Aims

To help students understand the various models of policies and systems of management
covering training and employment.
To help them analyse the key characteristics of specific and typical systems in Europe.
To help them identify, and make a comparative analysis of, the main differences between
these typical systems and explanatory variables.

Main themes

Comparative analysis of the active population and of the structure of employment in
terms of sectoral and regional distribution, qualifications, age structures, gender, activity rate, status and migrants.
Comparative analysis of basic training systems: links with education systems. school
enrolment rates by level, types of flexibility and rigidity, modular and linear approaches, systems of transition and occupational aims, and linkage of networks.
Comparative analysis of systems of basic vocational training, continuing training, and
re-training; pedagogical choices, the degree of specialisation, an analysis of needs and
specifications, actors, systems of funding, and freedoms and individual rights.
Comparative analysis of employment policies: management and administration of the labour
market measures for aiding employment, the distribution of work, job creation initiatives and
funding them, the regulation of various statuses and kinds of employment, and migration policies.

Content and teaching methods

This course aims to:
teach the main sociological and economic approaches to relationships between
education/training systems and economic systems;
distinguish between notions of qualification and skills; to address the question of the
evolution of qualifications, and of factors determining qualifications, in the current context of developments in 'models of production';
discuss the notion of the 'training model', examine the main training models in Europe,
and identify the difficulties of the comparative approach;
make use of existing empirical studies to make a comparative analysis of the transition
from an education system to a production system;
make a theoretical and empirical analysis of the costs and benefits of vocational
training for workers and enterprises;
identify the differences between European states in respect of vocational training
policies, and understand the variable role of the state, the market, the social partners, and the European Union;
to situate the Belgian system in relation to these models, and the significance of
current policies.
Methodology
Alternating between lectures and discussions of reference materials.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Critical reading of an additional text to be prepared for the examination.
This course forms part of a study programme given in the evening and/or on Saturday.

Other credits in programs