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This article is an excerpt from a presentation at the 2009 IVETA annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The author begins by describing two organisations which he represents and then continues with the main section of his presentation which examines the relationship between information and communication technology (ICT) and technical and vocational education and training (TVET), with reference to the situation in Liberia. The main strength is the ability of ICT to enhance information dissemination in TVET through providing information to many people in a quick and efficient manner. ICT can also provide national and international collaboration. The author gives some characteristics needed for suitable ICT systems in countries like Liberia and the stages required in training for TVET delivery with ICT. The author concludes with some remarks on meeting the cost and challenges of ICT and the promises that it makes. Show less

Equipping pre-service teachers with technology skills and knowledge is now regarded as a vital element of any teacher-training program so as to capacitate the new teachers to meet the educational demands of the twenty-first century. Therefore, it is important to establish whether these teachers do actually apply these skills when they first get to the field and if not, what could be the hindering factors. This study investigated technology use by pre-service teachers during teaching practice. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) was used as an evaluative framework for the study. Observations, interviews, and document analysis were used to collect data. The results indicated that the majority of the participants did not use technology in the delivery of their lessons, even though they reported high competency levels in the use of technology resources. The underlying reasons for this lack of technology use were identified. The results point to a need to develop a systematic and comprehensive strategy toward technology implementation involving all stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition for pre-service teachers as they move from training to practice and to have technology use reinforced at all levels.

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Background: The main objective of the study was to examine the relevance of engineering mathematics to the emerging industries. The level of abstraction, the standard of rigor, and the depth of theoretical treatment are necessary skills expected of a graduate engineering technician to be derived from mathematical knowledge. The question of whether these skills are imparted to benefit emerging economies still remains a big area of investigation. This study investigated the relevancy of engineering mathematics to the benefit of local industry in a developing economy, Uganda.

Results: There was a significant difference between the mathematics being taught to the engineering technical students and the mathematics relevant to the engineering technical work in the industries (p value <0.05). Implying that the mathematics taught to engineering technical students, though relevant, is not in the form of what the industries require. The use, practicability, depth, rigor, modernity, relevancy, and usefulness of the taught mathematics were all statistically different from the desired mathematical skills for the industry. Moreover, the extent of use of the engineering mathematics did not differ between the required and taught and among the civil, electrical, and mechanical branches of engineering.

Conclusions: The mathematics syllabi for polytechnic institutes should be developed to directly support innovations and efficiency in the local industries. Therefore, a close collaboration between the polytechnic colleges and the local industries should be facilitated to achieve a sustainable industrial.

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The publication comprises papers that mainly focus on strategies to reduce poverty, youth empowerment through skills development and the importance of a sustainable human development particularly in the rural areas. In addition, 13 country papers discussing unique poverty alleviation mechanisms and strategies from the CPSC member countries are also highlighted.

Excerpt from publisher's website.

The conference proceedings includes: SDPA Project Report / Mohammad Naim Yaakub; Conference Report - Recommendations and Conference Conclusion: 'Marco Polo Pact: Journey to Zero Poverty'; Plenary session 1 - Initiatives and Strategies for Poverty Reduction in Asia and the Pacific Region: Promoting Skills Development in the Asia and the Pacific Region: Context and Challenges / Sungsup Ra (pages 19-24); Poverty Reduction in Asia Pacific Region by Synergizing TVET and Entrepreneurship / Suresh Kumar Dhameja (pages 25-39); Plenary session 2: Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development: International Cooperation and Promotion of TVET Experiences of Training International Industrial Technology Educators in Japan / Hidetoshi Miyakawa (pages 43-51); Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development: A Case of ASA Philippines Foundation / Kamrul Hasan Tarafder (pages 53-58); Plenary session 3 - Building Skills for Employability: Building Skills for Youth Employability / Dato' Amir bin Md Noor (pages 61-70); Promoting TVET for Poverty Alleviation, Entrepreneurship and Employability in Malaysian Polytechnics / Datuk Hj. Mohlis Bin Jaafar (pages 71-82); Poverty Alleviation through Skills Development for Employability / Ram Hari Lamichane (pages 83-92); Building Skills for Youth Employability / Raman Gujral (pages 93-105); Plenary session 4 - Initiatives and TVET Best Practices for Poverty Alleviation, Entrepreneurship and Employability (Country Paper Presentations): Afghanistan / Ebadullah Ahmadi (pages 109-120); Bangladesh / Mofizul Islam (pages 121-128); Bhutan / Naku Dorji (pages 129-130); Fiji / Pene S. Aropio (pages 131-148); India / Shivappa Nitin Lingayat (pages 149-162); Malaysia / Ainun Rafieza binti Ahmad Tajuddin (pages 165-176); Maldives / Aminath Asra (pages 177-180); Myanmar / Maung Maung Thant (pages 181-189); Nepal / Maung Maung Thant (pages 193-198); Pakistan / Bilal Ilyas (pages 199-210); Philippines / Leonor B. Diaz (pages 211-219); Sri Lanka / A.M.R.R. Abeykoon (pages 223-230); Thailand / Kuntima Sirithien (pages 231-244). Show less

This case study presents the experiential training experience of a Human Resource Management student at Technikon Northern Transvaal. The paper considers the process of establishing a co-operative education experience for students of Human Resource Management and discusses some problems and disadvantages.

