2012 is a special year for UNESCO-UNEVOC, as we are celebrating our 10 year anniversary. Since its inception, UNEVOC has worked intensively towards supporting countries improve Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and it has built the UNEVOC Network which currently has 289 Centres in 167 countries.
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Mr Shyamal Majumdar was appointed as the Head of the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in 2011. Prior to taking up the position at UNEVOC, he served as the Director General of the Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education (CPSC), an inter-governmental organization for human resources development in the Asia-Pacific Region based in Manila, Philippines.
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3rd International TVET Congress: Building Skills for Work and Life, Shanghai, China, 13-16 May 2012
The Congress, a major milestone for TVET, provided a unique global platform for almost 800 practitioners, experts and policy makers from around the world to share knowledge and reflection on the future of TVET.
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UNEVOC photo competition 2012 - Work has many faces

The winner's gallery of UNEVOC's photo competition is now online. Out of hundreds of contributions, 54 photographs have been selected. They will be published in the 10th anniversary publication on the occasion of the establishment of the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre in 2012.
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Moderator-driven e-Forum discussion: TVET in post-conflict and post-disaster situations
From 16-30 April 2012, UNESCO-UNEVOC held the second moderated e-Forum discussion, in which more than 190 e-Forum members participated. The debate was moderated by Ms Karina Veal.
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First meeting of the interagency working group on greening TVET and skills development
On 10-11 April 2012, UNEVOC hosted the meeting at its premises in Bonn, Germany. The working group brings together eight international agencies and relevant stakeholders to address the sustainable development challenges which require coordinated action in the context of TVET.
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Experts' meeting on TVET and skills development in Afghanistan

The meeting, held in Bonn from 12 to 16 March 2012, offered an extensive opportunity for both UNESCO-UNEVOC and the Afghan delegates to discuss opportunities and challenges with regards to the successful development and implementation of a responsive national strategy on TVET.
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Symposium on TVET and qualification frameworks "Putting Frameworks into Practice: Demand, Development and Decision"

On 27 February 2012, Shyamal Majumdar, Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC, participated as inaugural speaker and chaired a technical session at the 2nd Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) symposium held in Berlin, Germany.
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Lecture on international workforce development

On 7 February 2012, UNESCO-UNEVOC was invited to attend a lecture on international workforce development at BIBB (Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training).
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Interagency working group on entrepreneurship education meets at ILO Headquarters

On 18th January 2012, the Inter-Agency Working Group on Entrepreneurship Education met at ILO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. UNESCO-UNEVOC and UNESCO Headquarters participated in the meeting through video conference.
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New UNEVOC Network member in Jamaica

The University's application to become a UNEVOC Centre received a strong endorsement from the UNESCO Office in Kingston and the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO.
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New UNEVOC Network member in Russian Federation

The Bashkir Institute of Social Technologies (branch of) the Educational Institution of Trade Unions "Academy of Labour and Social Relations" will be the fourth institution in the Russian Federation to join the UNEVOC Network.
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New UNEVOC Network member: NCTTE, Sudan

The National Council for Technical and Technological education (NCTTE), Sudan, joined the UNEVOC Network in January 2012.
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Sub-regional consultation meeting of the UNEVOC Network in Africa, 13-16 December 2011

UNESCO-UNEVOC organized, in cooperation with Chepkoilel University College, a sub-regional consultation meeting on the role of UNEVOC Centres in furthering the African Union Second Decade of Education for Africa TVET Plan for action, in Nairobi, Kenya. During the meeting, the Nairobi Pledge for Action was developed and agreed upon by all participants.
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Synthesis report: Moderator-driven e-Forum discussion on women and TVET

In 2011, UNESCO-UNEVOC introduced the moderator-driven discussions on the e-Forum which seek to promote focused discussions on crucial themes in TVET development. From 5-15 December 2011, a moderator-driven discussion was held on the topic of 'women and TVET' which was moderated by Dr. Helga Foster. A synthesis report has summarized the various contributions from the participants and provided lessons learnt and future recommendations. The report concludes that TVET is generally gender biased, and that there is an urgent need for structural changes to eliminate barriers for women in TVET. The participating TVET experts provided recommendations for basic structural changes in the training for trainers (advocating more female teachers and trainers), curriculum development, changing teaching methods, improved classroom and workplace atmospheres, and the greater involvement of males in traditional female fields of TVET.
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Meeting report: Regional Network meeting in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

