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This document reports on four studies into the cooperation between technical and vocational education (TVE) institutions and the world of work. These studies were part of a series of studies on existing approaches to such cooperation initiated by UNESCO within its UNEVOC Project. The studies took place in Hungary, Romania, Sweden and the Russian Federation. They were undertaken by experts from the countries themselves on the basis of guidelines provided by Dr. R. Barry Hobart, Consultant to UNESCO. A synthesis is provided by Dr. Hobart to identify and describe the common variables that are operating with respect to education for the world of work in each of the case studies included. The report is divided into two sections. The first section contains the studies from Hungary, Romania and Sweden that examined the policies and legislation in TVE designed to enhance cooperation with the world of work. The second section reports on the study from the Russian Federation that investigated aspects of cooperation between the training institution and the individual enterprise in the implementation of such policies. Show less

Foundation degrees (FDs) were established as a pathway for people within the workplace to build on existing expertise and continue working at the same time as studying for a higher level qualification. One of the FDs developed was in the Early Years (EY) sector. The Early Years Sector-Endorsed Foundation Degree (EYSEFD) comprises practical experience in an EY workplace, supported by a mentor, which constitutes the work-based learning (WBL) element of the course, in conjunction with academic work. This report presents the findings of a qualitative study exploring employers' and mentors' views and experiences of the EYSEFD, specifically: the nature of information employers and mentors have received about the program and their levels of satisfaction with this; how employers and mentors conceptualise their roles in relation to the EYSEFD students, particularly in relation to WBL and mentoring; the types and levels of involvement of employers and mentors with EYSEFD students, and explanatory factors for this; employer and mentor motivations for supporting the student through the EYSEFD, and feelings about their role; the logistics of accommodating an EYSEFD student in the workplace in terms of WBL, mentoring, and finances; impacts of the EYSEFD on students' work, the setting, other staff members, the EY sector as a whole and the students' future career progression; and employer and mentor views about the value of the EYSEFD to their setting, and feelings about how the experience of accommodating and mentoring an EYSEFD student could be improved. Employers experienced a range of 'de-motivators' and 'motivators' to supporting EYSEFD students. The key 'de-motivators' included: a lack of information and contact with the college about the EYSEFD and the role of employers and mentors in facilitating the WBL aspect; logistical and financial difficulties in accommodating WBL, mentoring and student attendance at college; and lack of progression opportunities within the setting. Key 'motivators' included: a strong commitment on the part of the employer to staff training; the ability to accommodate the EYSEFD logistically and financially; and confidence in the degree strengthened by good information from the college.

The report of the study of students' experiences of the EYSEFD is indexed at TD/TNC 85.381. Show less

The World Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Database is an online repository developed by UNESCO-UNEVOC. It aims to provide up-to-date information on TVET systems worldwide. This country profile for Guyana outlines the TVET mission, strategy and legislation and provides an overview of the TVET systems - formal, non-formal and informal, governance and financing, TVET teachers and trainers, the qualifications framework and current reforms and major projects. Show less

As part of its efforts to encourage and facilitate regional cooperation among the Latin American and Caribbean Member States and to strengthen and further develop their technical and vocational education and training (TVET), the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre carried out a desk research in order to get an overview of current regional activities, plans and networks already in existence and to identify organisations and institutions that are active in the field of TVET in the region. This report contains the findings of this desk research together with recommendations for further action. It is presented in four main parts: the first section outlines the sources and resources used for gathering the relevant information; part two provides a brief overview of the current situation of TVET in the region, the changes occurring and the challenges the countries and their TVET institutions are facing; part three lists a selection of the regional activities that are, or already have been, carried out in the region and the main actors involved; and the final part contains some preliminary recommendations on how to proceed from here. Show less

The piloting of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) initiative in 15 Local Education Authority (LEA) areas began in September 1999. The pilots, which will run for three years, are expected to test the extent to which a financial incentive improves post-16 participation, retention and achievement rates in education. This report focuses on the implementation and administration of the EMA pilot in its second year. Issues examined in this report include: the role of implementation groups; perceptions of EMA, particularly among training providers; general community awareness of the EMA initiative; the taking up of EMAs by income level, choices of curricula and education provider and the impact of EMAs on other post-Year 11 routes; mechanisms for administering EMAs; and the impact of EMAs on the attendance, retention and achievement of post-16 year old students. Show less

