Bulletin No.
27
1 Editorial2 News
3 UNEVOC Network
4 News from UNEVOC Centres
5 Resources
6 UNEVOC e-Forum
7 Visitors
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Issue 2 / September 2014 | UNEVOC.BULLETIN@UNESCO.ORG |
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Bulletin No.
27
1 Editorial2 News 3 UNEVOC Network 4 News from UNEVOC Centres 5 Resources 6 UNEVOC e-Forum 7 Visitors | |
Editorial 27
UNESCO-UNEVOC Bulletin 27  It is my pleasure to welcome you to Bulletin 27. The year is passing by rapidly, indicating the end of the Education for All (EFA) initiative and the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) are getting nearer. Everywhere around the world, people are working together on shaping a new development agenda beyond the year 2015. What education will look like post-2015 will also be the theme of our upcoming Global Forum on Skills for Work and Life Post-2015, which will take place from 14 to 16 October 2014 in Bonn, Germany. The forum will convene representatives from UNEVOC Centres, the private sector, international and regional organizations, and selected youth organizations to identify concrete policy measures and programmatic interventions in the areas of youth employability, skills development and greening skills beyond 2015.In the past months, we were delighted to participate in a number of events organized by UNEVOC Centres. The Botswana Qualifications Authority organized a conference on youth transitions and network consolidation in Gaborone, Botswana. Attended by seven UNEVOC Centres, the conference provided a platform for regional and international expertise on school-to-work transitions and regional challenges in both the formal and informal sector. KRIVET, a Korean UNEVOC Centre and Cluster Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific region, also organized an international seminar to share experiences and propose measures for enhancing the link between skills development and youth employment policies. While the preparations for the global forum have been ongoing, the work on revising the 2001 Revised Recommendation concerning Technical and Vocational Education has also continued. Led by the UNESCO Section for Youth and Skills Development, the fruitful virtual conference was followed by a joint expert meeting in Hamburg and a second online consultation which aimed to gather further inputs from legal and senior experts on TVET. The input collected will contribute to a final report which will be submitted to the 38th session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 2015. We were also pleased to welcome five UNEVOC Centres to this year’s International Trade Fair on Water (IFAT) organized in Munich, Germany to facilitate learning about new trends and technologies in the water and wastewater sector. UNESCO-UNEVOC together with other UN agencies based in Bonn was also present at this year’s Global Media Forum with the theme “From information to Participation. Challenges for the Media”. You can find information on these and other activities since May 2014 in this bulletin. Finally, I would like to invite you to take a few minutes to complete the short survey that we have launched on our website. Your feedback will help us a lot in improving our online services. For more detailed information on our work in the recent months, I would like to invite you to read Bulletin 27 and would appreciate any of your feedback and suggestions for improvement. On behalf of the entire UNESCO-UNEVOC team, I wish you a pleasant reading. Shyamal Majumdar Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre Read Bulletin 27
Upcoming: Skills for Work and Life Post-2015
UNESCO-UNEVOC participated in Deutsche Welle’s Global Media Forum, Bonn
2 July 2014, Bonn, Germany The United Nations Organizations in Bonn participated in this year’s Global Media Forum organised by the Deutsche Welle with a plenary session on civil society participation to shape the global development agenda. In line with the overall Global Media Forum theme ‘’From information to Participation. Challenges for the Media‘’, the workshop aimed to boost the opportunities for individuals and media to have a say in global debates. The panel consisted of a mix of staff members representing the United Nations across all levels. Mr Shyamal Majumdar, Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC and current Chair of the UN Agencies in Bonn, welcomed the audience and stressed the importance of TVET and skills for the world of work in the post 2015 Agenda. In a world where challenges still exist, he highlighted that sustainable development cannot be achieved without a change in attitudes and education. The session was also attended by representatives from other UN organizations in Bonn including the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC), United Nations Volunteers (UNV), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The panellists held presentations to introduce the work of the agencies to the audience and called for further participation from the public. All representatives highlighted the role of media as a key element to engage individuals in the global debates and discussed the challenges of globalization for the media. Members of the audience also had the opportunity to ask questions about the link between the role of the United Nations and the media.
