Resolution on Vocational Education
The Fourth World Congress of Education International, meeting in Porto Alegre (Brazil) from 22 to 26 July 2004:
1. Noting the diverse patterns of organisation of the vocational education sector, its more direct connections to economic life than other sectors of education, and the increased interest by corporations and governments in vocational education as a sector suitable for commercial exploitation and trans-national delivery.
2. Welcoming the steps taken on behalf of the higher education and research sector since the 3rd World Congress, and in particular the Global Task Force work.
3. Recognising that there are both similarities and differences between the higher education and research sector and vocational education.
4. Commending the work done by the Higher Education and Research Task Force in so far as it is relevant to the vocational education sector. However, the work on behalf of vocational education, including the determination of needs and priorities must be developed by the unions in the sector themselves.
5. Calls upon the Executive Board:
a. to implement strategies to protect vocational education, its students and teachers from thethreat of a global marketplace in this sector.
b. to set up a Task Force for vocational education, fully representative of the unions in thatsector, to report to the 5th World Congress. This should not prevent agreed conclusions beingimplemented earlier than that date if appropriate.
