Key highlights of the UNESCO-UNEVOC TVET Learning Forum At the international conference in Tangshan in 2017, UNESCO put a spotlight on the factors shaping the future technical and vocational education and training (TVET) landscape. These included shifts in the development paradigm towards sustainable development, and changes in demography, economic trends, the labour market and migration patterns.

Organized with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and in collaboration with the German National Commission for UNESCO and partners from the Inter-Agency Group on TVET and WorldSkills Internation, UNESCO-UNEVOC’s TVET Learning Forum on ‘Managing skills in times of disruption’ convened over 100 participants representing all sectors of the TVET community, including centres from the UNEVOC Network, from all five regions of the world.

The following report presents highlights of UNESCO-UNEVOC's TVET Learning Forum.

Virtual conference report: UNESCO-UNEVOC TVeT Forum, 16 to 24 July 2018. The virtual conference on ‘Improving the image of TVET’ was organized on the occasion of the 2018 World Youth Skills Day. UNESCO-UNEVOC follows the United Nations’ stride in celebrating World Youth Skills Day every year on 15 July, which raises awareness about the importance of youth skills development.

While the importance of TVET is increasingly recognized in international discourse and policies, the image of TVET can be quite challenging when compared with other educational pathways such as higher, academic education. Even in countries where there is a high-quality TVET system, initial enrollment in TVET is declining and many students continue to prefer to go to follow the academic education track as their first choice. The low image of TVET is therefore a universal concern.

There are multi-dimensional reasons influencing the image of TVET: poor quality, weak linkages with stakeholders particularly the industries, social stigma, cultural barriers, and a lack of qualified and competent teachers all contribute to the image of TVET. In order to understand these multidimensional factors in a deeper way, UNESCO-UNEVOC organized a virtual conference on ‘Improving the image of TVET’. Participants explored the varying and similar reasons behind the image of TVET in their countries, whilst emphasizing the responsibilities of all stakeholders, from the government to the community, to address this universal concern.

Resultados clave del Foro Formativo de la EFTP UNESCO-UNEVOC.

En la conferencia internacional de Tangshan celebrada en 2017 para examinar el progreso registrado en la EFTP desde el Tercer Congreso Internacional de Shanghái (2012), la UNESCO llamó la atención sobre los factores que van a configurar el futuro horizonte de la educación y formación técnica y profesional (EFTP), como la transformación del paradigma económico hacia el desarrollo sostenible, los cambios en tendencias demográficas, económicas, en el mercado de empleo y en los patrones de migración.

Organizado con apoyo del Ministerio Federal alemán de Educación e Investigaciones (siglas en alemán BMBF) y del Ministerio Federal de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (siglas en alemán BMZ), y con colaboración de la Comisión Nacional Alemana para la UNESCO y los socios Grupo Inter-agencias para la EFTP y WorldSkills International, este Foro Formativode la EFTP UNESCO-UNEVOC titulado “Gestión de competencias en la era del cambio” atrajo a más de 100 participantes de todos los sectores de la comunidad EFTP, entre ellos centros de la Red UNEVOC Network de las cinco regiones del planeta.

En el siguiente informe se presentan los aspectos más destacados del Foro de Aprendizaje sobre EFTP de UNESCO-UNEVOC.

Les points marquants du Forum d’apprentissage de l’EFTP de l’UNESCO-UNEVOC.

À la conférence internationale organisée à Tangshan en 2017 en vue d’évaluer les progrès réalisés depuis le troisième Congrès international sur l’EFTP qui s’est tenu Shanghai (2012), l’UNESCO a mis l’accent sur les facteurs appelés à aménager à l’avenir le paysage de l’enseignement et de la formation techniques et professionnels (EFTP). Parmi ceux-ci figuraient des changements du paradigme de développement orientés sur la durabilité, de même que des changements au niveau de la démographie, des tendances économiques, du marché du travail et des schémas migratoires.

Organisé avec le soutien du Ministère fédéral allemand de l’éducation et de la recherche (BMBF) et du Ministère fédéral de la coopération économique et du développement (BMZ) et en collaboration avec la Commission nationale pour l’UNESCO de l’Allemagne et des partenaires du Groupe inter-agences sur l’EFTP et WorldSkills International, le Forum d’apprentissage de l’EFTP de l’UNESCO-UNEVOC «Gérer les compétences en période de disruption» a rassemblé plus d’une centaine de participants représentant tous les secteurs de la communauté de l’EFTP, dont des Centres faisant partie du Réseau UNEVOC dans les cinq régions du monde.

