Participants from different international organisms, government, unions and academia discussed TVET in Latin America during the Regional Forum “Looking towards 2030: strengthening skills development for employment and a better future for all” (23-25 November, Montevideo, Uruguay).

This meeting, convened by UNESCO through the Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (Santiago, Chile), the Regional Bureau for Science in Latin America and the Caribbean (Montevideo, Uruguay), Headquarters (Paris, France) and the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education Training (Bonn, Germany), was organized with the support of the Uruguayan National Commission for UNESCO.

Forum participants took note of the achievements and challenges for the development of work skills in the region. They also assessed the areas that require priority action in order to define directions for future joint actions. These include: quality and relevance in TVET; skills for the informal economy; curricular design and professional qualifications; ‘green’ skills; collaboration; teachers and trainers; and financing.

What does the region need?

One of the objectives of the exchange was to identify and discuss the progress and challenges faced by TVET in the context of change in production patterns and labour markets.

At a policy level, the importance of a new educational strategy that is not purely reactive to the labour market, but rather looks towards national economic development, was highlighted. Among other issues, focus was placed on the need for prospective studies of the labour markets and educational dynamics in the region. The need to design TVET policies promoting the ‘green’ transformation of economies, including through more energy-efficient production patterns, and how to ensure this transition, was stressed.

In terms of curricula, participants pointed out that development of some of the skills are already integrated into the training centres of some countries, however the labour markets still do not recognize and value them. Therefore, progress in the design of a ‘South-South’ certification system and the establishment of a common system of qualifications combining life skills with work skills was discussed.

Teaching was another issue. There is lack of social recognition for TVET teachers. Many certification mechanisms exist, but often there is no institutional backup. It is very important to regulate this, so that internal and cross-border mobility may be possible.

Regarding institutions, there was strong interest in articulating educational systems so that TVET can be transversal. The aim is to create an integrated system covering formal and non-formal modalities. Considering institutions from the perspective of lifelong learning requires strengthening monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, including through recognizing prior knowledge.

The way forward

The Regional Forum on TVET for Latin America, “Looking towards 2030: strengthening skills development for employment and a better future for all”, is one of the many steps UNESCO has taken to build a new strategy for TVET in the region. The Organization is now working on the creation of a consensus based on the findings of the Forum. In order to draw on the experiences on other sub-regions, a presentation of the CARICOM strategy, which involves<a name="_GoBack"></a> 15 Caribbean countries, was made during the Forum.

The aim will now be to continue this work and share the results. This will consist of other instruments to continue collecting information, together with a virtual conference organized by the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Education and Technical and Vocational Training. Knowledge building will be prioritized, such as through the development of tools, glossaries, recognition of best practices and the development of regional guides, as well as informing stakeholders on collective progress. A second Forum convening relevant Latin American actors in TVET will be convened. Further details will be released in due time.

The working agenda with its preliminary results will be released at the first high-level regional meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean, to be organized by UNESCO in 2016. This information will shape UNESCO’s work in skills development development of skills and will define initiatives for Latin America, in line with the draft UNESCO TVET strategy for 2016-2021.

For more information

• Official website of the Regional Forum on TVET for Latin America: “Looking towards 2030: strengthening skills development for employment and a better future for all”