UNESCO and European Union launch a new network empowering youth in Southern Mediterranean region
On 5 June 2014, UNESCO launched the project Networks of Mediterranean Youth at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. NET-MED Youth is an intersectoral three-year Project funded by the European Union and covers ten countries from Eastern and Western Basins of the Mediterranean. The project is coordinated by UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences (SHS) Sector in close cooperation with UNESCO’s Sectors for Communication and Information (CI) and Education (ED). The objective of the project is to mainstream youth issues and priorities across national decision-making and policy implementation in the participating countries. It aims at building the capacities of youth and youth organizations and promoting their active engagement in the development and implementation of national policies and strategies on youth, strengthening freedom of expression and the representation of young women and men in national and regional media; and facilitate the implementation of innovative, prospective and participatory approaches to reinforce youth’s active role in the governance of employment and skills development policies and programmes. Key to the project is the exchange of experiences and the cross-fertilization of tools and approaches. The focus will initially be set at the national level, and will be followed by the facilitation of transnational networking opportunities. The project’s third component, coordinated by the UNESCO Section for Youth, Literacy and Skills Development (ED), will focus on equipping youth organizations with unseen national and regional knowledge base on youth transitions issues and prospective skills challenges, as well as strengthening collective advocacy capacities to increase their role, as active partners, in the design, implementation and evaluation mechanisms of skills development and employment policies and programmes, and influence the national dialogue with stakeholders. As part of the launch event, UNESCO also organized a Briefing and Training Workshop from 4 to 6 June 2014, which brought together the project coordinators and colleagues from different UNESCO sections and offices. UNESCO-UNEVOC was represented by Ms Lisa Freiburg, Associate Communications Officer, who presented on the role and work of the UNEVOC Network in the Arab States region in relation to TVET and skills development, as well as the importance of utilizing existing online tools for networking and knowledge exchange, such as the UNEVOC e-Forum. Press release
Joint expert meeting on the UNESCO Recommendations concerning Adult Learning and Education and Technical and Vocational Education
27 and 28 May 2014, Hamburg, Germany  On 27 and 28 May 2014, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (Hamburg, Germany) hosted an expert meeting on the Revision of the UNESCO Recommendations concerning Adult Learning and Education (ALE) and Technical and Vocational Education (TVE). Jointly organized by UIL, UNESCO-UNEVOC and the UNESCO Section for TVET, the meeting brought together approximately 30 experts. UNESCO-UNEVOC was represented by Shyamal Majumdar, Head, and Katerina Ananiadou, Programme Specialist. The expert group for TVET, chaired by Dr Santosh Mehotra, Director-General of India’s Institute of Applied Manpower Research, also included as Vice-Chair Ms Olga Oleynikova, Director of the Centre for Vocational Education and Training Studies, Moscow, and experts from another four UNEVOC Centres in Cote d’Ivoire, Costa Rica, Germany and Jordan. Other members of the expert group include representatives from the International Labour Organization, Education International, International Organisation of Employers and Junior Chamber International.The meeting provided the opportunity to develop and discuss the draft revised text of both Recommendations and clarify relations and links between the two texts. The meeting was a significant step towards the process of updating these two important instruments for education policy-makers worldwide. When adopted, these instruments will help to mobilize Member States to improve adult education and TVET. The revised Recommendations will contribute towards ensuring equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all. Earlier this year, UNESCO-UNEVOC and the UNESCO Section for TVET organized a special virtual conference on the UNEVOC e-Forum to consult its members and gather input on what should be the scope, purpose and guiding principles of the new Recommendation. Moderated by Professor Simon McGrath, Director of Research and Professor of International Education and Development at the University of Nottingham, the special virtual conference attracted almost 200 participants from over 65 countries. The outcomes of the discussion of this virtual conference were presented at the meeting of the expert group and are being taken into consideration during the revision and drafting process. A synthesis report on this discussion will be published on the UNEVOC website shortly.