With the aim of sharing knowledge, fostering cooperation and mobilizing expertise and resources to enhance the role of TVET in meeting the educational, economic and social needs in the countries of the CIS and regions of the Russian Federation, the inauguration meeting of the UNEVOC CIS Regional Network was held at the Bashkir Institute of Social Technologies (branch of) the Educational Institution of Trade Unions 'Academy of Labor and Social Relations' in Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, on 29 June - 1 July 2011.
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Meeting report: International experts' meeting transforming TVET for a green economy

Building upon past and ongoing initiatives, the 2011 International Experts' Meeting, held in Bonn, Germany, 27-30 October 2011, was organized to motivate TVET policy makers, educators and specialists for their further commitment in advancing TVET approaches towards a green society and economy through sharing expertise from various perspectives and good practices at country level.
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Meeting report: International conference preparing TVET educators for the next generation

The conference, which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 12 to 13 December 2011, objectified to reflect on the significance of global challenges in TVET educators' development and aimed to stimulate efforts and participation in discussions among decision makers, policy implementers, senior administrators, curriculum developers, and academic professionals to build awareness and information on emerging issues and cooperation frameworks for the development of TVET educators.
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General developments
Current membership: 2323
Messages: Since the beginning of January 2012, 576 messages have been distributed via the e-Forum.

Recent discussions (January-May 2012)
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".

Edupreneurs
There is a growing realization that entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial activities are key in economic development. This discussion questioned whether educators should be more entrepreneurial. How would the education industry look like when edupreneurs are in charge?
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Qualifications that count: Facilitated by the European Training Foundation (ETF)
In the context of the upcoming 3rd TVET Congress in Shanghai, China, this discussion was facilitated by the European Training Foundation (ETF) as a preparation for the session on 'Qualifications that count - enabling individuals to do more with their TVET qualifications at home and abroad'. The discussion focused on the effectiveness of qualification frameworks and how they are used to create better opportunities for individuals.
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Are we over analyzing?
Do we have a purpose or are we just being trendy? This was the question posed in the discussion on the value of qualification frameworks and occupational standards. While the concept of qualification frameworks is increasingly being considered as crucial for TVET development, the proven impact of these frameworks remains limited.
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Components of occupational standards
How are occupational standards determined, and what are they based on? This discussion explored the underlying thinking of occupational standards, and the necessary competencies for a job, considering what a worker does do, what a worker should do, and what a worker ought to do.
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Making TVET the preferred destination of first resort rather than the destination of last resort in developing countries
In many countries, TVET is considered to be second class education. The discussion focused on the often well-grounded reasons for people not to choose TVET. Financial investments, linking with businesses and establishing qualification frameworks were suggested as contributing to making TVET more attractive to learners.
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UNEVOC welcomed KRIVET at Centre's premises

On 19 April 2012, UNEVOC welcomed Mr Young-Bum Park, the new President of UNESCO's Regional Centre of Excellence in TVET, at the Centre's premises.
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TVET experts from Bulgaria visit UNEVOC

On 23 March 2012, representatives from the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET) in Bulgaria visited UNESCO-UNEVOC in Bonn, Germany.
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German Commission for UNESCO visits UNEVOC

On 22 March 2012, Mr. Shyamal Majumdar, Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC, welcomed Dr. Roland Bernecker, Secretary General of the German Commission for UNESCO at the Centre's premises.
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Representative from SBFIC visits UNEVOC

On 31 January 2012, Ms. Nicole Brand from the Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation (SBFIC) visited UNESCO-UNEVOC.
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Representatives of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development visit UNEVOC

On 30 January 2012, UNESCO-UNEVOC welcomed representatives of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development at the Centre's premises.
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