Global disruptions – including climate change, digitalization, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, demographic change, migration and COVID-19 pandemic – are having an unprecedented impact on our lives, the world of work and the world of learning. The resulting transformations, especially the emergence of new job roles, call for learners to continuously upgrade their knowledge, skills and competences to remain relevant in a rapidly changing labour market. These shifts in turn are changing not only the content and format of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes, but also TVET teaching and training methods (both theoretical and practical).
In recent years, both topics – the future of work and the future of learning – have been widely researched and debated in the context of global disruptions. However, the implications of global disruptions for the future of TVET teaching and learning are yet to be fully unpacked, understood and synthesized into an actionable framework. Existing research suggests that TVET teaching is in many cases not up-to-date, holistic or market-relevant.
However, there is lack evidence on and insight into how TVET teaching and learning can be better organized and TVET teaching staff better supported to deliver the skills demanded in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex labour market. As a first step to developing an actionable framework for improving TVET responsiveness to future skills needs through capacity development of TVET staff, UNESCO-UNEVOC commissioned a study to identify trends shaping the future of TVET teaching and learning. A set of recurring themes emerged during the study. These themes not only led to the identification of 10 trends but also offer guidance on actions that may improve countries’ readiness for TVET teaching and learning of the future. Each of these actions need to be contextualized, at country and sectoral level, but they offer useful insights to improve the existing system.
10 trends point to the global progress made in improving quality of TVET teaching and the remaining challenges in developing future-focused programmes suggested the following actions for improving readiness of TVET Staff:
• National skills forecasting systems need to be developed such as to include communication channels
for disseminating the results. Making results of skills forecasts available to TVET institutions, teaching staff and learners allow for greater alignment between the world of training and local labour market. Most TVET practitioners participating in the survey reported that they rely on mass/social media to obtain information on the changes in world of work. This presents an interesting opportunity to disseminate the results of the skills forecast via online media.
• Mechanisms to regularly assess TVET staff’s skills and further training need to be strengthened. The findings can play a significant role in improving the quality of pre-service, in-service and professional development programmes. These assessments when based on the results of skills forecasts, information and research obtained from the private sector and higher education institutions, and the findings of consultations held with staff significantly improve the quality of teaching and learning. These may be useful in developing/reforming pre-service as well as in-service training programmes for TVET staff, including managers.
• Improve measures to engage the private sector in TVET systems, especially for training TVET staff. Consultation with private sector firms may create reciprocal benefits. Governments and TVET institutions
may evaluate the possibilities and implications of imposing a given length of industry experience as a formal entry requirement for staff positions, either as credit towards or in addition to pre-service training.
• Developing a competency-based system linked to regular career growth encourages TVET staff to engage in continuous training and professional development. Engaging the private sector in training and certification processes raises the relevance, recognition and portability of TVET teaching staff skills and competencies.
• Training on Education for Sustainable Development, entrepreneurship and ICT have to be included in preservice and in-service training programmes. Training focus within these areas must also focus on transversal skills as well as subject-specific theories and concepts, and on pedagogical training aimed at developing learners’ practical and applied skills.
• Including components such as learner-centered pedagogy, transversal skills and inclusive methods improve teaching – learning outcomes. Training programmes developing teachers’ and trainers’ transversal and applied skills, as well as knowledge of educational psychology and labour rights, have far-reaching benefits.
• Strengthen governance and facilitate coordination among partners involved in in-service /pre-service training and professional development. In determining the roles and functions of different partners, both their strengths and constraints should be taken into account. The devices used to facilitate coordination and the frequency of meetings should also reflect these characteristics.
• Develop systems that regularly gather the views of TVET teaching staff, especially in relation to policies concerning their training and professional development. TVET institutions should be responsible for collecting this data and passing it on to governments/ national bodies for aggregation and synthesis into policy
Interested to read more about this research?
Refer UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre’s study Future of TVET Teaching (Click Here to view)
Article by : Ravinder Chanana, CEO, Federation of Education and Skill Development Institutions and Personnel – FESDIP
