Organisation:	Moustafa Wahba (TVET consultant), Egypt
Source:	TVET glossary MW (2013)
Description:	The Egyptian TVET expert Moustafa Wahba developed a glossary based on his own experience as a consultant in TVET. Moustafa Wahba (UNEVOC e-Forum)

Organisation:	Ministry of Labour, VTC, Department of statistics, national Centre of Human Resources, Jordan
Source:	Glossary of selected Terminology: The labour market And vocational education and training Occupational safety and health The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (2005 - Not available online)
Description:	Glossary requested by the Ministry of labour of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – as part of its activities to foster capacity building. It was assisted in this task by the International Training Centre(ILO, Turin). The International Training Centre worked in collaboration with the local expert Ahmed Mustafa. The expert was responsible for the coordination of the project, ensuring constant communication and collaboration between the concerned authorities in Jordan, especially the following: -Ministry of labour. -VTC(Vocational training centers). -Department of statistics. -National Centre for human resources development/Al Manar-information system project development human resources (Adapted translation of the glossary's introduction)

Organisation:	UNESCO institute for statistics, Global
Source:	ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education 2011) (2011)
Description:	The ISCED 2011 classification was adopted by the UNESCO General Conference at its 36th session in November 2011.Initially developed by UNESCO in the 1970s, and first revised in 1997, the ISCED classification serves as an instrument to compile and present education statistics both nationally and internationally. UIS

Conditions, circumstances or requirements (e.g. qualification, education level, skills or work experience, etc.) governing admittance to and participation in education and training institutions or programs.
Source: CEDEFOP 2008, Europe

Education specifically targeting individuals who are regarded as adults by the society to which they belong to improve their technical or professional qualifications, further develop their abilities, enrich their knowledge with the purpose to complete a level of formal education, or to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies in a new field or to refresh or update their knowledge in a particular field. This also includes what may be referred to as ‘continuing education’, ‘recurrent education’ or ‘second chance education’.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2013, UN

General or vocational education provided for adults after initial education and training for professional and/or personal purposes, and which aims to:
– provide general education for adults in topics of particular interest to them (e. g. in open universities);
– provide compensatory learning in basic skills which individuals may not have acquired earlier in their initial education or training (such as literacy, numeracy) and thus to;
– give access to qualifications not gained, for various reasons, in the initial education and training system;
– acquire, improve or update knowledge, skills or competences in a specific field: this is continuing education and training.
Source: CEDEFOP 2008, Europe

Education programs designed for adults, often incorporating approaches to education which draw on the learner's life or work experiences, involve learners in planning the learning activities and encourage learning in groups as well as more self-directed learning.
Source: NCVER 2013, Australia

Education programmes designed for adults that incorporate approaches drawing on the learners’ life and work experience.
Source: ILO 2006, UN

This denotes all forms of non-vocational adult learning, whether of a formal, non-formal or informal nature.
Source: EU Commission LLP 2007-2013, Europe

The entire body of organized educational processes, whatever the content, level and method, whether formal or otherwise, whether they prolong or replace initial education in schools, colleges and universities as well as in apprenticeship, whereby persons regarded as adults by the society to which they belong, improve their technical or professional qualifications, further develop their abilities, enrich their knowledge with the purpose:
Source: UNESCO UIS (ISCED) 1997, UN

Education provided for adults, often intended for general education rather than vocational education.
Source: Ministry of Labour 2005, Jordan

The whole range of educational activities, taking place in various settings, that aim to meet basic learning needs as defined in the World Declaration on Education for All (Jomtien, Thailand, 1990). According to ISCED standard, basic education comprises primary education (first stage of basic education) and lower secondary education (second stage). It also covers a wide variety of non-formal and informal public and private activities intended to meet the basic learning needs of people of all ages.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2013, UN

Education and training that takes place in primary and secondary schools, as well as in adult education and training centres.
Source: SAQA 2013, South Africa

