Chapter 1: Opportunity Structure as a Core Concept for Vocational Education and Training -- Part 1: Contextualising Opportunity Structures -- Chapter 2: Challenges and contradictions between the reduction of youth unemployment and the implementation of dual apprenticeship in Costa Rica -- Chapter 3: Improving adult students access to vocational education and training in Norway -- Chapter 4: 100+ years of Historical Opportunity: Vocational/Career and Technical Education in the state of Ohio -- Chapter 5: Advancing Secondary Vocational Education System: A Case Study of Korea’s Meister High School -- Chapter 6: Opportunity structures for who and what? The discursive struggle between educational equality and economization in Europeanized Finnish vocational education and training. - Chapter 7: Quality indicators for the vocational education and training of refugees: Acceptance of German vocational school principals. - Chapter 8: A Review of Career and Technical Education in the US: Why CTE is Essential -- Chapter 9: Second Chance Schools in Spain. A bridge towards continuity of training and employment for young people at risk of social exclusion -- Chapter 10: The Benefits, Challenges and Opportunities for Technical & Vocational Education & Training in Zimbabwe -- Part 2: Conceptualizing VET Success Between Individual Needs and Societal Development -- Chapter 11: Contemporary purposes for vocational education -- Chapter 12: Investment in youth through vocational education and training -- Chapter 13: Localised capacity to realise the potential of vocational education -- Chapter 14: Quality Management in Vocational Education and Training: A Reflection on Educational Governance in Austria, Germany and Spain -- Chapter 15: The vocation – a core quality of vocational education and training -- Chapter 16: Looking Backwards and Forwards – Concluding Remarks.

Open Access

This open access book unites authors from diverse societal contexts and academic disciplines to promote a positive discourse around vocational education and training (VET). VET specialists from different national contexts present positive structures that enable participation, freedom, practical learning and provide hope and engagement. Throughout the book, the term ‘opportunity structures’ is used to illustrate these concepts. Split into two parts, chapters first focus on evidence-based contributions before moving on to conceptual discussions. Overall, the book argues that VET pathways play a pivotal role in providing opportunities for young and adult learners globally. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers and educators in the field of VET and related fields, such as teacher training, comparative education, adult education and workforce development. Eli Smeplass is Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Chris Zirkle is Associate Professor of Workforce Development and Education at The Ohio State University, USA and Professor II in the Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

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