A study to compare vocational education and training (VET) systems examined nine countries across these three large geographical regions: Europe, East Asia, and the Americas. It explored variables that most define and influence characteristics, behavior, and apparent success of VET systems and the impact of change. The nine systems were chosen on the basis of a variety of economic, demographic, cultural, and ideological contexts. They were under pressure for change and subject to policy intervention and provided a broad scope of policy and structural alternatives in finance, governance, recognition, integration, relationships with education systems, and labor market linkages. The three largest West European economies--Germany, France, and the United Kingdom--provided strong contrasts in their VET systems. The East Asian economies of China, Japan, and Singapore were among the most aggressive in growth and development despite major differences in the geography, population, traditions, and political ideologies of the three nations. The Americas were made up of these two regions: the prosperous economies of the United States and Canada and the diverse economies of Latin America. Despite the heterogeneous nature of the regions, the Latin American model is a rich source for comparison. Key issues for Australia include relating VET to the other education sectors, its relationship to the state and civil society, demand-side issues, and VET's mutability in the face of new challenges. (Contains 40 notes and 261 references.) (YLB)