Vouchers as vehicle of change in Croatian vocational adult education: two theoretical perspectives

Buković, Nikola and Matković, Teo (2025) Vouchers as vehicle of change in Croatian vocational adult education: two theoretical perspectives. In: Towards inclusive and egalitarian vocational education and training: key challenges and strategies from a holistic and multi-contextual approach (...). Independently published, VETNET, pp. 95-105. ISBN 9798282482645

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Abstract

Context: This paper takes stock of evidence collected within the ongoing Thematic country review on the implementation of the 2016 European Council recommendation “Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults” in Croatia. Approach: It focuses on two specific research questions. The first one looks at the likely impact of the recent introduction of the voucher scheme in the Croatian adult education sector on the overall features of the skill formation regime. The second research question examines how broader features of the Croatian welfare regime will likely mediate the effects of the voucher scheme rollout. The analysis is based on data from 39 physical and online interviews with 54 informants with direct knowledge of the upskilling challenges. Findings: The analysis broadly established that vouchers in the Croatian context largely work towards aligning the adult education system, thus far primarily governed by segmentalist principles, with the general features of the Croatian skill-formation regime characterised by an outsized role of the central state. Findings also indicate that the voucher scheme’s structure and rollout are substantially influenced by features of the Croatian active labour market policy, which systematically fails to effectively target beneficiary groups furthest removed from the labour market. There is also evidence of the Croatian welfare state failing to secure preconditions for the participation of low-skilled and low-qualified adults in voucher-funded courses despite them being nominally “free of charge” for beneficiaries. Critical social risks recognised as particular barriers to access are health impediments, physical isolation, care for dependents and access to decent income for welfare recipients. Conclusions: This paper paves the way for more ambitious (comparative) research efforts aimed at better understanding how vouchers influence established skill-production regimes and how their features interact with respective welfare state regimes. Analysis seems to demonstrate that vouchers can function as instruments of (central) state empowerment in educational policymaking despite originally being conceived as a market-based way of giving beneficiaries of educational services more support over their choices.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	Language: English. - Second subtitle: Proceedings of the 6th Crossing Boundaries Conference in Vocational Education and Training, Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 21 to 23 May 2025. - Book editors: Elena Quintana-Murci, Francesca Salvà-Mut, Barbara E. Stalder, Christof Nägele. - Independently published, organization: European Research Network on Vocational Education and Training (VETNET).
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Upskilling, skill-formation regime, welfare regime, vouchers
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) L Education > L Education (General)
Depositing User:	Karolina
Date Deposited:	26 Aug 2025 07:19
Last Modified:	26 Aug 2025 08:37
URI:	http://idiprints.knjiznica.idi.hr/id/eprint/1219

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