Development of Vocational Education and Training in South Korea: [General Background] Key Issues of VET Policy: Overview of the Korean Case

Vocational education and training (VET) has been regarded as a pre-requisite for a country to successfully compete in the world market of rapid economic and technological change. VET, as a main supplier of skilled workforce, can play a crucial role in national economic development. For example, initial VET in Korea made a great contribution to economic growth, especially during the period 1960–1980, by supplying skilled workers and technicians required to implement a series of the 5-year economic development plans. As the so-called Knowledge Economy prevails, the importance of continuing VET has been emphasized along with the discussions on lifelong learning.