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The 38th session of the International Conference on Education took the subject of young people’s training for productive work as its special theme. This publication documents the discussion of the concepts of work and of training for work through different epochs and across various cultural, political and economic contexts. The chapters are as follows: Part one, ‘Work and society’, contains: Socio-economic dimensions; A work crisis?; The prospects; Part two, ‘Work and training policies’, contains: Trades and apprenticeship in Europe up to the age of manufacturing; Wage earners and education: from manufacturing to industrialization; The last thirty years: policies of educational planning and lifelong education; Part three, ‘Work and skills’, contains: Theories and practices; Towards a technological culture; Work and education: an economic and logical approach; Education and work: from dualism to the system; Part four, ‘Initial education and productive work’, contains: Alternation: a new idea from the past?; From childhood to adolescence; From adolescence to active working life; Entrance into adult life; The world of production: initial studies and alternation; Part five, ‘Work and further training’, contains: Work and the enterprise; Discussions about lifelong education; Further education and workers: needs and effects; The enterprise and further education; Forms of further training and initial education; Some prospects concerning development countries. Show less

This report examines the Continuum between education, training and work from a bottom-up perspective. It is based on the presentation and analysis of five projects by members of the Swiss Network for Education and International Cooperation (RECI). The report starts with a brief introduction of the notion of Continuum, with a focus on the discontinuities that currently exist between its constituent entities: education, training and decent work. Existing discontinuities between these three fields appear to create and reinforce exclusion and inequality for marginalized segments of the population. We argue that treating the three fields as a continuum would allow for the re-integration of people who have been excluded from the 'standard' journey between education, training and decent jobs. It then introduces and analyses five projects and draws lessons from across the five case studies.

The five projects are as follows: (1) Social inclusion of Roma through education, employment and socio-economic support in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Caritas Switzerland); (2) Education, work and peace: promising opportunities for young adults in Soacha, Colombia (Vivamos Mejor); (3) Alternative education programme for young people in Niger (Enfants du Monde with Swisscontact); (4) Job orientation training in businesses and schools in Romania (Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH), Department of International Projects in Education); and (5) ON-D-GO: developing the employability skills of displaced persons in Switzerland and six other European countries [Austria, Cyprus, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy and Lithuania], (Swiss Federation for Adult Learning).

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The focus of this Special Issue by NORRAG [Network for international policies and cooperation in education and training], in collaboration with the ILO, is on the discontinuities that currently exist between education, training and decent work, arguing that existing discontinuities between these three fields create and reinforce exclusions and inequalities for already marginalised groups. It is proposed that treating the three fields as a continuum would improve the inclusion of people who continue to be excluded from the 'standard' journey between education, training and work. This collection of 28 contributions from 25 countries across 5 continents offers perspectives and solutions to enhance the socio-professional inclusion of disadvantaged youth and adults. Part 1 puts education-training-work continuums in historical perspective and Part 2 reviews continuum innovations in the 1980s and 1990s. Part 3 then focuses on remediation systems for 'uneducated' youth and related un- or under-employment. Part 4 describes practices of improving the education-training-work continuums from a vocational perspective, and the promise of education-training-work continuums as a way out of crisis is the focus of Part 5. Finally, Part 6 challenges current narratives about education, training and work to give a future-oriented perspective on continuum approach and practices.

Edited excerpts from publication.

The contents are as follows: Part 1, 'Education-training-work continuums in historical perspective: from upgrading 'traditional' apprenticeship and community training towards e-learning', contains the following chapters: Informal apprenticeships for an emerging economy / Salim Akoojee, Patrick Werquin; The modernised apprenticeship model in Senegal: development of a new paradigm / Ousmane Adama Dia; Digital services transform learning in Africa / Cyr Davodoun; Blending modern technology and traditional apprenticeships to scale technical and vocational education and training (TVET) / Terry Neal, Robert Okinda, Ibraheem Abdul, Phillip Miyoba, Francis Wambua; The relevance of gender in the (re)production of education, training and work (dis) continuities / Alba Castellsague; From vertical to horizontal knowledge transmission through intergenerational learning in Mali / Tengande Francois Niada.

