Search Results

The International Network on Innovative Apprenticeship (INAP) international conference for 2013 was held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 23-24 April. Co-organised by Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Education and Training Authority (merSETA), Johannesburg, South Africa, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, National Skills Authority (NSA), Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), University of Zurich, Switzerland, European Research Network in Vocational Education and Training (VETNET), TVET Research Group, University of Bremen, Germany, the theme was 'Apprenticeship in a globalised world: premises, promised and pitfalls'. The keynote presentations were: Opening speech: Apprenticeship: the (South) African challenge and perspective / Mduduzi Manana; Keynote 1: Overcoming the work-inexperience gap through quality apprenticeships: the ILO's contribution / Christine Evans-Klock; Keynote 2: Apprenticeships in global, national, and local contexts: can INAP help bridge the gaps? / Robert I. Lerman; and Keynote 3: Rearranging the furniture?: shifting discourses on skills development and apprenticeship in South Africa / Volker Wedekind.

The proceedings from this conference are available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 113.1505. Show less

In April 2013, the International Network on Innovative Apprenticeship (INAP) hosted its fifth international conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, in co-operation with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), bringing together researchers, policy makers and practitioners from 34 nations. The title of the conference 'Apprenticeship in a globalised world: premises, promises and pitfalls' points out the need for apprenticeship to deliver on its promise of workplace skills and for it to develop and change as world economies develop. This international exchange of ideas among researchers from all over the world identifies cases of good practice and helps to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and innovation, also within the frame of informal apprenticeships. This book is a summary of papers presented and discussed at the Johannesburg Conference split up equally to the five key topics: (1) introducing apprenticeship: backgrounds, changes and difficulties; (2) enabling learning opportunities in workplaces and informal contexts; (2) competence assessment and development; (4) managing transitions from [vocational education and training] VET into the world of work; and (5) curriculum design, apprenticeships and national qualification frameworks.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The contents are as follows: Keynotes: Overcoming the work-inexperience gap through quality apprenticeships: the ILO's contribution / Michael Axmann and Christine Hofmann; Apprenticeship in global, national and local contexts: can INAP bridge the gaps? / Robert I. Lerman; Rearranging the furniture?: shifting discourses on skills development and apprenticeship in South Africa / Volker Wedekind. Chapter one, 'Introducing apprenticeship: backgrounds changes and difficulties', contains the following papers: Between an inglorious past and precarious future: South African apprenticeship in transition! / Salim Akoojee; Artisanal development without a clear demand: what about the public economy? / Lolwana Peliwe; Indonesia's efforts to implement modern apprenticeship / Joachim Dittrich; Development of a further education and research network for VET professional pedagogues in Sub-Saharan Africa (VET-Net) / Friedheim Eicker and Team of the VET-Net Project; Globalising the apprenticeship concept: how far can apprenticeship systems be compared across countries and what can be gained? / Erica Smith and Ros Brennan Kemmis; Progress with the English apprenticeship / Richard Marsh; Success factors of transition in Austria: possible considerations and consequences for countries all over the world / Peter Hartel and Michaela Marterer; Introducing an apprenticeship pathway in Swedish VET: chances and difficulties in workplace learning / Ingrid Berglund; Marketing apprenticeship in the United States: the case of South Carolina / Robert I. Lerman.

