TVET infuses a much-needed dose of relevance into education

By contrasting the global education agendas under both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, 2000-15) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, 2015-30), it becomes evident that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and skills development have taken on a more significant role within the SDG frameworks, especially in connection with SDG 4 (quality education).

This pivotal position has led to the allocation of global attention and resources towards TVET and skills development.

The rationale for this transition is lucid and compelling. TVET and skills development have the potential to infuse much-needed relevance into the education systems of most developing countries as they progress beyond the previous Education for All movement which focused on literacy and numeracy.

As we pass the halfway mark towards the Education 2030 agenda, it becomes imperative to reflect on the current status of TVET and skills development and to identify existing gaps and potential solutions as we forge ahead.

International benchmarks for investment in education, particularly from governments, include allocating at least 4-6 per cent of national GDP (gross domestic product) and dedicating at least 15-20 per cent of public expenditure to education. These benchmarks serve as standard guidelines to ensure adequate funding for developing and enhancing education systems worldwide.

The allocation of education budgets across different levels and types of education differs significantly among countries. While some still prioritize basic or compulsory education, both pre-and post-compulsory education stages have emerged as new focal areas for many governments.

This shift highlights the increasing significance of allocating resources to early childhood care and education, as well as to higher education, TVET and skills development. Such commitments can enhance individuals’ right to education and meet the changing demands of the workforce and society.

In addition to increased government investment, rolling out favourable and innovative policies is crucial for incentivizing TVET schools and institutions to tap into human and financial resources from external partners, including the private sector, industry and diverse stakeholders.

Compared to other educational pathways and sub-sectors, TVET and skills development exhibit greater diversity and command a more advantageous position when it comes to mobilizing multiple human and financial resources. This encompasses opportunities such as staff secondment, in-kind contributions, cost-sharing arrangements from external partners, and more.

The social status of TVET programmes, relative to other learning pathways, particularly academic tracks, still requires elevation in numerous countries. These status gaps pose challenges to the recognition and acceptance of TVET programmes, hindering their full potential as a valuable and equally esteemed educational option.

Advocacy can be crucial in raising awareness among parents and students regarding the significance of TVET and skills development. Formulating new narratives based on students’ different aptitudes is critical. It is helpful to acknowledge that while some people excel in abstract academic work, others may thrive in operational skills, and many fall between these two orientations.

Establishing unified national qualifications frameworks that cover academic, professional and vocational learning pathways is essential. By implementing these frameworks, different types of learning programmes can become comparable and transferrable, thereby increasing access and flexibility and preventing potential dead ends in learning.

Elevating the social status of TVET programmes depends, in part, on enhancing career prospects and pay and conditions for their graduates. Equipped with relevant skills and competencies, TVET graduates can confidently pursue fulfilling careers, contributing to societal development and the recognition of TVET as a vital pillar of education.

What kinds of curricula might be most suitable for TVET students remains a topic of debate. Nonetheless, in many instances, TVET curricula emphasize clinic-style courses aimed at developing practical, hands-on skills, especially in the case of lower-level TVET programmes. Such an approach can, of course, effectively increase the immediate relevance of TVET programmes.

However, TVET should not merely nurture hands-on skills but also engage and develop students’ minds and hearts. By embracing a holistic approach, TVET can empower students to achieve well-rounded development, maintain work-life balance, enhance their country’s economic and social progress and cultivate international and global perspectives.

This means a need to formulate holistic learning metrics for TVET students, metrics that cover pre-clinic and clinic-style courses, and to ensure a suitable distribution of learning hours and credits for each course. Such metrics can provide essential frameworks for enhancing the design of TVET programmes and directing course development and delivery.

Such a holistic approach should resonate within national qualifications frameworks, steering their implementation across different academic, professional and occupational fields. Countries currently in the process of crafting qualifications frameworks should accelerate their efforts in this specific direction.

It can be argued that numerous TVET systems have historically operated on a supply-driven basis, underscoring the necessity for enhanced skills forecasting and anticipation mechanisms. This can ensure that TVET programmes align more closely with industry requirements and evolving trends in the job market.

Stakeholder engagement is not a novel concept, as relevant practices have existed for quite some time. Yet, a central challenge lies in the capacity gaps among demand-side stakeholders, who frequently require assistance in clearly and accurately articulating industry and labour market needs.

Demand-side stakeholders must shift from isolated approaches to collaborative endeavours, converging under shared qualifications frameworks to define their skill requirements cohesively. Such concerted efforts can turn skills forecasting and anticipation into well-defined learning outcomes, guiding the formulation of TVET programmes.

Professional bodies are strategically positioned to bridge the gap between the supply and demand sides of TVET systems, spearheading the development of occupational quality standards and ensuring their effective integration in both TVET programme development and course planning processes.

TVET systems must establish strong ties with industries at national, local and institutional levels. The development of TVET systems should not solely be the government’s responsibility; instead, these systems should also be actively shaped and nurtured by the industries they serve.

TVET providers and programmes must connect closely with industries to ensure the efficient supply of skilled human resources. At the same time, industries should actively support TVET systems through collaborative efforts. This includes jointly designing TVET programmes, sharing programme costs, developing infrastructure and participating in shared staffing initiatives, such as secondments and external mentoring programmes.

TVET institutions should position themselves as the training partners of large, medium and small enterprises. They should take the initiative to collaborate on joint training menus, create customized programmes and offer micro-credential courses to reskill and upskill the workforce.

Collective ownership of TVET systems, facilitated by shared pools of human and financial resources from both the supply and demand sides, has the potential to guarantee the quality and relevance of TVET provisions. This can also help address the longstanding challenge of skills mismatch, which is currently prevalent in many countries.

TVET systems must go beyond merely producing job seekers for diverse industries; they should also cultivate entrepreneurship skills, equipping their graduates to become job creators. Within the realm of TVET, promoting entrepreneurship carries even greater significance than in other types of education.

As the Trincomalee Declaration – the outcome document issued at the seventh UNESCO-APEID Meeting on Entrepreneurship Education in 2018 – states: “Entrepreneurship is related to a series of qualities and attributes that are the results of relevant knowledge, skills, competencies, values and attitudes. They can be nurtured and developed through different levels of education.”

In keeping with this critically important declaration, TVET institutions should consider incorporating entrepreneurship-related qualities and attributes directly into the curricula of multiple TVET programmes alongside supplementary extracurricular and outreach initiatives.

TVET institutions should also adopt an entrepreneurial approach to their institutional governance and management, which fosters collaborations with external partners to develop an ecosystem conducive to entrepreneurship among faculty members and students.

To ensure the nurturing and development of every innovative idea, sustainable and supportive financing mechanisms, such as angel funds and venture capital, should be leveraged, providing a robust foundation for continual growth and success.

In conclusion, within the context of SDG 4, TVET and skills development have become central themes, prompting governments, international educational communities and stakeholders to amplify their financial and professional support for advancing TVET policies and practices.

To revitalize TVET and skills development, it is crucial to enhance public and private investment in TVET while simultaneously elevating the social status of TVET programmes. Moreover, there is a need to foster holistic development among TVET students, empower stakeholders on the demand side, establish alignments with industries and cultivate an entrepreneurial culture among TVET students to drive future job creation.

This article is reprinted and lightly adapted from the original version first published on University World News on 17 February 2024.

#TVET #EntrepreneurshipEducation