Abstract

The capability approach provides a broader view of Vocational and Technical Education (VTE), acknowledging its multiple purposes, including citizenship preparation for discussing and challenging the rules and practices prevailing in society. Based on ethnographic data, this paper seeks to understand how two Chilean high schools conceptualise their students and VTE, concerning their students' marginalisation, linking this to citizenship education. Each school presented a different awareness of students' marginality situation, and it was possible to observe how this meant different actions associated with citizenship education. Findings show that in the school with greater awareness of students' marginality, VTE takes elements from the capability approach and provides active citizenship training, while at the school with lower awareness of marginality, students are trained in more passive citizenship. The importance of citizenship education for VTE, the significance of the capability approach to transforming this education, and its potential impact on public policies and the construction of society are discussed.