| The Second International Congress
on Technical and Vocational Education was held by UNESCO in cooperation
with the Government of the Republic of Korea in Seoul from 26-30 April 1999.
Its objective was to provide UNESCO's Member States with a forum to discuss
the renovation of national technical and vocational education (TVE) policy
to address the employment and other socio-economic challenges of the early
years of the twenty-first century. More than 700 representatives, 39 of
whom were Ministers and Vice-Ministers of Education or Vocational Education,
from 130 countries, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations,
foundations and industries met to determine how TVE should adapt to the
technological developments and social phenomena likely to characterize this
era. Their deliberations in plenary sessions, commissions and roundtables
were crystallized into a set of recommendations entitled Technical and Vocational
Education and Training: A Vision for the Twenty-first Century. These recommendations
are presented in the following pages clustered under the six themes of the
Congress. They are addressed primarily to the Director-General of UNESCO
to enable him to design the Organization's programme actions in TVE for
the year 2000 and beyond in line with the needs of its Member States. Nevertheless,
they have equal relevance for national and institutional initiatives designed
to revitalize TVE programmes for the next decade. The recommendations generated
by the Second International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education
are being distributed by UNESCO for the benefit of its Member States. National
policy- and decision-makers are encouraged to use them as resource material
in framing TVE policy and implementing programmes. This material maybe reproduced
without restriction provided its source is acknowledged. |