Capacity development for skills development in the water and wastewater sector
UNESCO-UNEVOC at IFAT 2014, Munich, Germany About forty percent of the world´s population could face water scarcity by 2030. This is one of the urgent issues projected to be addressed by efforts to promote and improve water resources management and governance through better technology, improved capacity and training. UNESCO-UNEVOC participated in the International Trade Fair on Water organized in Munich, Germany from 5 to 7 May 2014 with the aim to enable the development of new perspectives in TVET for water sustainability and the water-energy connection. IFAT is being attended by thousands of visitors from Germany and all over the world to learn about new trends and technologies in the water and wastewater sector. Six participants from five UNEVOC Centres from Costa Rica, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria and Sri Lanka attended IFAT as part of capacity building on water-related challenges and the corresponding approaches for TVET. Various sessions and lectures during the three days are providing participants different perspectives in addressing water related issues and finding the nexus between water and energy. On 5 May, Mr Shyamal Majumdar, Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC, presented on new approaches in greening TVET where he emphasized the positive correlation between integrated environmental and skills development strategies and the projected contribution to sustainable development. The approaches are underpinned by the need to meet the skills demand in the water sector and address urgent issues of water scarcity, sanitation, skills mismatch vis-à-vis occupational changes and limited teaching and learning resources in water education. In the context of addressing knowledge and capacity gaps, technical and vocational training provisions in UNESCO Member States are continuously advocated to promote positive changes in the consumption and production patterns that could arrest unsustainable practices and reverse the unsustainable use and management of water resources. A visit to the Gut Großlappen Wastewater Treatment Plant in Munich, organized in collaboration with the German Water Association (DWA), provided UNEVOC Network members with the opportunity to make practical observations of industry-based practices and technologies demonstrating environmental efficiency. To aid in processing input and translating the IFAT experience and learning gains to future skills development and sustainable development initiatives of the UNEVOC Centres, an exclusive session was also organized as a platform to identify potential commitments and follow up actions in this area. Discussions with the German Water Association (DWA) represented by Mr Rudiger Heidebrecht and Ms Grace Lung from the World Skills Foundation, provided the opportunity to connect institutional experiences of the centres with the German experience and those of the countries with which DWA and the World Skills Foundation have active cooperation with at the community and national training levels. UNESCO-UNEVOC is representing UNESCO in the UN Water inter-agency cooperation. For 2014, the UN Water Day finds the nexus between water and energy, which is highlighted in the UN Water IAG´s participation in IFAT 2014.
UNEVOC Centre in Focus: The National Directorate for Technical Education- DINET
Introducing the new feature of our Bulletin: UNEVOC Centre in Focus This issue’s “UNEVOC Centre in focus” is the National Directorate for Technical Education- DINET The National Directorate for Professional Technical Education (DINET) is one of the Ministry departments that is responsible for Professional Technical Education (PTE) across Mozambique. DINET has been a UNEVOC’s Network member since 1999, and works in the field of Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) particularly in policy making and curriculum design. As a Network member, DINET has been actively involved in the promotion, transformation and scaling up of TVET as recommended by the third TVET congress in Shanghai. Mr Manuel Caetano, focal point of the UNEVOC Centre in Mozambique, spoke to UNESCO-UNEVOC about the work of the Directorate. What has been the biggest benefit of being a UNEVOC Centre? “The international sharing of good practices, innovation and expertise among UN Member States has been the biggest benefit of being a UNEVOC Centre. The virtual conferences organized by UNESCO-UNEVOC bring valuable interactions among TVET experts and helps understanding what is really happening in the world of TVET. The UNEVOC Network has made it possible for us to share experiences with others, and discuss issues of common relevance. And of course, the range of publications and other resources have helped a great deal too.” What does TVET development look like in Mozambique? “Since TVET is the most expensive educational subsystem, the biggest challenge has been to mobilize the financial resources needed to implement quality TVET. We need the expertise and a skilled workforce to work in the emerging natural resources sector, such as coal, gas and petrol. The TVET reform in Mozambique, which launched in 2006, has helped changing the paradigm of TVET, placing greater emphasis on competency-based training and improving access in rural areas. The participation of women in TVET has also greatly increased since the reform was initiated.” What has the UNEVOC Centre been up to this year? “We participated in the conference held in Gaborone, Botswana, organized by UNESCO-UNEVOC in cooperation with the Botswana Qualifications Authority. The conference discussed youth transitions and network consolidation, which provided a platform for regional and international expertise on school-to-work transitions and regional challenges in both the formal and informal sector.” Would you like to see your UNEVOC Centre featured here? Please contact us at unevoc(at)unesco.org for more information. This interview is part of the UNEVOC Bulletin, the newsletter of the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre. To read the Bulletin, please click here,and to subscribe to the Bulletin, please fill out this form.
