ADB International Consultatitve Forum 12-13 December 2011, Manila

Skills for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Asia-Pacific

Contribution of: Dr. Harry Stolte, GIZ, Team Leader Human Capacity Development in TVET / UNEVOC Centre Magdeburg

Titel / Subject of contribution: Demand Orientation of TVET to address employability and inclusion and its implication for training of trainers" Abstract: The purpose of TVET is to provide relevant knowledge, skills and competencies for employment and income generation. TVET quality can be viewed in terms of inputs, processes, and outputs. Entering trainees and and teaching staff are critical inputs. The level of skills and knowledge of teachers and work-based instructors is a key determinant of the quality of any countrys system of education and training. Inadequate numbers and qualifications of instructors are principal factors responsible for lowquality instruction. This applies especially to the lack of industrial experience of trainers.
(ADB 2020 strategy)

Actually in the global context expectations against TVET at least to be addressed by TVET teachers and instructors become more and more complex and interlinked within dimensions, and driven by factors, as - Technological transformation - Intensified global competition - Trade liberalization / new international dicision of labor - Increased investment by multinational companies on jobs - Financial openness and employment - Politics and policies state and markets (ILO) actually accompanied by influences, as - Climate Change - Demographic Change With that background the term of lifelong learning becomes more and more relevant for the area of TVET and workforce training and development combined with a permanent pressure to adjust TVET on changing requirements of labour markets. That lead to a more intensive interrelationship between initial training, further training, formal and informal learning etc. Relevant international agencies and institutions acknowledge and state, that TVET teachers, trainers and instructors play an important and crucial role to orient TVET on demand of economy and labour markets with objective to address employability and inclusion of people, as for example: European Union: - request access for people in different life situations facilitating skills development and career changes as well as adequate support for those at a disadvantage - demands high quality training focused on work-based learning adapted to individual needs - underlines the evolving roles of teachers and trainers and ask for the development of a competence framework for teachers/trainers
(EU's new impetus for TVET cooperation to support EU 2020 strategy)

OECD: - demands to provide appropriate pedagogical and other preparation for trainers - propose to encourage interchange and partnership between TVET institutions and industry, so that vocational teachers and trainers spend time in industry to update their knowledge,

and vocational trainers in firms spend some time in TVET institutions to enhance their pedagogical skills - ask to adopt standardised national assessment frameworks to underpin quality and consistency in training provision
(Teachers and trainers: OECD recommendation)

UNESCO: - orient on articulation between general and technical secondary education, links to the labour market and qualification frameworks for formal and non-formal education
(UNESCO's TVET Strategy)

In international context there exist following main models / variants of education and training for TVET teachers, trainers and instructors: - the "teacher model" with an emphasis on pedagogics and didactics - the "engineer model" with an emphasis on disciplines of science and less pedagogy - the "occupational science model" which integrates a knowledge-based understanding of technology, work processes an didactics. At some universities occupational specific content is basically derived from the corrsponding engineering curricula (the engineering model), whereas at a number of universities the occupational specific content is based on the idea of exploring the specific knowledge which is inherent to work processes on the level of skilled work, so called work-process knowledge. There is no scientific academic discipline behind this "occupational area" perspective it is a study field which requires continuous empirical research and theoretical constructs to be able to follow changes in technology, work processes and developments in work organisation in companies, and on this basis analyse the impact of these changes on new competencies / qualifications required of skilled workers in production. As an outcome of the "UNESCO International Meeting on Innovation and Excellence in TVET Teacher Education" 2004 in Hangzhou an "International framework curriculum for a master degree for TVET teachers and lecturers" was elaborated. This international framework curriculum aims to define a set of quality criteria of teaching and lecturing professional in initial and further education and training. As important background and demands for the development of an international framework curriculum arguments were stressed, as - economic processes have been increasingly developed globalized by existence of common binding product and process standards - international co-operation inside multinational enterprises and between global acting companies advances to a key issue of sustainable economic success. In that regard the professionalization of TVET actors is of crucial importance for the proactive development between workforce training and the innovation processes and application and implementation of the resulting ideas from the development process.
(UNESCO, Hangzhou Meeting 2004)

GIZ, UNEVOC Centre Magdeburg, Germany realized a pilot implementation of the "International framework curriculum for a master degree for TVET teachers and lecturers" in cooperation with Magdeburg University and by involving some universities in China and Vietnam within a so called "International Leadership Training for TVET Master Trainers". With view on an enormous existing and increasing demand in terms of quantity and quality of Capacity Development for TVET teachers, trainers and instructors with objective of demand orientation of TVET to address employability and inclusion it seems to be recommendable to establish a structured and systematic approach by using instruments of Human Capacity Development (HCD). In a sense of a "Global TVET Academy / Global Capacity Development Network" as cooperation framework of interested actors could open opportunities for needed improvement of TVET managers, teachers, trainers and instructors.