Vocational Education and Training as a Research Topic for Convention Theory: A Historical and Comparative Perspective

Vocational education and training (VET) has been discovered as a field of research for economics and sociology of conventions (EC/SC) since the turn of the century, first in France and Switzerland and then in other countries. The dispositive of VET is mainly based on civic, industrial, and market orders of worth as shown in historical debates and studies summarized in this chapter. This historical approach makes it possible to trace the role and importance of competing orders of justification, promoted by various actors, in particular industry and the state. Moreover, an interregional and international comparative perspective helps to identify several quality claims for VET that are crucial for the development of a VET system. The current form of a VET is dependent on historical pathways, which are based on different often nationally specific values and orders of worth. Nevertheless, VET research based on EC/SC could be extended to a broader theory and more complex studies by integrating more actor- and dispositive-centered perspectives in order to gain a deeper understanding of VET.