Similar to ‘basic skills’ or literacy and numeracy, but suggesting a primary focus on education, and a broad curriculum rather than literacy and numeracy as skills.
Source: EU Commission AL 2010, Europe

Socioeconomic added value of education and training.
Source: CEDEFOP 2014, Europe

Educational program conducted in secondary schools to give students informed guidance, counselling and instruction to enable them to make a suitable career choice and to help them prepare for it.
Source: NCVER 2013, Australia

Education programmes which are community-based and community-directed and intended primarily for the members of the local community.(Definition also used by the government of Queensland)
Source: Wahba 2013, Egypt

Competency-based education (CBE) is built on the philosophy that "almost all learners can learn equally well if they receive the kind of instructors they need".[...] Although technical vocational education has always been concerned with the practical demonstration of the skill, CBE places a new and systematic emphasis on this principle. In this approach, the systematic development and delivery of the training is guided by five essential elements:

(i) The tasks to be taught are identified by the experts in the occupation.
(ii) The programme allows each learner to have the opportunity to develop and to be evaluated on the competencies achieved
(iii) Assessment of competency is not only based on knowledge and attitude but primarily on the actual demonstration of the competency
(iv) Occupational standards or unit competency standards should be used as the basis for assessing achievement and students/trainees should be aware of them
(v) Students progress through the programme by demonstrating the attainment of specified competencies
[...]
Source: NCTVET 2006, Jamaica

The number of years or age span during which children are legally obliged to attend school.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2013, UN

The minimal legal standards and duration of obligatory schooling.
Source: CEDEFOP 2008, Europe

Education which individuals are required by law to undertake (i.e 10 years of general education ).
Source: Ministry of Labour 2005, Jordan

Educational programmes or services offered by business and industry, either in-house or cooperatively with a TVET Institution.(Definition also used by Queensland government)
Source: Wahba 2013, Egypt

Education or training programs provided for persons in correctional institutions, especially as part of rehabilitation programs.
Source: NCVER 2013, Australia

Education and training imparted at a distance through communication media: books, radio, TV, telephone, correspondence, computer or video.
Source: CEDEFOP 2008, Europe

A mode of education in which students enrolled in a course do not attend the institution, but study off-campus and may submit assignments by mail or email(also be referred to as: Distance study or Distance learning).
Source: UNEVOC/NCVER 2009

The delivery of learning or training to those who are separated mostly by time and space from those who are teaching or training. The teaching is done with a variety of "mediating processes"* used to transmit content, to provide tuition and to conduct assessment or measure outcomes.
Source: COL 2003, Common Wealth

Distance education describes a set of teaching and learning strategies (or educational methods) that can be used to overcome spatial and temporal separation between educators and students. These strategies or methods can be integrated into any educational programme and potentially used in combination with other teaching and learning strategies in the provision of education (including with strategies that demand that students and educators be together at the same time and/or place).
Source: UNESCO/COL 2011

Distance Education is a mode of teaching and learning characterized by separation of teacher and learner in time and/or place for most part of the educational transaction, mediated by technology for delivery of learning content with possibility of face-to-face interaction for learner teacher and learner-learner interaction, provision of two-way didactic communication, and acceptance of industrial process for division of labour, and economies of scale.
Source: COL 2015, Common Wealth

(also simply Dropout) Withdrawal from an education or training programme before its completion. Comments: (a) this term designates both the process (early school leaving) and the persons (early school leavers) who fail to complete a course; (b) besides early school leavers, dropouts may also include learners who have completed education or training but failed the examinations.
Source: CEDEFOP 2008, Europe

The Education for All movement is a global commitment to provide quality basic education for all children, youth and adults. The movement was launched at the World Conference on Education for All in 1990 by UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank. Participants endorsed an 'expanded vision of learning' and pledged to universalize primary education and massively reduce illiteracy by the end of the decade 2005-2015. Ten years later, with many countries far from having reached this goal, the international community met again in Dakar, Senegal, and affirmed their commitment to achieving Education for All. They identified six key education goals which aim to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015:

