ERIC ED615560: Strengthening the Responsiveness, Agility and Resilience of TVET Institutions for the Post-COVID-19 Era. UNESCO-UNEVOC's COVID-19 Response Project: Key Project Results

2021·3.5 MB·English

by  ERIC

Strengthening the Responsiveness, Agility and Resilience
of TVET Institutions for the Post-COVID-19 Era
UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project
Key project results
Introduction
46
49
43
UNEVOC Centres out of TVET institutions
Countries
Beneficiaries
178
Webinars on Capacity- 62
421
digitalization building
TVET stakeholders
in TVET programmes TVET managers and participated in peer
trainees completed
teachers completed learning workshops
short-term skills
digital training and webinars
training programmes
programmes
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the The project also focused on providing training
lives of millions. It has caused untold human to teachers, managers and technical staff
suffering, delivered a sudden, sharp shock to to meet the urgent need for greater digital
sectors including retail, hospitality, travel and skills and competencies. The three-month
arts and culture, and placed health services training programme was backed up by a
around the world under enormous strain. series of webinars to discuss the challenges of
digitalization in TVET, bringing together leading
Regions
Education has also been affected. When experts and interested practitioners from the
teaching and learning were forced to move global TVET community.
Africa
online, technical and vocational education and
more than Arab States
training (TVET) providers had to fit years of To ensure lessons learned along the way will
100
Asia and the Pacific
Countries digital learning into a matter of weeks. This mass not be forgotten after the crisis has subsided,
Europe, CIS and North America
experiment exposed a digital divide based on a special peer-learning activity has enabled
Latin America and the Caribbean
income and geography that has long existed. TVET institutions to pass on promising practices
to other TVET stakeholders through a mix of
However, with its focus on training and assignments, workshops and webinars.
retraining people for the world of work, TVET
has also helped to ease the transition to the This combination of activities, focused on
new normal in work and society. alleviating the short, medium and long-
term-effects of the crisis, has supported
Since January 2021, UNESCO-UNEVOC’s TVET institutions in mitigating the social
more than more than
COVID-19 response project has been helping and economic impact of COVID-19 in their
200 700
Participants TVET institutions to cope with the challenges communities and contributed to their post-
Institutions
of the pandemic. pandemic recovery. The new digital skills and
competencies will also help them to become
Through targeted training for employability, it more resilient institutions – ones which are
has supported efforts to reskill and upskill those better prepared to deal with future shocks
whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the and crises.
pandemic and strengthen their capacity to
adapt to short and long-term changes.
2 UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report 3
“This type of training
improves volunteers’ chances
of earning a living. It helps
Activity
1 them gain skills they can
In Ghana, as elsewhere, many girls saw
use in their next project, or
their education disrupted by COVID-19.
Some may never return to school while
others are at greater risk of adolescent they can use the training
pregnancy and early or forced marriage
due to the crisis. The University of Cape
certificates if they plan to
Coast (UCC) trained community health
workers and volunteers in counselling,
nutritional support and mentoring for look for employment.”
vulnerable girls as well as how to organize
clinics in rural communities. This will better
equip them for future projects while the
Short-term skills training
training certificates will help them find
paid work. The programme has also taught
pregnant teenagers and young mothers
for employability entrepreneurial skills to help them set up
their own micro-businesses.
Ghana
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on people’s “I have learned to prepare
ability to work and earn a living, especially
for those already in vulnerable situations
a business plan for starting
when the crisis began.
my own enterprise.
This activity aimed to soften the blow by
teaching new skills to vulnerable groups India
in five countries in Africa, Asia and the I am determined to utilize
Caribbean. This has enabled more than In India, millions of migrant workers were
400 trainees to develop new sources forced to return to their villages when
the knowledge and skills “Trainees are motivated
of income to replace those lost due to COVID-19 shut down their workplaces
the pandemic. In the process, local TVET in the cities. In the Sundarbans coastal
institutions have become more familiar learned through this to develop a workable region of West Bengal, the Vivekananda
with assessing skills’ needs in their Institute of Biotechnology (VIB) quickly
communities and with delivering short, set up an accelerated training programme
training.” project for themselves.”
targeted training programmes to address for returnees. It covered biofertilizer use,
skills gaps. aquaculture and solar energy — technical
Participant in skills training programme skills relevant to the local economy —
backed up by entrepreneurship training
and mentoring from VIB’s network of local
experts. The trainees were encouraged to
set up small businesses to help promote
self-sufficiency in the post-COVID-19 period.
