Parents as Gatekeepers? An Indirect Account on the Image of Vocational Education in Historical Context

Abstract

Vocational education and training (VET) is high on the European agenda. This article adds nuance to the policy ambition of “fixing” parents’ views on VET. It is based on extensive qualitative research in Romania, with over 250 young people. An unanticipated finding was the “absence” of parents from the young people’s accounts, along with a tendency by the teachers and employers to blame young people for having “unreasonable expectations.” This article explores the deeper structural reasons for the current state of “parental disengagement.” It links parents’ precarious working lives with young people’s sense of disillusionment and communist nostalgia.