Goal 1: Expand early childhood care and education
Goal 2: Provide free and compulsory primary education for all
Goal 3: Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults
Goal 4: Increase adult literacy by 50 per cent
Goal 5: Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 2015
Goal 6: Improve the quality of education

TVET particularly contributes to EFA goals 3 and 6 as they relate to life skills. As the lead agency, UNESCO has been mandated to coordinate the international efforts to reach Education for All. Governments, development agencies, civil society, non-government organizations and the media are but some of the partners working toward reaching these goals.
Source: UNESCO 2014, UN

People in every country of the world must plan for, cope with, and find solutions to issues that threaten the sustainability of our planet. Involving the three spheres of environment, society and economy, education for sustainable development (ESD) can assist people to understand and address the global issues that affect the sustainability of communities and nations.
Source: UNEVOC community

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is not a particular programme or project, but is rather an umbrella for many forms of education that already exist, and new ones that remain to be created. ESD promotes efforts to rethink educational programmes and systems (both methods and contents) that currently support unsustainable societies. ESD affects all components of education: legislation, policy, finance, curriculum, instruction, learning, assessment, etc. ESD calls for lifelong learning and recognizes the fact that the educational needs of people change over their lifetime. Many individuals and organizations around the world already implement ESD (e.g. a teacher weaving sustainability themes into primary education using participatory methods; a community development worker raising people’s awareness on rights which are denied to them; or a public health worker training people to draw water from clean sources). There are many programmes using an ESD approach to learning which is critical for achieving sustainability.
Source: UNESCO 2014, UN

Organisation that provides education, either as a main or ancillary objective. This can be a public educational institution as well as a private enterprise, non-governmental organization or non-educational public body.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2011, UN

Relationship between students, educational institutions and industry.
Source: UNEVOC/NCVER 2009

Relationship between educational programmes or courses of study and status or opportunities in the workforce
Source: UNEVOC/NCVER 2009

Established institution that provides education as its main purpose, such as a school, college, university or training centre. Such institutions are normally accredited or sanctioned by the relevant national education authorities or equivalent authorities. Educational institutions may also be operated by private organizations, such as religious bodies, specialist interest groups or private educational and training enterprises both for profit and non-profit.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2011, UN

An inclusive term referring to teachers at schools; lecturers at colleges, traditional universities, comprehensive universities, and universities of technology; trainers in workplaces; facilitators, assessors, moderators, and people teaching, educating, training, facilitating or assessing learners across the board.
Source: SAQA 2013, South Africa

A training scheme to develop persons for self-employment or for organizing, financing and/or managing an enterprise.
Source: TESDA 2010, Philippines

Entrepreneurship education has been defined as “a collection of formalized teachings that informs, trains, and educates anyone interested in participating in socioeconomic development through a project to promote entrepreneurship awareness, business creation, or small business development”. [...]
Enterprise education (also called entrepreneurial education on the other hand, is usually conceived more broadly, seeking to foster self-esteem and confidence by drawing on the individual’s talents and creativity, while building the relevant skills and values that will assist students in expanding their perspectives on schooling and opportunities beyond. Methodologies are based on the use of personal, behavioural, motivational, attitudinal and career planning activities.
Source: UNESCO/ILO 2006, UN

For the purpose of this guidance, enterprise education is defined as the process of equipping students (or graduates) with an enhanced capacity to generate ideas and the skills to make them happen. Entrepreneurship education equips students with the additional knowledge, attributes and capabilities required to apply these abilities in the context of setting up a new venture or business.
All of this is a prerequisite for entrepreneurial effectiveness, that is, the ability to function effectively as an entrepreneur or in an entrepreneurial capacity, for example within small businesses or as part of 'portfolio careers, where multiple job opportunities, part time work and personal ventures combine'. Enterprise and entrepreneurship are transdisciplinary, with a strong connection to issues of employability, innovation, knowledge transfer, commercialisation, and intellectual property.
Source: QAA 2012, UK

