scholarly journals Learning to Adapt in a Global Pandemic of COVID-19: Insights to Support Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Southern Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Ojo ◽  
Presha Ramsarup ◽  
Nicola Jenkin
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Local Networks ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
And Training

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all education sectors significantly during the full global lockdown between March and June 2020, including the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. During this period, the authors jointly led nine researchers who were postgraduate students in six Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries (Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Due to the restrictions during the lockdown, these nine researchers conducted a literature review and thirty interviews in local communities in these six SADC countries. This included both VET colleges as well as individuals in informal, small-scale and entrepreneurial activities. The authors refer to the qualitative data gathered by the interviews with these interviewees as ‘stories of adaptation’. In this paper we used these ‘stories of adaptation’ to explore the links between learning to adapt and expertise, and to consider how together these constructs offer insights into how VET can be strengthened to better support local communities.Two research questions were asked: (1) how do the notions of adaptive capacity and expertise as conceptual constructs help to understand vocational learning in a global pandemic? and (2) what insights can be drawn from the ‘stories of adaptation’ to strengthen the role of VET in local communities? Through a thematic analysis of the ‘stories of adaptation’, three key findings emerged: (1) capacity to adapt is a multi-level and multi-pronged construct; (2) use of digital platforms as well as local networks were key enabling mechanisms for adaptation; and, (3) learning and expertise are embedded in the capacity to adapt. Thus, we argue that building a responsive VET system for the SADC region is achievable by strengthening the nexus between learning, expertise and adaptive capacity. Keywords: adaptive capacity; expertise; global pandemic; vocational education

scholarly journals Positioning Informal Skills Learners in TVET System of Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-57
Author(s):  
Durga Prasad Baral
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Informal Sector ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
Awareness Raising ◽  
And Training

The informal sector occupies a significant portion of employment in Nepal. More than eighty per cent of all employees work in this sector. These workers generally lack formal skills training and acquire skills while performing the work under the guidance of skilled workers. However, the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system rarely recognises such informally learned skills at work. In this context, this paper explores the position obtained by informal skills learners in the existing TVET system of Nepal. I drew information from related literature, collected experiences of six informal skills learners as cases and incorporated views of eight experts through interviews. The study shows that informal skills learners are getting very little attention in the Nepali TVET system. In fact, the system is not valuing the contribution of local communities and institutions, industries, and enterprises in the development of skills. Furthermore, the study reveals that lacking awareness-raising and motivational programmes targeted to youth; and the government‘s unfavourable working approach to TVET. In this situation, I argue that obtaining a dignified position by informal skills learners depends on the value given to skills, work, and occupation. The paper concludes that Pervasive Loitering Syndrome (PLS) prevails across different layers of society. The PLS creates the situation of less valuing skills, work, and occupations, and ultimately the informal skills learners are devalued.

scholarly journals Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): What Next?

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-112
Author(s):  
Prakash C Bhattarai
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Employment Sector ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
And Training

Employment sector has been invariably affected in the current crisis resulted from the global pandemic of COVID-19. This demands a paradigm shift in the present way of intervention in the TVET sector of Nepal through short- and long-term strategies.

The Roles of an Effective Supervisor in Technical and Vocational Education and Training

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (02) ◽  
pp. 2328-2334
Author(s):  
John Nehemiah Marwa ◽  
Hanifah Jambari ◽  
Ishak Taman ◽  
Nur Hazirah Noh@Seth ◽  
Mohd Zolkifli Abdul Hamid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Technical And Vocational Education ◽  
And Training

scholarly journals Introduction of New Forms of Education in Modern Higher and Vocational Education and Training

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Liudmyla I. Berezovska ◽  
Galyna D. Kondratska ◽  
Anna A. Zarytska ◽  
Kateryna S. Volkova ◽  
Taras M. Matsevko
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
National Education ◽  
And Training

This article sets sights on highlighting the effectiveness and efficiency of higher and vocational education and training, as well as exploring ways to address and implement the current reform agenda in the field. The research was conducted on the basis of a generalizing and comparative method, to identify the problems and development of vocational and higher education. Within the framework of the conducted research the current state of vocational and higher education has been characterized; the features of online learning at leading universities and its advantages has been clarified; the prospects of introduction of continuity of education have been studied, for the development of personality abilities, taking into account changes in society in the context of improvement of the system of vocational and higher education caused by the European integration process of education; directions for the development of vocational and higher education as part of the national education system and society in general have been outlined. It is determined, that at the present stage the domestic education system should be improved and transferred to an innovative way of development in accordance with developed countries. In the near future, such modern forms of education as: distance education, dual education, continuing vocational education and others, should be improved and implemented into the educational process.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document