This convention was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO at its twenty-fifth session in Paris, 10 November 1989. The fifteen articles outline the conditions under which the contracting states agree to develop policies relating to technical and further education. These conditions include agreements to: facilitate international co-operation; ensure adequate standards; take account of the educational, cultural and social background of the population; and ensure that individuals are not discriminated against. Show less

The UK government has introduced a number of initiatives designed to improve the availability, quality and accessibility of services for young children within its National Childcare Strategy. The childcare workforce is a key ingredient in the success of this goal and must be supported by the recruitment and retention of sufficient, appropriately trained workers. This report covers three studies of the childcare workforce in training and at work in the UK: a national survey of childcare students in further education colleges; a national survey of day nursery workers; and a focus group study of childcare workers and playworkers in training. The main aim of the studies was to investigate issues of entry, retention and loss in the childcare workforce. In particular, the research sought to describe the characteristics of those individuals who train and work in the childcare field, to identify their views and experiences of training and employment in childcare, and to examine how workers combined their commitment to childcare employment and other commitments in their lives. The report provides policy background, a broad description of the childcare workforce, an overview of findings organised in relation to the three key issues of entry, retention and loss, and some conclusions about the future of the childcare workforce along with a detailed account of each study. Two key themes emerge from the research: (1) the high level of value placed on childcare as an occupation and as a service by workers and students in the field; and (2) combining childcare work with parenting and the associated possibilities and difficulties.

A further report building on this research is indexed at TD/TNC 71.132. Show less

This booklet and CD-ROM are the report and presentations from a meeting convened by UNESCO-UNEVOC to synthesise and extend current examples of international best practice and disseminate strategies for addressing the questions, issues and problems that arise in developing policies and programs based on reorienting technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for sustainable development. Sixty-six delegates from 23 countries attended the meeting. The papers (some accompanied by PowerPoint slides) are: ‘Greening’ FE curricula: a position paper / Shirley Ali Khan; Integrating sustainable development into TVET in Oman / Abdullah Ambusaidi; Evaluating TVET programs through appreciative inquiry / Alberto Arenas; Sustainability competencies: skills to last - generic sustainable development skills for the workforce / France Boutin and Chris Chinien; VET system and sustainable development in Mongolia / D. Bujinkham (PowerPoint slides only); Emerging models of TVET teacher training and their potential for sustainability in the international arena: an analysis of the German context / Frank Bunning; Business and entrepreneurship education for the 21st century: entrepreneurship, vocational training and education for sustainable development: a case study of a one year course for secondary schools in New York city / Jaimie P. Cloud; Promoting entrepreneurship in curriculum of TVET sector for sustainable development / Suresh K. Dhameja and Man-Gon Park; Train-the-Trainer-Network for facilitating regional and national sustainable development / Bui The Dung; Rethinking development - as if the planet and its people really mattered / John Fien, David Goldney and Tom Murphy; New thinking about development: response / Annette Gough; Postgraduate training programs for energy experts in industry in Eastern Europe: …methods and mechanisms for upgrading skill and competence, raising awareness and profitability for sustainable development in industry / Thor Henning Gulbrandsen; Technical and vocational education for sustainable development - policy making strategies and project experiences in Germany: first draft of a paper / Michael Haertel; Approaches to supporting vocational skills acquisition by migrants (displaced people) in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of Chongqing, China / Zhao Jiping and Liu Yu assisted by Veronica Volkoff; TVET for sustainable development - opportunities and challenges: final comments / Tom Karmel; From welfare to learnfare: a new social security model for sustainable development / Jang-Ho Kim; Prospects and perspective of ubiquitous teaching and learning systems / Myong Hee Kim and Man-Gon Park; The role of information and communication technologies in TVET for sustainable development / Boris Kotsik; Intercultural education for promoting sustainable development in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) / Johanna Lasonen; TVET and sustainable livelihoods in the Caucasus: the case of Azerbaijan / John E. S. Lawrence; Strategies for promoting gender equity in Korea / Young-Hyun Lee; Developing entrepreneurship for rural youth and women / Tariq Mahmood; Sustainable development through the provision of knowledge based skilled workforce / Shyamal Majumdar and Suresh K. Dhameja; Sustainable development in TVET in the UK - developing the strategy / Stephen Martin, Maureen Martin and Judith Cohen; Adult and vocational education for social sustainability: a new concept for TVET for sustainable development / Stephen McKenzie; Sustainability covenants: a case study of government-college partnership / Beth McLachlan, Greg Waddell and Frank Mitchell; The contribution of TVET to sustainable development and launch of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development for technical and vocational education and training / Rupert Maclean; NZ Industry and Youth Employment / New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development; The world trends and its implications for sustainable human resource development through TVET / Man-Gon Park; Workforce and workplace mobility with computer-supported cooperative works / Man-Gon Park, Myong Hee Kim and Ligaya D. Valmonte; A sustainable education: history, local knowledge and TVET / William S. Pretzer; Learning to do: an ESD resource for TVET / Lourdes R. Quisumbing, Maria Lourdes Q. Baybay; Technical and vocational education and training in India: policy perspectives and challenges ahead / J. S. Rajput; The main ideas for sustainable development: vocational secondary school in Indonesia / Mian Siahaan Arie Wibowo Khurniawan; Consideration of sustainable development in modular curriculum approach / Harry Stolte; Achieving sustainability in TVET through a program of accreditation and certification / Ligaya D. Valmonte and Myong Hee Kim; Vocational competencies of digital literacy / Tapio Varis; TVET for sustainable development in Union of Myanmar / Kyaw Soe Win. Show less