The ability to create and build something practically from nothing. It is willingness to take calculated risks and then do everything possible .
Source: Ministry of Labour 2005, Jordan

Judgment on the value of an intervention, training programme or policy with reference to criteria and standards (such as its relevance or efficiency).
Source: CEDEFOP 2011, Europe

Training that is given in an orderly, logical, planned and systematic manner in a specially equipped workshop under the guidance of a qualified trainer for a specific period of time in the specified field.
Source: NCVER 2013, Australia

Education or training provided in educational institutions, such as schools, universities, colleges, or off-the-job in a workplace, usually involving direction from a teacher or instructor.
Source: UNEVOC/NCVER 2009

Learning that occurs within an organized and structured context and which is provided in Educational Institutions such as Universities, Colleges, Schools or provided as Off-the-Job Education and Training in Enterprises’ Training Centres (In-company Training Centres) and Workplaces and usually involving direction from a trainer or instructor or teacher and may lead to a formal recognition (diploma, certificate).
Source: Wahba 2013, Egypt

Education provided in the system of schools, colleges, universities and other formal educational institutions that normally constitutes a continuous ‘ladder’ of full-time education for children and young people, generally beginning at age five to seven and continuing up to 20 or 25 years old.

In some countries, the upper parts of this ‘ladder’ are constituted by organized programmes of joint part-time employment and part-time participation in the regular school and university system: such programmes have come to be known as the ‘dual system’ or equivalent terms in these countries.
Source: UNESCO UIS (ISCED) 1997, UN

(Formal education) Education that is institutionalised, intentional and planned through public organizations and recognised private bodies and -in their totality- constitute the formal education system of a country. Formal education programmes are thus recognised as such by the relevant national education authorities or equivalent authorities, e.g any other institution in cooperation with the national or sub-national education authorities. Formal education consists mostly of initial education. Vocational education, special needs education and some parts of adult education are often recognised as being part of the formal education system.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2011, UN

Post-secondary education, including higher education, adult education, and vocational education and training (also called: Tertiary education).
Source: NCVER 2013, Australia

Education and training that takes place in primary and secondary schools, as well as in adult education and training centres.
Source: SAQA 2013, South Africa

Education that is designed to develop learners’ general knowledge, skills and competencies and literacy and numeracy skills, often to prepare students for more advanced educational programmes at the same or higher ISCED levels and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning. General educational programmes are typically school- or college-based. General education includes educational programmes that are designed to prepare students for entry into vocational education, but that do not prepare for employment in a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades, nor lead directly to a labour market relevant qualification.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2011, UN

1. Common areas which all pupils should know and experience.

2. Education which aims to equip people with a broad range of knowledge and skills, usually to enable them to meet their responsibilities as citizens and to enable them to function in their society.
Source: Ministry of Labour 2005, Jordan

Education that normally takes place in public universities and registered private higher education institutions which offer qualifications that meet the requirements of the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF - The sub-framework of the NQF for Higher Education used in South Africa).
Source: SAQA 2013, South Africa

The stage of formal education following the secondary education covering the programs on: a) all courses of study leading to bachelor’s degree, and b) all degree courses of study beyond bachelor’s degree level.
Source: TESDA 2010, Philippines

Post-secondary education offered by a university or other recognized higher education institution, or through Open Learning, leading to the award of a degree or higher level qualification. (Definition also used by Queensland government)
Source: Wahba 2013, Egypt

Tertiary education that is of a higher academic level than secondary education, usually requiring a minimum level of admission and successful completion of secondary education.
Source: Ministry of Labour 2005, Jordan

Education at ISCED level 5 or above
Source: EU commission (NRDC) 2011, Europe

Formal education of individuals before their first entrance to the labour market, i.e. when they will normally be in full-time education. It thus targets individuals who are regarded as children, youth and young adults by the society to which they belong. It is typically provided by educational institutions in a continuous educational pathway.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2013, UN

