Strategies for Reforming Workforce Preparation Programs in Europe

Overview & Synopsis

The Post-16 Strategies project coordinated by Dr. Johanna Lasonen from 1996 to 1998 was chiefly concerned with four post-16 education strategies: (1) "vocational enhancement"; (2) "mutual enrichment"; (3) "linkages;" and (4) "unification." These four strategies to promote parity of esteem between vocational and academic/general education were also seen as tools for analyzing the differences and similarities between the reform approaches adopted in the eight European countries (Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Scotland, and Sweden) associated with the first project. The first three strategies aim to maintain a separate identity for vocational and general education. By contrast, the fourth strategy seeks to combine them into a uniform upper secondary education system. SPES-NET (Sharpening Post-16 Education Strategies by Horizontal and Vertical Networking) known as the Leonardo da Vinci project, continued the work of the Post-16 Strategies project. The authors also launched the SPES-NET project that was funded by the European Commission, the Finnish Ministry of Education, and the project partners, and that ran from 1997 to 2000. This article describes the SPES-NET project and presents reflections on Post-16 education strategies. (Contains 2 tables.)