In 1962, the Korean government launched the first of a series of five-year economic development programs, aimed at modern industrialization of the Korean economy. In its early stage of industrialization, Korean industries were heavily depended on labor-intensive industrial processes. During the 1960s, a strong emphasis was placed on the nurturing of skilled workers
appropriate for the ‘economy-first’ policy, and there was considerable progress made in vocational education and training (VET). The Korean government strengthened vocational and technical education through the implementation of the ‘Five-Year Science & Technology Education Plan’
(1967-1971). From 1965 onwards, existing technical high schools were designated and operated as specialized schools. As technical education grew in importance, considerable development was achieved in the technical high school system.
Vocational education curriculum became systematized when the Ministry of Education introduced in 1963 a curriculum for vocational high schools to be run separately from that of academic high schools. Accordingly, vocational education achieved noticeable success in meeting the needs of national economic development at the time, eventually placing vocational education at the core of educational policy.
During the 1970-1980s, the Korean government stressed the development of heavy and chemical industries, high technology and the expansion of exports. As the industrial structure evolved, Korea advanced to an industrial society. The government continued its efforts to make vocational secondary education more substantial. However, vocational education faced new challenges during this period.
During the 1980s, as Korean businesses moved from being labor-intensive to technology-intensive, secondary schools that were centered on vocational education found they could no longer provide young labor force with the right set of skills to meet the demands by industries. In an attempt to find a solution, Korea introduced a trial system, known as the 2+1 system. As a means to increase students’ adaptability to the workplace, this trial system was operated in technical schools, offering students two years of academic study and one year of training at an industrial site.
In higher education, an Open University was established as an opportunity for those wanting to continue their education and those wanting to acquire new professional knowledge and skills. During this period, technical colleges experienced tremendous growth as vocational education began to be systematically operated.
Since the 1990’s, the OECD economies have increasingly become based on knowledge and information. Undoubtedly, information and communication technology (ICT) has been the driving force behindeconomic growth in the
OECD countries. Continuing education and learning is recognized as a critical factor in a knowledge-based economy. Against the backdrop, the New Vocational Education System Building Plan, announced by the National Commission for Education Reform, brought a breakthrough in the history of vocational education in Korea. The plan aimed at building a readily accessible vocational education system suitable for a demand-based lifelong education society and revealed a paradigmatic change in vocational education. The new measures and directions proposed in this education reform plan continue to influence the subsequent educational plans proposed by government.
As Korea increased its economic prowess and joined international organizations like the WTO and the OECD in the early 1990’s, public sentiment swung strongly towards globalization and openness. Korean industries, facing global competition, were prompted to upgrade technological and productivity levels in order to enhance and maintain their international competitiveness.
Also, Korea began to transform into a knowledge-based industrial society, and polices and systems followed suit to facilitate and support this transformation process. The change in socioeconomic environment also demanded reforms in all areas of vocational education system.
The National Commission for Education Reform and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MOE & HRD) announced the “Reform Plan for the Vocational Education System Vision 2020:
Vocational Education for All” in May 2005. The plan was created within the context of rapidly changing economic, education and training environments.
It was also as a response to the negative public perception, which regarded vocational education solely as a means for providing an industrial workforce.
If the focus of vocational education policy had been on the quantitative expansion of vocational education institutions, then it needed to shift toward improving the qualitative aspects, like the contents and methods of vocational education, to better cope with industrial and societal changes.
This plan proposed the following to reform the vocational education system: 1) to move from a system of developing low-skilled workforce to a system of developing more specialized, highly skilled workforce through curriculum diversification and flexible management of the duration of study; 2) to evolve from a system led by the MOE & HRD to a system
involving the participation of industries and other central and local government departments through ‘the diversification of the operation of authority’; 3) to expand beyond the school age student-based education system by strengthening short- and long-term vocational education for the lifelong learning of adults and workers; and 4) to maximize the interchange of human and material resources and their practical usage through flexible management via school-industry cooperation and by linking education and training. In brief, the Korean government plan will be implemented incrementally in three stages: introduction (2005-2010), expansion (2010-2015), and settlement (2015-2020).