The complete proceedings of this conference may be found at TD/TNC 58.33, and selected papers may be found from TD/TNC 58.176 to TD/TNC 58.192. Show less

This paper explores the role of [technical and vocational education and training] TVET in South Africa and its capacity to respond to a democratic developmental and inclusionary context. It argues not only that the road achieving real and positive impacts is accompanied by some potholes, but also that the conceptualisation and design considerations need to be radically overhauled for TVET to make a meaningful contribution to the espoused policy goals of inclusive democratic development. While the rhetoric is plausible, the creative tinkering of the system is unlikely to lead to radical and transformative revisioning responsive to national needs.

Published abstract.

The volume from which this paper is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 123.477. Show less

Purpose: The paucity of empirical evidence on the limitations of the industrial attachment programme of technical universities for enhancing students' human capital in Africa tends to thwart concrete policy options. Design/methodology/approach: The study used the convergent mixed methods including 594 surveys, two focus groups and in-depth interviews to assess and accentuate the research gap in this study. Findings: Evidence of constraints linked to the industrial attachment programme for developing students' human capital needs include limited funding, logistics and incentive for supervision, incompatible placement and exploitation and sexual harassment of students. Insufficient duration and intrusion of the industrial attachment programme due to labour unrests, inadequate collaboration and fears of student interns breaching organisations' confidentiality policies were also found to hinder the programme.

Research limitations/implications: The study's dependence on participants' perspectives has the possibility of being characterised by recollection prejudice. The comparatively limited scope and size of the study participants creates concerns of representativeness and generalisability of the study outcome. Practical implications: The outcome of this study could yield significant practical implications for the planning and operations of the industrial attachment programme of tertiary institutions. It also provides information which could serve as the basis for future research and comprehensive evaluation of the programme's planning and implementation. Originality/value: The authors have delineated empirical evidence on the constraints of the industrial attachment programme of Ghanaian technical universities to inform policy decisions on the planning, operations, funding and evaluation of the programme in collaboration with industry and government.

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This journal provides a forum for the discussion and debate around skill development in South Africa. This third issue contains selected papers from the Moses Kotane Institute (MKI) Inaugural Conference on Ubuntu, held in December 2009 at the Innovation Centre, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. Ubuntu is a term that appears frequently in policy documents, journal articles and the media. Intrinsic to Ubuntu are the basic principles of respect, true love, honesty, compassion, forgiveness, humility and unity. Despite its prominence, no single, universally agreed definition of Ubuntu exists, nor a clear understanding of how the concept should be applied or operationalised. For this reason, the conference sought to promote an understanding of Ubuntu, together with its application to modern debates and endeavours. The articles include: Exploring and synthesising community informatics, community and Ubuntu / Udo Richard Averweg (pp. 1-18); The role of Ubuntu in skills development: best practices at Sasol / Ziphathele Chamane and Lindiwe Chamane (pp. 19-26); Ubuntu and skills development in the Overberg region of the Western Cape / Cyril Francis (pp. 27-44); Indigenous knowledge, leadership and workforce participation / Stanley Hardman (pp. 45-58); South Africa: a patchwork quilt of patriarchy / Anton (Archie) Roberts (pp. 59-70); Beyond racism: Ubuntu and the Other / Callum David Scott (pp. 71-80); Ubuntu and being umuntu: towards an Ubuntu pedagogy through cultural expressions, symbolism and performance / Musa Xulu (pp. 81-87). Show less

This article discusses acquiring maximum vocational business education (VBE) skills and competencies to boost sustainable development in Nigeria. In the introduction, the paper defines terminologies such as VBE, maximum skills acquisition and competencies as well as sustainable development. The paper goes further to highlight the importance of skills acquisition in Nigeria and examines major skills and competencies inherent in VBE. It also explores the components of sustainable development and how VBE has enhanced it. Lastly, the paper discusses some impediments to maximum skills acquisition by VBE students in Nigerian tertiary institutions and concludes by making recommendations on how such impediments can be reduced.

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It has become increasingly difficult for young Zambians to construct youth-to-adult transitions that meet the normative expectations of coherent life trajectories towards being successful. We explore 60 young Zambians’ experiences through qualitative life history interviews focusing on processes of economic (dis)empowerment. We focus closely on what these Zambian youth aspire to, their ‘models’ for life course achievement and how they position their own progress towards and prospects for ‘success’ in relation to their peers. In doing so, we contribute to understanding the importance of youth wellbeing in times of increasing uncertainty.

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