Technical vocational education and training: reflections on the issues facing TVET and its potential in the time of COVID-19

The threat of a global health pandemic called [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 has affected the health of hundreds of thousands of people, claimed lives in many parts of the world, disrupted learning and training, has threatened (and continues to do so) economies and pushed many to the brink of recession. However, it has also pushed individuals and units in the public governance, business, education and communities to think out of the box. Governments are deploying strategies and approaches that they have not implemented before to overcome the crisis. In general, the approaches and solutions that we see today correspond to the preparedness of countries, businesses and communities to tackle the issue on different fronts. Education and training systems around the globe have started to respond to the situation. Under the circumstances, [technical vocational education and training] TVET, an important subset of education and which takes place in secondary, post-secondary and tertiary levels, including work-based learning, continuing training and professional development, cannot be a silent spectator. The essence of how TVET can play an important role in the time of crisis, is discussed in this paper.

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