Delving into educators’ views on Vocational Education and Training (VET): An In-Depth study

Abstract

The article aims to comprehensively explore educators’ perceptions of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Romania. By gathering insights from teachers, the study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness and quality of training programs and approaches. Teachers’ perspectives are considered crucial for aligning education with student and labor market needs, thus enhancing the value of vocational education. The study focuses on the collaboration between educational institutions and the economic sector, particularly in the context of integrated professional consortia for dual education. The article outlines the objectives of the research, which include evaluating the factors influencing the education and professional training process, identifying challenges within the system, and understanding the role of teaching staff in facilitating collaboration between high schools and the business environment. The study also presents several hypotheses related to infrastructure development, funding challenges, curriculum alignment, the establishment of training centers, and the relationship between teaching staff experience and the perception of digitization challenges. The study employed an online questionnaire distributed to teaching and managerial staff in technological high schools in Romania. Data was collected and analyzed using various statistical methods. The findings contribute to enlarging the perspective on vocational education and training in Romania and underscore the necessity of ongoing advancements in this field.