Blurring the Boundaries Between Vocational and Higher Education: Insights from the April Conference
The roundtable was chaired by Prof Vera Maltseva, Director of the HSE Centre for Skills Development and Vocational Education. Participants included Stephanie Allais (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa), Susan Webb (Monash University, Australia), Po Yang (Peking University, China), Seamus Needham (University of the Western Cape, South Africa), and Maksim Nikitin (HSE University, Russia).
Global Trends and National Contexts
The discussion focused on the scale and forms of transformation in post-secondary education across different countries, as well as on the impact of labour market changes on the relationship between vocational and higher education. Particular attention was paid to two parallel trends: the increasing academic orientation of TVET and the growing emphasis on practical, applied learning in higher education.
Participants noted that convergence between VET and higher education does not necessarily result in more open or flexible educational pathways. In many cases, these developments are accompanied by new forms of stratification within tertiary education systems. While new types of institutions, programmes and qualifications are emerging, differences in status between educational pathways often persist, as does the stigmatisation of vocational routes.
The discussion also addressed the broader institutional mechanisms that shape these processes, including transitions between different post-secondary education segments, selection practices, qualification hierarchies and labour market signals.
The Russian Case: Uneven Vocationalisation
Maxim Nikitin, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Skills Development and Vocational Education, presented findings on the vocationalisation of higher education in Russia and the blurring of boundaries between vocational and higher education. His analysis showed that this process cannot be reduced to a simple shift towards employability or to a move from academic to applied education. Rather, it represents a complex and uneven institutional transformation that manifests differently across segments of the system.
Key drivers include changes in the labour market, the massification and diversification of higher education, and the expansion of vocational education into higher qualification levels.
In Russia, these processes are shaped by several concurrent trends, including labour shortages in a number of sectors, a policy focus on technological development and reindustrialisation, increasing employer involvement in training, and growing attention to the practical relevance of educational programmes.
The findings suggest that a distinctive yet uneven model of higher education vocationalisation is emerging. While the boundaries between different segments of post-secondary education are becoming more flexible, hierarchical differences remain. While new hybrid formats may expand educational opportunities, they can also reproduce—or create—new forms of inequality.
The roundtable also provided an opportunity to discuss internationally how post-secondary education is being reconsidered in light of changes to the labour market, technological shifts and developments in skills training.
