Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on vocational education and training: international perspectives of policy makers and practitioners

In a series of virtual bilateral workshops held from February to April 2021, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and their partner ministries in seven countries - Costa Rica, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Russia, South Africa, and USA - discussed the effects of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic on Vocational Education and Training (VET), employment, and youth. GOVET (German Office for International Cooperation in VET) asked policy makers, researchers, and practitioners to share their experiences, first lessons learned, best practices, and response...  [+] Show more

In a series of virtual bilateral workshops held from February to April 2021, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and their partner ministries in seven countries - Costa Rica, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Russia, South Africa, and USA - discussed the effects of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic on Vocational Education and Training (VET), employment, and youth. GOVET (German Office for International Cooperation in VET) asked policy makers, researchers, and practitioners to share their experiences, first lessons learned, best practices, and response strategies. This publication documents the outcomes. The contributions range from hands-on practical reports to in-depth VET research findings, from rather analytical perspectives to policy consultancy and strategic ideas.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The contents are as follows: Introduction: Responses to the global pandemic: analyses, best practices, and experiences in Vocational Education and Training / Ralf Hermann, Hannelore Kress, and Julia Olsen; Vocational orientation in Costa Rica: strategies and actions towards the educational challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic / Ileana Arce Valerio. Chapters on Germany are: Government response to the pandemic / Sepehr Shahin and Ralf Hermann; Does the COVID-19 crisis mark a turning point on the apprenticeship market?: a forecast of the possible development of new apprenticeship contracts up until 2030 / Tobias Maier; Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people during the transition from school to training and work in Germany / Veronica Fernandez Caruncho; The design of the digital transformation in Vocational Education and Training: new demands to company training staff / Michael Hartel. Chapters on Ghana are: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on TVET providers and programmes in Ghana / Fred Kyei Asamoah; Increasing teachers' technological skills with a nationwide project / Christina Boateng. Chapters on Israel are: Government involvement in Vocational Training during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Israel / Benjamin Bental, Alex Weinreb, and Avi Weiss; The effect of the COVID-19 crisis on the mental health of students in vocational schools / Orit Vaknin-Shiloh and Shai Hen-Gal; Rethinking training and active labour policies in Italy: exercises in resilience in times of COVID-19 / Alessandra Biancolini and Andrea Simoncini. Chapters on Russia are: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the practice-oriented education sector and assessment methods / Vladimir Blinov; The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on further learning in Vocational Education: analysis and best practices / Natalya Victorovna Lomovtseva; Career guidance in times of the pandemic / Igor Sergeev; Digital competencies of educators: before and after the pandemic: experience report from Chita Pedagogical College / Oksana Sidorenko. Chapters on South Africa are: Embedding skills policy in economic development policy: reflections on the COVID-19 skills strategy adopted in South Africa / Stephanie Allais; Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vocational Education and Training: a best practice example: lecturer development project TRAINME. Chapters on the USA are: Comparative discussion on apprenticeships before and during the COVID-19 pandemic / Robert B. Shepard, Li Zhao, and Randall Denison; The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on VET in the U.S. / Miriam Farnbauer and Diana Elliott.