10 Trends That Characterize High-Quality, Future Focused Skill Development Training

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everyday lives. Demographic shifts and migration of human lives has forced us to look into the unprecedented impacts on the world of work and the world of learning. The change in locus of work centers, the emergence of new job roles and change in demand and supply of products and services is observed. It resulted in the closure of education and skill development (also called VET / TVET) institutions and influenced the continuation of training. Many institutions quickly switched to online and distance learning modes. However, the preparedness of TVET staff was a major concern.

As a global disruption, workforce requires to upgrade their knowledge, skills and competencies continuously to remain relevant in a rapidly changing labour market. It has generated the need to Skill, Re-Skill and Up-Skill. The COVID-19 pandemic reaffirmed assumptions about the future training needs of TVET staff and to the  need to prepare them to use ICT/ digital learning tools, and to teach about entrepreneurial learning and sustainable development, including green economies. These shifts in turn are driving changes to not only the content and format of TVET programmes, but also TVET teaching and training methods (both theoretical and practical).

Fortunately, trends mapping study on ‘The future of TVET teaching’ by the UNESCO-UNEVOC completed in the April 2020, the time when whole world is struggling with the pandemic effects. The study highlights the skills needed in the 21st century and beyond.

Based on the collaborative effort and reflects the contributions of experts from governments, institutions and practitioners, as well as from members of the UNEVOC Network, TVeT Forum and partner institutions, the study identified 10 forward-looking trends that characterize high-quality, future focused TVET systems which support TVET teaching staff in delivering the skills required for the future of work and learning.

Trend 1 addresses the changing nature of work, Trends 2 to 8 examine key aspects of the quality training and support required by TVET teaching staff and Trend 9 and 10 highlight the characteristics of future-focused TVET systems.

Trend 1: As digitalization and automation are changing the world of work, demand for transversal and applied skills are most likely to grow in next 10 years.

The spread of new technologies and other changes taking place in the world of work are redefining what skills workers need to remain productive. While traditional skills will continue to play an important role in the future, new skills in emerging areas, transversal skills such as problem-solving, and cross-occupational competencies in areas such as entrepreneurship, will be  demanded more frequently.

Trend 2: Future-focused TVET systems value industry experience and exposure as part of pre-service
training.

Quality pre-service training not only builds teachers’ and trainers’ professional skills but also enables
reforms to take place. However, pre-service training can no longer be a time bound academic course leading to a qualification. To provide TVET teaching staff with the practical skills and knowledge needed to prepare learners for the future, pre-service training must include industry experience or industry exposure. TVET teachers/ trainers also need grounding in active, learner-centred pedagogy to build learners’ cross-curricular skills and cross-occupational competencies.

Trend 3: TVET of the future relies on private sector as essential partner within in-service and Continuing Professional Development – CPD curriculum.

The private sector has core roles to play in both delivering TVET teaching staff training and creating
value for it by certifying teachers’ and trainers’ skills and competencies. However, to engage the private sector in a practical and sustainable way, TVET teaching staff training must be aligned with the private sector’s own interests. Examples of delivery models that could bring about such an integration include use of live industry projects and secondment of industry practitioners to training institutes as part of their career growth. Donors and higher education institutions also play important roles in increasing access to and enhancing the relevance of TVET teaching staff training.

Trend 4: Effective stakeholder coordination is seen as a mechanism to improve coordination and quality of training and professional development of TVET staff.

Effective governance mechanisms enable coordinated action by public and private stakeholders across different levels (international, national, regional/local and sectoral) in objective setting, implementation, monitoring and review. However, stakeholder cooperation will only take place in a constructive and sustained manner if stakeholders understand each other’s views and constraints and plan initiatives in a manner aligned with all of their interests.

Trend 5: High-quality in-service training focuses on industry exposure, transversal and applied skills, and pedagogy as much as content.

The curricula used to train TVET teaching staff must be regularly updated to take into account the skills of the future. Transversal and applied skills such as problem-solving and collaboration need to be integral to curricula, and teachers and trainers need grounding in learner-centred pedagogy as much as content to build learners’ practical and applied skills. The mode of delivery needs to incorporate industry exposure
to develop teachers’ and trainers’ own practical skills and knowledge. Industry projects as part of training could be a powerful means of providing this.

Trend 6: Responsive TVET systems ensure that TVET staff receive adequate training in gender responsive and inclusive methods.

To minimise the impacts of global disruptions on disadvantaged and vulnerable learners, TVET teaching staff require training in inclusive methods. They need to know how to deliver TVET using alternative (e.g., digital) formats and how to implement gender responsive/inclusive pedagogy, manage cultural/ linguistic diversity and teach students with special needs. They also need training in educational psychology and
labour rights to build learners’ resilience and ability to cope in an increasingly competitive environment.

Trend 7: Linking in-service training to career progression increases the TVET staffs openness to
adopting new methods of teaching and learning.

Continuous professional development enables TVET teaching staff to keep up to date with new developments in their subject field and the world of work. It is especially important in a rapidly changing labour market, where skills requirements change regularly. To overcome teachers’ and trainers’ reluctance to undergo in-service training, long-term future-oriented incentives are needed. Certification of teaching staff competencies linked to career progression can create a pull for in-service training.

Trend 8: Mechanisms to engage TVET teaching staff are vital for aligning TVET systems to future skills needs.

TVET teaching staff, as the frontline of TVET delivery systems, have the most complete knowledge of
the impacts of policies on TVET learners, as well as what training and support they themselves need to do their jobs and fulfil their career aspirations.

Trend 9: Collection and dissemination of data on emerging skills for planning is becoming critical for
future-oriented TVET programmes.

TVET systems need accurate and continuously updated information on what these skills requirements are. Data must be regularly gathered and systematically disseminated to TVET institutions and teaching staff. The most important source of information on current and evolving skills needs is the private sector, so TVET systems should actively engage the private sector in their data-gathering exercises.

Trend 10: Results of skills assessment are being used to develop in-service and not so much to reform preservice training.

The demands on TVET teaching staff are growing. Teacher and trainers are now expected to possess future-oriented skills, be self-directed learners, and be sensitive and inclusive with regards to gender,
cultural and learning differences and social disadvantage. To fulfil these high expectations, TVET teaching staff need strong training and support. Future-focused TVET systems have frameworks in place to deliver pre-service and in-service training, regularly assess teaching staff’s skills and training needs, and develop or reform training programmes based on these assessments.

TVET teaching staff should therefore be regularly consulted on the decisions that affect them. Strong communication channels between governments, TVET institutions and teaching staff can also lead to more effective policies and improve the responsiveness of TVET systems to evolving skills requirements.

Reference : UNESCO – UNEVOC study on The Future of TVET Teaching (Click to read)

Shared by : Ravinder Chanana, CEO, Federation of Education and Skills Development Institutions and Personnel – FESDIP

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