Internationales Handbuch der Berufsbildung – IHBB

Sweden is characterized by a welfare-state approach to policy. The state is highly committed to education, including vocational training. Permeability is ensured between different educational programs and individual support is practiced inclusively. The school-based vocational training system gives young people access to all sectors without having to meet special prerequisites. By integrating vocational training courses into the upper secondary school, the training is also formally linked to access to higher education. Subsequent higher education and adult education are free of charge and are flexibly geared to labor market requirements in the area of vocational qualifications.

The Country Study on Japan provides a comprehensive overview and detailed insights into the Japanese system of education, vocational training and labour market. Typical characteristics of vocational education and training in Japan are presented and illustrated with many examples. Japan is a particularly interesting context for comparative research on vocational education and training because the mechanisms of organising vocational education and training differ considerably from European concepts. Examples of this are the emphasised orientation towards in-company learning after completion of a career in the education system and the low importance of regulated occupations as opposed to in-company careers. The change in the Japanese economy and society and the implications for VET are also presented in the country study.