TY - JOUR AU - Hämäläinen, Raija AU - Cincinnato, Sebastiano AU - Malin, Antero AU - De Wever, Bram PY - 2014/08/31 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - VET workers’ problem-solving skills in technology-rich environments: European approach JF - International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training JA - IJRVET VL - 1 IS - 1 SE - Articles DO - 10.13152/IJRVET.1.1.4 UR - https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/hup2/ijrvet/article/view/18 SP - 57-80 AB - <span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 1.69pt; top: 152.4pt; left: 54.8pt; width: 216.5pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 2pt 0 4pt 0;">The European workplace is challenging VET </span><span class="tx f2744" style="word-spacing: 1.67pt; top: 152.4pt; left: 271.3pt; width: 71.1pt; height: 12.2pt; border-width: 0 0 4pt 0;">adults’ problem</span><span class="tx" style="top: 152.4pt; left: 342.4pt; width: 38.6pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 2pt 10pt 4pt 0;">-solving </span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 0.71pt; top: 167.4pt; width: 371pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 0 10pt 4pt 11pt;">skills in technology-rich environments (TREs). So far, no international large-scale </span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 1.07pt; top: 180.1pt; width: 370.9pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 0 10pt 1pt 11pt;">assessment data has been available for VET. The PIAAC data comprise the most </span><span class="tx f2744" style="word-spacing: 1.31pt; top: 190.5pt; width: 370.7pt; height: 12.2pt; border-width: 0 10pt 4pt 11pt;">comprehensive source of information on adults’ skills to date. The present study </span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 0.95pt; top: 205.5pt; width: 370.8pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 0 10pt 4pt 11pt;">(N=50 369) focuses on gaining insight into the problem-solving skills in TREs of </span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 0.23pt; top: 218.1pt; width: 370.8pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 0 10pt 1pt 11pt;">adults with a VET background. When examining the similarities and differences in </span><span class="tx" style="top: 228.4pt; width: 8pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 2pt 0 4pt 11pt;">V</span><span class="tx f2744" style="word-spacing: 1.91pt; top: 228.4pt; left: 18pt; width: 89.4pt; height: 12.2pt; border-width: 0 0 4pt 0;">ET adults’ problem</span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 1.91pt; top: 228.4pt; left: 107.5pt; width: 273.3pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 2pt 10pt 4pt 0;">-solving skills in TREs across 11 European countries, two </span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 0.95pt; top: 243.4pt; width: 370.6pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 0 10pt 4pt 11pt;">main trends can be observed. First, our results show that only a minority of VET </span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 2.27pt; top: 256pt; width: 370.8pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 0 10pt 4pt 11pt;">adults perform at a high level. Second, there seems to be substantial variation </span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 3.22pt; top: 268.7pt; width: 370.7pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 0 10pt 1pt 11pt;">between countries with respect to the proportion of VET adults that can be </span><span class="tx f2744" style="word-spacing: 1.07pt; top: 279pt; width: 72pt; height: 12.2pt; border-width: 0 0 4pt 11pt;">identified as “at</span><span class="tx" style="top: 279pt; left: 82pt; width: 3.5pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 2pt 0 4pt 0;">-</span><span class="tx f2744" style="word-spacing: 1.08pt; top: 279pt; left: 85.5pt; width: 126.3pt; height: 12.2pt; border-width: 0 0 4pt 0;">risk” or “weak” performers.</span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 1.08pt; top: 279pt; left: 211.8pt; width: 169.1pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 2pt 10pt 4pt 0;"> For the future, our findings indicate </span><span class="tx" style="word-spacing: 2.75pt; top: 293.9pt; width: 370.9pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 0 10pt 4pt 11pt;">the variations that can be used as a starting point to identify beneficial VET </span><span class="tx" style="top: 306.7pt; width: 54.7pt; height: 9.9pt; border-width: 0 0 11pt 11pt;">approaches. </span> ER -