There is a growing enthusiasm for developing a more highly skilled workforce in both Australia and in Sweden. The policies in both countries are directed towards increasing productivity and the engagement of formerly disengaged groups in the respective societies and economies. There is a new determination to manage transition arrangements between school, the Vocational Education and Training sector and work, and there is a new commitment to curriculum reform. If these initiatives are to succeed with an enthusiasm equivalent to their formulation then more needs to be known about the VET pedagogies likely to be appropriate and successful for the new tasks. This paper investigates some understandings of VET pedagogy in Australia and Sweden, and the tensions that are implicit in these understandings. The paper is based on empirical research carried out by the authors. The paper uses the concept of ‘practice architectures’ and the particular ‘sayings, doings and relatings’ involved in VET to interrogate policy changes and their implications for the work of VET teachers.