Qualification pathways: moving women forward

Expanding womens access to TVET qualifications, decent work and learning opportunities Belinda Smith, TVET Specialist

The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.

Constraints to womens access to TVET and related employment

Limited access to education and training (low social value attached to girls education) Women considered as secondary income earners Limited time available to devote to training and economic activities (due to child rearing, family duties) Little access to resources, income, benefits Patterns of contracting, employment and progression Lack of control over activities and income Disability and rural locations Occupational segregation TVET entry requirements and qualifications systems not recognizing skills gained in different forums

Key TVET Policy Challenge

In many countries, the links between vocational and academic and post-secondary TVET are often weakly articulated due to the absence of pathways and transfer across study programs at the same level and transitions to higher levels Implication for Women: This is crucially important to women as they move in and out of the workforce, or in and out of the formal and informal economy, often missing opportunities to gain recognised skills along the way

Contemporary TVET systems

Mechanisms that guide the quality, consistency and relevancy of TVET to employers, workers and students Competency or Skills Standards National Qualification Frameworks Quality Assurance Frameworks

Countries in region with National Qualification Frameworks

Existing NQFs Sri Lanka, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand (HE). Developing NQFs India, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Laos, Cambodia Along with moves to develop an ASEAN wide regional qualifications framework

National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs)

NQFs are more than just classification systems. They:
strengthen the links and coherence between qualifications accommodate vertical and horizontal pathways identify articulation arrangements to support lifelong learning improve the consistency of the complexity of content amongst qualifications

Important Areas to Focus:

Qualification Development (qualification packaging rules) and Pathways; Workplace Learning within a Qualifications Framework; and Recognition of Current Competency (RCC) or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Qualification Development Traditional

A traditional TVET qualification may : have an entry requirement of Grade 8 attainment in general education require 1 to 2 years of study in a TVET institution Implication For Women: This sets up a number of barriers for women, the first being the entry requirement, the second being the length of time it takes to complete a qualification, given the direct and indirect costs of education and training and girls and womens intermittent labour force participation.

Qualification Development Contemporary

Contemporary TVET qualification system is based on industry needs: Skill standards and knowledge required for particular job roles Entry level requirement based on skills vs. educational attainment Less emphasis on time served and more on skills and knowledge gained Career movement through the sector to determine horizontal and higher level qualifications Implication for Women: Packaging rules that focus on what is required in specific jobs help reduce barriers for women. Qualifications based on industry needs has meaningful qualification pathways or career pathways. This is particularly important for women who are often concentrated in low paid positions with no obvious chance of career progression

Career Progression

Domestic worker qualifications pathways Vertical Pathways

Horizontal Pathways - A road less travelled

There is a lack of research examining horizontal pathways and labour mobility across industry sectors
A recent Australian study* found younger age groups and those with higher-level qualifications are more mobile around 30% people completing TVET qualification change occupations, industry sector or both within six months of finishing their studies individuals with TVET qualifications who change their occupation but stay in the same industry sector have the best employment prospects
Mavromaras, K., Mahuteau, S., Wei, Z., (2013). Labour mobility and vocational education and training in Australia. NCVER. Adelaide, Australia

Non-traditional Pathways
A qualifications framework cannot counter social and cultural barriers to women entering non-traditional work independent of other policies and strategies New industry sectors /job roles Renewable energy renewable energy generator technicians
Mobile phone towers the second largest consumer of diesel in India now installing RE generators and training women to maintain Women solar technicians and entrepreneurs in Bangladesh

Provision for workplace learning Provision for RPL

How to engage women in non-traditional TVET

A supportive environment, teachers, facilities, childcare, flexible delivery, role models Teachers, trainers and support staff are sensitized to gender issues Prominently featuring women in promotional material for courses Career/course guidance counselors understand the implications of career segregation Critical mass of women students to provide supportive environment or working with students to remove stereotypes Learning resource examples and visuals that include women and women friendly references Assessment events that are gender neutral Setting accountable gender targets

How to engage employers in non-traditional TVET for women

Explain the skills the women have learnt and industry involvement in setting the standards for these skills so women are valued and not seen as tea makers Provide follow-up support to women graduates once they gain employment Identifying role models or mentors in the workplace Have more than 1 female student in 1 workplace if possible Offer recruitment services to industry of women graduates Provide incentives for employers to support women in apprenticeship, workplace learning programs and employment

Workplace Learning
Linkages with employment is the single most important factor in training success (ADB, 2009)

Conceptual, work practice and administrative changes are required before workplace learning is successfully imbedded in TVET systems. These shifts include:
Government moving from a provider of TVET to a regulator, through safeguarding the quality of training and ensuring decent work, and developing cooperative arrangements with non-government bodies. Teachers shifting from being providers of all knowledge to being facilitators of learning in the classroom, workshop or workplace Assessors ensuring they dont discriminate against individuals who learn in the workplace by creating additional assessment hurdles Workplace-based training including quality assurance mechanisms to not only meet qualification requirements but also to safeguard students from potential exploitation and poor quality education

Recognition of Prior Learning and Recognition of Current Competency

Qualifications are modular rather than curriculum-based Flexibility in elective choices or combinations of modules to offer the widest range of relevance to the workplace If industry recognizes a qualification based on an RPL process, the qualifications will be recognised as equally valid as those received from formal TVET training RPL is recognised as a powerful and empowering tool that has a key role to play in supporting lifelong learning While RPL is seen as a significant catalyst to accessing formal education, it is often criticised for being difficult to access and implement. A robust quality assurance process , transparency in the RPL application and assessment process, management oversight, and auditing of RPL processes are critical to make it work.

Gender and socially inclusive NQF design

Minimum levels of attainment for entry should be balanced with pre-vocational pathways Modules or competencies attained for entry into higher levels Equal value on skills gained in the workplace and those gained in institution Minimum restrictions on movement amongst qualifications horizontal and vertical pathways Recognition of Current Competency or Recognition of Prior Learning available to women Qualifications that mirror jobs in industry Qualifications attractive to women included or prioritized

Thank you
for listening