Chapter two, 'Enabling workplace learning': Improving the quality of apprenticeships as learning environment / Jeroen Onstenk; To what extent do facets of the learning environment influence apprentices' motivation and learning success? / Annalisa Schnitzler and Stefanie Velten; Correlates and predictors of apprentices' perception of their workplace as learning place: an analysis of the first three years in apprenticeship / Christof Nagele; An assessment of the effectiveness of VET workplace learning via the VET-WL factor model: a study in the Barcelona area / Pilar Pineda-Herrero, Anna Ciraso-Cali, Berta Espona-Barcons and Carla Quesada-Pallares; A typical experiment of cooperation between a vocational college and enterprises: a case study of Guangzhou Electromechanical Technician College / Ke'an Zhang and Caifeng Chen; COMET learning tasks in practice: how to make use of learning tasks at vocational schools / Thomas Scholz and Lars Heinemann. Chapter three, 'Apprenticships in informal contexts': Lessons learnt from informal apprenticeship initiatives in Southern and Eastern Africa / Ashwani Aggarwal; Linking informal apprenticeship and formal education in South-Eastern Nigeria through market/mechanic village schools / Benjamin Ogwo; Benin: experiences avec deux certificats formels / Roger Adanhounzo [in French only]; Upgrading informal apprenticeship in Egypt: a formalized approach with off-the-job learning / Mohamed F. El Fateh Moussa; Policy options for improving informal apprenticeship: experiences from Ghana / Dan Baffour-Awuah; Vocational skills formation in the informal economy in Tanzania / Gunilla Hojlund; Informal collaborative learning opportunities at Mozambique's [technical and vocational education and training] TVET institutions and industry / Daniel Dinis da Costa and Brigida O. Singo; Youths between urbanisation and poverty: livelihood opportunities and challenges of informal apprenticeships in Ghana / Benjamin Schraven; Transitions in informal apprenticeship: results from ILO research in several African countries / Christine Hofmann and Wendy Okofo; Les examens de fin d'apprentissage traditionnel (EFAT): un accelerateur d'amelioration de l'apprentissage traditionnel au Benin / Cyr Davodoun [in French only].

Chapter four, 'Competence assessment and development': 'Between a rock and a hard place': structural dilemmas of workplace trainers in German apprenticeship training / Anke Bahl; Competence development of pre-vocational and vocational teachers / Klaus Jenewein; Creating matrices of learning situations as a didactical possibility to fabricate an internal differentiation for action-oriented vocational education / Ralph Dreher; The influence of work process oriented learning context on learning outcomes in VET / Yingyi Zhou and Zhiqun Zhao; The influence of apprenticeship systems on occupational-biographical orientations: findings of a qualitative comparative study of the VET in England and Germany / Erika Edith Gericke; Competence measurement and development in TVET: result of the first COMET test in South Africa / Ursel Hauschildt, Hefen Brown and Zolife Zungu; Applying the COMET competence measurement and development model for VET teachers and trainers / Felix Rauner; Changes to artisan status and identity: implications for apprenticeship development / Angelique Wildschut and Salim Akoojee; A competence analysis and competence creation tool to integrate employees in subsidized contracts / Martin Kroll. Chapter five, 'Managing transitions from VET into the world of work': Does promoting permeability decrease social inequality in VET?: promises and pitfalls of a widespread idea / Jakob Kost; Why apprentices quit: a German case study / Ursel Hauschildt and Dorothea Piening; Successful educational outcomes after early apprenticeship contract terminations: the effect of learning experiences / Barbara E. Stalder; The application of COMET model in automobile maintenance technician personnel training / Donglian Gu and Changwen Cai; The transition from school world to authentic work world: a model of integrating work into learning in Chinese TVET colleges / Bin Bai; School-to-work transition: explanatory and predictor variables for self-employability of high school pre-vocational agriculture graduates in Swaziland / B. S Mndebele, Mpendulo L. Mngomezulu and Barnabas M. Dlamini.

Chapter six, 'Curriculum design, apprenticeships and national qualification frameworks: does VET fit into NQFS?': 'Apprenticeship' in contemporary Britain, Italy and Germany / Lisa Rustico; National Qualification Frameworks (NQFs) as a foundation to gaining more transparency and a better international recognition of professional qualifications including VET qualifications / A. Willi Petersen; Connections between the recognition of non-formal and informal learning and National Qualification Frameworks: consequences for VET / Silvia Annen; Apprenticeship and NQF: do they fit together or compete with each other?: the case of Switzerland / Philipp Gonon. Chapter seven, 'Open session topics': The connection of school improvement and school-intern further teacher education in the Canton of Zurich / Silke Pieneck; The effect of labor market regulations on training behaviour and quality: the German labor market reform as a natural experiment / Anika Jansen, Mirjam Struplef Leiser, Felix Wenzelmann and Stefan C. Wolter; Productivity of apprentices: the impact of school-developed key competencies / Anika Jansen and Harald Pfeifer; Case study on cost, benefit, and quality of apprenticeship in China / Junlan Chen, Zishi Luo, Haoyan Mai and Qiming Yang. Show less

