Foreword

Strong vocational education and training (VET) smooths the transition of young people into the labour market and facilitates recruitment of skilled workers by employers. Strong VET involves and receives support from social partners, and provides students with an opportunity of continuing in education if they wish to do so.

This OECD report Engaging Employers in Vocational Education and Training in Brazil: Learning from International Practices, brings international evidence in areas that are relevant to the reform of VET in Brazil that is now being implemented, and discusses how other countries are addressing related challenges encountered in VET. In Brazil, a minority of students participate in VET, and among those enrolled in VET only a few have an opportunity of training with employers, unlike in many OECD countries. To improve access of young people to VET, Brazil has initiated a series of reforms of its upper secondary VET system. Among other objectives, the reforms aim to expand provision of initial VET by tripling enrolment between 2014-2024.

The report discusses how an expanded and diversified provision of VET can cater to students with different needs, and the importance of supporting schools to deliver VET programmes that correspond with labour market needs and of facilitating access to the VET teacher profession by employees with relevant industry experience. Work-based learning with employers is a key element of high-quality VET, but engaging employers in the provision of training can be challenging. The report discusses measures that can enhance the training capacity of firms, such as training of trainers in companies, and provides examples of how schools and employers can share the responsibility for work-based learning. Strong VET systems involve social partners, including employers and sometimes trade unions, at all levels where decisions about VET are taken, and the report suggests where and how to involve them. Among others, it looks at the role of social partners in planning and undertaking assessments, how this can enhance the quality of assessment, and improve the credibility of certification.

This report was drafted by Małgorzata Kuczera from the OECD Centre for Skills and Simon Field. Marie-Aurélie Elkurd and Jennifer Cannon provided valuable administrative support. Marieke Vandeweyer supported the preparation of this report as manager of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Adult Learning team within the OECD Centre for Skills, overseeing the final draft. Support throughout the project was received from El Iza Mohamedou as Head of the Centre for Skills, and Mark Pearson, Deputy Director of the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs.

The OECD is very grateful for the inputs received from colleagues at Fundação Itaú para Educação e Cultura, and many others who provided insights during our virtual consultations, and for the feedback received from Manuela Fitzpatrick and Caitlyn Guthrie from the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills.

The OECD is also most grateful to the Gatsby Charitable Foundation for permission to make use of material first published in Field (2021), A World Without Maps? Assessment in Technical Education, A Report to the Gatsby Foundation, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, in Chapter 5 of this report.