Chapter 11: Comparing Workforce Development Systems in Western Europe: England and Finland

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cede-fop) defines vocational education and training (VET) as comprising all more or less organized or structured VET-related activities, whether or not they lead to a recognized qualification, which are intended to provide people with knowledge, skills, and competencies that are necessary for work performance and sufficient to enable a person to perform a job or set of jobs (Descy & Tessaring, 2001). In most European languages, the etymological origins and meaning of the word vocation (from the Latin word vocare) plumbs the depths of human self-realization, identity, and calling. In northern and central European social contexts the concept of vocational education and training never suffered the loss of esteem that has occurred in the United States and United Kingdom. As a result, the term workforce development is less common in Europe than in the United States, where it has replaced the term vocational education and training. Seen from a Finnish context, workforce development refers to lifelong education.