PROMOTING THE QUALITY AND PERTINENCE OF EDUCATION — EDUCATION AND THE WORLD OF WORK

1989 Adoption of the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education, UNESCO, Paris 1992 UNEVOC launched 1993 'Culture, Education and Work' selected as the year's theme for the World Decade for Cultural Development 1994 Regional Meeting on Technical and Vocational Education Curriculum Development and Adaptation, Central Institute of Vocational Education, Bhopal, India Regional Seminar and preparation of Guides/Modules for Prototype Curriculum Development in Technical and Vocational Education, Amman 1995 International UNEVOC Expert Meeting on the Promotion of Equal Access of Girls and Women to Technical and Vocational Education, Korean Manpower Agency, KOMA, Seoul

Extracts from the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education Adopted by the General Conference at its Twenty-fifth Session Paris, 10 November 1989 Article 2 1. The Contracting States agree to frame policies, to define strategies and to implement, in accordance with their needs and resources, programmes and curricula for technical and vocational education designed for young people and adults, within the framework of their respective education systems, in order to enable them to acquire the knowledge and know-how that are essential to economic and social development as well as to the personal and cultural fulfilment of the individual in society. Article 3 2. Technical and vocational education should be designed to operate within a framework of open-ended and flexible structures in the context of lifelong education and provide: an introduction to technology and to the world of work for all young people within the context of general education; educational and vocational guidance and information, and aptitude counselling; development of an education designed for the acquisition and development of the knowledge and know-how needed for a skilled occupation; a basis for education and training that may be essential for occupational mobility, improvement of professional qualifications and updating of knowledge, skills and understanding; complementary general education for those receiving initial technical and vocational training in the form of on-the-job or other training both inside and outside technical and vocational education institutions; continuing education and training courses for adults with a view, in particular, to retraining as well as to supplementing and upgrading the qualifications of those whose current knowledge has become obsolete because of scientific and technological progress or changes in the employment structure or in the social and economic situation, and also for those in special circumstances. 6. In assessing the ability to carry out occupational activities and determining appropriate awards in technical and vocational education, account should be taken of both the theoretical and practical aspects of the technical field in question, and this should apply both to persons who have received training and to persons who have acquired occupational experience in employment.

THE 1990s Technical education is going through a period of far-reaching change and reorientation. An international project, UNEVOC, launched in 1992 and based in Berlin, (10) stands as the international community's response to the challenge of keeping technical and vocational education continually abreast of rapid technological advances and new labour market needs. UNEVOC is intended to foster exchanges of experience in TVE policies and help Member States to forge closer links between education and industry, agriculture and business.

Edgar Faure (France) Chairman of the International Commission on the Development of Education Professional and technical training colleges must be developed in conjunction with the secondary education system. The instruction they give must be followed by practical training at places of work, all of which must, above all, be completed by recurrent education and vocational training courses. Recommendation In: Learning to Be, Report to UNESCO of the International Commission, UNESCO, 1972 Jacques Delors (France) Chairman of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century Learning to do, in order to acquire not only an occupational skill but also, more broadly, the competence to deal with many situations and work in teams. It also means learning to do in the context of young peoples' various social and work experiences which may be informal, as a result of the local or national context, or formal, involving courses, alternating study and work. Learning: the Treasure Within. Report to UNESCO of the International Commission, UNESCO, 1996

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FOOTNOTES:

(10) This project is being carried out under the guidance of an International Advisory Committee and in co-operation with ILO, UNIDO, OECD, the European Training Foundation, etc. It receives voluntary contributions from Germany which covers 50 per cent of costs, and from France, the Republic of Korea and Japan.

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1. Learning and Working. UNESCO, 1979 (‘Prospects’ Report). (English, French, Spanish)
2. The Integration of General and Technical and Vocational Education. J. A. Plank-Leech et al. UNESCO, 1986. (English)
3. Objectives and Forms of the Integration of Productive Work in General Education. J-C. Pauvert, UNESCO, 1986. (English, French)
4. Trends and Development of Technical and Vocational Education. Betty Hollinshead, UNESCO, 1990. (English)
5. Planning Human Resources: Methods, Experiences and Practices. Paris, UNESCO-IIEP, 1992. (Fundamentals of Educational Planning, 41). (English, French)
6. Développement de l’enseignement technique et professionnel en Afrique: une synthèse d’études de cas. UNESCO/BREDA, 1996. (French)