Part 2, 'Looking for solutions to education, training and work discontinuities: innovations and experiments in the 1990s', contains: 100 years of vocational education and training (VET) discourses / Kenneth King; Supporting education-training-work continuum: an activity theory analysis of national qualifications frameworks / Hannah Esther Manogaran; Complementing vocational training, secondary education and youth integration in Argentina / Claudia Jacinto; Hybrid governance and innovation in education-training-work continuums through public-private partnerships / Marc van der Meer, Siria Taurelli. Part 3, 'Youth (un)employment, NEETs and education-training-work continuums: building interactions between 'under-educated/-employed targets' and remediation systems', contains: NEETs in Africa: the role of core skills and active labour market programs / Clement Kouadio Kouakou, Tieregnimin Yaya Yeo; Breaking the continuum of socio-economic inequalities in Peru / Miguel Jaramillo, Maria Balarin; How young people combine education and work: an under-explored phenomenon / Erica Smith; How the second chance school helps prevent school dropouts from becoming NEETs / Brahim Toumi.

Part 4, 'Education-training-work continuums and professional experience: the proof of the pudding is in the eating', contains: Technological innovation and training: how to avoid discontinuities / Yves Chardonnens Cook; The paradox of planning and implementation of South Africa's 2030 Human Resources for Health Strategy / Laetitia Rispel, Eric Buch; The recognition of prior learning (RPL): success factors, proven benefits and system enablers / Deb Carr; The role of career services in tertiary students' transition to employment: voices from Africa / Samuel Asare, Pauline Essah, Francis A. Gatsi, William Ohene Annoh, Richard Cliff Ekumah, Akua Ampah, Jennifer N. Udeh. Part 5, 'Education-training-work continuums as a transitional way out of crisis', contains: Digital tech, migration and learning for work: the Janus effect in times of crisis / Tim Unwin, G. Hari Harindranath, Maria Rosa Lorini; Eco-ed: pathways to sustainability / Anne Ryan; Do development initiatives in Sierra Leone contribute to (dis)connections in the education-training-work continuum? / Jamelia Harris; The significance of the education-training-work idea for managing the global crisis of youth unemployment / Crain Soudien.

Part 6, 'Education-training-work continuums in a future-oriented perspective and challenging current narratives about changing education, training and work', contains: In defence of discontinuities: strengthening the barriers between education and work / Mike Douse, Philip Uys; The evolution of credentials: a call to action to rethink the education-training-work continuum / Borhene Chakroun, James Keevy; Governance infrastructure of education-training-work continuum: some missing dots / Raymond Saner, Lichia Yiu; The education-training-work continuum for socio-economic inclusion: the case of Singapore / Johnny Sung; Searching for quality in work training programmes in vulnerable sectors: digging into the basics / Enrique Pieck; Rethinking education, training and work: time for a great re-think? / Gideon Arulmani. Show less

Education: fundamental human right or strategic tool in support of economic growth? How does commodity-dependence influence education policy and practice? What is the role of vocational training vis-a-vis university education in developing countries? Are MOOCs and Chinese cooperation a game changer for higher education in Africa? And how does student migration sit vis-a-vis the globalisation of knowledge? These and other questions lie at the heart of this collection of essays which explore 50 years of international discourse surrounding education and development. Drawing on examples from Africa, Asia and Latin America, the articles examine issues hitherto largely neglected, but of increasing relevance to researchers and policymakers.

Edited excerpt from publication.

The contents are: Part 1: Education policies and development: issues in the debate - International education and development: histories, parallels, crossroads / Gilles Carbonnier, Michel Carton and Kenneth King (pages 3-26); International education policies, issues, and challenges / Nicholas Burnett (pages 27-36); International investment in education for development: public good or economic tool? / Alexandra Draxler (pages 37-56). Part 2: Shaping training and lifelong learning - Tertiary technical education and youth integration in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico / Claudia Jacinto and Ana Garcia de Fanelli (pages 59-80); Why commodity booms have not (yet?) boosted human capital: Bolivia's struggle to create a skilled workforce / Fritz Brugger and Kathlen Lizarraga Zamora (pages 81-101); Lifelong learning in a learning society: are community learning centres the vehicle? / Manzoor Ahmed (pages 102-125); Exploring the value of the capability approach for vocational education and training evaluation: reflections from South Africa / Lesley Powell and Simon McGrath (pages 126-148). Part 3: China, migration, MOOCs: what's in it for higher education in Africa? - China's higher education engagement with Africa: a different partnership and cooperation model? / Kenneth King (pages 151-173); Western African student migration: a response to the globalisation of knowledge / Denise Efionayi and Etienne Piguet (pages 174-194); Boosting higher education in Africa through shared massive open online courses (MOOCs) / Gerard Escher, Dimitrios Noukakis and Patrick Aebischer (pages 195-214). Show less