4 UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report 5
Successive lockdowns in Thailand “Now they can use
prevented farmers in Chiang Rai
province from tending their crops
their TVET skills to
or supplementing their incomes
with work in fruit canning factories.
make a product from
Rajamangala University of Technology
Thanyaburi (RMUTT) trained people
from the village of Giang to cultivate local materials which
bamboo and weave bamboo strips
into a range of natural products.
are from a sustainable
The next stage of training will cover
entrepreneurial skills, including
marketing and selling products online. source.”
The trainees have already received
their first orders for bamboo trays from
Canada. Their new skills will provide an
Thailand
alternative source of income that will
Poultry farmers in Malawi suffered from help provide some economic stability.
the pandemic’s impact on food supply
chains. A training programme carried out
by Mikolongwe Vocational School (MVS) has
helped small-scale farmers in Chiradzulu
district learn how to take better care of
their livestock and reduce losses to disease.
Participants learned to use locally available
grains to make chicken feed which they can
also sell to other farmers for extra income.
MVS also encouraged local farmers to form
a network to pass on their new skills to
others, increasing the reach and impact of
the programme. Jamaica
When COVID-19 struck Jamaica, many
domestic workers were sent home
without pay or saw their hours cut back
Malawi sharply. This had a devastating impact
for many members of a collective
who tend to be female, migrants and
“Women were more likely
working without a contract. In response,
the Heart/NSTA Trust launched a
to be laid off or unemployed programme to teach domestic workers
entrepreneurial skills as a stepping stone
towards setting up a business in the
than men. Women now “The course motivated the
formal economy. After completing seven
weeks of training in areas including stock
have the potential to trainees and a lot of people control, team management, health and
safety and customer service, trainees
earned a vocational qualification in
support their families.” are coming in now to ask
micro-entrepreneurship.
about courses.”
6 UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report 7
The training programme
Activity
2
Focus areas
of the programme Baseline Digital learning
goal setting   environments
Content
and tools Pedagogy and Safety
creation
innovation and data
management
Building the digital capacities
Webinar 1 Webinar 2 Webinar 3

Digital Competence and the Social Aspects of Digital Navigating the Maze
of TVET staff
Future of Work – Pathways Learning in TVET of Digital Tools and
for TVET Institutions Services
While digitalization is not a new trend, Opportunities were provided for identifying When TVET institutions had to react Recent surveys have shown that Different aspects must be considered
the COVID-19 pandemic has sharply personal and institutional development goals to sudden change brought about TVET teachers and students alike when choosing a digital approach for
increased the demand for digital skills. This related to digitalization. Good practices in by the pandemic, the challenges feel stressed about the lack of social TVET: connectivity and device-related
activity, implemented by Omnia Education digital learning were shared, and participants of equipment, infrastructure and interaction in online teaching. limitations, diversity of users and their
Partnerships (OEP), supported TVET institutions were introduced to new digital tools and connectivity for online learning Many teachers are concerned they digital competence, desired pedagogical
in meeting the ongoing challenges of services and how to use them in teaching and were quick to emerge, highlighting have not been able to reach some approaches, readiness and availability of
digitalization and harnessing its opportunities. learning. Participants were also encouraged a startling digital divide. Even in students for lengthy periods of time. support services, budgetary concerns
to carry out a practical development project countries and institutions where this Students often lack motivation to and possible rules and regulations
A three-month training programme for to gain the most out of the experience. At the was less of a problem, many teachers learn and inclusion is an issue with on storage of data and privacy. For
TVET managers, teachers and ICT staff in five end of the programme, which was delivered lacked digital skills to teach remotely online learning. digitalization to be successful, the
countries was complemented with a series of in English and Spanish, TVET staff said they and struggled to deliver curricula different perspectives of management,
webinars open to the wider TVET community appreciated the ‘real experience’ of what they which had been designed for face- Teachers themselves need support IT support and TVET teachers need to
to help build digital capacities. could take into the classroom. to-face teaching. Others had to cope as the digital leap has put a strain on be combined – what might be the ideal
with less obvious challenges such as all due to the demand for new skills. solution from one perspective might not
The training programme for some 62 TVET The webinars, featuring experts on TVET and having the self-confidence to operate But beyond the technical aspects work on an institutional level.