New UNEVOC Centre at the Georgia Ministry of Education and Science
 In August 2014, the Social Partnership Support Division at Vocational Education Development Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia joined the UNEVOC Network. It is the third institution in Georgia to join the UNEVOC Network.The division at the Ministry of Education and Science is tasked to develop and strengthen the TVET system in Georgia. By becoming a member of the UNEVOC Network, the Ministry hopes to benefit from sharing experiences on policy developments, as well as create joint programmes and community projects to enhance equal access to TVET in the country. The introduction of a TVET reform strategy in 2009 has already increased the quality of vocational education in Georgia and supported the establishment of a framework of professional competences. Since the reform, more than a 100 educational institutions were established and/or renovated. More recently, the Ministry introduced a new long-term strategy for TVET (2013-2020) which reflects the main goals and aims of Europe 2020. See for more information, the Centre’s profile on the UNEVOC Network Portal.
New UNEVOC Network Member in Colombia: National Training Service (SENA)
 In August 2014, the National Training Service (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje, SENA) joined the UNEVOC Network. It is the second UNEVOC Centre in Colombia.SENA is an independent institution, under the authority of the Ministry of Labour and aims to improve employment opportunities for Colombian workers as well as the quality and implementation of programmes that impact on the Colombian productive sector. Among SENA’s responsibilities is the development of TVET curricula, the running of the National Public Employment Service and the development of exchange opportunities for staff and apprentices. SENA also has several international partners and has participated in a number of international events promoting vocational training and employment, including the 2013 Regional Forum organized by UNESCO-UNEVOC and the National Institute of Apprenticeship (INA, Costa Rica). SENA is a welcome addition the UNEVOC Network in the Latin American and Caribbean region and we are confident that its membership will complement the work of the other UNEVOC Centre in Colombia, the Escuela Tecnologica - Instituto Técnico Central (ETITC).
UNESCO-UNEVOC regional conference on youth transitions and network consolidation
20 to 22 May 2014, Gaborone, Botswana From 20 to 22 May 2014, UNESCO-UNEVOC in cooperation with the Botswana Qualifications Authority organized a conference on youth transitions and network consolidation in Gaborone, Botswana. The conference provided a platform for regional and international expertise on school-to-work transitions and regional challenges in both the formal and informal sector. Specifically, the conference aimed at achieving the following:
The three-day event was attended by 50 participants, including representatives from seven regional UNEVOC Centres from South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius, and Botswana, as well as one Asian UNEVOC Centre (KRIVET), and delegates from UNESCO, GIZ, and the ILO. The opening address was delivered by H.E. Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, Minister of Education and Skills Development in Botswana. UNESCO-UNEVOC was represented by Ms Imke Kottmann, Programme Expert. The participants jointly elaborated policy responses addressing school to work transitions and informal employment by assessing the legislation and policies in place in their respective countries, highlighting promising initiatives and identifying gaps and possible areas of intervention. A study tour to the Botswana Diamond Trading Cooperation in Gaborone was facilitated by BQA where the conference participants were given an insight how TVET students were trained to assess diamonds for further processing and sale. The conference was organized as a follow-up to the regional forum held in Abuja, Nigeria in 2013 and in response to the challenges in the African region related to youth and informal employment, the transition from school to work, and stakeholder coordination in the TVET sector. Meeting report
All UNEVOC Network Members are invited to submit news and information about their activities for publication in the UNESCO-UNEVOC Bulletin. For more information, please send us an email at unevoc.bulletin@unesco.org.