Le rapport suivant présente les points marquants du Forum d'apprentissage sur l'EFTP de l'UNESCO-UNEVOC.

Insights from PISA

Teachers are the most important resource in today’s schools. In every country, teachers’ salaries and training represent the greatest share of expenditure in education. And this investment in teachers can have significant returns: research shows that being taught by the best teachers can make a real difference in the learning and life outcomes of otherwise similar students. Teachers, in other words, are not interchangeable workers in some sort of industrial assembly line; individual teachers can change lives – and better teachers are crucial to improving the education that schools provide. Improving the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of schooling depends, in large measure, on ensuring that competent people want to work as teachers, that their teaching is of high quality and that high-quality teaching is provided to all students. This report, building on data from the Indicators of Education Systems (INES) programme, the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), explores three teacher-policy questions: How do the best-performing countries select, develop, evaluate and compensate teachers? How does teacher sorting across schools affect the equity of education systems? And how can countries attract and retain talented men and women to teaching?

One of a series of studies on vocational education and training, this review assesses the apprenticeship system and vocational education and training in Israel and provides policy recommendations. Israel has experienced strong economic growth over the last decade, and labour shortages are observed in many sectors and occupations. At the same time, inequity and disadvantage in some population groups are rising.

This report suggests several ways in which Israel might reform its vocational and apprenticeship programmes so that they effectively support the Israeli economy by providing the skills in demand on the labour market, and improve life chances and social mobility of individuals. The report argues for an expansion and integration of apprenticeship programmes into the mainstream upper secondary system, and development of systematic work-based learning placements in selected school-based vocational programmes.

Currently vocational education and training in Israel is fragmented and students and employers often find it difficult to navigate. To address this challenge, the report recommends creating a single strategic body that will plan and guide policy development on vocational education and training, and champion it within government. A relatively large share of adults in Israel has low basic skills, particularly among Arab Israelis and Haredi Jews. Addressing basic skills weaknesses in these populations should be a priority.

https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264302051-en

Taking the students’ perspective, 'Education Policy Outlook 2018: Putting Student Learning at the Centre' analyses the evolution of key education priorities and key education policies in 43 education systems. It compares more recent developments in education policy ecosystems (mainly between 2015 and 2017) with various education policies adopted between 2008 and 2014.

This report includes around 200 policies spanning from early childhood education and care (ECEC) to higher education and lifelong learning on topics such as: improving the quality and access to ECEC, promoting education success for all students, reducing the negative impact of some system-level policies and practices, increasing completion of upper secondary education, developing quality vocational education and training, enhancing the quality of tertiary education, supporting transitions across education pathways and the labour market.

This discussion paper, part of McKinsey’s ongoing research on the impact of technology on the economy, business and society, presents new findings on the coming shift in demand for workforce skills and how work is organised within companies, as people increasingly interact with machines in the workplace. McKinsey quantified time spent on 25 core workplace skills today and in the future for the United States and five European countries, with a particular focus on five sectors: banking and insurance, energy and mining, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail.

This report is part of a series of country projects within the OECD programme of work on “Building effective national and local skills strategies”. Italy needs to take prompt action to bolster growth and improve people’s skills across the country. As our economies adapt to globalisation, technological and demographic change, the demand for new and higher levels of skills increases. Yet Italy is struggling more than other advanced economies to meet these changing demands. Italy has launched a number of ambitious reforms to boost growth. But the reforms need to fully implement to ensure that schools, universities and workplaces equip all Italians with the skills needed for success in the economy and society. The OECD Skills Strategy Diagnostic Report makes a number of recommendations that will help sustain this positive momentum including, among others, to:

- Implement the Alternanza Scuola Lavoro (ASL) by training school principals and teachers to effectively engage employers in the design of work-based learning activities and increase incentives for firms to hire trainees.
- Expand and improve the quality of professional tertiary education institutions (ITS).
- Increase overall investment in tertiary education.
- Subsidise training programmes that target low-skilled adults who often face difficulties in accessing such opportunities.
- Increase public and private investment in skills and improve how they are allocated through monitoring and evaluation.
- Improve the governance system to ensure that skills polices are aligned and coordinated.