Comparative studies of vocational education and training systems rarely conduct systematic comparisons of the content of educational programmes, partly because of methodological difficulties. Yet, comparing the organisation of curricula can increase our understanding of how programme design reflects orientation towards various life chances in society. This article seeks to demonstrate how content of programmes - as curricular units of subject matter and training related to programme aims - can be compared across cases through an interpretation of the legal framework regulating curricula at the level of the nation-state. Four Nordic countries’ vocational education and training systems are studied and compared. It is found that programmes are designed in various ways for orientation towards one, as well as both, of two of the main programme aims - an occupational qualification and higher education eligibility. These in turn appear to, in part, depend on how curricular units of subject matter and practical training are combined. © 2014 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.
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