This paper aims to analyze the sequential evolution and success stories of Korean TVE (Technical and Vocational Education) policy in order to draw implications for developing Asian countries.We characterize the Korean economic development as an educationled or TVE-led model. In particular, we focus on the sequential evolution of Korean TVE policy during the compressed economic development period as a developmental model of the Korean economy. The Korean TVE system has been constantly adapting and transforming itself to meet the changing demands of the workforce during the industrialization process. Korea’s TVE policy initially evolved in response to successive stages of industrial development, and education and training policies during the past half-century have been designed to meet changing demands in the labor force (industrial development → expansion of education and training).Meanwhile, Korea’s education and training policies allowed further advances in industrialization by providing appropriately trained labor forces at each stage of Korea’s industrial development (expansion of education and training → industrial development). These policies were especially effective during the compressed industrialization period in the 1970s. As a result, a feedback loop was formed: industrial development led to expanded demand for education and training, and those trained and qualified workers served as a foundation for further industrial development (industrial development → expansion of education and training → industrial development).One of the unique aspects of Korea’s economic growth is that it has been driven by education, especially by the government-led TVE policies in the 1970s. Thanks to these policies, a sufficient number of quality labor forces were made available at each successive economic developmental stage. TVE policies worked especially well during the early industrialization period when a shortage of labor forces in the industrial sector could be met with newly educated workers without a significant time lag. The policies, indeed, were organized as an integral sector in the economic development plan so that they could coordinate industrial policy with an appropriate supply of workforce.With the rise of the knowledge-based economy after the 1990s, where the‘ people’and‘ knowledge’play crucial roles, education has become a leading force of industrial development. Due to the stagnation of the growth rate by this stage, industrial development no longer stimulated the expansion of education. Rather, Korea became an overeducated society in this stage. Although the supply of college graduates generally exceeds demand, some fields such as new growth engine industries lack competent workers. At this stage, the government mainly relied on the latter part of the mechanism (expansion of education and training → industrial development) to spur the growth rate; that is, pre-emptive expansion of education in specific fields such as new growth engine industries were expected to contribute to the development of relevant industries. The government also limited the college entrance rate to cope with an oversupply of college graduates. The government had to juggle education policy to suppress the demand for college education in general, while expanding college graduates and master’s / Ph.D.S in selected fields.This paper also analyzes some case studies of relevant institutions that are related to TVE and the university-industry cooperative educational network. The Meister high school system, which was introduced in 2010, is a current version of the once-successful TVE system. Although the TVE system struggled after the 1980s as the demand for higher education grew, the Meister high school system revived the success of the TVE system. This system is expected to help reduce the excessive demand for higher education while supplying qualified technicians in relevant fields. Meanwhile, the Korea Polytechnic University is a case where the government (in this case, the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy ; MOTIE, not the Ministry of Education) displayed leadership by founding a university to meet the industry demand. Finally, the Mando Track, the cooperation between Mando Corporation and Kyungpook National University, is a perfect model of the track system that is currently the most significant university-industry cooperative education. The Sector Council was introduced by policy initiatives of MOTIE to establish a demand-led HRD network.This paper draws policy suggestions for Asian developing countries based on analyzing the TVE policy trends and successful model institutions. Today’s TVE and workforce policies cannot wait for the industries to grow and tailor themselves in response. Instead, the TVE and education policy should take an active role of pursuing preemptive initiatives to drive industrial development. However, we should be aware of the risks of failure when we design TVE and education strategies that are well in advance of contemporary industrial development. Government leadership should maintain a long-term perspective with meticulous attention to industry needs and allow potentiality of the market mechanism to function.The following chapters cover these topics in more detail. Chapter II explains the Korean economic development and TVE polices that correspond to each stage of the industrial development from the perspective of a TVE-led model. This paper also compares the main tasks for economic development and the respective TVE policies during the compressed economic growth period prior to 2000. Chapter III describes four success cases of the Korean TVE model : the Meister high school; Mando Track as a customized curriculum model ; Korea Polytechnic University’s cooperative education model ; and the Sector Council system. Finally, Chapter IV concludes by drawing implications for Asian developing countries
