Inclusive Education in Vocational Education and Training

The main purpose of this Nordplus application is to establish a network of inclusive education in vocational education and training (VET) at higher education institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries. It is primarily targeted at institutions or departments implementing teacher training for special needs in the vocational education and training sector. The aim of the network is to benchmark, share good practices and lay groundwork for developing a module in teacher training for special needs (SEN teachers) for VET. The nature of the VET sector is very different from compulsory education (e.g. in terms of target group age, level of co-operation with employers and industry, and support of student employment) and it is therefore important to explicitly define and delineate content of teacher training in inclusive education for VET. By benchmarking different national backgrounds and perspectives the curricular development will be enabled.

Within the European context, guiding principles and national legislation embrace inclusion and diversity as one of the main educational goals. However, there is a need to specify the meaning of these goals in the context of teacher training for VET.

The long term aim is to enhance consciousness of issues of VET education in inclusive settings and to strengthen ties and co-operation among the higher education institutions responsible for teacher training in VET. Furthermore, the goal is to lay the groundwork of a comprehensive platform for longterm collaboration among higher education institutions in the Nordic and Baltic region involved in teacher training in VET.