Africa is seeing a renewed interest in technical and vocational skills development (TVSD). Before efficient youth employment policies can be set out and implemented for both urban and rural areas, however, reliable data and analysis must be available. This study will focus on TVSD. It aims to present a survey of the TVSD-related research conducted by various stakeholder groups over the course of the past 20 years, while also identifying the research expectations, needs and demands expressed by those stakeholders and ascertaining which research topics are in most urgent need of attention. This paper is based on three case studies carried out in Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. In addition, for the purposes of comparison and idea sharing, two similar studies were carried out in South Africa and Latin America. [The authors] also draw upon an analytical study of the situation in West Africa concerning research on education and training.

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In the late 1990s, South Africa faced the three-fold challenge of reforming the apartheid-divided institutional landscape of vocational education and training (VET) institutions; ensuring equitable access to skills; and reorienting its skills development system in line with the nation's reinsertion into the global economy. A wave of institutional reforms was enacted which was followed by a large programme of evaluative research. While this body of work was both valuable and necessary, it nonetheless had several limitations. As part of efforts to overcome these, the authors suggest an alternative evaluation method that draws on insights from the 'capability approach'. By putting the needs of people first - rather than the needs of the economy - the capability approach emphasises social justice, human rights and poverty alleviation in VET evaluation. This approach is more focused on the values and goals of individuals and institutions, while retaining the economic rationale as a key analytical tool and emphasising the continued importance of evaluation for the improvement of delivery and outcomes.

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Vocational training versus a traditional university education. This chapter seeks to answer the question of whether 'tertiary technical education' has contributed to increasing economic and social opportunity for young people in Latin America, using three case studies from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. It examines the extent to which tertiary technical education has contributed towards democratising access to education through institutional diversification, expanded enrolment and, at least theoretically, improved access to quality employment.

The analysis shows that tertiary technical education has contributed to widening of opportunities by offering an alternative form of education to new generations of young people. Tertiary technical education is more accessible, shorter in duration, has a vocational orientation, and tends to be cheaper than a university education. However, the case studies also reveal that while a tertiary technical education diploma is an asset for young people seeking employment, it nonetheless does not have the same perceived value as a traditional university education. Available data appear to indicate that graduates of tertiary technical education earn less on average than university graduates and face several challenges in the labour market. Furthermore, the studies reveal that despite the presence of highly regarded tertiary technical education institutions in all three countries, these carry less prestige and status than universities.

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The Working Group for International Cooperation in Skills Development, launched in 1996, is an informal group of donor agencies and international organisations involved in providing assistance in vocational and technical skills development. The Edinburgh Meeting of the Working Group was held at the invitation of the World Bank to review the draft of its synthesis report, 'Vocational skills development in Sub-Saharan Africa: a World Bank Review' (the final synthesis report is indexed at TD/IRD 88.275). Three specific aims were proposed by the World Bank for this meeting: (1) to share the individual and collective experiences of agencies interested in skills development; (2) to shape the messages of the paper; and (3) to consider how the World Bank can work most effectively with the various partners present towards skills development in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper documents the discussions which took place and the critique offered by those who commented on the World Bank's synthesis report. It contains: Introduction / Martha Caddell and Keith Holmes; Assessing the synthesis report: the response of the Working Group / Martha Caddell and Keith Holmes; Public training / David Atchoarena; Private training / David Atchoarena; Enterprise-base training in formal sector medium and large-scale African enterprises / John Grierson; Informal sector training / Fred Fluitman and Hans Haan; Vocationalized secondary education revisited with case studies from Botswana, Uganda and Kenya / Jon Lauglo, Albert K. Akyeampong, Kilemi Mwiria and Sheldon G. Weeks; Integrated entrepreneurship education in Botswana, Uganda and Kenya / Halfdan Farstad; Financing training / Adrian Ziderman; Commentary: a broad view of the paper / Claudio Moura Castro. Included as appendices are: Vocational skills development in Sub-Saharan Africa: a World Bank review - executive summary; Principle sources; List of participants. Show less