Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and universities play a pivotal role in addressing the complex socio-economic challenges of the 21st century (Harris & Clayton, 2020). Beyond their core technical and professional training functions, these institutions are increasingly expected to fulfill broader civic missions, such as fostering social equity, promoting community development (Moodie & Wheelahan, 2024; Wheelahan & Moodie, 2024), and cultivating active citizenship (Kost et al., 2025).

Previous studies have found that mission statements often emphasize employability, lifelong learning, and adaptability, reflecting neoliberal ideals (Kost, Mou & O’Shea, 2025). At the same time, they highlight TVET’s potential to foster equity and inclusion, demonstrating a commitment to social justice (Kost, Mou & O’Shea, 2025). However, the promises articulated in institutional mission statements, strategic plans, and policies do not always align with their actual implementation and interpretation by various stakeholders. Moreover, mission statements—shaped by contextual and cultural values—may reflect different priorities or directions depending on the expectations of stakeholders and policymakers, often as a strategy for institutional survival.

Given these complexities, it is both useful and necessary to critically examine how TVET institutions construct their promises regarding their social roles and what these commitments reveal about broader ideological and power structures. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study investigates how TVET colleges and universities articulate and operationalize their civic missions in strategic plans, policies, and practices, drawing from an international comparative analysis.

Building on the conceptual frameworks of civic engagement (Hartley et al., 2010) and institutional social responsibility (Daniels et al., 2021; Labaree, 1997; Levinson, 2004; Muñiz, 2024), the study critically explores how civic missions are represented across diverse TVET systems and how these representations reflect broader socio-cultural and ideological structures. This analysis includes formal mission statements (Morphew & Hartley, 2006) as well as publicly available strategic documents that articulate institutional values and priorities, complementing our understanding of how TVET institutions frame their roles beyond workforce preparation.

The study focuses on comparative cases from East Asia (Taiwan and mainland China), state-level systems in the United States, and Switzerland, analyzing how TVET institutions navigate tensions between market-driven imperatives and their civic responsibilities. It also examines how institutional policies are shaped by policy environments and interrogates institutional texts as active instruments of power and identity construction rather than neutral descriptions. By analyzing documents from selected countries, this research highlights variations in the integration of civic goals within institutional strategies and how TVET institutions attempt to fulfill their "rosy" promises while negotiating broader socio-cultural and ideological landscapes.

Ultimately, the study offers valuable insights for both institutions and policymakers, encouraging them to critically assess, adapt, and implement their mission statements and goals in ways that maximize their impact. By doing so, TVET institutions can better prepare their students to become active citizens and contribute meaningfully to society, as promised.

This project is currently in progress. The first round of pilot data collection and analysis from a small sample of institutions has been completed, yielding preliminary findings and insights. These will inform the next step: a systematic and strategic expansion of document collection. This phase will involve a larger sample of several dozen institutions across three contexts, encompassing institutions of different levels and types, including private and public TVET colleges, universities, small-scale institutions, and comprehensive research universities.

In this project, we apply Fairclough's (1992) analytical framework of critical discourse analysis (CDA), which examines how institutional texts construct identities and relationships. This approach enables us to explore how language is used to shape institutional authority, legitimize particular ideologies, and reinforce or challenge existing power structures. By analyzing textual patterns, intertextuality, and discursive strategies, we aim to uncover implicit assumptions, values, and hegemonic discourses embedded in institutional mission statements and policy documents. This theoretical lens allows us to critically assess how educational institutions position themselves in relation to broader socio-political and economic contexts, particularly in the evolving landscape of TVET. Mission statements are often considered guiding documents that reflect institutional values, objectives, and the societal outcomes they aim to achieve. However, they are not merely neutral descriptions of institutional goals; rather, they function as ideological texts that construct identities, legitimize power structures, and shape institutional priorities. Strategic documents operationalize these visions, detailing priorities and actions to address labor market demands, societal challenges, and broader educational objectives. By systematically examining the language, themes, and implicit ideologies in these texts, this research uncovers the ways in which TVET institutions shape citizenship, economic participation, and social cohesion. Furthermore, it explores how institutions in different social contexts navigate their environments and ideologies, either reinforcing or challenging existing power structures and relations. The institutional documents analyzed in this study are collected from a diverse range of institutions representing different types and categories. The research team includes native speakers of the languages used in each context (East Asia, Europe, and North America). Institutional documents originally written in languages other than English, such as Chinese or German, will be analyzed and coded by team members fluent in those languages. The analysis will follow a structured codebook, with excerpts and quotations assigned to relevant themes and categories. Each excerpt will also be accompanied by an English translation to ensure consistency in interpretation. The multilingual, multinational, and cross-cultural nature of the research team enables a deeper understanding of discourse and expressions, allowing for a more nuanced analysis of cultural values and social traditions through CDA. This approach not only enhances the accuracy of interpretations but also provides richer insights into the ideological underpinnings of institutional discourse. Ultimately, the analysis will highlight contextual differences and offer comparative insights across cultural and educational traditions in East Asia, Europe, and North America.

CDA reveals the tensions between discourse and practice, highlighting how mission statements serve as instruments of institutional branding, policy justification, and stakeholder persuasion while sometimes masking contradictions between stated ideals and actual implementation. These statements often reflect broader socio-political and economic discourses, positioning universities within market-driven, neoliberal, or civic-oriented frameworks. By applying these frameworks, this study investigates how TVET institutions construct their social roles and the individuals they aim to shape. This analysis not only highlights the diversity in institutional priorities but also informs comparative research on global variations in TVET’s societal function. Preliminary findings indicate that colleges in some contexts explicitly integrate civic missions—such as promoting inclusivity and social justice, fostering collaboration with the private sector, implementing community engagement initiatives, and advancing local economic regeneration—into their strategic frameworks, as documented in recent literature (Moodie & Wheelahan, 2024; Wheelahan & Moodie, 2024). In this sense, institutions exhibit isomorphism, replicating each other’s language and adopting trending buzzwords to construct an appealing narrative of their promises and commitments. These documents also reveal implicit conceptions of the “ideal citizen,” such as the entrepreneurial worker or socially responsible professional, envisioned for future societies. However, the language and expressions used in these statements also reflect ideological stances and socio-cultural contexts. For example, the term “human talents” (rencai in Chinese) to refer to graduates—commonly found in Chinese institutional discourse—suggests a utilitarian perspective which is also influenced by a socialist ideology. In some cases, institutions leverage strong industry ties to position themselves as leaders in community development and innovation. However, the extent to which these roles are understood and agreed upon by various stakeholders requires further investigation. In contrast, other institutions prioritize market-aligned objectives, relegating civic aspirations to secondary considerations.

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