India

This title is part of the International Handbook of Vocational Education and Training, the standard reference for comparative research in vocational education in German. It is intended for an academic audience as well as vocational education and training practitioners. Selected titles are translated to make them available to the much broader English readership. With a population of 1.3 billion, India is the second most populous country in the world and, from a western perspective, an exotic country of many contrasts and with a very different culture. Since the 1990s, wide-ranging reforms have taken effect and the country‘s economic development has gathered pace at many levels. Vocational education and training in India has therefore also come under the spotlight and needs to take account of the resulting challenges. Companies from western countries as well as stakeholders involved in vocational education and training are active in India. In addition to the particular cultural aspects of the country, the vocational education and training landscape is largely characterised by Anglo-American concepts, a distinct tendency towards university education, a low level of participation by business and a complex management structure.