teachers, managers and ICT staff, was digital training, were attended by more than within the new environment. of the shift to online teaching, it
implemented in Jamaica, Kenya, the Maldives, 700 participants from over 100 countries. requires even more effort to create Many teachers exposed to digital
Nigeria and Peru. Trainees came from different They focused on particular challenges such as The webinar highlighted that when an online learning community. technologies for the first time felt
backgrounds with a varying degree of building digital competence to better prepare it comes to ‘e-readiness’, it is not just School alone cannot be responsible overwhelmed by the abundance of
underlying digital skills and experiences of learners for the future of work, social aspects of a question of skills but also whether for solving all societal challenges, choices. Furthermore, many lacked
working in online environments. digital learning and how to navigate the maze TVET teachers and managers can but peer learning, mentoring, institutional guidance on how to apply
of digital tools and services. change their mindsets and adapt encouraging communities of them to the needs of their learners.
to the demands of teaching TVET learning and sharing good practice The webinar provided some pointers
online, and in the longer term, to can help provide much-needed on what to consider while navigating
changes in the workplace. social support. the maze.
8 UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report 9
Activity
3
The forced shift to virtual classes could
have threatened the progress made by Más
Mujeres en las TICs (More women in ICT).
When Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia The programme, implemented by Duoc UC, a
(UTHM), a UNEVOC Centre, introduced a UNEVOC Centre, promotes Chilean women’s
digital TVET learning platform based on an interest, participation and leadership in ICT
analysis of participants’ needs, it was initially an careers. Instead, the pandemic became an
immediate response to the pandemic. It soon opportunity to scale up activities to reach other
became evident that it could be a longer- regions and countries including Colombia,
term solution for delivering online skills to Mexico and Paraguay. As part of scaling-up,
meet the needs of the digital economy. UTHM Duoc UC improved its online courses and
Building institutional resilience
recognized it was not enough to shift learning developed a handbook so that activities could
modules online. Teachers and instructors be replicated by other institutions in Chile
needed coaching and support to use the and around the world. This led to a significant
through peer learning platform and new digital tools. These included increase in student enrolment. From 40 female
using virtual reality and augmented reality ICT students in 2019, the number increased six-
tools to closely simulate a practical training fold to 247 by the end of 2020.
environment. Their practices and experiences
have been shared with TVET institutions in
various countries, including Indonesia, the
As online learning and new forms of “The training equipped Philippines and Sri Lanka.
collaboration swiftly emerged during
the pandemic, TVET institutions faced participants with knowledge,
challenges adapting their courses and
developing the skills of teachers for
skills and attitudes needed
the digital environment.
An initiative by Niagara College in Canada to
to continue to lead their
Sharing lessons learned and promising build TVET leadership skills in times of crisis
practices in supporting stakeholders and disruption focused on tools for planning
teams to achieve unit and
have provided the basis for peer learning change and building resilience. These included
throughout the project. These activities tackling teachers’ feelings of insecurity due
institutional goals in parallel
were carried out through a series of to rapid change and from lack of familiarity
regional workshops and webinars with online learning platforms that could
to managing the challenges
attended by 178 participants from hamper effective engagement. Modules to
43 UNEVOC Centres, which aimed support and guide managers and leaders of
at helping institutions better prepare created by COVID-19.” TVET institutions and self-awareness training
for future disruptions. helped boost confidence in using digital tools.
Institution participating in peer learning It was combined with strategies for inclusion
of minority and disadvantaged groups. The
practices were shared with institutions in
Barbados, Brazil and Grenada, among others.
10 UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report 11
Project leaders and participants from Canada, Webinar 1:
Chile, Ghana, India, Malaysia and Thailand Digital Competence and the Future of
discuss their activities and learning outcomes Work – Pathways for TVET Institutions
in this series of articles on the major themes of
Synthesis report
Activity the project:
Recording in English and French
4 Retraining young people and workers
Webinar 2:
displaced by COVID-19
Social Aspects of Digital Learning in TVET
TVET provides a lifeline to Thai farmers
Synthesis report
Building resilience in vulnerable communities Recording in English, French and Spanish
Strengthening peer learning for the
Webinar 3:
post-pandemic era
Navigating the Maze of Digital Tools
and Services
A three-part series of webinars on the
challenges of digitalization and how TVET Synthesis report
institutions are dealing with them: Recording in English, French and Spanish
UNESCO-UNEVOC’s database of Promising
and Innovative Practices in TVET includes
ten examples, drawn from all three of the
project activities. It enables participants to
Disseminating project experiences
share experiences and provide inspiration for
other TVET institutions around the world facing
similar challenges.
and promising practices
UNESCO-UNEVOC is keen to ensure the
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12 UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report UNESCO-UNEVOC’s COVID-19 response project – Final report 13
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