International technical education systems

In recent years, Gatsby has taken an ambitious, outward-looking approach to understanding the best national technical education systems. We facilitate field trips for education providers and work with research partners to examine best practice – what works and what doesn’t – in high-performing countries. By systematically investigating high-performing international models, Gatsby has sought to identify not only best practice but also the underlying principles that underpin effective systems.

While recognising that economic and social contexts differ between jurisdictions, our goal is to identify and adapt the core principles behind successful systems – not to replicate models wholesale, but to draw meaningful lessons that can inform technical education reform in the UK. Our work goes deeper than surface-level comparisons.

We focus on rigorous, practice-oriented analysis of the policies, institutions and cultural conditions that underpin effective systems. As skills gaps widen and economic demands evolve, learning from successful international systems has become more urgent – and more valuable.

At the heart of these systems are employer-designed occupational standards that define the knowledge and skills needed across a range of educational routes. This may involve apprenticeships, short upskilling programmes and formal qualifications in colleges.

By seeking to understand what works in effective systems, we gain a roadmap for building a coherent, high-quality technical education system that serves learners, employers and the wider economy.

The original review of career guidance in secondary schools, which led to the establishment of the Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Career Guidance, looked at six countries which had successful education systems, successful economies and, in most cases, effective career guidance systems. The research includes The Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong, Ontario (Canada), Finland and Ireland, and included interviews with teachers, pupils and ministry officials.

Now, with the updated benchmarks in statutory guidance for schools, colleges and independent training providers, we welcome visitors from overseas to share what we’ve learned on the way.

Gatsby has also undertaken research into adult career guidance to deepen our understanding of what constitutes effective international practice in this area.