Issue 10

Informal Learning of Vocational Competences and Skills: Theoretical and practical perspectives

Editorial Issue 10: Informal Learning of Vocational Competences and Skills: Theoretical and practical perspectives

by Kumar Kothandaraman, Jun Li, Matthias Pilz

Full issue 10
Formation of vocational competencies and skills is an important economic, political, and educational issue in many countries. Beside the formal TVET-system, informal learning takes place in many forms and has an important impact. In some countries, informal learning covers entirely the major part of vocational learning activities. In other countries, informal learning is being integrated into formal TVET-systems or being enriched by non-formal learning. Furthermore, the accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL) and validation of informal leaning is a field of continuous development, especially for highly formal TVET-systems and in Higher Education.

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About TVET@Asia

TVET@Asia is an open content online journal for scientists and practitioners in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Vocational Teacher Education (VTE) in the East and Southeast- Asian region.

Its main purpose is to provide access to peer reviewed papers and thus to enhance the dissemination of relevant content and the initiation of open discussions within the TVET community.

Learn more about TVET@Asia

Skill development in the informal sector in China, Thailand and India – A case study of street food vendors

by Uma Gengaiah, Jun Li, Sirilak Hanvatananukul, Nonthalee Prontadavit, Matthias Pilz

Informal sector dominates the economic activities of the Asian Counties like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam and China and so does informal learning. By looking at the percentage of the population occupied in the informal sector, especially street food vending, the present study attempts to unravel the ways in which knowledge and skills acquired in the informal sectors especially street food vending by the individuals. It is field based research. We have collected data for the research from major metropolitans in China, Thailand and India due to the presence of a large number of street food vendors.

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Comparative perspectives on validation of prior learning – experience from four European countries

by Simone R. Haasler, Eva Anslinger, Franziska Laudenbach

The validation and recognition of prior non-formal and informal learning (VPL) is a priority of EU educational policies and central to lifelong learning. It is targeted to enhance employability, labor market opportunities and educational pathways and should, above all, enhance the chances of individuals disadvantaged on the labor market such as the low skilled, unemployed and migrant workers. In the past two decades, various European countries have created policy frameworks to implement and promote VPL. In addition, common European principles for VPL have been formulated, including specific guidelines for incorporating VPL into the European Qualification Framework.

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A new approach for Assessment of Pedagogical Competence of students at higher education institutions of technology and education in Vietnam

by Thi Kim Oanh Duong | Issue 10

Competence-Based Assessment (CBA) is a new approach for assessing pedagogical competence of students in higher education institutions of technology and education in Vietnam. CBA is the process of collecting evidences and making judgments on whether competence has been achieved. CBA does not provide students with evidences to recognize their own knowledge and skills from dealing with real-world problems, but regulate teaching and learning. This research mentioned on a brief literature review on CBA and revealed a status of assessing pedagogical competence in training students to become Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) teachers at higher education institutions of technology and education in Vietnam. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to gather data associated with CBA in general and the application of this approach in assessing pedagogical competence of students.

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Informal Learning in Vietnam: Status quo, Circumstances of existence and the demand to be acknowledged

by Xuan Tien Vo | Issue 10

Since 1986, Economical innovation ‘Đổi mới’ happened in Vietnam. In the beginning, Vietnam had only demand of workforce for light industries such as clothing, footwear or construction, which are characterized as labour-intensive, low-skilled, simple work. Thus, firms did not want to recruit highly skilled workers. Now, three decades later, Vietnam is on shift away from agglomeration (stage of initial Foreign Direct Investment absorption) and to technology absorption (internalising parts and components) (Ohno 2010). Therefore, it brought a new demand of highly skilled workforce; complex work such as operating CNC Machining Centres, assembling agricultural machines, designing and assembling printed circuit, etc., emerges in line with the development of the Vietnamese economics.

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A Model for Designing Sustainable Community Based Enterprise TVET (CETVET) System in India

by Santosh Kumar Prusty, Shankar Purbey, Rohit Dwivedi | Issue 10

India, traditionally, is constituted as a caste based society. Besides the sociological function of structuring the society, a caste was a label for a specific set of knowledge and skill generationally engaged into a specific occupation. The population belonging to a particular caste constitute a community, who used to practice the profession of the caste since generation and learning used to take place informally within the community. With the increased effort for the market driven skill supply, particularly in the post-independence India, the subscription to other formal professional programs increased, changing to professional learning from occupational learning.

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Transferring agricultural technologies – Need to supplement the formal learning with informal learning

by Rengan Venkatram, Vadivelu Sakthirama

The crop and the animal husbandry demands knowledge and skills as any other vocational enterprises. Similar to inheritance of land and other assets by the heirs, the owned knowledge and skills are transferred through self-learning or informal learning from one generation to the other. However, due to commercialization of farm activities and their applications, the process of informal learning is now taking different dimensions. Such commercialization also necessitated farmers to aspire for formal trainings and to achieve faster transformations through agricultural technologies. These technologies are being transferred to farmers by the experts mostly by formal trainings vis-à-vis formal learning. The knowledge and skills already possessed by these farmers however need to be supplemented with newer knowledge and skills acquired.

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Informal Learning among Handloom Weavers: A Case Analysis of Chinnalapatti, Tamil Nadu, India

by Ganapathi Palanithurai, Ramasamy Seerangarajan

Informal sector contributes 50 per cent of the national income and it contributes 40 per cent of the exports of the country. Among the informal sectors, handloom weavers are the significant communities and they continue to struggle for their livelihood despite the efforts of the governments both the centre and the states through their development programmes by building the skill of the weavers. Yet, these communities are strong in adhering the age-old practices, as they are oriented in informal learning to acquire this skill to safeguard their livelihood security. Against this background, it is to be understood that the skilling process among weaving communities is highly problematic. The present study conducted among weaving community in the semi urban area of Tamil Nadu using mixed methods brought to light some of the revealing facts. The study has developed conceptual framework using informal learning theories.

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