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Second International Congress
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| Lifelong Learning and Training
for the World of Work in the Twenty-first Century |
Improving Education and Training Systems | ||
| Providing
lifelong learning and training for the world of work in the twenty-first century is the
main thrust of the Second International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education
which is being organized by UNESCO in co-operation with the Government of the Republic of
Korea. This Congress will address some of the central issues relating to learning and
training for the development of the human resources that will be required in the early
years of the next century - issues that confront both developed and developing
countries in an age of rapid social, economic and technological change. The acquisition of appropriate skills - both technical and social - is required to cope with the challenges presented by the evolving needs of the workplace. Education and training systems that respond adequately to these demands will contribute to the efforts to overcome the growing unemployment and marginalization of young people and adults in the industrialized as well as the developing world.
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One
of UNESCO's major thrusts for contributing to development is directed towards renewing and
diversifying technical and vocational education. This includes a closer articulation
between general and vocational education so as to prepare young people and adults for the
world of work, as well as for responsible civic life. It also includes the development of
alternative educational opportunities to provide every individual with access, at any
time, to education and training compatible with his or her needs. Indeed, UNESCO considers
'learning to do' one of the four pillars on which education is based, whereby occupational
skills are acquired together with the competence to deal with many situations and to work
in teams. Towards this end, UNESCO promotes the fostering of partnerships between the
education sector and the world of work. Such partnerships aim to promote opportunities for
learning the skills necessary for employment, including self-employment, especially with a
view to narrowing gender and economic disparities. The Seoul Congress is expected to focus on developing strategies for improving technical and vocational education in the early years of the twenty-first century. Strengthening national development capacities, the international sharing of experiences and multilateral actions through networking are expected to constitute important components of such strategies. The Congress will bring together policy-makers from UNESCO's Member States, partners from inter-governmental organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and representatives of concerned non-governmental organizations, industry and labour associations who will make specific recommendations on how we may address the challenges for technical and vocational education in the next century.
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| Preparatory Regional Conferences | The Current Context | ||
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Second International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education is to be preceded by
regional conferences that will help focus the technical and vocational education
experiences and needs of the countries in those regions. The participants in these
conferences will describe the problems their countries have encountered and the
innovations which have proved successful. The summarized conclusions of the regional
conferences are expected to serve as contributions from those regions to the Seoul
Congress. The regional conference for Asia and the Pacific was held in Adelaide, Australia, 25-27 March 1998. The conference for the European Region was held in Crete, Greece, 23 to 26 September 1998. Similar conferences for other regions are expected to be held during the last quarter of 1998.
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Ten
years after the Berlin Congress and facing a new environment created by trends such as
globalization, the enhanced mobility of labour forces, and the rapid advancement of
information and communication technologies, many people working in the field of technical
and vocational education are convinced that it is time for all parties concerned to hold
another international forum to examine how the field should adapt to these new
circumstances. They hold the view that technical and vocational education needs new
thrusts to make it contribute to both socio-economic and individual development in a more
effective way. The establishment of co-ordinated education and training systems that will
ensure flexible access to learning and training throughout life, or learning on demand,
for young people as well as those requiring re-training in mid-life, is thought to be one
method of increasing the effectiveness of technical and vocational education.
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| The Previous Congress UNESCO held the International Congress on the Development and Improvement of Technical and Vocational Education in Berlin, in 1987. This congress led to the creation of UNESCO’s International Project on Technical and Vocational Education (UNEVOC) which was launched in 1992 with the goal of strengthening the development and improvement of technical and vocational education in its Member States. At present, a network of 165 UNEVOC Centres devoted to systems and infrastructure development and information exchange has been established in 110 countries.  Hotel Management and Tourism School, Qingdao, China |
Objectives The principal objective of the Seoul Congress is to bring together stakeholders of technical and vocational education to exchange experiences and to suggest how policy and practice may be renovated in order to render this sector of education more relevant to the employment and social demands of the future. This objective is to be achieved by reviewing national and international experiences, analysing the new challenges, formulating recommendations on strategies and policies, and promoting international co-operation.
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Themes |
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| After extensive consultations with UNESCO’s Member States, concerned international organizations, heads of institutions and specialists, six main themes have emerged as those with the most immediate relevance to technical and vocational education in the next century. These six themes are proposed to guide the deliberations at the Seoul Congress. A further special theme will review the experience of the Republic of Korea in the field of technical and vocational education during the past several decades. | |||
 The changing
demands of the twenty-first century: • Globalization, labour force mobility and the new
information and communication technologies – their impact on TVE * In the context of the Congress, the term Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) also includes vocational training |
 Innovating the education and training process • New methods in the initial training of teachers and
trainers – facilitating continuous upgrading of competencies |
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 Improving
systems providing education and • TVE as an integral part of national education systems
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 TVE for all • Ensuring equal access for girls and women
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 Enhancing international co-operation in TVE • Scope and orientation for UNESCO’s long-term TVE
programme
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 Changing roles
of government and other • Provision of TVE by public and private sectors |
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 Innovation and reform of TVE in the Republic of Korea
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| Expected
Outcomes The Seoul Congress is
expected to formulate sets of recommendations to the Director-General of UNESCO relating
to:
Based on these recommendations, the
Director-General will present to the Organization’s Member States at the 30th Session
of its General Conference (in October-November 1999), a programme in technical and
vocational education which is expected to be implemented during the first ten years of the
twenty-first century. |
Invitations The Director-General of UNESCO will invite experts in technical and vocational education in their personal capacities. In addition, the Director-General will invite the Organization’s Member States, Associate Member States, non-member States, and the Palestinian Authority as well as the United Nations and other Organizations of the United Nations System, international inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, institutions and foundations to send representatives and observers to the Congress, bringing together a total of about 750 participants. Official letters of invitation are expected to be delivered during the last querter of 1998. |
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 Training centre under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture, France |
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| Provisional Programme bTbhe Congress will be held at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Seoul in the Republic of Korea, 26 - 30 April 1999. Its opening ceremonies will be followed by plenary sessions on the first morning and afternoon of the Congress. These sessions will focus on theme 1. On the second and third days, the congress will continue in four separate commissions dealing with themes 2 to 5. On the evenings of the second and third days, four round-table discussions on related topics will take place. These round-table discussions will be organized and conducted by UNESCO’s partner organizations in the field of technical and vocational education. Plenary sessions will be resumed on the fourth morning when theme 6 will be discussed. In the afternoon, interested participants will be taken on a field trip to inspect selected technical and vocational education institutions and industries in Seoul. On the final morning, discussions on the special theme will be followed by a presentation of results and a brief closing ceremony.
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| Working Languages Cultural Events
Sponsorship
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Further Information More detailed information about the Congress may be obtained by contacting: Section for Technical and Phone: (33)(1) 45 68 08 38 E-mail: tve.section@unesco.org World Wide Web:
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suggested
strategies for Member States in further developing technical and vocational education
systems that respond effectively to the economic and social challenges of the early years
of the twenty-first century, and