Core-elements-4-5-Modes-of-training-delivery

The final key input is modes of training delivery. VET systems usually distinguish between:

• ​initial VET (IVET), also called pre-employment VET, which primarily addresses school graduates and school drop-outs; and
• ​​continuous VET (CVET), also called further training, which addresses people already employed or currently unemployed.

A threefold distinction is also drawn between:

• ​​formal VET, which takes place within the education system and provides certificates that allow further educational mobility. Typical ​examples are technical secondary schools;
• ​​secondly, non-formal VET, which takes place in training centres outside the educational pyramid and provides certificates which offer recognition in the world of work. Typical examples are training centres run by NGOs or their partner training providers which address unemployed or underemployed young people or adults;
• ​and thirdly informal VET, which refers to any kind of vocational learning that happens outside regulated frameworks, for instance at the workplace, in groups of peers or colleagues, or on the internet.

Formal and non-formal VET can be delivered in different modes. These delivery modes can be grouped and distinguished according to the following criteria:

• fragmentation;
• hands-on learning;
• distance learning;
• outreach;
• customisation;
• learning progress; and
• timing​.

Which delivery mode with what kind of arrangement is chosen depends on the overall VET approach and policy of a country but also on the given circumstances of individual training providers and of the target groups they serve. Often, training providers offer different modes and combinations in order to be able to respond flexibly to different target groups and to optimise the use of their training infrastructure.

All these delivery modes have advantages and drawbacks, and each VET system has to develop its own specific mix according to national priorities, culture, and available capacities.