The African Continental Qualifications Framework-II (ACQF-II) supports development of National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF) and related policies in African countries, working in close cooperation and coordination with the relevant national authorities and with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). This report presents the findings of the 2023 ACQF-II Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Survey. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) (or Validation des Acquis de l'Experience (VAE), Reconhecimento Validacao e Certificacao de Competencias (RVCC), Reconhecimento de Competencias Adquiridas (RCA), as also used in the African context) is the process for recognising learning that has come from previous non-formal, informal or even formal learning contexts. As such, RPL is a crucial tool to make non-formal and informal learning more visible. It is focused on learning outcomes, not on how skills and competences were acquired and as such is capable of addressing specific issues and needs with more flexibility and efficiency.

The aim of the survey was to collect data on the status quo of RPL policies and practices to assist the future efforts of ACQF in various activities related to RPL. In more detail, the aim of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) survey is to gather data and insights regarding the effectiveness, accessibility, and impact of RPL policies and practices in Africa. This survey seeks to understand the extent to which individuals benefit from RPL processes in terms of educational and career advancement, as well as the overall alignment of RPL with national or regional goals. Additionally, it strives to identify areas for improvement and inform policy decisions, enhancing the quality of RPL practices, and contributing to the continuous improvement of education and training systems.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

The African Continental Qualifications Framework-II (ACQF-II) supports the development of National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF) and related policies in African countries, working in close cooperation and coordination with the relevant national authorities and with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). This report presents the findings of the 2023 ACQF-II Micro-credentials (MC) survey. The aim of the survey was to collect data on the place and trends of micro-credentials in the qualifications and lifelong learning systems in different African countries. More specifically, it aimed to identify common types of micro-credentials, explore organisational differences, and investigate various characteristics such as stackability, quality assurance methods, inclusion in NQFs and information requirements. Moreover, the survey gathered stakeholder perceptions, information on the current offering of micro-credentials and future plans.

The survey results highlight several key aspects that respondents believe should be part of a common continental approach to micro-credentials: (1) The most frequently mentioned aspects are the recognition of micro-credentials and quality assurance standards, each selected by 47 respondents. This suggests a strong desire for micro-credentials to be formally recognised and for there to be robust standards in place to ensure their quality; (2) Recognition by education and training organisations (39), trust by employers (36 times), and the ability to link supply and demand (32) - these features underscore the importance of recognition and value of MCs in both the education sector and the labour market, as well as the need for micro-credentials to be responsive to the needs of learners and employers; (3) A need for strong quality assurance as well as the possibility of using micro-credentials as blocks towards attaining a full qualification were also underlined; and (4) Features such as learning flexibility, affordability to obtain, and availability on online learning platforms were mentioned less frequently. This could suggest that while these aspects are valued, they may be seen as less critical to the quality of micro-credentials compared to recognition and trust.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

For economies, enterprises and workers across Africa, the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented changes to the workplace. Some of these changes have been immediate, such as disruptions to supply chains or lockdowns that forced enterprises to close. Other changes - and perhaps the more significant ones - are long-term, with the COVID-19 pandemic reshaping and accelerating existing trends in workplace change. At its core, the pandemic has fundamentally altered where and how people work, upending many long-standing norms and practices. Enterprises and workers have made many changes, often out of necessity, though they have regularly brought unexpected improvements in productivity or working conditions.

This report documents these changes and examines how enterprises from across Africa view and respond to them. It has been developed with support from the Bureau for Employers Activities of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the ILO Regional Office for Africa, in partnership with employer and business membership organizations (EBMOs) from across Africa. The research covers fifteen countries in Africa, and takes a mixed-methods approach. One component is a survey conducted from June to November 2021 covering 1,017 formal sector enterprises, most of whom are members of EBMOs. Collectively, they employ some 750,000 workers. This is complemented by a broad-based literature review and 126 key informant interviews, mostly with top management and human resources professionals from the private sector. In addition, we conducted five in-depth case studies with multinational enterprises, each having operations in at least five African countries. While these various sources of information do not cover all parts of every economy in Africa, they provide deep and broad insights about how workplaces at urban, formal enterprises in Africa are changing.

Excerpt from publication. Show less