UNEVOC Centre Afghanistan continues efforts to establish national research centre for TVET
 Building on earlier discussions on the establishment of a National Centre for Educational and Vocational Research in Kabul, the UNESCO Office in Afghanistan organized a workshop to further elaborate the mandate, management structure and financing of this centre on 11 and 12 August 2014 in Kabul, Afghanistan.The establishment of the centre aims to build research capacities in TVET in Afghanistan and act as a hub for relevant TVET data, curricula, reports, standards, and resources to support evidence-based planning and policy development in the country. Mr Shyamal Majumar, Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC, provided input during a special workshop session via teleconference. In particular, he spoke about the work of UNESCO-UNEVOC and the UNEVOC Network and highlighted the opportunities for improving the image of TVET and fostering networking in Afghanistan. His contribution was further complemented by a presentation from Dr. Eon Lim, Director of the Korean Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET), UNEVOC Network Cluster Coordinating Centre for the Asia and Pacific region. The establishment of the research centre is coordinated by the Deputy Ministry of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Ministry of Education (DMTVET - MoE), a UNEVOC Centre. It is in line with the framework of the Capacity Development for Education for All programme (CapEFA) that UNESCO has been supporting since 2010 to enhance national capacities and contribute to the quality improvement of the TVET system in Afghanistan.
UNESCO-UNEVOC participates in KRIVET international seminar on skills development and youth employment policies, Seoul
12 and 13 June 2014, Seoul, Republic of Korea On 12 and 13 June 2014, Mr Shyamal Majumdar, Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for TVET, participated in an international seminar on enhancing the link between skills development and youth employment policies in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The two-day seminar was organized to share experiences and propose measures for innovation in skills development. Organized by KRIVET, a UNEVOC Centre and a cluster coordinator for Asia and the Pacific region, the seminar also included a special UNEVOC Network meeting. Mr Shyamal Majumdar, acted as one of the international panellists during the seminar which was also attended by the ILO Regional office for Asia and the Pacific (ILO-ROAP), the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training in Germany (BIBB). In his address, he highlighted the role of UNESCO-UNEVOC and its network to ensure that TVET and skills development will have a key position in the post-2015 Agenda. In his address, he also defined the importance of TVET for advancing sustainable development and lifelong learning. In this regard, Mr Majumdar outlined that vocational education systems reforms should be innovative and youth should have the skills to find self-employment. On 13 June 2014, the special UNEVOC Network meeting, which was chaired by Mr Majumdar, was organized to share updates on the UNEVOC Centre activities in Asia and the Pacific Region, the upcoming events such as the Global Forum in October 2014 and UNEVOC’s regional activities. The international seminar was attended by three UNEVOC Centres including the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) of Australia, the Central Institute of Vocational and Technical Education (CIVTE) of China and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) of Germany.
