Theorising the status of VET from the institutional logics perspective

This article explores the historically contingent and norma-tive descriptions of vocational education and training (VET)as a low-status alternative in Australia’s socio-economic pro-cess of skill and knowledge development. Rather thanrepeating well-rehearsed shibboleths, this retheorisation ofhow status works applies an institutional logics perspectiveas a novel addition to existing research in the sector.Historical reports and contemporary discourses sourcedfrom submissions to a parliamentary inquiry into VET’s statusare used to determine which logics are used in the sector.They demonstrate that the sector’s dominant institutionallogics derive from the state, market and professional ordersof society. These three share an emphasis upon the use ofstatus to determine how organisations and individuals allo-cate limited and valuable attention to their operating envir-onments. The institutional logics perspective providesa meta-theoretical challenge to traditional depictions ofwhat status represents and, in turn, suggests how publicpolicy can be re-imagined, thus improving the sector’s stand-ing and consequent value propositions.