In 2010, UNESCO and the SADC Secretariat conducted a joint review of TVET in the SADC region and developed a TVET monitoring tool. The review identified five key areas for strategic support which in turn provided the foundation for a Strategic Frameworks and Programme of Action that was adopted by the SADC Ministers of Education in 2011. The research and consultative process leading to the articulation of the Strategic Framework and Programme of Action generated several ideas; among these was to convene a regular regional meeting involving TVET decision makers and experts in the region. In the aftermath of the Third International Congress on TVET in Shanghai in May 2012, this meeting will now take place in Stellenbosch, South Africa from November 26th until November 28th 2013.

The Forum will be organized around five themes through plenary and working group sessions. There will also be a special session on progress in implementing UNESCO’s programmes in TVET in the region, more particularly the Better Education for Africa’s Rise (BEAR) project and Capacity Building for Education for All (Cap-EFA) and a capacity building training workshop for technicians on wastewater treatment using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) to be facilitated by UNESCO’s Hydro Open-source software Platform of Experts (HOPE) initiative. The meeting will also serve as a direct follow-up to the recent publication by UNESCO of a decision-making and career guide to TVET for a green economy.