Duration: 2022 – 2025
Principal Researcher
Sandrina Milhano
Team Members
Rita Cadima
Miguel Jerónimo
Catarina Mangas
Sara Mónico Lopes
Funding
Erasmus +
Research line:
Educational Policies, Didactics and Training
Orienta4VET project seeks to work on and towards VET access and contributing in and for staying and completing upper secondary education, especially focusing on orientation mechanisms and tutorial actions. The upper secondary education is essential for both pursuing further levels of education, or continue in education and/or training, and for a successful labour market integration. The development and strengthening of this educational level — particularly in vocational — becomes a priority line of action to address equity in education and work towards more inclusive education and societies, with lower unemployment rates (especially youth unemployment) and lower rate of population that neither continue studying nor working.
Orienta4VET project seeks to work on and towards VET access and contributing in and for staying and completing upper secondary education, especially focusing on orientation mechanisms and tutorial actions. The upper secondary education is essential for both pursuing further levels of education, or continue in education and/or training, and for a successful labour market integration. The development and strengthening of this educational level — particularly in vocational — becomes a priority line of action to address equity in education and work towards more inclusive education and societies, with lower unemployment rates (especially youth unemployment) and lower rate of population that neither continue studying nor working. Vocational education and training (VET) is introduced as one of the most attractive options to gain access to the job market (especially for youths between 15 and 19 years old), as well as for to return to training itineraries (especially in adulthood) that allow academic accreditation of competencies in favour of better employability and go forward higher degree training programs.
We cannot underestimate the potential of VET as a way to successful labour market integration and social inclusion, as vocational programs are considered more effective in developing skills that allow earlier access to the labour market. Despite having improved its social perception, VET continues to be the non-priority option. Nevertheless, it is also worth highlighting other reasons: the lack of an adequate guidance process and adequate orientation mechanisms and tutorial actions, processes, or strategies that in some cases provoke the students’ disengagement and its consequent early leaving from education and training without obtaining a minimum academic and vocational qualification to gain access to the labour market.
VET has an undervalued and unrealistic social image, so VET needs evidence to demonstrate its effectiveness and its contribution to personal development and social and economic balance — VET is a tool of both labour integration and social inclusion. For that reason, working on making access to VET in upper secondary education more attractive, as well as strengthening and guaranteeing their permanence and completion, is presented as one of the educational challenges of today's society.
Orienta4VET project will seek to work on and towards VET access and contributing in and for staying and completing upper secondary education, specially focusing on orientation mechanisms and tutorial actions