I firmly believe that vocational education and training (VET) has the potential to enable learners who are likely to drop out of school prematurely to eventually succeed at school. It can motivate low achievers, demotivated learners or ‘theory tired’ learners. This is because it is a hands-on subject learners can relate to fairly easily. Learners who struggle academically would be more motivated to participate in VET-related subjects than purely academic ones.
Malta recently introduced VET-related subjects in the secondary school curriculum. Apart from aligning Malta with changes in education taking place throughout the EU, the provision of VET-related subjects at school can offer learners something to look forward to and enjoy, something that fulfils them. This is because it diversifies and enriches their curriculum. Also, since, in certain subjects, VET certification is offered at Level 1 and 2, learners who cannot achieve certification at a Level 3 (the classification assigned to SEC ‘O’ level standard) have a chance to succeed at a lower level.
I realised the potential significance of VET in young people’s lives when I was carrying out a year-long school project at Ospizio School in Floriana. The project was focused on values’ education. When I was proposing my project to the school head in order to get the requisite go-ahead, which she gave me gladly, she advised me not to carry out any sessions when the learners’ crafts sessions were taking place. She feared that missing these sessions would “distress” the boys at her school.
The work that I carried out at Ospizio School enabled me to see first-hand and come to know how these young people (and their teachers) enjoyed these craft sessions. (The Ospizio School catered for children who scored very poorly in the 11+ exam). Like other Opportunity Centres (as they were then called), these schools have now been closed down in favour of the more comprehensive model of schools and ‘colleges’. While the crafts sessions are not classified as VET there is a certain parallel that cannot be dismissed.
The challenge for educators is to see the school from the eyes of the learner. A learner who is interested in auto-mechanics and is ‘motivated’ to become a car mechanic will be more inclined to participate in mathematics lessons if s/he realises that a good understanding of mathematics is necessary in today’s highly automated world. It is the teacher’s job to make the subject interesting and enjoyable, but that is only possible if the overall curriculum allows for that.
It is likely that the motivation learners derive from following VET-related subjects would serve to incentivise them to follow related academic subjects with greater interest. My experience as a teacher has shown me on umpteen occasions that children and young people have a natural thirst for knowledge and skills, provided the subject interests them.
Contrary to popular belief, learners do not necessarily drop out of school for academic reasons. They do not drop out of school simply because they cannot keep abreast with the material covered during their lessons. Rather, other issues surface.
By inserting VET in the curriculum, parents would be more likely to identify with a certain aspect of their children’s schooling; and thereby offer appropriate parental input and supervision
It might be the case that learners cannot relate to their peers; they may be bullied by their peers; there may be underlying mental health issues; there may be situations where they are the carers of their parents; there may, in fact, be a whole host of reasons. Sociologists of education point out that factors such as social class background, or rather, parental education and employment, gender, and minority status, are possible influences on school drop-out rates.
Having said this, all cases are different. In effect, one approach that has been used to counter school absenteeism is that of addressing the needs of learners, who are school drop-outs, individually. This is work that is undertaken by schools’ pastoral care teams, and is generally assigned to the school social worker, who may also speak to learners at home if the child is a habitual school absentee; the social worker then liaises with the team to see how that particular child’s needs can be met.
Another approach that has been adopted at a school management level is ensuring that schools are well resourced. So on presenting VET at schools, it is important to provide learners with the requisite materials for learning. If that is not possible, a system would need to be in place for learners in financial need to access funds in order to align themselves with the other learners, and thereby participate in their lessons in the same way. While perhaps not immediately apparent in a small country like Malta, not all learners may have equal access to resources, such as technology and the internet, and this must be kept in mind, if equity is to be achieved at schools.
Yet another approach that has been adopted is designing schools so that they are both functional and look attractive. Are workshops simply converted classrooms, and if so, are further adaptations necessary in order to make them more user-friendly? Are the schools attractive places for learners to be in? In answer to this last question, the efforts of successive governments to develop a modern school infrastructure are commendable. New schools have been built and older ones modernised.
Complementary to this is the infrastructural work taking place at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Mcast) and the recent setting up of the new campus of the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS). While we cannot judge a book by its cover, when it comes to schools, the ‘cover’ does make a difference.
Learners are aware that VET qualifications that they achieve in secondary school can be further developed in educational institutions that have a certain appeal. Part of this appeal comes from the ‘packaging’ – the building in which the training takes place.
Two things remain cardinal though. When thinking about children and young teenagers at risk of dropping out of school, one cannot stress enough the relevance of parental involvement. It is likely that by inserting VET in the curriculum, parents would be more likely to identify with a certain aspect of their children’s schooling; and thereby will feel more inclined to identify with what is taking place at school, and offer appropriate parental input and supervision.
Secondly, younger students’ needs have to be clearly distinguished from those of more adult learners.
Adults seek training for employability. In dual systems where students attend training at an educational institution and spend the other part on placement, the emphasis is on the combination of theory and practice, coupled with a regulated quality assurance system. Both the 2010 Bruges Communiqué and the Riga Conclusions of June 2015 promote work-based learning by encouraging the emulating and adaptation of dual VET systems. Somewhat similar systems are in place at Mcast and ITS.
School-aged learners seek training that enables them to access personal growth which opens the door to employability and other life activities. In effect, in the Maltese context, both the National Curriculum Framework and the Learning Outcomes Framework can be interpreted as laying down that VET needs to link in to other aspects of the school curriculum. Rather than being the focus of education, it is something that complements other school-based activities, and thereby enriches and consolidates the leaner’s overall learning.
In a nutshell, this brings home the message that the school should serve as a place where all learners feel important, welcome and validated. VET may be one way in which that message can be successfully transmitted to (certain) learners – since it makes school more interesting (and relevant) to them.
Dr Damian Spiteri Ph.D. is the author of several reviewed papers on Vocational Education and Training in the Maltese context. He has recently published his first book Multiculturalism, Higher Education and Intercultural Education, which is semi-autobiographical in character and partially relates to his experiences of teaching at Mcast. Dr Spiteri is now at an advanced stage of his second book Pedagogy for 2050, which will be published later this year, and which is aimed at increasing social equity in a world where information is widely accessible to some, but not to others.