Understanding the Irish VET system: beyond neoclassicism

Neoclassical approaches continue to dominate evaluations of national skill‐formation systems. Argues for the benefits of including alternative interdisciplinary and theoretically grounded approaches in any evaluation of the Irish system as it relates to its economic system. This broader focus, it is argued, could lead to more informed policy formulation and implementation. Following the “societal effect” approach, argues here that vocational education and training systems can only be adequately understood with reference to the set of inter‐relationships between the education system, industrial training system, the organizational structure of industry, the industrial relations system and the class and status relations of the wider society as reflected in its political system.