A classification system that provides a framework for the comprehensive statistical description of national educational systems and a methodology that translates national educational programmes into internationally comparable levels of education. The basic unit of classification in ISCED is the educational programme. ISCED also classifies programmes by field of study, programme orientation and destination.
Source: UNESCO 1984, UN

The indicator presents the share of young people who are neither in education and training nor in employment, as a percentage of the total number of young people in the corresponding age group. Young people in education include those attending part-time as well as full-time education, but exclude those in non-formal education and in educational activities of very short duration. Employment is defined according to the ILO Guidelines and covers all those who have been in paid work for at least one hour in the reference week of the survey or were temporarily absent from such work.
Source: OECD 2014

Education that is institutionalized, intentional and planned by an education provider. The defining characteristic of non-formal education is that it is an addition, alternative and/or a complement to formal education within the process of the lifelong learning of individuals. It is often provided to guarantee the right of access to education for all. It caters for people of all ages, but does not necessarily apply a continuous pathway-structure; it may be short in duration and/or low intensity, and it is typically provided in the form of short courses, workshops or seminars. Non-formal education mostly leads to qualifications that are not recognized as formal qualifications by the relevant national educational authorities or to no qualifications at all. Non-formal education can cover programmes contributing to adult and youth literacy and education for out-of-school children, as well as programmes on life skills, work skills, and social or cultural development.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2013, UN

Education which takes place outside the formal system on either a regular or an intermittent basis.
Source: UNESCO 1984, UN

Organised and systematic learning activity conducted outside the formal education system.
Source: ILO 2006, UN

Learning which is embedded in planned activities not explicitly designated as learning (in terms of learning objectives, learning time or learning support). Non-formal learning is intentional from the learner’s point of view.
Source: CEDEFOP 2008, Europe

Any organised and sustained educational activity that does not correspond exactly to the definition of formal education. Non-formal education may therefore take place both within and outside educational institutions, and cater to persons of all ages.
Source: NCVER 2013, Australia

Any organized educational activity and training outside the established formal system, that is, intended for specific objectives and to serve identifiable clientele.
Source: TESDA 2010, Philippines

Non formal education and training: Learning embedded in planned activities that are not explicitly designated as learning, but which contain an important learning element.
Source: UNEVOC/NCVER 2009

(also online learning and online training) Learning or training conducted via a computer network e.g. using the internet and the World Wide Web, a local area network (LAN),or an intranet. (Definition also used by Queensland government)
Source: Wahba 2013, Egypt

Workers have more years of education than the job requires
Source: ILO (STATS) 2014, Europe

Education and training opportunities for people who have left school as well as for those adults who may never have been to school but require education opportunities.
Source: SAQA 2013, South Africa

Pre-service training refers to the educational background and previous work experiences of the employee
Source: DoE 1998, USA

Education which is mainly designed to introduce participants to the world of work and to prepare them for entry into vocational or technical education programmes. Successful completion of such programmes does not yet lead to a labour-market relevant vocational or technical qualification. For a programme to be considered as pre-vocational or pre-technical education, at least 25% of its content has to be vocational or technical.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2013, UN

Education preparing students for the world of work, including counselling on career choices, training in general work skills and habits, and work experience.
Source: NCVER 2013, Australia

(School- or college-based education) Educational activities taking place in institutions established for the education of children and youth in the course of initial education programmes which aim to achieve specific learning objectives through classroom instruction including courses in specialised learning environments (e.g. laboratory, music room, computer room or gym) and group work under the guidance of a teacher or teachers. Students are often grouped by grade, age or level of ability.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2011, UN

