This paper shall focus upon some institutional aspects as related to vocational education and training systems turning into a kind of “boundary infrastructure” practice (cf Bowker & Star 1999). Three questions shall be raised. Firstly, to what extent are present principles of broad scope perspectives when rested in formats of learning outcomes tending to undermine systematic training or methodological progression? What are the risks for the vocational education turning into shallow career guidance? Are principles of technical expertise gradually getting replaced by concepts like “talent” or “employability”, each of which then emptied out of content?  Based on interviews with vocational teachers, instructors and industry representa­tives this paper shall discuss the extent to which we find trends of increasing “genericism” (Muller 2000, Young 2007) within the Norwegian vocational education after latest reform. It shall also discuss how these changes relates to current concepts of occupational or work-life identities, be it “projectivism” (Boltanski & Chiapello 2005), “entreployee-ism” (Pongratz & Voss 2004) or “craftsmanship” (eg Sennett  2006, 2008). Niklas Luhmann’s system theory on “over-integration” respectively “under-integration” shall supplement this discussion (eg. Luhmann 2000, 2006).

The second question relates to the effects upon vocational education of having a broad occupational focus whilst simultaneously becoming partly over-loaded with heterogeneous societal interests. Codes and values of other kinds than education are “re-invited” into school to enrich its practice, thence for the learning systems only to experience a loss of autonomy of blurring boundaries. In this case we go beyond the “genericism” discussed above for focussing on compromises taking place in different organisational settings. Drawing on Boltanski and Thevenot (2006) and their concept of “pragmatic regimes” these compromises are labelled “vocational framings”. A closer look at educational practice of different branches is expected to reveal training profiles that are heterogeneous and dissimilar. Within some branches the idea of craftsmanship probably still represent main order, whereas in other areas industrial effectiveness or / and market efficiency are guiding principles in growth, whilst in a third groups of jobs possibly either green values, communitarian beliefs or aesthetic standards are dominant. Holistic fusions of interests or value integration are likely to be rare or non-existent, quite in opposition to prevalent regulation ideals as stated, for instance, in the so-called “general curriculum”.

The third question relates to institutional politics and power. The organisation and system structure of the vocational education are nowadays in profound change. Increasingly, these systems get rested in international communication structures rather than in procedures as related to industrial relations and social partnership dialogues. Apparently, gradually more the modelling of vocational identities, respectively “employabilities”, are framed by intensified formal control belonging to the novel “regulatory state” (eg Veggeland 2009) at the expense of ideals of corporatism and self-regulations. The expansion of international standards linked to the emergence of novel regimes of “quality metrology” are essential parts thereof. My interest here is to find out the extent to which these surroundings seem to affect current order in vocational education, including the social constructions of vocational identities.

Boltanski, L & L. Thevenot (2006): On Justification: on economies of worth, Princeton: Princeton University Press Boltanski, L & E Chiapello (2005): The New Spirit of Capitalism, London: Verso Bowker, G & S.L Star (1999): Sorting Things Out: Classifications and its Consequences, Cambridge, Ma- London: The MIT Press Deichman-Sørensen, T (2007):Mot en ny infrastruktur for læring og kontroll. Kvalitetsvurdering i fag- og yrkesopplæringen. Rapport fra evaluering av Nasjonalt kvalitetsvurderingssystem i grunnopplæringen, AFI-Rapport 3/07, Oslo: Arbeidsforskningsinstituttet Deichman-Sørensen, T (2009): Hvor går norsk fag- og yrkesopplæring? Om modernisering, organisering og styring av fag- og yrkesopplæringen i Norge, Høgskolen i Akershus: HiAk Småskrift 3 / 2009 Lave, J & E. Wenger (1991): Situated Learning: Legitimate perpheral learning, Cambridge: Cambridge university Press Luhmann, N (2000): Sociale Systemer, København: Hans Reitzel Luhmann, N (2006): Samfundets uddannelsessystem, København: Hans Reitzel Muller, J (2000): Reclaiming knowledge: social theory, curriculum, and education policy, London: Routledge Pongratz, H.J & G. G. Voss (2003): Arbeitskraft-Unternehmer. Erwerbsorientierungen in entgrentzen Arbeitsformen. Berlin: edition stigma Sennett, R (2006): The Culture of the New Capitalism, New Haven – London: Yale University Press Sennett, R (2008): The Craftsman, New York: Penguin Veggeland, N. (2009): Taming the Regulatory State. Politics and Ethics. Cheltenham, UK & Northampton, MA, USA Young, M (2007): Bringing knowledge back in, London: Routledge