Academic and vocational education in British Columbia: educational divide and social stigma

This research examines the elements related to stigma within post-secondary Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. The thesis describes the primary components that obtain stigma in vocational education system. A number of factors such as the perceptions of public and students about VET programmes, parental influence, levels of support for students and the attraction to employment, contribute to the relatively weak success of these programmes. The researcher examined common concern behind the stigma, initiative taken to overcome the stigma, factors that increase this stigma and explored the presence of stigma in this date. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with young students who are pursuing VETprogrammes at Vancouver Island University (VIU). 17 vocational students were interviewed from three different programmes – Automotive, Carpentry, and Electronics Training. The stigma discussed in this research did not pertain in data analysis. However, a distinct kind of stigma was involved in participants’ responses. The final Chapter discusses the significance of this research and makes recommendation for future studies.