Case Analysis of Overseas Countries in Project-based Learning for Vocational Education and Workforce Development

Abstract— Recently, the education community is paying attention to project-based learning as an educational method that can effectively develop future capabilities, such as ‘4C’ or ‘21st century capabilities’ of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity. Project-based learning has been recognized as one of the learning methods that flourished in the United States in the early 20th century and as a synonym for efforts to break away from cramming education. Since then, project-based learning has had a status as an educational method, affecting school education in the United States, the former Soviet Union, and Europe, but has also stagnated. However, recent project-based learning is a situation that raises new interest in projects by linking schools and businesses as well as school education. Project-based learning is an educational method that induces learners to naturally learn in the process of solving tasks (projects) proposed by themselves in cooperation with other learners. In relation to this, project-based learning is actually making excellent results in strengthening learners' capabilities and calculating final results, but there are also various controversies about project-based learning. In fact, it is true that both instructors and learners are still having difficulties in designing and conducting classes, and accordingly, problems arise in the application of teaching and learning situations for vocational education and workforce dvelopment. Therefore, in order to solve these points, reduce the gap between the presented theory and field application, and revitalize related research, I would like to analyze the cases of overseas countries and present implications. Keywords—Project-based Learning, PBL, Vocational Education and Workforce Development, VEWD, Case Analysis