Workshop on partnership between TVET and the labour market in Taiz, Yemen
14 April 2014, Taiz, Yemen
The two- day workshop was organized by the Institute of Technical and Vocational Education, of the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training, a UNEVOC Centre, and sponsored by the British Council in Yemen. Among the 60 participants were Mr. Abdul Aziz Al-Zarka, Deputy Minister of Labour Market and the private sector, Mr. Saeed Al Khalidi, Assistant Deputy for the standards and quality sector and Mr. Nadim Al-Sakaf, Director of the British Council in Yemen, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training (MOTVET), the British Council, the Bureau of Technical Education and Vocational Training in Taiz, the Alhoban Technical Industrial Institute, civil society organizations and the private sector. More information (in Arabic only)
An introduction by its Director: Instituto Técnico Central in Colombia
Just published: Greening TVET: Qualifications and implementation strategies
The report of the online conference on “Greening TVET: Qualifications and implementation strategies” is now online.  The two-week virtual conference that took place from 12 to 26 November 2013 on UNESCO-UNEVOC’s e-Forum brought together 185 participants from 65 countries worldwide. Its objective was to gather knowledge and experience to identify the needs for green TVET (GTVET), including curriculum development and implementation strategies. The moderators were Dr. Julia Kastrup, who holds a doctoral degree in vocational and business education and a diploma in nutrition and home economics, in collaboration with Ms Dagmar Winzier, Programme Expert at the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre in the field of greening TVET and education for sustainable development. This was the second virtual conference on Greening TVET and built on the previous discussion on “Green skills for sustainable development” that took place on the e-forum in 2012. The discussions highlighted the importance of systematically integrating green competencies into TVET systems. According to the participants, green skills and attitudes should be part of curricula, training regulations and training programmes. Green skills should be applied in teacher training and in-company training and become part of education and training in TVET schools and training centres. The participants shared their opinion and gave examples and recommendations how to develop and implement GTVET strategies at institutional, governmental and administrative levels in order to facilitate the development and application of green skills and knowledge in all educational and training as well as in the informal educational sector. In the course of the two-week virtual conference, a web -conference was also held where participants stressed the importance of communication and cooperation between TVET experts to keep the debate going and to support policy initiatives and incentives to strengthen the link between the education and industry in order to gain green qualifications that meet the labour market’s needs. To conclude, the online discussion confirmed that GTVET in the context of sustainable development (SD) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) can improve the competitiveness of companies and thus raise the rate of employment. But the participants also stated that the transition towards green economies and societies can only be achieved when green skills, attitudes and knowledge become part of work and life. Read the full Report Access the conference web pages
Just published: UNESCO-UNEVOC in Action
Biennial report 2012-2013  This biennial report provides a comprehensive overview of UNESCO- UNEVOC’s activities in technical and vocational education and training in 2012-2013.As in previous years, UNESCO-UNEVOC undertook a range of activities promoting TVET development in all regions of the world. In response to the Shanghai Consensus, UNESCO-UNEVOC placed emphasis on capacitating the UNEVOC Network and engaging its members to shape the Centre’s work and activities. Network members identified youth and skills, with a specific focus on school-to-work transitions and entrepreneurship, and greening TVET, with a specific focus on teacher training and curriculum development, as crucial themes for all regions and developed a plan of action for the second half of the biennium. This most notably included the organization of a series of regional meetings in San José (Costa Rica), Seoul (Republic of Korea), Abuja (Nigeria), Moscow (Russian Federation) and Beirut (Lebanon) that brought together UNEVOC Centre representatives, national, regional and international organizations to showcase innovative practices in TVET. Read the report Table of contents: Preface Overview UNESCO-UNEVOC at a glance - TVET and the world of work - UNESCO Strategy for TVET - The Third International TVET Congress UNESCO-UNEVOC’s thematic priorities - Greening TVET for sustainable development - Youth and skills UNESCO-UNEVOC’s action for capacity development - Highlights of 2012 - Highlights of 2013 The UNEVOC Network - UNEVOC Network clusters - Introducing new members UNESCO-UNEVOC’s action for knowledge management and resource development - Publications - Online services Partnerships and international collaboration - Highlights 2012/2013 - Collaboration with UNESCO Headquarters, Field Offices and Institutes - Activities with regional and international partners - Engagement with the host country Inside UNESCO-UNEVOC - Staffing - Financial report Appendix: List of visitors to the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre
