VET research has been mainly associated with the world of work, waged labour and the labour market. However, VET is so much more than this and can be mobilised in the recognition of the dignity of labour thereby contributing to the pursuit of social justice (Billett, 2005). Yet McGrath, (2023:132) argues that ‘formal VET is complicit in unsustainable practices that were integral to industrialisation and the emergence of the Capitalocene…’ pointing out that in colonised parts of the global south it ‘produced a form of vocationalism tied to the extractive logic of colonial capitalism’. Nevertheless, as he recognises there remains the possibility of moving beyond such relations, re-imagining VET so that it addresses a re-working that can encompass sustainable practices (and see Special Issue 2018).

VET is a site of struggle and contestation as are those debates that examine the capitalocene which similarly call for a re-imagining or re-working of capitalism so that it can move beyond its reliance on fossil fuels. Writers such as Malm & Carton (2024), Huber (2020) and Moore (2015) argue that fossil fuels are so thoroughly entwined with capitalism and its accumulation strategies that their resolution would necessitate the total transcendence of these relations. In contradistinction, such a stance could be softened by an acknowledgement of the fractions or divisions within capitalism. This can be seen in the tension between various forms of capitalism such as finance, fossil fuel, platform, extractive and advanced manufacturing, rentier capitalism and so on. The attempted resolution of these tensions is apparent in the call by capital’s organic intellectuals for a re-working or re-imagining of capitalist relations that go beyond debates focused on the varieties of capitalism, but which would still articulate with these.

There is a literature that seeks to manage and move beyond neo-liberalism which posits a more progressive notion of capitalism, whether this be in terms of an orientation that seeks to soften the excesses of neo-liberalism or indeed by the introduction of an ecological sensibility. In this instance the writings of Rajan (2011, 2019), Carney (2014, 2021), Lagarde (2014) and Chalmers (2023) will be discussed. These writers call for the development of an inclusive capitalism that can revive communities and their associated values thereby transcending the fault lines that threaten the world economy. Here, there is a resonance with social democracy, pluralism and stakeholder capitalism, though it should be noted that such arguments are rooted in a stance reflective of what could be described as that of the ‘liberal’ elite.

The paper places these currents alongside recent interventions made by the British Labour government (elected in 2024) and the state’s engagement with progressive currents within capitalism, exploring constructions of skill, VET and social justice. These latter concerns lie at the heart of the paper. The radicalism of the 1945 post war Labour government has been used as a leitmotif for prime minister Starmer’s politics of change (2024).

The paper addresses two key questions:

1. Is English VET policy framed by social democratic sensibilities and if so, are there currents that go beyond these in a more progressive direction?

2. Is there potential for VET to move beyond a narrow instrumentalism rooted within a discourse of economic growth and waged work?  

Whilst these questions are problematic they enable a consideration of Labour’s industrial strategy, its competitiveness agenda as well as its pursuit of Net Zero, relating these to state policy and VET. It also facilitates an examination of the wider European context in which such discussions take place and the on-going constructions of neo- and post liberalism.

This theoretical paper is rooted in policy scholarship with its methodology set in a critical engagement with the relevant literature (Grace, 1995). It adopts an approach derived from critical theory, seeking to engage with and critique forms of capitalism that purport to go beyond neo-liberalism. Such critiques frequently articulate with social democratic and progressive conceptualisations and include constructions of values-based, inclusive and adaptive capitalism drawing on the work of Rajan (2011, 2019), Carney (2014, 2021), Lagarde (2014) and Chalmers (2023). The analysis that the paper develops is part of its methodology. Consequently, the validity of its argument can be judged on the basis of its credibility and plausibility, which in turn will be partly shaped by the manner in which readers position themselves in relation to the paper. Rather than conduct a systematic or definitive literature review that would involve an engagement with the relevant protocols, it engages with particular debates through an analysis of the work of the previously cited authors. The paper acknowledges that the constructions of capitalism these authors develop, as well as those relating to VET and skill, are ideologically formed. It interrogates the underlying interests that have shaped these constructions examining the limits and possibilities they offer in the current conjuncture. To this end the paper will explore the construction of skill, VET and social justice embedded in current policy documents such as The UK’s Modern Industrial strategy, Post-16 Education and Skills and Get Britain working and so on. At the time of writing the VET policy landscape in England under both the current Labour government and previous Conservative administrations have drawn on a similar rhetoric and policy repertoire, one that emphasises the salience of economic growth, economic prudence and a pro-business agenda. At the same time the Labour government draws on a rhetoric that seeks to offer a new deal to working people through the provision of a minimum wage and commitment to workers’ rights (Reeves, 2024a b).

At the risk of repeating myself the paper addresses two key questions: 1. Is English VET policy framed by social democratic sensibilities and if so, are there currents that go beyond these in a more progressive direction? 2. Is there potential for VET to move beyond a narrow instrumentalism rooted within a discourse of economic growth and waged work? Although, these questions are problematic they enable a consideration of England’s industrial strategy, its competitiveness agenda as well as its pursuit of Net Zero, relating these to state policy and VET. This also facilitates an examination of the wider European context in which these discussions are placed. The analytic strategy of the paper derives from critical theory whereby a conceptualisation of social democracy is used to address the key issues that underpin the paper. The final outcome of the paper will be determined in its writing which will seek to unpack and critically reflect on questions that address a re-imagining of VET and its possibilities for the development of critical and progressive practices that move beyond social democracy and ‘really existing capitalism’.

Billett, S. 2005. Recognition of learning through work, in Bascia, N., Cumming, A., Datnow, A., Leithwood, K., Livingstone, D. (eds) International Handbook of Educational Policy, Dordrecht, Springer, p943-962. Chalmers, J. 2023. Capitalism after the crises, The Monthly https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2023/february/jim-chalmers/capitalism-after-crises#mtr Carney, M. 2014, Inclusive capitalism: creating a sense of the systemic, Speech given by Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England at the Conference on Inclusive Capitalism, London, 27 May Carney, M. 2021 Value(s) Toronto, Penguin Random House Gov UK 2025 post-16 Education and skills Grace, G. 1995 School leadership: beyond education management. An essay in policy scholarship, Falmer London HM Government, 2024 Plan for change Huber, M, T. 2020. Climate Change as Class War, London, Verso. Lagarde, C. 2014. Economic Inclusion and Financial Integrity. Address to the Conference on Inclusive Capitalism, London27 May. www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2014/052714.htm on 29 May 2014. Malm, A. Carton, W. 2024. Overshoot: how the world surrendered to climate breakdown, London, Verso Mazzucato, M. (2022) Mission Economy, London, Penguin books Moore, J. W. (2015) Capitalism in the web of life, London, Verso. Rajan, R. 2011. Fault Lines, Princeton, Princeton University Press Rajan, R. 2019. The third pillar, London, William Collins Reeves, R 2024a. Mais Lecture 2024. https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases/rachel-reeves-mais-lecture/ Reeves, R. 2024b. Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, speech at Labour Party Conference 2024: Sept 23, https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases/rachel-reeves-speech-at-labour-party-conference-2024/ Special Issue (2018) Reimagining Further Education, Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 1-157 Spours, K. (2019) A Social Ecosystem Model: conceptual developments and implications for VET, https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10082170/3/Spours_Social%20ecosystems%20Final.pdf Starmer, K, 2024 Prime Minister Keir Starmer's New Year message 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_EiZHh5tjc UK Government. 2025. The UK’s Modern Industrial strategy https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-uks-modern-industrial-strategy-2025