Strategic Experiments in Vocational Education and Training in Quebec.

Overview & Synopsis

As a result of new legislation, experiments in school and workplace cooperation have been set up in Quebec in order to improve the relationship between the two entities and provide more vocational education options to youth. Five sections of recommendations are being implemented: (1) partnership protocol between an academic establishment and an enterprise in order to develop organizational models of training such as training periods, alternance training, and apprenticeship; (2) a path preparing students for semispecialized occupations, for students at least 16 years old who have completed Secondary II or Secondary III and who do not wish to pursue further education; (3) 1 year of career exploration for young people who have completed Secondary III and have no career projects; (4) new integrated secondary-college programs to provide continuity between vocational and technical education; and (5) access to vocational education programs after Secondary III, for students who have made a career choice and who want to begin vocational education. Impediments to implementing these approaches include the following: the difficulties of workplace cooperation, disparities in the working methods of teachers of academic education and vocational education, and problems in dialogue between high schools and colleges. Assessments of the experiments will start next year. (Contains 13 references.) (KC)