Behind the screen: Introducing the TVETipedia glossary
Developed in 2007 and launched in 2009 by UNESCO-UNEVOC, the revamped TVETipedia glossary was made available online in March 2014 and has played a role as an online information instrument for TVET experts and researchers. In this interview, the TVETipedia team at UNESCO-UNEVOC, Uta Roth and Jean Hautier, tell us more about this online resource and highlight the needs for such a tool, which provides definitions of common TVET terms. The TVETipedia glossary currently contains about 500 terms. How is the TVETipedia glossary different from TVETipedia as it was launched in 2009? "Launched in 2009 and developed later by the TVET community, TVETipedia is a TVET encyclopaedia, which looks like Wikipedia. At the beginning, this tool was not utilized much because there were not enough high quality contributions. That is why a new approach was needed." What motivated the creation of the TVETipedia glossary? "First at all, the new TVETipedia glossary aims at providing reliable and up-to-date information about TVET. To achieve this, we decided to develop a TVET glossary as a solid knowledge base. The TVETipedia glossary synthesizes existing glossaries worldwide by extracting general TVET terms and indicating specific use of terms in certain countries or regions." By whom and how can the TVETipedia glossary be used? "The TVETipedia glossary can be used by anyone who has internet access. The online glossary provides a list of common TVET terms and allows you to search for terms. The tool is useful for anyone working in the field of TVET." What has been the biggest challenge in developing the glossary? "The biggest challenge at this point is to develop a glossary that represents all the relevant terms including their definitions and resources. The greatest challenge in the future will be the active contribution by TVET experts in the extension of TVETipedia." The glossary often provides several meanings for one term. Which term has the highest number of definitions and why do you think this is the case? "Apart from the number of definitions a TVET term contains, we should also consider the number of its related terms. In fact, different organizations use different terms for similar concepts/ideas. For instance, the term ‘’skills’’ marks the highest number of related terms, while the word ‘’qualification’’ has the greatest number of definitions. At the same time, however, both terms are still vague, i.e. there are no standard definition and the use of the terms. Therefore it is highly important to clarify the usage of each term used in different organizations within different contexts." How is the TVETipedia glossary going to be developed further? "The TVETipedia glossary is a good starting point for a TVET knowledge base because it introduces the most common terms and concepts. We are planning to add small essays, which will discuss a certain topic and provide the opportunity for discussions and comments in the future." To view the full glossary, click here
General developments Current membership: 3,558 Messages: In the period May 2014-August 2014, 563 messages have been distributed via the e-Forum. Recent discussions For those who are not a member of the e-Forum: You can access the messages via http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/forum. Note that you need to log in to be able to read messages. If you do not yet have a UNEVOC account or do not wish to create one, please use the following login information to access the e-Forum archives in read-only mode: User "Bulletin", password "read".
Virtual conference on vocational pedagogy: What it is, why it matters and how to put it into practice
To further our understanding of vocational pedagogy, this virtual conference, moderated by Professor Dr Bill Lucas, Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning, Professor of Learning at the University of Winchester (United Kingdom) and co-creator of the Expansive Education Network, explored what vocational pedagogy is, why it matters and how teachers can put it into practice. Over a two-week period, the discussion focused on what teaching and learning methods work best in TVET, how these may differ from general or academic education and how teachers can become more confident and competent in vocational pedagogy. A synthesis report of the discussion will be published soon.
Illiteracy in Vocational Education
This discussion deliberated how to support illiterate people in work life and vocational education, where one of the solutions to this issue would be technology-based education where TVET students can obtain sufficient hands-on practice.
Starting a Business/Entrepreneurship
Participants in this discussion shared examples of entrepreneurship programmes offered. The discussion highlighted the importance of strengthening financial support for such initiatives in the TVET system.
Governance of TVET
The main discussion was about how to develop the best system of governance for TVET while there are a variety of views from different stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour, private sector etc.
Since May 2014, the team of UNESCO-UNEVOC has had the honour of welcoming a number of visitors to the UNEVOC premises in Bonn. Among the visitors were the German Minister of State, Prof Maria Böhmer, and representatives from Colomibia, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, Yemen and Germany.
For more information on these visits, please see:
If you would like to visit us in Bonn, Germany, please write to
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