Education specifically targeted at individuals who, for a variety of reasons, never attended school or left school either before completion of the level of education in which they were enrolled or completed the level but wish to enter an education programme or occupation for which they are not yet qualified. Participants are often older than the typical target age group for the given ISCED level programme (but not necessarily adults). Sometimes also referred to as 'bridging programmes' or 're-integration programmes'.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2011, UN

Secondary education provides learning and educational activities building on primary education and preparing for labour market entry, post-secondary non-tertiary education and tertiary education. Broadly speaking, secondary education aims at learning at an intermediate level of complexity.
Source: UNESCO IBE 2013, UN

Secondary education (ISCED levels 2 and 3). Secondary education provides learning and educational activities building on primary education and preparing for labour market entry, post-secondary non-tertiary education and tertiary education. Broadly speaking, secondary education aims at learning at an intermediate level of complexity. ISCED distinguishes between lower and upper secondary education.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2011, UN

Educational activity and support designed to address specific needs of disabled children or of children who are failing school for many other reasons that are known to impede optimal progress.
Source: CEDEFOP 2008, Europe

Education designed to facilitate the learning of individuals who, for a wide variety of reasons, require additional support and adaptive pedagogical methods in order to participate and meet learning objectives in an educational programme. Reasons may include (but are not limited to) disadvantages in physical, behavioural, intellectual, emotional and social capacities. Educational programmes in special needs education may follow a similar curriculum as that offered in the parallel regular education system, however they take individuals’ particular needs into account by providing specific resources (e.g. specially trained personnel, equipment, or space) and, if appropriate, modified educational content or learning objectives. These programmes can be offered for individual students within already existing educational programmes, or be offered as a separate class in the same or separate educational institutions.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2013, UN

Educational activity and support designed to address special education needs.
Source: UNEVOC/NCVER 2009

An educational alternative that focuses on the teaching of students with academic, behavioral, health or physical needs that cannot sufficiently be met using traditional educational techniques.
Source: EU Commission LLP 2007-2013, Europe

The term technology-based education:
•refers to systems of teaching and learning in which a technology other than print has a major
role; and
•takes two major forms: stand-alone (for example, computer-assisted learning and computer-managed learning) and conferenced (for example, audio, video or computer)
Source: COL 2000, Common Wealth

The use of information and communication technologies as mediating devices supporting student learning that can include elements of assessment, tutoring, and instruction. It involves a wide set of applications and processes, such as web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms and learning environments, and digital collaboration. ... Also referred to as ‘e-learning’ (or electronic learning) and ‘digital learning’.
Source: UNESCO IBE 2013, UN

Formal education beyond secondary education, including higher education, vocational education and training, or other specialist post-secondary education or training.
Source: NCVER 2013, Australia

Formal education beyond secondary education, including higher education, vocational education and training, or other specialist post-secondary education or training; sometimes used to refer only to higher education or training.
Source: TESDA 2010, Philippines

(also referred to as third stage or third level education, post-secondary or further education) formal education following the completion of secondary education, including higher education, vocational education and training, or other specialist post-secondary education or training.
Source: Wahba 2013, Egypt

The education which follows secondary education or its equivalent, and provides the learner with more advanced knowledge and skills than those gained within the secondary system.
Source: Ministry of Labour 2005, Jordan

Workers have less years of education than the job requires
Source: ILO (STATS) 2014, Europe

Includes aspects of both online and e-learning but goes somewhat further. While it is largely web-centric it does not necessarily limit itself to learners outside a conventional classroom. It uses multimedia and, besides delivering content, also enables a high level of interaction among learners, content, teachers, peers and administration both synchronously and asynchronously.
Source: COL 2015, Common Wealth

Education that is designed for learners to acquire the knowledge, skills and competencies specific to a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades. Vocational education may have work-based components (e.g. apprenticeships). Successful completion of such programmes leads to labour-market relevant vocational qualifications acknowledged as occupationally-oriented by the relevant national authorities and/or the labour market.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2013, UN

Education designed to develop occupational skills.
Source: Ministry of Labour 2005, Jordan