Views about vocational education and training from the perspective of students' families

Research on vocational education and training (VET) has paid scarce attention to the families of the students in these programs. After the students complete compulsory education, the families become invisible to the educational system. Given the recent interest in promoting vocational training and the lack of employment opportunities for youth, we believe it is of interest to explore the perceptions of students' parents regarding VET. To achieve this aim, semi-structured interviews were carried out with parents to determine their views on the benefits of VET for their children. In particular, we focused on a first-cycle VET program in computing. The study was conducted taking into account three dimensions: the past (an analysis of students' academic pathways), the present (the assessment of their children's academic performance) and the future (expectations about labor market access). The findings provide important insight into this component of the educational community. The main results show that parents are satisfied with their children's decision to undergo vocational training and hope, rather than expect, that their children will enter the world of work and get a good job consonant with their qualifications.