In 2000, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) launched an initiative aimed at providing basic information and communications technology (ICT) skills to unemployed and economically inactive people. The initiative, 'UK online computer training', delivered courses through existing training providers from both the private and public sectors in a range of locations throughout the UK. This document reports on research used to evaluate the initiative, particularly its effectiveness in providing basic ICT training to the 'information poor' and the extent to which the training helped recipients to come off social security benefits and onto positive outcomes such as employment. The specific objectives were to: (a) identify all individuals participating in the training and their resulting outcomes; (b) identify the extent to which individual and other factors were related to participation and course completion; (c) identify and assess the factors which contributed toward coming off benefits and entering employment; (d) identify the extent to which courses have facilitated employment in comparison to the results of not participating in such courses. The report presents explanatory notes and summarised findings in relation to online participants, courses from the perspective of participants, training providers, and the impact of courses. Qualitative and quantitative research was undertaken and the appendices contain further information on the research method and the participants. Show less

The National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) 2003 was commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in partnership with the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), to provide detailed information about the extent, causes and implications of England's recruitment problems and skill gaps. The survey involved 72,100 interviews with a representative sample of employers in England. This report is the main report from the 2003 NESS survey and provides the key initial findings. It covers: workforce structure; recruitment challenges; skill gaps; the implications of skill deficiencies and the actions taken to overcome them; training; and the changing patterns of skill deficiencies. The survey found that there was little variation in the regional profile of employment, although London had a slightly higher proportion of people employed in professional roles and fewer as machine operatives, personal service staff and skilled trades. Other findings included: a third of the employers expected their workforce to grow in the next 12 months; 8 per cent of employers reported they had vacancies they were finding hard to fill, with half of these employers finding it difficult to get suitably skilled applicants to fill at least some of these vacancies; skill-shortage vacancies were harder to fill; 22 per cent of employers reported that at least some of their staff lacked proficiency, but in terms of future proficiency problems, between a quarter and three-tenths of employers didn't foresee any barriers to a fully proficient team of employees; the largest proportion of skill gaps was among sales and customer service and elementary occupations; 39 per cent of employers had a training plan with larger establishments being more likely to engage in business and training planning; and overall, the characteristics of the job role were more likely to determine whether an employee received training or not. The method of measuring skill gaps changed between the 2001 and 2003 surveys and this has made comparisons relatively difficult. However, evidence suggests that patterns of skill gaps have remained broadly the same, but there have been considerable increases in business and training planning.

The report of the key findings of the National Employers Skills Survey 2003 is indexed at TD/TNC 79.281. Individual National Employers Skills Survey 2003 Sector Skills Council reports are indexed from TD/TNC 79.275 to TD/TNC 79.280. Show less