilities to act at work and in the labour market (individual economic user perspective) and provide workforce (social demand perspective).
• The third goal, warranty of social participation and equal opportunities, focuses on the relationship between VET and social structures; i.e., to minimise dependencies between social background and educational-, life-, and income opportunities, and to enhance social integration and participation of young adults in processes of shaping the social and political community.